DOCSLIB.ORG

The Motor Launch Patrol

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Motor Launch Patrol <^ - J^-*— '7* ^f-Z^^ THE MOTOR LAUNCH PATROL ^11 Acknowkdgments arc due to My //. L. Keiack, Editor of " The Yachting MonthlyT Messrs A. ^ C. Black, Ltd., the " Editor of The Graphic" and the Art Committee of the Imperial IVar Museum for their courteous permission to reprodiue certain pictures in their possession ; and to Mr H. L, Rciach for a similar permission to reprint part of " " The Hundred Minutes" J'hc Double Offensive" and " " On Patrol,'" which appeared in The Yachting Monthly." •f ^J^ '^^. .;•* Leaving Dover Harbour with altenrlant M.i,.b., to H.M.S. her VINDICTIVE commit glorious yiVo i/c- se at Oslend, May g, 1913. THE MOTOR LAUNCH PATROL BY GORDON S. MAXWELL LIEUT. R.N.V.R. WITH 20 MONOCHROME DRAWINGS BY DONALD MAXWELL LIEUT. R.N.V.R. ADMIRALTY OFFICIAL ARTIST FOREWORD BY VICE-ADMIRAL SIR ROGER KEYES K.C.B., C.M.G., C.V.O., D.S.O. LONDON AND TORONTO J. M. DENT AND SONS, LIMITED NEW YORK : E. P. BUTTON AND CO. All rights reserved. First published 1920. TKINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN HV NEILL AND CO., LTD., EUINUURCH TO ALL MY FELLOW OFFICERS AND MEN WHO SERVED ON H.M. MOTOR LAUNCH PATROL AND TO THE EVER-LIVING MEMORY OF THOSE WHO DIED THAT WE MIGHT CARRY ON FOREWORD By vice-admiral SIR ROGER KEYES The operations on the Belgian coast between March and November 191 8 gave the officers and men of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in the motor launches opportunities of winning distinction and honour. That these opportunities were seized is fully- borne out in the pages of the London Gazette, which record the daring self-sacrifice and devotion to duty displayed by these gallant seamen, and made a tale of glorious enterprise which will live in the history of our Service. At the Zeebrugge-Ostend raid the duty of making smoke-screens and laying smoke-floats was imposed on a large fleet of motor launches. Without the services of these little vessels for this duty, and for inshore work generally, an attack of this nature could hardly have been considered. The rescue of the crews of the blockships by the motor launches, which had been standing by under heavy fire of every calibre, was carried out viii The Motor Launch Patrol the in the gallant manner which distinguished work of the crews of the motor launches gener- of these ally throughout the action. The zest officers and men compels one's admiration, and their conduct in this operation confirms the opinion I expressed of them in my despatches on previous occasions. In The Motor Launch Patrol the author has dealt not only with the operations on the Belgian Coast, but with these boats generally in an enter- taining way, which, combined with the realistic make this book drawings that illustrate it, should Naval valuable historically not only to the Royal Volunteer Reserve, but also to a wider public the " New to whom the doings of this section of " Navy that came into being under war-time con- ditions should make a strong appeal. H\r\iiKyUx. CONTENTS PROLOGUE : THE BUILDING OF THE SHIPS BY HENRY R. SUTPHEN I I. SOUTHAMPTON : ON H.M.S. HERMIONE lO II. "pompey" . 19 III. THE TRADITION OF PORTSMOUTH 43 IV. ON PATROL .... 49 V. ETERNITY .... 80 VI. 'ell ...... 88 VII. THE HUNDRED MINUTES THE M.L.S AT ZEEBRUGGE 106 VIII, THE DOUBLE OFFENSIVE THE M.L.S AT OSTEND 129 IX. DUNKIRK ..... 150 X. THE GIMLET .... 185 XI. "DOVER guyed" 189 XII. THE M.L.S IN THE MEDITERRANEAN 207 XIII. TWO HOSPITALS 1. LE CHATEAU ANONYME AND THE LITTLE BLUE SISTER . 