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It is with great sadness that I have heard of the death of Jo Hinds,
Richmond, Va, friend and colleague. He contributed so much to naval art
and the history of torpedo craft - please see
Torpedo Craft Through the Art of Joe Hinds |
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SUGGESTED STARTING POINT
TYPE IN MEN, SHIPS,
BATTLES, DATES etc
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Dedicated to the many families
across the world, American, Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, South African
and others, who shared their homes with the men and women of the Royal Navy
throughout World War 2

When HMS Rodney was being refitted in Boston in
mid-1941, members of the crew were entertained by local families. This includes Bill Patterson, Louie and Reggie Pope
(all above) staying with the great
grandmother of Deb Cruse - with thanks to Deb, 14 Feb 2012
HMS NIGER and ships of QP13, lost 5 July 1942
Peter Johnston is travelling to Iceland to commemorate the 70th
Anniversary of their loss. For information, email
peterjohnston230@btinternet.com
New
Capt Albert
Williamson OBE, DSC, MN, HMS Kia Wo, & the Wanhsien Incident,
1926
Contemporary World War 1 Accounts -
The Navy in Mesopotamia, by
Conrad Gato - fact and fiction, and amusing
Lt Charles
F Paul RN and loss of HM Tug St Genny, 1930
Harry
Russell, later OBE, Executive Chef
of the Cunard Line and his service on
HMS Caronia, 1914-16
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Dedications |
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This
site is partly dedicated to my
father,
Ordnance Artificer George Smith
(left, at Gibraltar in 1942,
before Malta convoy Operation
'Pedestal'),
lost in the sinking of HMS
Charybdis off the Brittany coast on
23rd October 1943. Few men
survived and just a handful of
bodies were washed ashore on
Guernsey. When they were buried
by the German authorities,
thousand's of Channel Islander's
attended, and ever since,
Guernsey has commemorated the
cruiser's loss, usually with a
Royal Navy guardship present -
an unusual honour given the
thousands of British warships
and auxiliaries sunk in two
World Wars alone.

In 2003, Guernsey Post issued
this stamp (©Guernsey Post
Limited 2003) bearing a painting
of HMS Charybdis as well as
Hunt-class escort destroyer HMS
Limbourne, torpedoed at the same
time (by T-type small
destroyers, not E-boats as often
described). I am grateful to
Guernsey Post for permission to
reproduce this rather beautiful
stamp.
Naval-History.Net is also
dedicated to my grandfather, Chief Yeoman of Signals George
Smith DSM. He joined the
Royal Navy in 1904, and was sunk
twice in World War 1 - destroyer
HMS Medusa and cruiser HMS
Cassandra.
Post-war,
he served with the
North Russian Expeditionary
Force 1919,
cruised the Baltic in 1921,
served on
HMS Curlew on the America & West
Indies Station 1922-25 and
HMS Durban on the China Station
in 1926-28. He joined the
Royal
Naval Shore Signal Service in
1928 and served as a Chief
Officer through World War 2 and
on to 1948.
He was an early and avid
photographer, and perhaps
because of his experiences as a
Signalman, a natural
communicator. A lovely man, I am
proud to make all his work
available on the Internet. He
would have appreciated and
understood the value of the Web.
