Information & Images
kindly supplied by
Frank Hales
halesf1@btinternet.com
BACKGROUND
Skipper Thomas Crisp's award of a posthumous
Victoria Cross in 1917, when in command of a small sailing
Q-ship, is one of the most personal and poignant. As he lay
dying, his side split open by shell-fire, his last words to his son were,
"Tom, I'm done. Throw me overboard."
That action led to the loss of two smacks.
Skipper Crisp was the only man killed on HM Q-Ship Nelson, but
all were lost on HMS Q-Ship Ethel and Millie.
Amongst the
survivors from Nelson was the gunlayer, Leading Seaman Edward Hales.
Some 90 years
later, his grandson, Frank Hales sent me newspapers cuttings and
photographs of the action and of his family, of whom at least
three generations served in the Royal Navy.
I am grateful to Frank for this material and
only too sorry it has taken so long for him to see it online.
Gordon Smith
An Account of the Action
Wednesday 15 August 1917
North Sea
Admiralty hired smacks Nelson, also Ethel and Millie operating
as Q-ships, sunk in action with U.63, leading to the award of a
posthumous VC to Nelson's skipper:
G. & E., also known as Bird, Extirpator, Foam Crest, I’ll Try,
Ledger No.929, Nelson, S.3 (H - listed as Nelson), operating as
Nelson, special service/submarine decoy/Q-ship, fishing
smack, c61/1905, Lowestoft-reg LT649, taken up 8/8-9/15 and
again 22/1/16, probably only armed with 1-3pdr at this time,
auxiliary engined by 8/17, Skipper T Crisp RNR, on patrol,
fishing on Jim Howe Bank with trawl shot. Submarine sighted at
1445, 3 or 4 miles away, opened fire and although Nelson was
hopelessly outranged, she replied. Started to receive hits and
take in water, seventh shell went through the skipper's left
side, mortally wounding him, Second Hand Tom Crisp, his son,
took over command. Nelson continued firing until nearly out of
ammunition, crew abandoned ship, tried to lift the skipper into
the boat but his only response was "Tom, I'm done, throw me
overboard". They left him on board, Nelson was shelled until she
sank off Mabelthorpe, Lincs; only the skipper was lost, Ethel &
Millie beckoned the survivors on board but they continued rowing
west, next day they sighted minesweeper Dryad and other
sweepers, but were not seen, then on the Friday made fast to the
Jim Howe Bank buoy and in the afternoon finally rescued by
Dryad. Skipper Thomas Crisp RNR was posthumously awarded the
Victoria Cross, Second Hand Thomas Crisp the DSM
ETHEL & MILLIE, also known as Boy Alfred, Ledger No.929,
S.3, possibly Ethel and Emily, special service/submarine
decoy/Q-ship, fishing smack, 58/1908, Lowestoft-reg LT200, taken
up 1/2/17, 1-6pdr, 7 crew, Skipper William “Johnsey” Manning.
After Nelson was sunk, UC.63 turned its attention to Ethel &
Millie which was soon hit and stopped, then probably sunk by
bomb; 1 officer, 6 ratings lost. According to the younger Thomas
Crisp, the crew were picked up by the submarine, and last seen
lined up on the foredeck. No survivors were found, only a pigeon
message picked up saying she was being attacked by a U-boat. It
is suggested they were drowned when the U-boat submerged.
Casualties
Nelson
CRISP, Thomas, Ty/Skipper,
RNR
Ethel and Millie
BARRETT, Edwin J, Able Seaman,
239776
GIBSON, Spencer T, 2nd Hand,
RNR, DA 7781
LEWIS, John L, Deck Hand, RNR,
DA 15058
MANNING, Charles W, Ty/Skipper,
RNR
PREECE, Alfred, Able Seaman,
201483
SOAMES, Arthur, Deck Hand, RNR,
DA 11241
THOMPSON, Hugh, Deck Hand, RNR,
SD 1054
Survivors
Nelson
COX, George, Private, Royal Marine Light Infantry
CRISP,
Thomas W, Second Hand
DRAPER, W
(uncertain)
HALES, Edward, Leading Seaman, Gunlayer
ROSS, Percival, Leading Seaman,
Gunner
Additional research by Frank Hales
Sunk by UC.63 (Commander Oberleutenant Karsten von Heydebreck) on Wednesday, August 15th 1917 over Jim
Howe Bank some time after
2.45pm.
One
hand lost.
UC.63 (Oberleutenant
Karsten von Heydebreck) - sunk
by Her Majesty’s Submarine E.52 (Albert P Addison, Captain)
November 1st
1917, 26 hands lost,
one survivor
Petty Officer 2nd class Fritz Marshal.
Last known position Latitude N51 23.000 Longitude E2 00.000
Goodwin Sands.
UC.63
- Type UC11, Shipyard A G Weser, Breen (Werk 261), ordered
12/01/16,
laid down
03/04/16, launched
06/01/17, commissioned
30/01/17.
9 patrols
between
27/04/17 and 01/11/17, served with Flandern Flotilla, 36 ships sunk
for a total of 36,404 tons.
E.52 -
E-class, displacement, surfaced 662 tons, submerged 807 tons, length 181ft/54.86m,
beam 15ft/6.86m, draught 12ft/3.81m.
Propulsion - 2
shafts, 8 cyl Vickers diesels/2 electric motors,
1600hp/840hp, speed surfaced 15.25
knots, submerged 9.75 knots, range 3,000nm surfaced at 10kts, 24 days endurance,
complement 3 officers, 28 ratings, armament 5x18 inch torpedo tubes (2 bow, 2
beam, 1 stern), 10 torpedoes,
1x12 pounder deck gun.
Scrapped January
1921.
Click here for official
accounts of all Royal Navy and Royal Marine awards of the Victoria
Cross in World War 1
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