237 2. R.N, HOSPITAL AND THE MUTTON- FISTED MATLOE .... 245 ix The Motor Launch Patrol XIV. THE SILEN'T COAST 1. ON SHORE: THE BELGIAN COASTAST . 2. ON H.M.S. VINDICTIVE . 3. AT OSTEND . 4. ON THE MOLE 5. IN ZEEBRUGGE HARBOUR 6. THE LAND BATTERIES . XV. U-BOAT AVENUE " XVI. "THE SCROLL OF EMMEL XVII. THE FREEDOM OF THE SEIZE (C XVIII. SIC TRANSIT . LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1. H.M.S. Vindictive— Leaving Dover Har- bour, with attendant M.L.s, to commit her glorious felo de se at Ostend, May 9. 1918 Frontispiece 2. A Quebec Nocturne— M.L.s awaiting to . shipment England .To face page 3 3. Breaking Dawn— H.M.S. A^d'r;;«V/;i-, parent of the . ship M.L.s, at Southampton „ 14 4. A Century of Progress— M.L.s off H.M.S. Fisgard^ at Portsmouth .... „ 32 5. The Long Night „ 49 6. On Patrol— M.L.s a Suspect ; engaging a U-boat attacking a merchantman . „ 80 7. Zeebrugge, St George's Day, 191 8— H.M.S. K/wrt'/V//?/^ approaching the Mole through the M.L.s' smoke-screen . „ 113 8. Zeebrugge, April 1918— M.L.s rescuing the crews of the blockships in the mouth of the Bruges Canal „ 128 9. B.C. Patrol— Monitors bombarding the Bel- gian coast behind M.L.s" smoke-screen . „ 165 10. Mines—A German ashore M.L. mine ; ex- ploding a mine „ 172 II." Parlez-vous Anglais ?"—Semaphoring a French battleship in the Mediterranean „ 209 xii The Motor Launch Patrol 12. Off the Palestine Coast -M.L. 206 L.s oft'Sidon . To entering Tyre ; M face page 224 13. Boarding A Dutchman .... „ 241 " 14. Oft in Danger"— M.L. warning a sailing ship on the edge of a minefield . „ 256 15. "America has declared War"— jM.L.s on patrol off the Nevvarp Lightship getting the news by Morse from a pass- ing destroyer „ 273 16. Off the Tyne Country—The Pillar of Cloud Tlie Pillar of Fire by Day ; by Night „ 288 \^ THE MOTOR LAUNCH PATROL PROLOGUE THE BUILDING OF THE SHIPS By Henry R. Sutphen It was in February 191 5 that we had our initial negotiations with the British naval authorities. A well-known English shipbuilder and ordnance expert was in New York, presumably on secret business of the Admiralty, and I met him one afternoon at his hotel. Naturally, the menace of the German submarine warfare came into discussion we both that the was ; agreed danger a real one, and that steps should be taken to meet it. I suggested the use of a number of small speedy motor launches for use in attacking and destroying submarines. My idea was to have a mosquito fleet big enough thoroughly to patrol the waters of Great Britain, each of them carry- ing a quick-firing gun. I said that my pre- 2 The Motor Launch Patrol ference was for a type about 80 feet in length with a speed of some 19 knots. He asked how many units of this class we could build in a year, and I told him that I could guarantee fifty. He said he would think the matter over, and we parted. Well, I had to think things over myself, and pretty carefully, too. Our yard, in addition to its smaller work, had been turning out perhaps half a dozen boats a year of the general dimensions that would meet the requirements. Now, very possibly, I might be called upon to build, say, eight times that number, and many factors had to be taken into account. Needless to say, I had no idea at the time of the truly tremendous task that lay before me. As I looked at it there was just one answer to the problem, and that was complete standardisation. A few days later I had another interview, and was told that the British Government was ready to give us a contract for fifty vessels, the whole lot to be delivered in