1915
Central
Mediterranean
Two
Admiralty blockships, 180ft long, Puglia SS Co, Bari,
Italy-reg, purchased 1914/15, for use at Malta;
location and date of scuttling not known:
GARGANO,
700/1884 (Lr/D)
LUCANO,
709/1884 (Lr/D)
JANUARY 1915
Dardanelles Campaign - Russians asked the Allies
to take Turkish pressure off their forces in the
Caucasus. First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston
Churchill gained support of the War Council for a
naval attack on the Dardanelles. By the end of
January, Admiralty directed to bombard and take
Gallipoli with Constantinople as its objective, but no
troops were to be made available
U.31
possibly mined in North Sea in January
Friday
1
January
English
Channel
FORMIDABLE
(below - Maritime Quest), battleship,
Formidable-class, 15,800t, 1898,
4-12in/12-6in/18-12pdr/4-18in tt, 18kts, c800 crew,
Pennant No.50, 5th BS, Capt Arthur Loxley, flagship
Vice-Adm Sir Lewis Bayly,
Commander-in‑Chief, Channel Fleet,
Squadron based at Sheerness but now less HMS Bulwark.
Sailed 30 December for firing practice off Portland,
escorted by six Harwich Force destroyers as far as
Folkestone where they turned back as the Channel was
believed free of U-boats, now only accompanied by
attached light cruiser Topaze of 5th BS and Diamond of
6th. Reaching Portland at daybreak on New Year's Day,
6th BS did not enter harbour but exercised 25 miles
from Portland Bill for most of the day, Adm Bayly
decided to stay at sea and to be ready for further
exercises next day, headed for a position south of the
Isle of Wight. Abreast of the Needles at 1900, and in
accordance with Fleet Orders that if there was any
possibilty of a submarine attack a course change
should be made just after dark, the squadron turned
back with the two cruisers following, sailing a
straight course for Start Point, Devon ready to turn
again, Formidable now at rear, sea rough, night cloudy
with visibility two miles. Torpedoed by U.24
(Rudolph Schneider) starboard side abreast foremost
funnel at 0220 (He - 0230), engine-room flooded and
ship listed 20° to starboard, at 0230 Formidable was
seen to fall out of line, Topaze came up to find her
lowering launch, pinnace and two barges, one of which
capsized in the now violent seas. About 0305 a second
torpedo hit port-side abreast after funnel, rising sea
and wind and intense darkness made rescue difficult
for Topaze and Diamond. With bows now awash,
Formidable began to heel rapidly to starboard around
0445, settling by the bow, abandon ship was ordered
and she sank (dx - 21 mile E of Start Point; ke - 25
miles off Portland; wi - off Start Point, in
50.13.12N, 03.03.58W); 547 men drowned or died of
exposure - 34 officers including Capt Loxley, 511
ratings and 2 canteen staff (He -
35 officers and 512 men
died, and 233 survived;
ke - 233
survivors), Topaze took off 43 men from the barge,
Diamond rescued 37, the launch got clear, picked up
more men, then was found at noon near Berry Head by
Brixham trawler Provident and her crew of 4 who took
off all 71 in gale-force winds before the launch sank.
Another boat drifted ashore near Lyme Regis with 46
men (+J/Rn/C/Cn/D/He/dk/dx/ke/un; ADM.116/1437A)
Monday
4
January
North
Sea
C.31,
submarine, C-class, c290/320t, 1909, 2‑18in tt with 4
torpedoes, 13/7½kts, c16 crew, Pennant No.I.61, 4th
Submarine Flotilla, Dover Patrol, Lt George
Pilkington, sailed Dover 4th to investigate German
naval activity off Zeebrugge, then report to Harwich
on 7th, never heard from again, “overdue, presumed
lost”. On or after 4th (ke - possiby 4th) - Lost off
Belgium coast, cause unknown, possibly mined in German
field off Zeebrugge or by accident, RNAS aircraft
failed to observe any salvage operations off Zeebrugge
that may have been connected with her loss, Cdre Keyes
went out night of the 9th/10th with destroyers Lurcher
and Firedrake in the forelorn hope of finding her.
Declared lost on the 7th; 3 officers and 14 ratings
lost, no survivors
(+J/Rn/C/Cn/D/He/bs/bw/dk/dq/dx/ke/on)
Wednesday
6
January
North
Sea
BANYERS
or The Banyers, Admiralty trawler, 448/1914, South
Western Steam Fishing, Grimsby-reg GY128, hired 12/14
as minesweeper, Admiralty No.450, Lt Hubert Boothby
RNR, sweeping. Mined in Scarborough field laid by
German cruiser Kolberg between Fiely and
Scarborough, sank “very quickly” off Cayton Bay, S of
Scarborough (wi - in 54.15.07N, 00.15.24W); 2 ratings
lost (He/wi - 6 crew), Skipper escaped through
wheel-house window, 11 survivors rescued by other
ships. Lt Boothby lost HMS Orianda less than a
month before, was awarded the DSC and later wrote
about his experiences in “Spunyarn”, published 1935
(+L/Lr/C/D/He/ap/dk/wi; ADM.137/84)
Saturday
9
January
North
Atlantic
Charybdis,
old light cruiser, Astraea-class, 4,360t, 12th CS,
operating in South Western Approaches in 1914. Damaged
in collision presumably in Atlantic. Laid up at
Bermuda, commissioned for harbour service in 1917,
converted to cargo carrier March 1918 for mercantile
operation (Rn/Cn/D)
Tuesday
12
January
German
East Africa Campaign
- Mafia Is, S of Zanzibar and off Rufuji River
captured by troops of King's African Rifles. Old light
cruiser Fox, armed merchant cruiser Kinfauns Castle
took part. supported to seaward by light cruiser
Weymouth, gunboat Duplex and ex-German tug Adjutant
Wednesday
13
January
Orkneys
ROEDEAN,
ex-Roebuck, auxiliary screw minesweeper, railway
packet, 1,094/1897, Great Western Railway Co, Milford
Haven-reg, hired 2/10/14, armed with 1 or 2-12pdr,
Pennant No.M.35, renamed Roedean 12/14,
Cdr Stephen Pidgeon RNR.
