My grandfather
appears to have been one of two "official" ship's
photographers. His captions are included. Added notes
are in brackets
HMS DURBAN's
MOVEMENTS
Most of
the (incomplete) movements are from The Times archives,
for which I am most grateful. Dates reported in the
press included "planned", "due", arrived and
departed. Plans change, due dates move, and neither may always agree with reported actuals. In addition, dates
from the photographs (in brackets) also may not match.
However, the general movements of DURBAN can be followed
in outline.
1926
31
August - left Hong Kong for UK
24 or 25
October - (Capt J C Hamilton) arrived Devonport from
China Station after nearly five years there. To pay off
YEOMAN OF SIGNALS SMITH
JOINED
SHIP
2 November - Due to recommission for further Far East service
in 5th CS, China Station, Capt G L Coleridge in command
6 November -
Left Devonport for St Vincent (presumably Sao Vicente,
Cape Verde Islands)
14-16
November - St Vincent approved
24
November - arrived St Helena, South Atlantic
26
November - departure from St Helena approved
SOUTH
AFRICA
8 December - week's visit to Durban, first ever
to the ship's namesake, returning to
China Station via Cape
12 December -
left Simonstown, near Capetown
15 December - arrived Durban,
east coast
(15 December - Colours
trooped and march-past, Durban)
16 December - was due to leave Durban
for Colombo, but delayed due to stay
in Simonstown having been prolonged
23 December
- now due to leave Durban on this date for Colombo,
Singapore and Hong Kong
24 December -
left Durban
SAILING FOR HONG KONG
29 December-2
January - Colombo approved
1927
14 January - arrived Singapore
(3 day stay originally approved)
15
January - Hong Kong approved
CHINESE
WATERS
22
January - due to arrive at Hong Kong, restoring 5th Cruiser Squadron
(CS) to
five units, including CARADOC, EMERALD and ENTERPRISE
11 February - "Merchant Navy Signalling Practice" - DURBAN
noted for her efficiency on the China Station
18 February -
left Hong Kong with CARADOC for Wusung
21 February -
arrived Wusung
(15 March - at Shanghai)
25 May -
left Shanghai for Hankow
(4 June
- foreign warships in Chinese waters, including DURBAN)
(11 June - cricket match in
Hankow)
28 July - left Hankow for Wei-hai-wei
31 July - arrived Wusung and left for Wei-hai-wei
27
August - left Wei-hai-wei for Hong Kong
4
September - arrived Hong Kong
19
November - left Hong Kong for Shanghai
22 November -
arrived Shanghai
24
November - left Shanghai for Nanking
26
November - arrived Nanking, greater
part of winter stationed there
(27 November to 6
March - stayed in Nanking)
(27
December - football match in Nanking)
1928
CHINESE
WATERS - continued
20 January - arrived Shanghai
3 February -
left Shanghai for Nanking
4
February - arrived Nanking; as of this date,
destroyer KEPPEL has taken the place of
DURBAN at Nanking
16 March - left Shanghai for Nagasaki
JAPAN
17 March - was due at Kobe after visiting Inland Sea and Kure
18 March - arrived Nagasaki and left for Miyajima
22 March - was due to leave Kobe
22 March
- should be at Miyajima
23 & 24
March - should be at Takamutsu
24 March
to 4 April - should be at Yokohama
24 March
- arrived Kobe
29 March
- left Kobe for Foochow
CHINESE
WATER - continued
2-6
April - should be at Foochow
6 April - left Foochow
7 April
- arrived Swatow
7-11
April - should be at Swatow in course of last cruise
with 5th CS
14 April
- arrived Hong Kong to await arrival of heavy cruiser BERWICK
21 April
- should be relieved in 5th CS by BERWICK, proceed to
Bermuda and join 8th CS, America & West Indies Station
24 April -
due to leave Hong Kong
29 Apr -
6 May due to call at Yokohama, Japan
30 April
- left Hong Kong
DEPARTED
CHINA STATION
1 May (confirmed) - left Hong Kong (Capt G L Coleridge,
being relieved on China Station by BERWICK, to replace
CAIRO on America & Indies Station)
5 May - arrived Yokohama (spent week there)
13 May -
due to leave Yokohama
17 May -
due to reach Honolulu, Hawaii
22 May -
arrived Honolulu
29 May -
left Honolulu for Esquimalt, British Columbia
(BC), Canada
6 June - arrived Esquimalt from Honolulu. Now reached A &
WI Station which includes Pacific waters, travel via
Panama Canal from main base at Bermuda. To visit British
Columbia ports over next two months.