one year's time. Then arose the delicate question of how the job could be pushed through without embarrassing our own government, then maintaining its position of strict neutrality. Obviously, Canada offered a convenient field of operation, and we went up to Montreal to investigate. We met and talked A QUEBEC NOCTURNE. M.L.s awaiting shipment to England. The Building of the Ships 3 with several men in the shipbuilding line, but we could not seem to find any plant that would meet our requirements. Then we heard of a small repair yard at Quebec, and we went over to see it. It looked pretty rough and badly appointed, and the grey, sullen surface of the river, filled with drifting ice, presented a most forbidding spectacle. But the owners of the yard showed a willingness to co-operate in every assured us that the way ; moreover, they big spring tides would be of distinct advantage in the launching of the boats. And conditions in the labour market were satisfactory. The upshot of the business was that we took an option on the property, one more forward step. On April 9, 191 5, the contract for the fifty M.L.s— 75-footers—was signed, and we went to work so diligently that by the first of May the master, or pattern boat, was in the frame at the Elco shipbuilding yard at Bayonne, New Jersey. It seemed to us like a big undertaking, but the real business had not even started. The Lusitania sailed on her last voyage on May I, 191 5, and a week later her torpedoing by a German U-boat was reported. My English friend was sailing that same day from New York, and he intimated to me when he received the news that he intended to advise the Admiralty 4 The Motor Launch Patrol " " to increase the number of chasers if I thoucrht I could take a bigger order.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Telling the Story of the Royal Navy and Its People in the 20Th & 21St
    NATIONAL Telling the story of the Royal Navy and its people MUSEUM in the 20th & 21st Centuries OF THE ROYAL NAVY Storehouse 10: New Galleries Project: Exhibition Design Report JULY 2011 NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE ROYAL NAVY Telling the story of the Royal Navy and its people in the 20th & 21st Centuries Storehouse 10: New Galleries Project: Exhibition Design Report 2 EXHIBITION DESIGN REPORT Contents Contents 1.0 Executive Summary 2.0 Introduction 2.1 Vision, Goal and Mission 2.2 Strategic Context 2.3 Exhibition Objectives 3.0 Design Brief 3.1 Interpretation Strategy 3.2 Target Audiences 3.3 Learning & Participation 3.4 Exhibition Themes 3.5 Special Exhibition Gallery 3.6 Content Detail 4.0 Design Proposals 4.1 Gallery Plan 4.2 Gallery Plan: Visitor Circulation 4.3 Gallery Plan: Media Distribution 4.4 Isometric View 4.5 Finishes 5.0 The Visitor Experience 5.1 Visuals of the Gallery 5.2 Accessibility 6.0 Consultation & Participation EXHIBITION DESIGN REPORT 3 Ratings from HMS Sphinx. In the back row, second left, is Able Seaman Joseph Chidwick who first spotted 6 Africans floating on an upturned tree, after they had escaped from a slave trader on the coast. The Navy’s impact has been felt around the world, in peace as well as war. Here, the ship’s Carpenter on HMS Sphinx sets an enslaved African free following his escape from a slave trader in The slave trader following his capture by a party of Royal Marines and seamen. the Persian Gulf, 1907. 4 EXHIBITION DESIGN REPORT 1.0 Executive Summary 1.0 Executive Summary Enabling people to learn, enjoy and engage with the story of the Royal Navy and understand its impact in making the modern world.