Sank at entrance to Longhope Sound, SE Hoy island (wi
- in 58.48.36N, 03.09.48W), cause originally not
recorded; no lives lost. “Wreck Index” notes that one
source describes her as mined, but with Hepper, goes
on to confirm that she actually dragged her anchor in
bad weather, collided with the bow of harbour repair
hulk Fisgard, ex-Imperieuse, was holed, and foundered
as she passed down the starboard side of Fisgard. Cdr
Pidgeon was reprimanded for only having one anchor out
(+J/Lr/C/Cn/D/He/dk/wi; ADM.1/8409/20)
Atlantic
off N Ireland
VIKNOR,
ex-Viking or The Viking, Admiralty armed merchant
cruiser, ex-cruise ship, 5,386/1888, Viking Cruise Co,
15kts, hired 19/11/14, Pennant No.M.82, 10th CS Grand
Fleet, Cdr Ernest Ballantyne, most northerly ship on
Northern Patrol line B north of the Shetlands. On the
11th, at around
62N, 02.24W,
intercepted
Norwegian SS Bergensfiord carrying an important German
secret service agent and other nationals from New
York, Viknor ordered to put prize crew on board,
escort the Norwegian ship towards Lerwick, then
continue on to Liverpool with a total of eight German
prisoners. Last message from Viknor on 13th (He – off
Malin Head; ss - at 1600 in 56.18N, 09W, course
S21ºW), nothing more was heard of her. Probably 13th -
Believed sunk off Northern Ireland by one of Berlin's
mines broken free by heavy gales off Tory Island (Rn -
foundered in heavy weather; C - Wrecked on north coast
of Ireland), wreckage and bodies washed ashore at
Portrush; 294 lives lost - 22 officers, 196 ratings,
74 MN and 1 canteen staff plus prisoners, no survivors
(He – 259, ke - 295) (+J/Rn/C/D/bi/dk/gf/ke/ss; ADM.137/185,
ADM.116/1442)
Saturday
16
January
Dover
Straits
CHAR,
Admiralty screw tug, 149/1899, North Eastern Railway
Co, West Hartlepool-reg, hired 17/11/14 as ABS, patrol
and inspection tug in The Downs,
Lt John Whale RNR,
failed to answer radio signals from 16th, went
missing. Run down at 0100 “in very rough conditions”
by SS Erivan, sank between Deal and Goodwin Sands (wi
- near North Goodwin buoy in 51.17.15N, 01.29.45E),
wreck found with masts above water; 3 officers, 8
ratings and 7 MMR lost, no survivors
(+Lr/C/D/He/dk/gs/wi; ADM.1/8409/18)
Sunday
17
January
North
Sea
Archer,
destroyer, I-class, c990t, 1st DF, taking part in
Harwich Force sweep by three light cruisers and 32
destroyers in to Heligoland Bight, returning in the
afternoon. Rammed by trawler and damaged, escorted to
Sheerness by sister-ship Ferret (Cn/D/ty)
Monday
18
January
North
Sea
Duke of
Cornwall,
Admiralty armed boarding vessel, 1,528/1898, hired
31/10/14. Collided with and sank trawler Earl
Marischal 206grt, 30 miles NE by N of Buchan Ness, one
of the trawler crew was lost (D/gr)
E.10,
submarine, E-class, c667/807t, 1913, 1-12pdr/5-18in tt
with 10 torpedoes, 15/9kts, c30 crew, Pennant No.I.90,
Harwich-based 8th Flotilla, Lt-Cdr William Fraser,
sailed from Harwich on 18th in company with E.5 and
E.15 for Heligoland patrol, E.10 to the NNW of the
island, never seen or heard from again, “overdue,
presumed lost”. On or after 18th (ke - possibly 18th)
- Lost, cause unknown, possibly mined off Heligoland
in unknown field laid by Germans on 22 December; 3
officers and 28 ratings lost, no survivors. Wreck
discovered in 130ft of water near Heligoland in
2003, damage to starboard ballast tanks and open
hatches suggest a mine explosion while running on
the surface, presumably at night
(+J/C/Cn/D/He/bw/dk/ke/on)
Friday
19
January
North
Sea
BLAKEDOWN,
Admiralty trawler, 207/1900, Grimsby-reg GY1162, hired
1/15, Admiralty No.1044. (Other sources – 19 February)
- Stranded and total wreck at Crudensgeir or Cruden
Skares, near Peterhead, Aberdeenshire (wi - Bay of
Cruden, near Newburgh, in 57.24.30N, 01.51.15W); no
lives lost (+D/He/dk/wi;
ADM.137/86)
Thursday
21
January
U.7
accidentally torpedoed by U.22 off Dutch coast
Sunday
24
January
BATTLE
of THE DOGGER BANK
Contemporary postcard of the
Battle from the scrapbook of Leading Signalman George
Smith,
present on board HM Destroyer Forester
German
1st SG - battlecruisers Seydlitz (flag, Adm
Hipper), Moltke (both 11in-armed), Derfflinger (12in),
armoured cruiser Blücher (8.2in), 2nd SG light
cruisers Graudenz, Stralsund, Rostock, Kolberg, and
destroyers sailed to attack British fishing vessels
and patrols on the Dogger Bank (map right
- click to enlarge). Warned by Room 40, Grand
Fleet including the 1st LCS (Cdre Goodenough) and 1st
BCS (Lion, flag, Adm Beatty) together with
Harwich Force (Cdre Tyrwhitt) put to sea to rendezvous
in the NE part of the Bank.
Delays due
to fog meant that Harwich Force light cruiser Arethusa
was heading north half an hour ahead of light cruiser
leaders Aurora, Undaunted and their destroyers.
Shortly after 0700 Aurora, sighted a cruiser in the SE
Dogger Bank area, believed her to be Arethusa and
challenged, then opened fire on the German Kolberg at
0715 from 8,000yds:
Aurora,
Arethusa-class, 4,400t, 2-6in/6-4in/4-21in tt, leader
1st DF Harwich Force. Hit three times and slightly
damaged, Kolberg damaged more severely and turned away
(Rn/Cn/D/ty)
As the
British ships continued towards the rendezvous, the
Germans sighted 1st LCS, shortly turned for home and
by 0750 could be seen by Adm Beatty’s 1st LCS. In the
ensuing stern chase, the battlecruisers headed
approximately south east:
Blücher – Derfflinger – Moltke - Seydlitz >
Indomitable - New
Zealand - Princess Royal – Tiger - Lion >
with
Indomitable lagging behind. Lion opened fire
on Blücher at 0852, started hitting at 0907, then
moved up to Derfflinger while Tiger and Princess Royal
concentrated on Blücher, both Germans being hit. Lion
received her first damage around 0928, and at 0935
Beatty ordered 1st BCS to engage their opposite
numbers - New Zealand on Blücher, Princess Royal on
Derfflinger, Tiger on Moltke, Lion on Seydlitz.
Unfortunately Tiger fired at Seydlitz, leaving
Moltke free to concentrate on Lion, and
although the German ships were being hit, Lion
was again hurt at 0954 and 1001. Blücher now pulled
out of line while the other three German ships
continued on their course, and by 1048 was circling
out of control.
Lion
was damaged again at 1018 and between 1035 and 1050.
At 1100 her damaged was so severe she dropped astern,
then due to signalling errors, the other three British
battlecruisers concentrated on Blücher. Adm Beatty
crossed to destroyer Attack and by 1150 was getting
ready to transfer his flag to Princess Royal and
continue after the Germans. Then at noon the
battlecruisers returned from sinking Blücher. Although
Seydlitz and Derfflinger were badly damaged
(their experiences led to far better flash protection
that served them well at Jutland), Adm Beatty was
deeply disappointed he had failed to destroy all four
big ships. Tiger was also hit but the other three
battlecruisers were untouched:
Lion,
Lion-class, 29,680t, 8-13.5in/16-4in/2-21in tt. Hit
and damaged a number of times: (1) three
German ships firing at her by 0928, shell hit on
waterline penetrated the bunkers but damage made good,
(2) when Moltke was not engaged, A-turret
smashed at 0954 and one gun out of action, (3)
11in shell from Seydlitz pierced the armour at 1001,
flooding started and listed to port, (4) hit
hard at 1018 - one shell struck the armour below the
waterline, drove in several plates and flooded
foremost port bunker, and a second pierced armour on
waterline, burst in torpedo body room and flooded all
adjacent compartments, (5) when Blücher pulled
out of line, the other three German ships again
concentrated on Lion, hit by numerous shells between
1035 and 1050, armour pierced and more flooding, shell
burst in A-turret lobby and started fire, (6)
at 1100, shell drove in armour on the waterline
abreast one of the boiler rooms, seriously damaged,
port engine had to be stopped, light and power failed,
list to port increased to 10°, speed dropped to 15kts
and Lion dropped astern. She continued for home
without Adm Beatty at 12kts, around 1430 speed dropped
to 8kts, Indomitable took her in tow and she reached
the Firth of Forth at dawn on the 26th; 11 men
wounded. Fired a total of 243 heavy shells, hit
Blücher once, Derfflinger once, Seydlitz twice, in
turn hit by 16-11in and 12in shells, also 1-8.2in. Temporarily
repaired at Rosyth, repairs completed by Palmers,
returned to service as flagship of new Battle
Cruiser force (Rn/Cn/D)
Tiger,
improved Lion-class, 35,700t, 8-13.5in/12-6in/4-21in
tt. Hit by 6 shells including one 11in on Q-turret,
splinters jammed training gear and left turret out of
action; 1 officer and 9 men killed, 3 officers and 5
men wounded (Cn - 10 crew killed, 11 wounded).
