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
(right - 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
(right, 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)