    [Show full text]
  • FS 34 Canadians and Coastal Forces WWII
    Canadians and Coastal Forces During World War II Page 1 of 6 _____________________________________________________________ Researched and Written by: Capt. (N) (Ret’d) Michael Braham Edited by Lt. (N) (Ret’d) Hugh J.M. Spence historical overviews of the Royal Canadian In the FCWM Research Paper Canada’s Navy Navy and have thus remained fairly unknown 1910-2010: The Ships , it is noted that “some to the majority of Canadians. of the lesser combatant ships” are omitted. This paper remedies that in part by describing The 29 th Canadian MTB Flotilla the role of Canadians in coastal fighting craft during World War II. The 29 th Canadian MTB Flotilla was formed in March 1944, and was equipped with 71.5 ft., As an organization, the Royal Canadian Navy “hard-chine” craft (angular hull components as takes somewhat of a back seat in this because, opposed to smooth or moulded,) built by as will be seen in the following text, the British Power Boats at Hythe on Southampton Canadian participation in these agile craft was Water. Originally designed as Motor Gun Boats conducted in fleet organizations run by the (MGBs), they were modified and re-designated Royal Navy. In a related vein, there is but as Motor Torpedo Boats. Driven by three Rolls passing mention of Canadians serving with the Royce or Packard V-12 Supercharged 1250 Royal Navy on RN small boat missions, such as H.P. engines, each with a 2,500 gallon capacity in the Adriatic. of 100 octane gas, these vessels had an operational radius of about 140 miles while This paper focuses on the various types of cruising at 25 knots, and a top speed of some Motor Torpedo Boat (MTB) in which Canadians 40 knots.
    [Show full text]
  • Guns Blazing! Newsletter of the Naval Wargames Society No
    All Guns Blazing! Newsletter of the Naval Wargames Society No. 283 – MAY 2018 Editorial NWS Members in Europe will have probably heard about the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which aims to strengthen data protection for people in the EU. The NWS is subject to the law and we are looking at what the change means exactly. I hold Members email addresses and would never pass details on without the prior, explicit consent of any Member. Your email address will continue to be held for the purpose of distributing “All Guns Blazing”, items of interest to Members and “Battlefleet”. A reminder to all to let Simon and I know if you change your email address so that we do not lose touch. Somewhere in the world the sun is over the yardarm. Norman Bell Good news from Dave Sharp. I can now confirm that the UK Naval Wargames Weekend will take place at the Fleet Air Arm Museum Yeovilton on the 30th June and 1st July. As last year we will need to charge members attending to cover costs. This will be £5 for one day, £7.50 for both as last year. Attendees will be able to access the museum without charge (normally £13 if booked online). Please could you let me know if you are able to put on a game. Please give an indication of the theme and the number of tables you will require. The space available is ample but I will need to ensure enough tables are provided. [email protected] Many thanks, Dave My understanding is that the function room is a large room beside the restaurant, in front of the museum.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Introduction
    Notes 1 Introduction 1. Donald Macintyre, Narvik (London: Evans, 1959), p. 15. 2. See Olav Riste, The Neutral Ally: Norway’s Relations with Belligerent Powers in the First World War (London: Allen and Unwin, 1965). 3. Reflections of the C-in-C Navy on the Outbreak of War, 3 September 1939, The Fuehrer Conferences on Naval Affairs, 1939–45 (Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1990), pp. 37–38. 4. Report of the C-in-C Navy to the Fuehrer, 10 October 1939, in ibid. p. 47. 5. Report of the C-in-C Navy to the Fuehrer, 8 December 1939, Minutes of a Conference with Herr Hauglin and Herr Quisling on 11 December 1939 and Report of the C-in-C Navy, 12 December 1939 in ibid. pp. 63–67. 6. MGFA, Nichols Bohemia, n 172/14, H. W. Schmidt to Admiral Bohemia, 31 January 1955 cited by Francois Kersaudy, Norway, 1940 (London: Arrow, 1990), p. 42. 7. See Andrew Lambert, ‘Seapower 1939–40: Churchill and the Strategic Origins of the Battle of the Atlantic, Journal of Strategic Studies, vol. 17, no. 1 (1994), pp. 86–108. 8. For the importance of Swedish iron ore see Thomas Munch-Petersen, The Strategy of Phoney War (Stockholm: Militärhistoriska Förlaget, 1981). 9. Churchill, The Second World War, I, p. 463. 10. See Richard Wiggan, Hunt the Altmark (London: Hale, 1982). 11. TMI, Tome XV, Déposition de l’amiral Raeder, 17 May 1946 cited by Kersaudy, p. 44. 12. Kersaudy, p. 81. 13. Johannes Andenæs, Olav Riste and Magne Skodvin, Norway and the Second World War (Oslo: Aschehoug, 1966), p.