Repaired by 8 February (Rn/Cn/D/ti)
Meteor,
destroyer, M-class, 980t, 3-4in/1-2pdr/4-21in tt, 1st
DF Harwich Force, Captain D’s ship, Capt H Meade. Came
up on the battered Blücher, manoeuvred to fire a
torpedo and hit forward by heavy shell at 1120,
exploded in foremost boiler room, almost putting her
out of action; 3 stokers killed, 1 DOW and 2 crew
wounded. Towed into Humber by destroyer Liberty
(Rn/Cn/D/ty)
Royal
Navy Battle Honour
- DOGGER BANK 1915
see
Despatch,
dated 2 February 1915 in London gazette, No.29088
Tuesday
26
January
North
Sea
Britannia,
battleship, King Edward VII-class, c17,290t, 3rd BS
Grand Fleet. Ran aground on Inchkeith island, Firth of
Forth in fog, ashore for 36hr and considerably
damaged, refloated, needed dockyard repairs (Cn/D/gf)
Thursday
28
January
Dardanelles
Campaign
- British Government agreed to naval attack on the
Dardanelles
Commerce
raiding - Auxiliary cruiser Prinz Eitel
Friedrich sank American sailing ship William P Frye,
the first US loss of the war
Friday
29
January
U-boat
Raid
- U.21, the first U-boat in the Irish Sea, shelled
airship sheds on Walney Is, Barrow-in-Furness but did
little damage, driven off by shore batteries.
Saturday
30
January
U-boat
warfare
- three British steamships torpedoed by U.20 in
English Channel, the first merchant ships sunk without
warning, apparently as a deliberate policy.
Irish
Sea
Admiralty
collier (and two British steamships) captured by U.21
(Otto Hersing) in Liverpool Bay:
BEN
CRUACHAN,
3,092/1902, Morrison Shipping Co, North Shields-reg,
Mr W Harley, sailing Scapa Flow for Liverpool (te/wi -
Cardiff for Scapa Flow with coal). Torpedoed but
failed to sink, U-boat went alongside, boarding party
laid explosive scuttling charges, ship sank at 1030,
15 miles NW of Morecambe LV (L/te/un/wi - in 53.36N,
03.51W); crew in two boats directed to steer for
sailing trawler Margaret, landed at Fleetwood
(+L/Lr/Mn/ap/ge/te/un/wi)
FEBRUARY 1915
North
Sea
E.11,
submarine, E-class, 667/807t, Harwich-based 8th
Flotilla. February - Ran ashore on Scroby Sands, Great
Yarmouth, got off (Cn/gr)
North
Atlantic
Two armed
merchant cruisers of 10th CS on Northern Patrol
damaged in the winter gales, dates not known, possibly
February:
Caribbean,
5,824/1890, hired 19/11/14, 8-4.7in/2-6pdr, normally
on line B, north of Shetlands, proving unsuitable, old
and slow. Rolled in heavy weather up to 50º with
gunwhale submerged, reported dynamo disabled and
funnel shifted (Mn/D/bi)
Teutonic,
9,984/1889, hired 5/9/14, on patrol in heavy seas
possibly N of Shetlands. Six-inch shell unshipped from
ready-use rack, exploded against bulwarks; no one
injured, damage repaired by crew (D/bi)
Wednesday
3
February
Suez
Canal
- Turkish attack on Suez Canal repulsed with the
support of British and French warships, battleships
Swiftsure, Ocean, old light cruisers, Minerva,
Proserpine, sloop Clio, armed merchant cruiser
Himalaya, torpedo boat No.043, Royal Indian Marine
armed troopships Dufferin, Hardinge took part; Royal
Navy Battle Honour - SUEZ CANAL 1915, to 4th.
See
Army Despatches, dated
6 February 1915 to 9 April 1916,
in London
Gazette, No.29632 - Egyptian Campaign,
including Defence of Suez Canal and Western
Desert Operations
South
African Campaign - Surrender of South African
rebels, Upington
Atlantic
off NW Scotland
CLAN
MACNAUGHTON,
Admiralty armed merchant cruiser, ex-passenger ship,
4,985/1911, 14kts, Cayzer, Irvine/Clan Line,
Glasgow-reg, hired 19/11/14, 8-4.7in, Pennant No.M.81,
10th CS Grand Fleet, 261 crew, Cdr Robert Jeffreys
i/c, master, Lt George Weldrick RNR,
sailed from Liverpool on
23 January. On
Northern Patrol line D to NNW of St Kilda, heavy SW
gale on 2nd, "one of the worst the Tenth Cruiser
Squadron experienced during the whole war", 10th CS
ships lying to with heavy seas sweeping over them, all
ships except Clan Macnaughton answered signals on
morning of 3rd, went missing. Night of 2nd/3rd
(usually listed as 3rd) - Believed foundered off
Hebrides (Mn/C/Cn/D/ke - presumed mined; Mn - in
58.47N, 09.27W), Digby, Hildebrand, Patuca spent a
week searching but only found some wreckage
(He - in the area of 60.25N 09.37W),
ship considered stable and seaworthy but floating
mines, probably Berlin's, reported in the
area, possibly hit one during the gale; 277 lives lost
– 20 officers, 190 ratings and 67 MN (bi – 284 lives,
ke - 261). Contrary to other sources, Hepper reports
there were concerns about her stability
(+J/Rn/Mn/C/Cn/D/He/bi/dk/gf/ke/ss; ADM.116/1441)
Suez
Canal
Hardinge,
armed troopship (RIM), 7,457t, 1900, c8-4in/8-3pdr,
Cdr T Linberry, taking part in defence of Suez Canal,
providing naval support for British-Indian
counter-attack 3 miles S of Tussum. Under fire from
4in and heavier guns from 0700, could not locate them,
so concentrated firing on infantry. About 0825 both
funnels damaged and ship so badly hit, had to slip and
move out of channel into Lake Timsah to avoid sinking
in the channel; no one killed (Rn/D)
Thursday
4
February
U-boat
Warfare
- Denied a swift victory on land, Germany decided to
start unrestricted submarine warfare without warning
against merchant shipping from the 18th. Admiralty
hired drifter Tarlair equipped with first
anti-submarine hydrophone.
Saturday
6
February
North
Sea
ERNE,
destroyer, E-class, 620t, 1903, 4‑12pdr/2‑18in tt,
25kts, 70 crew, Pennant No.N.58, Scapa Flow Patrol
Flotilla,
Lt-Cdr John Landon.
Grounded on the beach about 800yds S of Rattray Head
lighthouse on the Aberdeen coast in severe easterly
gale, failed to be refloated and abandoned as a wreck
in October; no lives lost. A survey in November
found her back was broken, wreck sold for £405 in
January 1916 to
Forth
shipbreaking, Bo’ness for BU
(+J/C/Cn/D/He/dk/gf/ke;
ADM.156/2471, ADM.116/1422)
Dover
Straits
JOHN
SHERBURN,
Admiralty trawler, 244/1902 (wi - 1915), Humber Steam
Trawling, Hull-reg H644, hired 1915 (D - 12/14) as
auxiliary patrol vessel, Admiralty No.815, Dover
Patrol,
Lt Walter Smith
RNR (wi -
S Carnassa,
Captain). (Other sources – 6 March) - Stranded
in poor weather in St
Margaret's Bay, near
Dover,
wrecked (wi - in 51.07N, 01.27E); no lives lost
(+Lr/C/D/He/dq/dk/hw/wi;
ADM.137/90)
German
East Africa
ADJUTANT,
patrol vessel, ex-German tug, 231/1905, captured 10
October 1914 in East Africa by light cruiser
Dartmouth, armed with 1-3pdr, took part in capture of
Mafia Island 12 January, now with force blockading
light cruiser Königsberg in Rufiji delta,
Sub‑Lt Wilfred Price in
command,
carrying out reconnaissance of one of the entrances.
Heavily shelled from the shore by German forces
protecting approaches to Königsberg, steam-pipe cut,
drifted ashore and recaptured; 1 ratings lost, rest of
crew taken prisoner. Salvaged by the Germans, got
through British naval blockade, steamed to
Dar-es-Salaam, taken to pieces by railway engineers
and carried by train to Kigoma, reassembled for
operations on
Lake Tanganyika. Hepper, possibly in error, reports
that “light
cruiser Pyramus later closed and destroyed her where
she lay”
(Rn/C/Cn/D/ap/dk/kp)
Saturday
13
February
Atlantic
off N Ireland
BEDOUIN,
Admiralty trawler, 188/1902, GN80, T L Devlin,
Granton-reg hired 8/14 as minesweeper, Admiralty
No.353,
Skipper George
Hollins RNR (wi -
W Forbes up
to 1914).