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Site information
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Use of
material - please acknowledge
www.naval-history.net
Archives - can be found at
British Library/WebArchive
and
Internet Archive/Wayback Machine
Copyright
1998-2012, updated March 2012
see also
J B Phillips New Testament &
Background by
Gordon Smith |
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Background & Comments |
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Naval-History.Net started in 1998 with books written by Gordon Smith: |
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'an invaluable reference book on the war at sea (in World War 2) .... as well as an informative guide to naval strategy',
Lloyds List |
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'contributed tremendously to my knowledge of the war',
Francois Heisbourg, Director, International Institute for Strategic Studies, London
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'excellent source for naval history of the First and Second World Wars, campaign summaries and more.' -
Imperial War Museum (London)
'arguable the best military history site currently online .....' -
BBC family history magazine Who Do You Think You Are, June 2008
Since its early days, Naval-History.Net has been considerably enlarged and enriched by the researches of Don Kindell from the United States, Lieutenant-Commander Geoff Mason RN (Rtd), and other contributors whose names will be found on the pages they helped make available. Over the last 30 or more years, Don and Geoff have produced an estimated total of 15,000 pages of work, most of which is now online. You can find out more in:
Naval History and the Internet
- the Story of One Site
Note on
major Naval-History.Net sources
the late Lt Cdr
Geoff Mason RN Rtd - Don Kindell |
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Notices |
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Read online - support the Royal Navy
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An
excellent read
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Challenge Wales -
round-the-world racing yacht dedicated to working with young people
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NAVAL and MARINE
CORPS CASUALTY LISTS |
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ROYAL NAVY & DOMINION CASUALTIES, 1914-2008
by Name and Date/Ship, including Royal Marines, over 125,000 names
by Don Kindell, US Researcher
also World
War 2 period -
Royal Australian Navy,
Royal Canadian Navy,
Royal Indian
Navy,
Royal
New Zealand Navy,
South
African Naval Force,
Royal Norwegian Navy
Royal Navy Casualties - Monthly
and Yearly Totals
(being added)
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WORLD WAR 1, 1914-18
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BACKGROUND
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ROAD TO WAR,
Franco-Prussian War to Sarajevo, 1871-1914
EXPANSION and ORGANISATION of the IMPERIAL GERMAN NAVY
1897-1918 - A Note
Rise of the
Dreadnought Battleship, 1906 to 1914
World War 1 - A MARITIME WAR
World War 1
Documentaries & Films, 1914 to 2008 |
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MEN who served
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CASUALTY LISTS
Royal Navy and Dominion Navies, 1914-1918
by
Don Kindell
United States Navy,
Marine Corps & Coast Guard, 1917-18
French Navy - 25 Sailors commemorated in a New York Cemetery
__________
Royal Navy - Warships and Auxiliary Crew Numbers
Royal Navy - Badges of Rank for Officers, Men and Boys
United States Navy - Badges of Rank for Officers and Enlisted Men
Some of the Men who served:
Louis
Bechennec, Fireman/Stoker,
French Navy, including Serbian Evacuation
Thomas
Crisp VC, DSC, Skipper RNR, HM
Q-ship Nelson & the
Hales Naval Family
Samuel R
Hitchin, First Mate,
SS Highland Brae, POW on German Kronprinz Wilhelm
John R
Hunter, Lieutenant RNVR, Canadian
Motor Launch skipper, photographic record
William T G
Jones, Seaman, lost with collier
SS Mersario, 1 October 1917
Beresford
Richards, Surgeon Sub-Lt, RNVR,
HMS Zubian and Dover Patrol, 1918
Harry
Russell, later OBE, Executive Chef
of the Cunard Line and his service on
HMS Caronia, 1914-16
George W
Smith (upper left)
DSM, Chief Yeoman of Signals, 1888-1977, his service record
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SHIPS
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World War 1-era Royal
Navy Warships and Auxiliaries -
summaries and images. See also
OldWeather.org
TRIBUTE to BRITISH SHIPBUILDING and REPAIR INDUSTRIES 1914-18 including Royal Naval Dockyards and Research Establishments
British Vessels Lost at Sea
including
Naval,
Merchant Ships and
Fishing Vessels, from
"British Vessels Lost at Sea, 1914-18", HMSO
HMS Zubian, destroyer,
in 1918
Elco-built Motor Launches for the Royal Navy
HMS Cheery, Admiralty drifter
British Shipbreaking Industry
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ROYAL NAVY |

Victoria Cross fishing
smack HMS Nelson |
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OTHER NAVIES
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Austro-Hungarian Navy
French Navy