    [Show full text]
  • "Weapon of Starvation": the Politics, Propaganda, and Morality of Britain's Hunger Blockade of Germany, 1914-1919
    Wilfrid Laurier University Scholars Commons @ Laurier Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive) 2015 A "Weapon of Starvation": The Politics, Propaganda, and Morality of Britain's Hunger Blockade of Germany, 1914-1919 Alyssa Cundy Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd Part of the Diplomatic History Commons, European History Commons, and the Military History Commons Recommended Citation Cundy, Alyssa, "A "Weapon of Starvation": The Politics, Propaganda, and Morality of Britain's Hunger Blockade of Germany, 1914-1919" (2015). Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive). 1763. https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd/1763 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive) by an authorized administrator of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A “WEAPON OF STARVATION”: THE POLITICS, PROPAGANDA, AND MORALITY OF BRITAIN’S HUNGER BLOCKADE OF GERMANY, 1914-1919 By Alyssa Nicole Cundy Bachelor of Arts (Honours), University of Western Ontario, 2007 Master of Arts, University of Western Ontario, 2008 DISSERTATION Submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Doctor of Philosophy in History Wilfrid Laurier University 2015 Alyssa N. Cundy © 2015 Abstract This dissertation examines the British naval blockade imposed on Imperial Germany between the outbreak of war in August 1914 and the ratification of the Treaty of Versailles in July 1919. The blockade has received modest attention in the historiography of the First World War, despite the assertion in the British official history that extreme privation and hunger resulted in more than 750,000 German civilian deaths.
    [Show full text]
  • 'The Admiralty War Staff and Its Influence on the Conduct of The
    ‘The Admiralty War Staff and its influence on the conduct of the naval between 1914 and 1918.’ Nicholas Duncan Black University College University of London. Ph.D. Thesis. 2005. UMI Number: U592637 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation Publishing UMI U592637 Published by ProQuest LLC 2013. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 CONTENTS Page Abstract 4 Acknowledgements 5 Abbreviations 6 Introduction 9 Chapter 1. 23 The Admiralty War Staff, 1912-1918. An analysis of the personnel. Chapter 2. 55 The establishment of the War Staff, and its work before the outbreak of war in August 1914. Chapter 3. 78 The Churchill-Battenberg Regime, August-October 1914. Chapter 4. 103 The Churchill-Fisher Regime, October 1914 - May 1915. Chapter 5. 130 The Balfour-Jackson Regime, May 1915 - November 1916. Figure 5.1: Range of battle outcomes based on differing uses of the 5BS and 3BCS 156 Chapter 6: 167 The Jellicoe Era, November 1916 - December 1917. Chapter 7. 206 The Geddes-Wemyss Regime, December 1917 - November 1918 Conclusion 226 Appendices 236 Appendix A.
    [Show full text]
  • Defeating the U-Boat Inventing Antisubmarine Warfare NEWPORT PAPERS
    NAVAL WAR COLLEGE NEWPORT PAPERS 36 NAVAL WAR COLLEGE WAR NAVAL Defeating the U-boat Inventing Antisubmarine Warfare NEWPORT PAPERS NEWPORT S NA N E V ES AV T AT A A A L L T T W W S S A A D D R R E E C C T T I I O O L N L N L L U U E E E E G G H H E E T T I I VIRIBU VOIRRIABU OR A S CT S CT MARI VI MARI VI 36 Jan S. Breemer Color profile: Disabled Composite Default screen U.S. GOVERNMENT Cover OFFICIAL EDITION NOTICE This perspective aerial view of Newport, Rhode Island, drawn and published by Galt & Hoy of New York, circa 1878, is found in the American Memory Online Map Collections: 1500–2003, of the Library of Congress Geography and Map Division, Washington, D.C. The map may be viewed at http://hdl.loc.gov/ loc.gmd/g3774n.pm008790. Use of ISBN Prefix This is the Official U.S. Government edition of this publication and is herein identified to certify its authenticity. ISBN 978-1-884733-77-2 is for this U.S. Government Printing Office Official Edition only. The Superintendent of Documents of the U.S. Govern- ment Printing Office requests that any reprinted edi- tion clearly be labeled as a copy of the authentic work with a new ISBN. Legal Status and Use of Seals and Logos The logo of the U.S. Naval War College (NWC), Newport, Rhode Island, authenticates Defeating the U- boat: Inventing Antisubmarine Warfare, by Jan S.