Sailed from Sheephaven, northern Ireland to clear
mines in the Berlin's Tory Island field with
other trawlers, recovering her gear around 1555 and at
least one mine seen to be snagged, orders given to
veer away, but one exploded blowing away her starboard
quarter, sank stern first off Tory Is, off Co Donegal;
no lives lost (+L/Lr/C/D/He/dk/wi;
ADM.137/3116)
Monday
15
February
Dover
Straits
Undaunted,
light cruiser, Arethusa-class, 3rd DF leader, Harwich
Force and eight destroyers, probably division of 3rd
DF on passage from Harwich to Irish Sea because of
increased U-boat activity there. Unsuccessful U-boat
torpedo attack off Dungeness, possibly by U.16
(Rn/Mn/Cn/D/ty)
Thursday
18
February
U-boat
Warfare
- First German unrestricted submarine campaign came
into effect. All waters around British Isles including
the English Channel declared a War Zone where all
merchant ships could be destroyed without ensuring the
safety of passengers and crew; neutral ships would be
at risk from attack. Britain extended the defensive
arming of merchant ships to protect themselves against
surfaced U-boats leading to later German claims that
armed vessels should be treated as warships. US
protests led to U-boats being ordered not to attack
ships flying neutral flags, hospital ships (unless
obviously engaged in trooping) and Belgian Relief
ships. The sinking shortly of the liner Lusitania
started to swing American opinion strongly against
Germany, leading up to entry into the war two years
later. In 1915, only some 20 percent of ships were
sunk without warning (some sources list start date as
the 28th)
Orkneys
GOLDFINCH,
destroyer, H-class, 970t, 1910, 2-4in/2-12pdr/2-21in
tt, 27kts, 72 crew, Pennant No.H.44, 2nd DF Grand
Fleet,
Lt-Cdr Reginald
Stone.
Night of 18th/19th - Ran aground in dense fog on Start
Point, Sanday Is (wi - in 59.17N, 02.25W), abandoned
as a wreck; no lives lost. Sold for BU 4/19,
possibly to Metal Industries
(+J/C/Cn/D/He/dx/gf/ke/wi)
Sparrowhawk,
destroyer, K-class, c1,300t, 4th DF Grand Fleet.
Probably sometime in February after Goldfinch was lost
- Went ashore, got off, but "considerably damaged"
(Cn/D/gr/gf)
Friday
19
February
U-boat
Warfare
- Norwegian tanker Belridge carrying oil from US to
Holland torpedoed without warning and damaged by U.8
in Dover Straits, first neutral ship attacked in the
new U-boat campaign
Dardanelles
Campaign
First
Bombardment of Outer Dardanelles Forts
Gallipoli and area - click to
enlarge
Vengeance,
battleship, Canopus-class, 14,300t,
4-12in/12-6in/12-12pdr/4-18in tt, 8th BS Channel Fleet
8/14, later to Mediterranean. The bombardment of the
defences around Cape Helles on the European side and
Kum Kale/Orkanie on the Asiatic was initially carried
out by battlecruiser Inflexible (flag, Adm Carden,
C-in-C), battleships Albion, Cornwallis, Triumph, the
French Suffren (French flag) and Bouvet, supported by
French Suffren and light cruiser Amethyst. Vengeance
(division flag, Adm de Robeck) observed for her
division, and the force was later joined by
dreadnought Queen Elizabeth and battleship Agamemnon.
Vengeance fired at and was fired on by Orkanie
batteries on Asiatic side, not hit but spars and
rigging damaged by four near misses,
Cornwallis was slightly less damaged (Rn/Cn/D)
Royal
Navy Battle Honour
- DARDANELLES 1915-16, to 8 January 1916
Saturday
20
February
Dardanelles
Campaign
- Second planned bombardment to complete the
destruction of the outer forts cancelled because of
gale-force conditions, accurate gunlaying not possible
and spotting aircraft could not fly. The bad weather
continued until the 25th
North
Sea
CORCYRA,
Admiralty trawler, 225/1914, Grimsby-reg GY63, hired
8/14 as minesweeper, Admiralty No.278,
Skipper Leonard Shenton RNR.
Stranded (H - wrecked) near Bacton, Norfolk; no lives
lost. Later salved, but not taken back into Naval
service, in Fishery Reserve, listed until 1919,
served again in WW2 (+C/D/He/dk)
Monday
22
February
Central
Atlantic
Carnarvon,
armoured cruiser, Devonshire-class, 10,850t, flag,
Rear-Adm Stoddart, searching South American waters for
light cruiser Karlsruhe and raider Kronprinz Wilhelm.
Left Abrolhos Rock anchorage, shortly after weighing
she hit uncharted shoal and ripped 95ft of bottom
plating, beached and out of action, patched and sent
into Rio de Janeiro where repairs were allowed because
she had "suffered peril of the sea". Flag transferred
to cruiser Vindictive (Rn/Cn/D/gr)
Tuesday
23
February
Dardanelles
Campaign
- Royal Marines occupied Greek island of Lemnos, off
the Dardanelles; the harbour of Mudros became a major
advanced Allied base
off N
Scotland
TERN,
Admiralty trawler, 199/1907, Kelsall Bros &
Beeching, Hull-reg H.961, hired 10/14 as minesweeper
(D/He - auxiliary patrol vessel), Admiralty No.548,
Skipper
Daniel Stather
RNR (wi - J Lewis). Wrecked (H -
Mined) in Loch Erribol, E of Cape Wrath (wi - in
58.30N, 04.40W); 6 ratings lost. Note: exclusion
from Lloyds listing suggests loss was due to
marine cause, confirmed by Hepper
(+Lr/C/D/He/dk/hw/wi; ADM.1/8413/55,
ADM.1/8413/60)
English
Channel
Two
non-commissioned Admiralty chartered colliers
torpedoed and sunk by U.8 (Alfred Stoss):
OAKBY,
1,976/1897, Sir R Ropner & Co, West
Hartlepool-reg, Mr F Bartlett, sailng London for
Barry/Cardiff in ballast (would probably be
carrying coal in that case; un – London for
Barry Roads in ballast). Hit port side, forecastle was
level with the water within 5min, 2nd engineer went
below to stop engines to allow boats to be lowered,
armed trawler Isle of Man came up and tried to tow her
to Dover, but sank 4 miles E by N of Royal Sovereign
LV (L - yorpedoed 2 miles E of Royal Sovereign LV,
sank off Folkestone Pier; Mn - sank near Varne LV; wi
- in 50.44N, 00.32E) (+L/Lr/Mn/te/un/wi)
BRANKSOME
CHINE,
2,026/1899, Branksome Chine SS Co (H G Harper &
Co), Cardiff-reg, Mr F Anstey, Grimsby Roads for
Portsmouth with coal. Sank 6 miles E by S ¾S of Beachy
Head, near Eastbourne (L - about 6 miles ESE of; wi -
in 50.41.06N, 00.20.30E) (+L/Lr/Mn/te/un/wi)
Thursday
25
February
Dardanelles
Campaign
Second
Bombardment of Outer Dardanelles Forts
Second
bombardment resumed after delays due to bad weather.
Runs were made by battleships Vengeance and
Cornwallis, French Suffren and Charlemagne, supported
by anchored dreadnought Queen Elizabeth, battleships
Agamemnon, Irresistible and French Gaulois. Fired was
opened around around 1015, but within a short time,
Agamemnon was hit:
Agamemnon,
battleship, Lord Nelson-class, 17,680t,
4-12in/10-9.2in/24-12pdr/5-18in tt, 5th BS Channel
Fleet 8/14, later to Mediterranean, anchored about 2½m
WSW of Cape Yeni Shehr on Asiatic side. Cape Helles
batteries opened fire at 1017 at 10,000yds and
straddled her after 15min, ordered to weigh but within
10min hit by seven armour piercing shells, most of
which broke up, but holed above waterline, hydraulic
engine and main derrick damaged; 3 ratings killed, one
DOW and four seriously injured. Cleared up
wreckage, continued in action and repaired damage
off Tenedos next day (Rn/Cn/D/da/dk)
By 1500 the
outer batteries had been practically silenced by the
Anglo-French ships. Minesweeping trawlers escorted by
destroyers and covered by battleships Vengeance,
Albion and Triumph then started sweeping the entrance.