Royal Hellenic or Greek Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
Turkish or Ottoman Navy
United States Navy, also
Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard Casualties
Officers and Enlisted Ranks
Medal of Honor
1915-18
US Marine Corps in the World War
Chronology of US Marine Corps in the World War
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EVENTS and .... |
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North Sea
in outline
1914-18
Eastern Front
and
Baltic Sea
1914-18
Mediterranean, including
Turkish Waters
& Black Sea,
1914-18 |
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NAVAL
CAMPAIGNS, BATTLES and ACTIONS -
London Gazette
Despatches,
Casualties, Awards etc |
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Achilles & Dundee v Leopard Action,
March 1917
BELGIAN
COAST OPERATIONS, 1914-1918
British East Coast Raid &
Minesweeping Operations,
December 1914
CAMEROONS CAMPAIGN,
1914
Carmania v Cap Trafalgar Action, September 1914
Coronel, Battle of, November 1914
DARDANELLES & GALLIPOLI CAMPAIGNS, 1915-1916 (in 5 Parts)
Dogger Bank, Battle of, January 1915
Falklands, Battle of the, December 1914
Heligoland Bight, Battle of,
August 1914
JUTLAND, BATTLE OF, 31May/1June 1916 (in 4 Parts)
Königsberg Action, July 1915
MESOPOTAMIAN CAMPAIGN, 1914-1918
Suez Canal, Defence of the
1915
Sydney v Emden Action, November
1914
ZEEBRUGGE & OSTEND RAIDS, April & May 1918 |
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MEDALS
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Victoria Cross at Sea, including RN Division 1914-19
Albert Medal at Sea, including Merchant Navy 1915-19
Medal of Honor,
US Navy and Marine Corps 1915-18
Pour le Merité, the "Blue Max", Imperial German Navy including naval aviation
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CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNTS |
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The Navy Everywhere, by Conrad Gato - the RN in Africa, E. Europe, Middle East
The
Navy in Mesopotamia, also by Conrad Gato - fact and fiction, and amusing
On the Coast of France:
United States Naval Forces in French Waters
by
Joseph Husband,
Ensign, USNRF
The United States Marine Corps in the World War
by
Edwin N. McClellan, Major,
U. S. Marines |
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INTER-WAR, 1918-39
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MEN who served
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CASUALTY LISTS of the Royal Navy and Dominion Navies, 1918-1939
by
Don Kindell
Lt Charles
F Paul RN and loss of HM Tug St Genny, 1930
Capt Albert
Williamson OBE, DSC, MN, HMS Kia Wo, & the Wanhsien Incident,
1926
Post-World War 1 service of George W
Smith DSM:
North Russian Expeditionary Force 1919
HMS Vanquisher, Baltic Sea Cruise
1921
HMS Curlew, America & West Indies Station
1922-25
HMS Durban, China Station
1926-28
Royal Naval Shore Signal Service
1929-48
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SHIPS
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Royal Navy WARSHIP SERVICE Summaries by Lt Cdr G Mason
Cox's Navy, Salvaging the German High Seas Fleet by Tony Booth
Loss of
HM Tug St Genny, January 1930 |
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ROYAL NAVY |
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Royal Navy Estimates 1919-20
and Summary of Naval Activities since the Armistice |
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EVENTS
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Versailles Treaty to Polish Blitzkrieg
1919-39
Russian Civil War
1919
Point Honda Disaster of the US Navy 1923
Wanhsien
Incident, China 1926
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WORLD WAR 2, 1939-45
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MEN who served
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CASUALTY LISTS of the Royal Navy and Dominion Navies, 1939-1945
by
Don Kindell
Some of the Men who served:
Horace Carswell DSM, MM, BEM, Chief Steward, and
Russian Convoy PQ.17
Sidney
Kerslake RNR, Leading Seaman, 1920-99,
Norway and Russian Convoys
Edward
Palmer BEM, Coxswain, attack on
HMS Foyle Bank
July 1940
Harold
Siddall, Stoker, 1916-97, from Scapa Flow to
Crete, and on to a
German Stalag
George
Smith (left), Ordnance Artificer, 1916-43,
HMS Charybdis
Henry
Sutton, Petty Officer,
HMS Blackpool, and his Letter from
Normandy, June 1944
Frank
Taylor, Able Seaman,
HMS Scarab, Mediterranean service 1943-44
Roderick
Timms, Lt Cdr, RD*, RNR and
Coastal Forces, 1941-45
(external site)
Maurice
Whiteing, Leading Air Mechanic,
HMS Indomitable, Far East, 1944-1945
Basil
Woolf, MID, Petty Officer, the
Battle for Walcheren, 1st November 1944
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SHIPS
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Major BRITISH WARSHIP LOSSES with commanding officers, loss locations and casualties
- Capital ships,
aircraft carriers,
cruisers,
destroyers & escort destroyers,
submarines, including X-craft
British Naval Losses by Name, Date, Theatre, Type of ship, from "British Vessels Lost at Sea, 1939-45", HMSO
HMS Indomitable in the Far East 1944-45, a photographic record
HMS Charybdis:
All in a Day's Work - Her Career
by 'Rocky' Royle