    [Show full text]
  • Ostend and Zeebrugge, April 23
    mr /. s J !!!'ii'> -;:a fit;:? i|i!|!i- mt mm::- 6 c y^c Y^ cs^ "L^t-^^i^^ ^OSTEND AND ZEEBRUGGE APRIL 23: MAY 10, 1918 Z^t 2Dtspatcl)es OF VICE-ADMIRAL SIR ROGER KEYES, K.C.B., K.C.V.O. And other Narratives of the Operations EDITED BY C. SANFORD TERRY, Litt.D. BURNETl-FLETCHER PROFESSOR OF HISTORY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS LONDON EDINBURGH GLASGOW NEW YORK TORONTO MELBOURNE CAPE TOWN BOMBAY HUMPHREY MILFORD 1919 f^ •NOTE The publication of Sir Eoger Keyes's Dispatches of May 9 and June 15, 1918, at length affords an authentic record, by its organizer and leader, of an achievement which a French Admiral has characterized as ' the finest feat ot arms in the naval history of all times and all countries '. As a story of pure gallantry, it may be, the Dispatches do not add to the information already accessible. But they correct many glaring current inaccuracies, based on irre- sponsible statements and incomplete knowledge. Above all, they present us for the first time with an authentic exposition of the purpose and tactics of the operations, and permit us to view their incidents in proper perspective. For the first time, too, we realize the magnitude of the design, its colossal intricacy, its patient weaving. Narratives of both Raids were issued through the Press Bureau on April 26 and May 15, 1918. Having regard to their medium of publication, but on that' ground alone, these articles, written by an exceedingly competent and well-informed journalist, may be described as official.
    [Show full text]
  • UNESCO Press Kit
    SAFEGUARDING THE WORLD’S UNDERWATER CULTURAL HERITAGE On the Occasion of the Centenary of World War I UNESCO Press Kit Centenary of World War I UNESCO draws attention to the need to protect the submerged heritage of World War I World War I did not only take place in trenches. An important part of the conflict was fought at sea, either on the surface or - and this was a first – under water. The wrecks of ships and submarines that have sunk during the conflict therefore present today an invaluable information source. Their hulls contain a snapshot of history that has not been the subject of sufficient research so far. These wrecks also serve as custodians of the memory of the thousands of people who have lost their lives there. This fragile heritage that lies at the bottom of the oceans now enters the scope of the UNESCO 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. The Convention designates underwater cultural heritage as “all traces of human existence having a cultural, historical or archaeological character which have been partially or totally under water, periodically or continuously, for at least 100 years.” From 2014 onwards, ships, cruisers, ocean liners, and destroyers sunk during the war will fall under the scope of the Convention. Also, UNESCO will organize in occasion of the Centenary of the First World War a scientific conference on underwater heritage of WWI to be held in Bruges, Belgium 26-28 June, 2014, with the support of the Government of Flanders. The support of Flanders is given in the framework of the country’s commemorative project ‘The Great War Centenary (2014-18)’, giving tribute to the fact that Flanders was a central battlefield during the war.