At 1600 the rest of the fleet retired to Tenedos. By
2000 the sweepers had penetrated four miles without
finding any mines.
Friday
26
February
Dardanelles
Campaign
Battleships
Albion, Triumph and Majestic entered the Straits at
0800 to complete the destruction of the entrance forts
and to attack the defences further inside, Albion
along the European or north shore, Majestic along the
Asiatic or south. Both soon came under fire which they
returned, but as the day progressed the fixed shore
guns were joined by concealed and mobile howitzer and
field gun batteries and only by constantly shifting
their positions could the two battleships avoid
serious damage, that is until Majestic was hit. They
were recalled at 1600:
Majestic,
battleship, Majestic-class, c16,000t,
4-12in/12-6in/18-12pdr/5-18in tt, 7th BS Channel Fleet
8/14, later to Mediterranean, now with howitzer
mounted on each of her turrets. Holed below waterline
and leaking (Rn/Cn/D/da/vc)
Before
then, at 1430, Royal Marine covering and Royal Navy
demolition parties were landed near the entrance forts
to complete their destruction, men from Irresistible
on the European side, and from Vengeance on the
Asiatic side covered by battleship Cornwallis, light
cruiser Dublin and destroyers Racoon and Basilisk. The
missions were successfully carried out with some
casualties; Lt-Cdr Eric Gascoigne Robinson who led the
Vengeance demolition party was awarded the Victoria
Cross for his gallantry under fire. He later took part
in the successful destruction of stranded submarine
E.15.
MARCH 1915
Dover
Straits
SPANISH
PRINCE,
6,505/1894, 450ft, Prince Line, Newcastle-reg,
purchased as replacement for Dover blockship Montrose
lost 20 December 1914, fitted out in same way; March -
Scuttled on east side of southern entrance across from
Livonian (ms – 6,394grt, owned by J Knott, scuttled
off Dover Breakwater, November 1914) (Lr/D/dq/ms)
Monday
1
March
Dardanelles
Campaign
Battleships
Albion and Ocean, Canopus-class,
14,300t, 4-12in/12-6in, Triumph,
Swiftsure-class, 11,985t, 4-10in/14-7.5in, and Majestic,
Majestic-class, c16,060t, 4-12in/12-6in, taking part
in the second attack within the Dardanelles after more
delays due to the weather. Albion and Triumph to
engage Fort Dardanos, Ocean and Majestic to search for
mobile guns. All ships engaged by concealed guns,
continually hit sometimes by 4in howitzers but not
seriously; 1 officer and 4 men in Albion injured by
splinters (Rn/Cn/D/da)
That night
the trawlers started sweeping towards Kephez Point,
escorted by destroyers Basilisk, Grasshopper, Racoon
and Mosquito supported by light cruiser Amethyst. Just
short of the first line of mines at 2300 they were
illuminated by searchlights, subjected to heavy fire
by the minefield protection guns, and forced to
withdraw under cover of the supporting ships.
Tuesday
2
March
Dardanelles
Campaign
Battleships
Canopus,
Canopus-class, 14,300t, 4-12in/12-6in, Cornwallis,
Duncan-class, c15,000t, 4-12in/12-6in and Swiftsure,
Swiftsure-class, 11,800, 4-10in/14-7.5in, taking part
in third attack within the Straits. Opened fire on
Fort Dardanos at 1420 which did not reply until 1615
but immediately straddled the ships. Canopus hit on
quarter-deck wrecking wardroom, another shell carried
away main topmast, and a third went through after
funnel and wrecked two boats, all ships received minor
damage; one man slightly wounded. Weather remained bad
making aerial reconnaissance impossible, and again
that night the minesweeping trawlers were driven back.
However further landings were made by beach and
demolition parties around Cape Helles and Kum Kale on
the 3rd and 4th (Rn/Cn/D/da)
Wednesday
3
March
Shetlands
RONDO,
Admiralty trawler, 117/1893, George F Sleight,
Grimsby-reg GY528, hired 1915 (D - 11/14) as auxiliary
patrol vessel, Admiralty No.666, (wi - F Harlow,
Captain up to 1914). (He – 2nd) - Stranded on Unicorn
Rocks, Tingwall, Shetland Islands at 2015 (wi -
position unknown, but quotes 60.20N, 01.15W), bow held
by rocks, flooded rapidly and sank by the stern, a
wreck; crew stood by for an hour before leaving her in
the boat, no lives lost (+Lr/C/D/He/dk/wi;
ADM.137/98)
Thursday
4
March
U.8
detected by indicator nets in their first success,
then sunk by destroyers Ghurka and Maori in Strait of
Dover
Dardanelles
Campaign
Landings by
beach and demolition parties around Kum Kale resulted
in a number of Royal Navy and Royal Marine casualties,
including two ratings killed from battleship Lord
Nelson, one from battleship Ocean, and 23 Marines from
the Plymouth Battalion of the Royal Naval Division.
Others died of wounds (dk)
Friday
5
March
Dardanelles
Campaign
- Phase 1 had been successful with the outer defences
destroyed, beach and demolition parties landed, little
damage to the bombarding ships, and few casualties.
Now Adm Carden was ready for Phase 2 - sweeping the
minefields, believed to consist of ten lines of mines
starting 8 miles inside the entrance and reducing the
gun and other defences right up to the Narrows. For
the latter, naval forces included 14 British and 4
French capital ships and four British light cruisers,
but the only minesweepers were eight slow trawlers.
Turkish
Coastal Operations
- Attempt to reduce Smyrna (Izmir) forts by
bombardment was unsuccessful because of defensive
minefields; battleships Swiftsure, Triumph, armoured
cruiser Euryalus, seaplane carrier Aenne Rickmers,
five trawler minesweepers took part. Minesweeper
No.285 sunk on 8th, Aenne Rickmers damaged on 11th
Dardanelles
Campaign
Queen
Elizabeth,
dreadnought, Queen Elizabeth-class, 31,500t, completed
January 1915, 8-15in/16-6in, taking leading part in
first bombardment of the inner defences, anchored in
the Aegean 2½m W of Gaba Tepe and firing over the
Gallipoli peninsula at the Narrows forts, spotting by
seaplanes and battleship Albion within the Straits.