Her Loss and Commemoration, by the Charybdis Association
Account of Her Loss
from Captured German Archives
Capture of British Yard Minesweeper BYMS-72, 1943 Aegean Campaign, by
Cdr Bruhn USN
HM Harbour Defence Motor Launch No.1001,
RN and later career
Thames Lighters at War, off the British & US Normandy beaches
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ROYAL NAVY
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Royal Navy at Beginning and End of World War 2
Royal Navy, Royal Marine, Single-Ship Battle Honours 1939-45,
with links to Campaigns
Naval Life and Customs
by Lt-Cdr John Irving RN, a gem of a book
Ranks, Trades, Pay & Allowances, Badges of Rank
1942
Naval-related Code Names - Alphabetically -
Chronologically
Royal Navy Minelaying Operations
Warrant Officers in the Royal Navy
- a history
Officer/Rating Relationships in the Royal Navy
1941-1972
Pennant Numbers
- with Addendum on the Pacific 1944-45,
all by Lt Cdr G Mason
Naval Parties of
the Royal Navy, World War 2 by Lt
Cdr Ben Warlow |
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DOMINION and ALLLIED
NAVIES under Royal Navy control |
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Royal Australian Navy,
Royal Canadian Navy,
Royal Indian Navy,
Royal New Zealand Navy,
South
African Naval Force - ship histories, convoy movements, casualties 1939-47 plus links
South African Naval
Nomenclature for Navy & Ships by Vice Adm Alan Grose RN (Rtd)
Royal Norwegian Navy
- ship histories, convoy movements, casualties 1940-45 plus links
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EVENTS
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NAVAL and MILITARY CAMPAIGN SUMMARIES
by Type of Warfare, Navies, Theatres
by Gordon Smith
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BRITISH and OTHER NAVIES DAY-BY-DAY 1939-42 Ship Movements, Actions, Losses
by
Don Kindell
ADMIRALTY WAR DIARIES and REPORTS
transcribed by
Don Kindell
Latest
North Atlantic Command, Gibraltar, April-December 1942
West Africa
Command, Freetown, April-December 1942,
January-April
1943
South Africa, South Atlantic Command, Capetown,
January-December 1941,
January-February 1942
Mediterranean Fleet, April-December 1942
Malta Command, April-December 1942
HMS Khartoum
- Loss due to defective air vessel, 23rd June 1940
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CONVOYS
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CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of ROYAL and DOMINION NAVY VESSELS
by
Don Kindell
THE SUPPLY OF MALTA 1940-1942, including the Malta Convoys
ROUTE TO THE EAST - the WS (Winston’s Special) Convoys,
both
by
the late Arnold Hague
RUSSIAN
CONVOYS
including Russian Front Summary Maps
Allied Convoy Codes, courtesy
HyperWar Foundation
ConvoyWeb
- convoy lists and more
(external site)
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MEDALS
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Victoria Cross at Sea, 1940-45
George Cross & Albert Medal at Sea, 1939-45
Medal of
Honor
at Sea, 1941-45
Imperial Japanese Navy and Order of the Golden Kite - A Note
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TECHNICAL |
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Allied Anti-Submarine Weapons
- A Note
High Frequency Radio Direction Finding
- HF/DF or Huff Duff
New Zealand's Contribution to Radar Development
Hydrographic Survey Work in the RN up to the 1980's,
all by Lt Cdr G Mason
The Early Days of Wireless at Sea
by Louis C.
Kleber
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MAPS, etc
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Campaign and Battle Maps, World Wars 1 & 2, Falklands War
Posters of the Royal Navy
in World War 2
Service Magazines
of the World's Forces
Victory Celebrations
in London, June 1946
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POST-WAR, 1945-present
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MEN who served
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CASUALTY LISTS of the Royal Navy 1945-present
by
Don Kindell
David
Hamilton, Commander [F}, RN, his seagoing and flying career, 1939-1968
James
Summerlee, Lieutenant Commander, MID, RN (Rtd), FAA, Korea and Suez SAR
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SHIPS & ESTABLISHMENTS
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Royal Navy WARSHIP SERVICE Summaries
Loch-class Frigates in the Dutch East Indies
1945-1946
Salvage Operations by RN Frigates
1950-1964
Modernisation of Town and Colony-class Light Cruisers,
all by Lt Cdr G Mason
Naval Parties of
the Royal Navy, Postwar by Lt Cdr
Ben Warlow
Navy-Mad in the Nineteen Fifties
by Gordon Smith
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EVENTS
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Royal Navy Chronology
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1946-1950 -
1951-1960 -
1961-1970
by Lt Cdr G Mason
Passing Through Ascension - Photographic record of Ascension Island during the War
Missiles in the Malouines/Falklands - the Art of Daniel Bechennec
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Excellent
coverage of Post-War period
(external site)
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SHIPS and SEAS |
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