    [Show full text]
  • A Royal Navy Monitor at Stavros. My Grandfather, Charlie Burgoyne, Was
    A Royal Navy Monitor at Stavros. My grandfather, Charlie Burgoyne, was a stoker on the monitor, HMS M18. When I asked him the classic “what did you do in the war Grandad?” he told me that he had been at Gallipoli, and that it was horrible, so I never pursued the matter. After he died, I was given his naval service record, and I have recently discovered that he was based around Salonika and Stavros for almost three years after Gallipoli. I have been consulting the Ship’s Log at the National Archives to find out what his vessel was doing, and I also contacted Alan Wakefield at the Society. He suggested I prepared this note since there is very little written about the naval aspects of the Salonika campaign. Charlie was one of 6 children of George Burgoyne and his wife Lavinia; they lived in the South Devon village of Aveton Gifford. Two of the children had died in infancy, an elder brother was serving with the 2nd Devons, and the two sisters were “in service”. Charlie joined the Navy in January 1909, claiming to be 18 although we suspect he was still only 17. He served as a stoker but on the outbreak of hostilities he was posted to the oil-fired torpedo boat HMS TB5. She had originally been classed as a Torpedo Boat Destroyer but with the development of the larger Destroyer classes, which could sail with the fleet, they were downgraded to roles as Coastal Destroyers. Charlie spent about 6 months based at Immingham, patrolling each day off the mouth of the Humber, but saw no action.
    [Show full text]
  • ROYAL NAVY LOSS LIST COMPLETE DATABASE LASTUPDATED - 29OCTOBER 2017 Royal Navy Loss List Complete Database Page 2 of 208
    ROYAL NAVY LOSS LIST COMPLETE DATABASE LAST UPDATED - 29 OCTOBER 2017 Photo: Swash Channel wreck courtesy of Bournemouth University MAST is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales, number 07455580 and charity number 1140497 | www.thisismast.org | [email protected] Royal Navy Loss List complete database Page 2 of 208 The Royal Navy (RN) Loss List (LL), from 1512-1947, is compiled from the volumes MAST hopes this will be a powerful research tool, amassing for the first time all RN and websites listed below from the earliest known RN wreck. The accuracy is only as losses in one place. It realises that there will be gaps and would gratefully receive good as these sources which have been thoroughly transcribed and cross-checked. any comments. Equally if researchers have details on any RN ships that are not There will be inevitable transcription errors. The LL includes minimal detail on the listed, or further information to add to the list on any already listed, please contact loss (ie. manner of loss except on the rare occasion that a specific position is known; MAST at [email protected]. MAST also asks that if this resource is used in any also noted is manner of loss, if known ie. if burnt, scuttled, foundered etc.). In most publication and public talk, that it is acknowledged. cases it is unclear from the sources whether the ship was lost in the territorial waters of the country in question, in the EEZ or in international waters. In many cases ships Donations are lost in channels between two countries, eg.
    [Show full text]
  • HMS Vindictive V2.Docx
    Twisting the Dragon’s Tail H.M.S. Vindictive H.M.S. Vindictive was an Arrogant-class protected cruiser built at H.M. Dockyard Portsmouth. She was launched in December 1897 and commissioned in July 1900, entering service with the Mediterranean Squadron. The Arrogant class was designed to operate with the main battle fleet; being intended to finish off crippled enemy ships by ramming, and were originally described as "Fleet Rams". She was refitted between 1909 and 1910 for service in the 3rd Division of the Home H.M.S. Vindictive (as built): Armament (1900): Fleet, during which the 4.7” guns were replaced by additional 6” guns. Displacement: 5,750 tons 4 × QF 6-inch (152 mm) guns Obsolescent by the outbreak of First World War, in August 1914 she was assigned Length: 342 ft. (104 m) 6 × 4.7-inch (120 mm) guns to the 9th Cruiser Squadron and captured the German merchantmen Schlesien and Beam: 57 ft. 6 in (17.5m) 8 × 12-pounder (3-inch, 76 mm) guns Slawentzitz on 7 August and 8 September respectively. In 1915 she was stationed Speed: 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) 3 × 3-pounder (47 mm) guns on the southeast coast of South America and from 1916 to late 1917 she served in 3 × 18 inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes the White Sea. Early in 1918 she was extensively modified at H.M. Dockyard Chatham in preparation for the Zeebrugge Raid. She was fitted with an 11-inch howitzer on her quarter-deck and two 7.5 inch howitzers for engaging the German guns at the shore end of the Mole and for firing on the locks and seaplane base.
    [Show full text]