Turks brought up mobile field guns and howitzers,
mainly 12pdrs and hit her 17 times, no serious damage
(Rn/Cn/D/da)
Saturday
6
March
Dardanelles
Campaign
Queen
Elizabeth continued indirect fire across the peninsula
with Albion spotting, while Agamemnon and Lord Nelson
entered the straits to carry out their attacks on the
Narrows forts:
Majestic,
battleship, Majestic-class, covering Albion while she
spotted. Hit by a heavy shell from Messudieh Fort
(Rn/Cn/D)
Agamemnon
and Lord Nelson, battleships, Lord
Nelson-class, c17,700t, 4-12in/10-9.2in, nicknamed
"Aggie" and "Nellie", covered by the French battleship
division, opened fire about 1230 on the powerful
Chanak forts. Agamemnon soon hit on armour by 6in
shell, at 1300 on quarterdeck apparently by 14in shell
which blew a great hole, wrecked the wardroom and
gunroom and drove splinters through the foretop,
followed by two more heavy shells. As both ships
continued to come under intense fire from many
batteries, both were hit several times from 1400 on,
rigging and upper works damaged. Agamemnon hit by a
total of 8 heavy shells, Lord Nelson by 7 including
one which hit her armour below the waterline, flooded
two bunkers and also sent splinters into her conning
tower; Capt McClintock and two crew wounded by the
splinters. Both ships returned to Tenedos, and next
day Lord Nelson left for Mudros and the repair ships
there (Rn/Cn/D/da)
Smyrna
Blockade
Triumph,
battleship, Swiftsure-class and Euryalus,
armoured cruiser, Cressy-class, 12,000t,
2-9.2in/12-6in, taking part in blockade of Smyrna to
prevent it being used as a submarine base. The
intention was to destroy the forts ready for an
attack, with minesweeping trawlers sweeping ahead,
covered by Triumph, Swiftsure and Euryalus. Turks
opened heavy and accurate fire forcing the trawlers to
withdraw, Triumph, Euryalus and minesweepers hit; 1
officer DOW, 1 officer and 6 ratings wounded (Rn/Cn/D)
Sunday
7
March
German
East Africa Campaign
- British lake steamers Winifred and Kavirondo drove
German gunboat Mwanza ashore at the southern end of
Lake Victoria and established local control
Bristol
Channel
BENGROVE,
Admiralty collier, 3,840/1910, Steam Transport Co
(Joseph Hoult & Co), Liverpool-reg, 33 crew, Mr W
Barber, Barry for France with 5,850t coal, steaming at
9kts. Torpedoed abaft engine room by U.20 Walther
Schweiger), settled with list to starboard, boats
ordered away, sank stern first about 30min later, 5
miles NNE of Ilfracombe, Devon (L - 5 miles N of; wi -
in 51.17.52N 04.07.28W); crew rowed to SS Paignton,
transferred to Ilfracombe lifeboat, landed there soon
after 1500 (+L/Lr/te/un/wi)
Dardanelles
Campaign
Dublin,
light cruiser, Chatham-class, 6,000t,
8-6in/4-3pdr/2-21in tt, in Gulf of Xeros/Saros,
keeping watch off Bulair at the neck of Gallipoli
peninsula. Hidden battery opened fire, hit four times,
damage not serious (Rn/Cn/D)
Monday
8
March
Smyrna
Blockade
OKINO,
Admiralty trawler, 241/1914, H L Taylor, Grimsby-reg
GY4, hired 8/14 as minesweeper, Admiralty No.285, 15
crew, Lt
Geoffrey Whitehouse RNR in command,
sweeping channel into Smyrna (Izmir) at night to allow
battleships to close and bombard the forts,
battleships Triumph and Swiftsure firing on the
searchlights. Night of 8th/9th - Mined and sunk about
3,000yds from Fort Yeni Kali, S side of Gulf of Smyrna
(H/C/D/sc - in the Dardanelles); 10 crew lost, skipper
and four men saved (+L/Lr/Rn/C/D/He/ap/dk/sc;
ADM.1/8413/60, ADM.137/1089)
Tuesday
9
March
North
Sea
Leviathan,
armoured cruiser, Drake-class, was 6th CS Grand Fleet,
now ordered to Rosyth prior to becoming flagship North
American Station, zig-zagging near Bell Rock around
1730. Torpedo fired by U.12, missed (Rn/Cn/D/gf)
Wednesday
10
March
Western
Front - Battles of Neuve Chapelle to 13th
U.12
rammed by destroyer Ariel off Fife Ness in North Sea
North
Sea
Indomitable,
battlecruiser, Invincible-class, Rosyth-based 3rd BCS,
sailing Scapa Flow for Rosyth. Sighted submarine
getting into position to fire off Montrose at dusk,
turned and forced the U-boat to dive (Rn/Cn)
Ariel,
destroyer, I-class, c990t, 2-4in/2-12pdr/2-21in tt,
1st DF, now believed based at Rosyth for service with
Grand Fleet, Lt-Cdr Cyril Calaghan. U-boat sighted by
trawler off Fife Ness, SE Scotland, three destroyers
including Attack and Acheron called up, spotted her on
the surface and opened fire, Ariel then rammed the
conning tower as she submerged, U.12 came back up, was
hit again and scuttled by the crew. Ariel's bow
considerably damaged, stern high out of water, docked
at Leith for repairs (Rn/Cn/D/ap/gf/ub)
Dardanelles
Campaign
MANX HERO,
Admiralty trawler, 221/1910, W H Beeley, Grimsby-reg
GY585, hired 8/14 as minesweeper, 1-6pdr, Admiralty
No.339, Skipper
Edward Bray RNR,
one of seven trawlers with 3rd Minesweeping Group
accompanied by two picket boats, four escorting
destroyers and supported by battleship Canopus and
light cruiser Amethyst, taking part in attempt to
sweep Kephez minefields in the dark. Instead of
sweeping against the strong 3-4kt current, the
intention was to get above the first line of mines and
sweep down. Trawlers reached their position, passed
sweeps in pairs and started back. Night of 10th/11th -
Two mines exploded, one of them possibly so close to
Manx Hero she sank, otherwise she hit a third, Turks
opened fire, two trawlers hit and damaged by 6in
shells, all then retired under destroyer cover; no
lives lost in Manx Hero, crew picked up by HM Trawler
Koorah (+L/Lr/Rn/C/D/He/ap/dk/sc; ADM.137/1089)
Thursday
11
March
German
auxiliary cruiser Prinz Eitel Friedrich,
running out of coal and with machinery wearing out,
entered Newport News (Va), interned around 8/4/15
North
Channel
Ambrose,
Admiralty armed merchant cruiser, 4,595/1903, hired
20/11/14, 10th CS. Heading for Liverpool to coal,
approaching North Channel, two torpedoes fired in
separate attacks off Oversay Island (ss - Ornsay
island) off Islay, possibly by U.20. During third
attack, conning tower spotted and fired at
(Rn/Mn/D/bi/ss)
BAYANO,
Admiralty armed merchant cruiser, ex-passenger ship,
5,948/1913, 14kts, Elders & Fyffes, Liverpool,
hired 8/14 (C/wi - 21/11/14), 2-6in, Pennant No.M.78,
10th CS Northern Patrol, Cdr Henry Carr i/c, master,
Lt Bernard Dunphy RNR. After coaling in the Clyde,
left night of 10th to return to patrol line (Rn/wd -
for Liverpool to coal), sailing without lights at
13kts, very calm dark night. Torpedoed by U.27
(Bernd Wegener) amidships under boiler room around
0515, magazines exploded and she sank within 4min in
Firth of Clyde, 10 miles SE by E of Corsewall Point,
Galloway (ke - 10 miles WNW of; wi - in 55.03.03N,
05.26.03W); 196 lives lost - 14 officers, 124 ratings
and 59 merchant seamen (ke - 195 lost), 26 survivors -
2nd i/c, 7 officers and men picked up by ABS Tara, 18
PO's and men on two liferafts by SS Balmerino and
landed at Ayr. Wreck believed to lie at 330ft
(+J/L/Rn/Mn/C/Cn/D/He/bi/dk/gf/ke/ss/te/un/wd/wi; ADM.137/185)
Dardanelles
Campaign
Six trawler
minesweepers again attempted to sweep the Kephez
lines; one unknown trawler hit by 6in shell and
repaired by Agamemnon's carpenters. Gunfire so heavy
the trawlers soon withdrew, next night the French
sweepers failed to make any progress sailing against
the current, and it was decided to man some of the
trawlers with regular navy crews. It was noted that
the mines were “not as violent as North Sea mines”
(Rn/ap/da)
Smyrna
Blockade
Aenne
Rickmers,
seaplane carrier, German steamship, 7,000t/4,083grt,
1911, 1-12pdr/2 seaplanes, seized at Port Said 8/14,
taken over as seaplane carrier in January with minimum
of modifications, under Red ensign with mixed
naval/civilian crew, French aircraft with French
pilots and British observers, operated off Sinai,
Syrian & Turkish coasts, taking part in British
naval blockade of Smyrna. Torpedoed by
German-commanded, Turkish torpedo boat Demir Hisar
at 0200, grounded at Mudros for shoring-up by HMS
Reliance, refloated 12 May, to Alexandria for repairs,
completed 18 June.
Recommissioned as HMS Anne with naval crew 5 August,
paid off August 1917 (Rn/C/Cn/D/bt/nw)
Friday
12
March
North
Sea
INVERGYLE,
Admiralty collier, 1,794/1907, Invergyle SS Co
(Stewart & Gray), Glasgow-reg, Mr D Minto, Scapa
Flow for Hartlepool in ballast. (te/un - 13th) -
Torpedoed by
U.23 (Hans Schulthess), sank 12 miles NNE of
Tyne estuary (L/wi - 15 miles NNE of, in 55.18.40N,
01.25.44W) (+L/Mn/Lr/te/un/wi)
Saturday
13
March
U-boat
Warfare
- First neutral sinking, possibly by mistake, Swedish
steamer Hanna carrying coal from Tyne to Las Palmas
torpedoed without warning and sunk in North Sea off
Scarborough
North
Channel
G.M.V.,
Admiralty drifter, 94/1907, Lowestoft-reg LT.1062,
hired 2/15 as net drifter, 1-3pdr, Admiralty No.1109,
Skipper William Woodgate RNR.
In collision with
minesweeping trawler
Hungarian (186grt) off Mull of Kintyre/Larne,
Co Antrim in
North Channel
(wi - blt
1909, Inverness-reg, Skipper G McLeod, lost in 54.53N,
05.33W); no lives lost (+D/He/dk/wi;
ADM.137/100)
Sunday
14
March
Western
Front - Battles of Neuve Chapelle, St. Eloi to 15th
Light
cruiser
Dresden
discovered at Chilean island of Mas a Fuera, Juan
Fernandez group in SE Pacific by armoured cruiser
Kent, light cruiser Glasgow & armed merchant
cruiser Orama, shelled, then scuttled
off NW
& W Scotland
ORLANDO,
Admiralty trawler, 276/1907, Dolphin Steam Fishing,
Grimsby-reg GY248, hired 8/14 as minesweeper (wi –
armed patrol trawler), armed, Admiralty No.365,
Skipper Frederick Mercer RNR.
Ran ashore on
Sgeir More (possibly Mhor) rock, Tarskavaig Point,
southern Isle of Skye
in bad
weather and
wrecked
(H/D - near
Stornaway, Hebrides; wi - in 58.12N, 06.22W); no lives
lost (+Lr/C/D/He/wi; ADM.137/100)
Digby,
Admiralty armed merchant cruiser, 3,966/1913, hired
22/11/14 (later French Artois), 10th CS. (bi - 15th) -
Held up in the Clyde because of attacks on Ambrose and
Bayano, now heading for patrol area. Cleared North
Channel, chased by U-boat off Skerryvore, took refuge
in Tobermory Harbour, following day escorted out by
destroyer and headed for patrol line (Mn/D/bi/ss)
Caribbean,
5,824/1890 and Colombella, 8,292/1902, armed
merchant cruisers hired c19/11/14, 10th CS Northern
Patrol. Dates not known - Attacked by U-boat(s) around
the time of the attacks on Ambrose and Digby, escaped
(D/ss)
Dardanelles
Campaign
Amethyst,
old light cruiser, Gem-class, 3,000t,
12-4in/8-3pdr/2-18in tt, supporting minesweepers in
final attempt to clear the Kephez mines at night.
Trawlers headed for positions above the mines to be
swept, heavy fire disabled all the working crews of
two trawlers with damage to gear and winches in the
rest so great, only two vessels could get out their
sweeps, leaving four trawlers and one picket boat out
of action. Amethyst was near Kephez Point at this time
trying to draw fire from the sweepers. Night of
14th/15th - Two shells exploded in stoker’s bathroom,
starboard side forward and on messdeck; 21 killed and
28 severely wounded, of whom 4 DOW in Amethyst. Around
5 killed and 15 wounded in the other vessels (dk –
only three others killed on the 14th, one in
battleship Ocean and two on trawler Fentonian
(following)) (Rn/Cn/da/dk/sm/sc)
Fentonian,
Admiralty trawler, 221/1913, Grimsby-reg GY804, hired
3/15 as minesweeper, 1-6pdr, Admiralty No.448; 2 crew
killed (D/dk)
Monday
15
March
Aviation
war
- start of German aircraft attacks on shipping in
North Sea, 10 vessels bombed in March and April near
North Hinder and Galloper LV's
Dardanelles
Campaign
Dartmouth,
light cruiser, Weymouth-class, 5,800t, believed within
Dardanelles. Boiler explosion (1 of 12
Yarrow-manufactured) totally wrecking a boiler room,
moved and anchored astern of battleship Agamemnon off
Tenedos at 1100; 4 killed, seven died of injuries.
Back in action within
Dardanelles
by 17th/18th
(Rn/D/da/dk)
Wednesday
17
March
North
Sea
Nemesis
and Nymphe, destroyers, H-class, 970t, 2nd DF,
taking part in Grand Fleet movements in northern and
central North Sea since 16th, weather now too bad and
Flotilla sent back to Scapa. Two ships collided, both
needed docking for repairs (D/gf/gr)
Thursday
18
March
Naval
Aviation
- Only days after construction had been approved by
the Admiralty on 28 February, the maiden flight of
small non-rigid Sea Scout-class SS.1 airship took
place at RNAS Station, Kingsnorth, Kent; sometimes
referred to as SS Submarine Scout. Smaller and cheaper
than the planned rigid airships, they joined RNAS
aircraft on maritime patrols off the British coasts.
By the end of the war more than 200 British non-rigid
airships of different types had been built, of which
more than 100 were operational, plus 200 naval
balloons
U.29
rammed and sunk by battleship Dreadnought in North
Sea, E of Pentland Firth
North
Sea
Neptune,
dreadnought, 1st BS, and Dreadnought, the
first dreadnought battleship, 21,840t,
10-12in/27-12pdr, flagship 4th BS, both Grand Fleet,
battle fleet and cruisers carried out "strategical
exercise" in the early morning, then returned to their
bases because of submarine warnings, 1st BS to Scapa,
and 4th BS detached to Cromarty. Marlborough, flagship
1st BS reported sighting a periscope east of the
Pentland Firth at 1218 and that a torpedo had passed
just astern of Neptune. Around 1230 as 4th BS crossed
under the stern of the rest of the battle fleet to
head for Cromarty, Dreadnought sighted the periscope,
altered course and rammed, sinking U.29 commanded by
Lt-Cdr Otto Weddigen (dx - in 58.21N, 01.12E) who had
sunk the three Cressy's and Hawke in U.9 (Cn/D/dx/gf)
Lord
Airedale,
Admiralty trawler, 215/1911, Grimsby-reg, hired 2/15
as minesweeper, Skipper J R Dawson, believed at anchor
in "hurricane-force winds". Sank 150yds off the beach
at Bridlington, Yorkshire probably after dragging her
anchor; Skipper and 11 ratings lost. Salvaged and
returned to service (D/dk)
Dardanelles
Campaign
Final
Naval Attack on the Narrows
Gallipoli and area - click to
enlarge
With Adm de
Robeck now in command, an all out attack was launched
against the Narrows defences by most of the 14 British
and 4 French capital ships in three main groups.
Ranging from the European side to the Asiatic in line
abreast, these were (ships lost in italic CAPITALS
sunk, and italic lower case damaged):
Line A, 1st
Division - Queen Elizabeth, Agamemnon,
Lord Nelson, Inflexible to go in first to
bombard and dominate the Narrows forts.
Line B, 3rd
Division - French ships Gaulois, Charlemagne,
BOUVET, Suffren to pass through Line A
and engage the forts more closely, covered by Prince
George on the European side and Triumph on the Asiatic
2nd
Division ships Vengeance, IRRESISTIBLE,
Albion,
OCEAN to relieve the French Line, and
Majestic/Swiftsure to take over from Prince
George/Triumph.
Canopus and
Cornwallis were reserved for minesweeping cover that
night
Line A was
in action about 1130, came under fire from concealed
guns and howitzers but not badly hit until Agamemnon
and Inflexible began to suffer:
Agamemnon,
battleship, Lord Nelson-class, 17,680t,
4-12in/10-9.2in. Between 1245 and 1310 hit at least 12
times by 6in howitzers from Eren Keui, five times on
the armour without damage, seven times above it, with
much structural damage, continued in operation
(Rn/Cn/D/da/sm/tg)
Inflexible,
battlecruiser, Invincible-class, 20,080t,
8-12in/16-4in. Also under fire from Eren Keui
howitzers, hit on the bridge and wireless put out of
action about 1220, hit three more times in the next
10min and picket boat alongside sunk, forebridge on
fire and hit twice more, stayed on station to support
the French; some men wounded (Rn/Cn/D)
Queen
Elizabeth,
dreadnought, Queen Elizabeth-class, 31,500t,
8-15in/16-6in. Hit frequently on superstructure, not
seriously damaged, continued in operation; few if any
casualties (Rn/Cn/D/tg)
French Line
B with Prince George and Triumph passed through Line A
at 1220, Suffren was badly damaged, Gaulois
badly holed and had to be beached on Rabbit Island,
then as BOUVET passed back through British
Line A she blew up near the Asiatic shore around 1345,
presumed at the time to have been hit in a magazine by
a Turkish shell or possibly by shore torpedo.
The British
2nd Division ships proceeded to take the place of the
retiring French, opening fire at 1439. At 1514 there
was a heavy explosion alongside Irresistible from a
heavy shell. Between 1530 and 1600 mines were reported
where Bouvet went down. Shortly after and in an area
far short of the Kephez lines of mines, Inflexible
exploded one, then Irresistible and, after trying to
tow Irresistible clear, Ocean detonated yet another
nearly two hours later.
Before then
the general recall for all ships had been hoisted:
Inflexible,
battlecruiser, Capt Phillimore, on station in Line A
since 1430. Mined on starboard bow by the forward
submerged flat around 1611, immediately flooded, ship
began to list and settle by the head, made for Tenedos
and water continued to rise, reached there with
difficulty an hour and a half after the explosion,
anchored on north side of island; 3 officers, 31
ratings and 1 civilian contractor lost including every
man in the forward flat killed, wounded taken off in a
cutter during the journey to Tenedos. Towed to
Malta
and repaired by May
(Rn/Cn/dk)
IRRESISTIBLE
(above, sinking - Pat Gariepy), battleship,
Formidable-class, 15,800t, 1898,
4-12in/12-6in/18-12pdr/4-18in tt, 18kts, c780 crew,
Pennant No.64, 5th BS Channel Fleet 8/14, then to
Mediterranean, Capt Douglas Dent, with 2nd Division,
hit alongside at 1514 by heavy shell from Fort
Hamadieh and by 1532 had taken a slight list, drifting
with engines stopped about 1615. Mined near Eren Keui
Bay (J/C - shore torpedo from White Cliffs battery),
exploded under starboard engine-room near centre-line,
engine-room quickly flooded, midship bulkhead buckled
and port engine-room flooded leaving both engines
disabled. Took 7° list to starboard, down by the stern
and Turks concentrated fire on her, destroyer Wear and
a picket boat came to assist and Ocean was ordered to
stand by to tow. As Irresistible could not be saved,
abandon ship was ordered under heavy fire causing
casualties on deck, but 10 volunteers stayed to get a
wire across to Ocean, list increased and ship lay bows
on to the Asiatic shore leaving Ocean subjected to
cross-fire. The two ship's captains decided to take
off the volunteers, Irresistible abandoned at 1750,
and Ocean withdrew, the intention being for destroyers
and minesweepers to try to save her after dark.
According to the Turks, she drifted back towards the
Narrows Forts, was fired on and sank about 1930 (He –
about 2000; da - now partly salvaged, lays in 40.04N,
26.20E); 4 officers killed and one DOW, 7 ratings
killed and one more DOW, only three men got out of the
rapidly flooded engine room, 28 surviving officers and
582 men taken off by Wear (ke - 200 casualties, 610
survivors) (+J/Rn/C/Cn/D/He/da/dk/ke/mf; ADM.116/1443)
OCEAN,
battleship, Canopus-class, 14,300t, 1898,
4-12in/12-6in/12-12pdr/4-18in tt, c750 crew, Pennant
No.N.56, 8th BS Channel Fleet 8/14, later to
Mediterranean, Capt Arthur Hayes-Sadler, with 2nd
Division, now withdrawing under heavy fire from
Dardanos and other forts. Mined around 1805 (J - shore
torpedo from White Cliffs battery; C - by shore
batteries), detonated starboard side adjacent to coal
bunkers, nearby passages flooded and helmed jammed to
port, at the same time, hit starboard-side aft by a
shell, tiller-room and starboard steering engine-room
flooded and repairs not possible, took 15° list.
Abandon ship ordered and crew taken off. Ship
abandoned, hopefully to drift out of danger if she
stayed afloat, Jed lay off with Capt Hayes-Sadler on
board until dark, finally left to her fate about 1930.
The Turks reported she drifted into Morto Bay and sank
there about 2230 (da - now partly salvaged, lays in
40.03N, 26.17E); 1 rating lost (He/ke - all 683 crew
saved), most of crew taken off by destroyers Colne,
Jed and Chelmer under cross fire, four men accidently
left on board rescued by Jed after dark
(+J/Rn/C/Cn/D/He/dk/ke/mf; ADM.116/1443)
Mosquito,
Racoon,
G-class, c1,100t and Chelmer, Jed, Kennet,
Wear, E-class, c630t, destroyers taking part in
rescue operations, all subjected to "terrific" enemy
gunfire. Racoon damaged by the concussion of a large
shell bursting under water, also by shrapnel bullets;
all destroyers "sustained comparatively few
casualties” (D/dd)
The loss of
Bouvet, Irresistible, Ocean and near-fatal damage to
Inflexible were all due to a line of just 20 mines
laid in Eren Keui Bay parallel to the Asiatic shore by
365t auxiliary minelayer Nousret or Nusret. The final
Allied attempt to break through to Constantinople by
naval power alone was over in just one day, with three
capital ships sunk and three out of action out of the
16 taking part.
Sunday
21
March
Dardanelles
Campaign
TB.064,
torpedo boat, Yarrow 125ft-type, c87t, 1886, 19kts,
2-3pdr/5-14in tt, 16 crew, Chief Gunner James Cottrell
in command. One of a group of six torpedo boats,
including TB’s 063 and 070, sailed on 17th from Port
Said for Mudros on the island of Lemnos, in company
with old light cruiser Doris and collier Kasala.
On the
20th, off the island of Khio (or Chios) with the
weather worsening, they coaled, but TB.064 only took
on half her bunkers. Continuing on to Lemnos in strong
NE gales and following a course change, 064 became
separated, and Doris, after reaching Mudros with the
other five TB's, went out to search for the missing
one. She was found off the east coast of the island,
at anchor, with hardly any remaining coal and in no
condition to proceed.
Night of
21st - anchors dragged, drifted ashore and wrecked E
side of Lemnos island; no lives lost, crew saved after
a stoker swam ashore with a line
(+J/Rn/C/Cn/D/He/dk/ke; ADM.137/3119)
Monday
22
March
Eastern
Front - Russians captured Przemysl
Wednesday
24
March
North
Sea
Undaunted,
light cruiser, Arethusa-class, 4,400t, 3rd DF leader
and
Landrail, destroyer, L-class, c1,300t, 3rd DF,
Harwich Force, in collision. Damaged to Undaunted not
known but three crew drowned, Landrail towed home with
badly crumpled bow (D/dk)
Thursday
25
March
U-boat
Warfare - First deliberate neutral sinking,
Dutch SS Medea sailing Valencia for London with
oranges, stopped and searched then sunk by U.28 in
English Channel off Beachy Head. Dutch government made
strong protests
Tuesday
30
March
off SW
Scotland
TRYGON,
Admiralty trawler, 289/1908, Fleetwood-reg FD.221,
Mount Steam Fishing, hired 1914 as minesweeper (D -
2/15 as auxiliary patrol vessel; He – 1915 as
patrol vessel),
Admiralty No.978,
Lt Henry Oakley RNR
(wi - J Price, Captain). In collision with SS
Myrtle Grove, 2,640grt (ms - Myrtlegrove), foundered
in River Clyde
(wi - exact position unknown, but River Clyde, in
55.58N, 04.52W); no lives lost
(+Lr/C/D/He/ms/dk/fd/wi; ADM.137/103)