12 June - left Victoria BC for Kodiak
ALASKAN WATERS
18 June - arrived Kodiak
19 June - left Kodiak
21 June - arrived at Valdez
24 June
- left Valdez
26 June
- arrived Juneau
30 June
- left Juneau for Sitka
5 July -
left Sitka
10 July
- left Wrangell
BRITISH COLUMBIAN WATERS
11 July
- arrived Port Simpson
16 July (Monday) -
should be at Prince Rupert until 18
July
23 July
- left Port Alexander
30 July - left Nanaimo
30 July - arrived Ladysmith
3 August - left Ladysmith
3 August - arrived New Westminster
17
August - due to leave Esquimault
17
August - arrived with DESPATCH at Comox
22
August - due to visit Comox until this date
22-29
August - due to be at Vancouver
YEOMAN OF SIGNALS SMITH LEFT
SHIP IN AUGUST
25 Aug - Prince George joined at Vancouver
29
August - due to leave Vancouver
29-31
August - due to stay at Esquimault
SAILING FROM BERMUDA
31
August - due to leave Esquimault for Bermuda via Panama
Canal
4-8 September
- due to visit San Diego
21 September -
due to pass through Panama Canal
28
September - due to arrive at Bermuda
8 October - arrived Bermuda
15 October - first time in several months, 8th CS and attached
sloops should be assembled at Bermuda today - DESPATCH
(flag) from Pacific, DURBAN already there, CAPETOWN from
Trinidad, CARADOC from England, sloops HELIOTROPE and
WISTARIA from Halifax
4
June 1927 - Foreign warships in Chinese waters,
including DURBAN
Foreign Warships in the Yangtze (FROM OUR NAVAL
CORRESPONDENT).
With the arrival, announced in The Times
on Thursday, of the destroyer Wishart at Shanghai, the
total number of warships of the Powers at this port was
51 at the end of May, including three lying off Woosung.
This was an increase of eight over the total at the end
of April. The list is as follows:-
GREAT
BRITAIN - Hawkins (flagship), Emerald (cruisers); Keppel
(flotilla leader); Petersfield (minesweeper),
Cockchafer, Cricket, Mantis, Widgeon (gunboats); Wishart (destroyer) ; and at Woosung, Despatch (cruiser)
and Argus (aircraft-carrier); total 11.
UNITED STATES - Pittsburg (flagship), Richmond (flagship)
(cruisers) ; Bulmer, Hart, Noa, Parrott, Paul Jones,
Pillsbury, Pope, Preble, Preston, Pruitt, Truxton
(destroyers); Black Hawk (destroyer tender); Elcano
(gunboat); Chaumont and Henderson (transports); and at
Woosung, Marblehead (cruiser) ; total, 18.
JAPAN - Tone (flagship), Hirado, Tenryu, Yahagi, Yakurno
(cruisers); Kashi, Take (destroyers); Torpedo-boats 10,
16, 18; Seta, Toba (gunboats); Tsurumi (oiler); total,
13.
FRANCE - Jules Michelet (cruiser, flagship), Cassiopee,
Craonne, Marne (dispatch vessels); total, 4.
PORTUGAL - Republica (sloop).
SPAIN - Blas de Lezo (cruiser).
ITALY - Libia (cruiser); E Carlotto (gunboat); Volta
(submarine depot) total, 3.
The
Netherlands cruiser Sumatra bas gone from the list since
leat month.
Ascending the Yangtze, the distribution of the naval
forces of the Powers, according to the latest available
information, is as follows: At Chinkiang, there is the
British destroyer Verity, American destroyer Simpson,
and Japanese gunboat Sumida. At Nanking, there is the
British cruiser Carlisle and destroyer Seraph, the
American destroyer McCormick, and perhaps a Japanese
gunboat. At Wuhu, there are the British cruiser Caradoc
and two Japanese destroyers. At Kiukiang, there are the
British destroyer Wild Swan and gunboat Woodlark, and
the Japanese gunboat Katata and torpedo-boat No. 12.
This gives a total of warships in the river between
Shanghai and Hankow of 14.
The
naval forces at Hankow at the end of May included 31
vessels, a reduction of seven on the total a month ago.
The list was:-
GREAT
BRITAIN - Durban, Vindictive (cruisers); Bee (flagship);
Scarab, Teal, and Mantis (gunboats); Veteran, Wanderer
and Witherington (destroyers); total, 9.
UNITED STATES - Cincinnati (cruiser); Isabel (flagship), Monocacy, Palos, Villalobos, and Penguin (gunboats);
Edsall, Peary, Stewart (destroyers); total, 9.
JAPAN - Sendai (cruiser); Ataka, Hira, Hodzu (gunboats):
Amatsukaze, Hinoki. Tokitsukaze, Urakaze, and Yanagi
(destroyers); total, 9.
FRANCE - Algol and Bellatrix (dispatch vessels): La
Grandlere (gunboat); total, 3.
ITALY - Muggia (destroyer).
Certain warships have again advanced above Hankow. and
the French gunboat Doudart de Lagree was reported at
Chunking; another French gunboat. the Alerte, being on
passage up river, as well as the dispatch vessel Algol.
The British gunboat Gnat and armed steamer Kiawo have
gone to Ichang, where the French gunboat Balny is also
reported.
As
will be seen from the foregoing, the grand total of
warships and their attendant vessels actually in the
Yangtze at the end of May was about 102, of which
one-half were at Shanghai.
see also
Naval Service Record 1904-28
North Russian Expeditionary Force
1919
HMS
Vanquisher, Baltic
Cruise 1921
HMS
Curlew, America & West Indies 1922-25
Point Honda Disaster
1923
Royal Naval Shore Signal Service 1929-48
|
The ancient Chinese
Manchu Empire came to end in 1911 when Yuan
Shih-kai took over as an authoritarian Prime
Minister in Peking (Beijing), while at the same
time Sun Yat-sen was proclaimed President of a
new republic in Nanking. Sun was leader of the
Koumintang (a nationalist party dating from
1891, which wanted a democracy based on
parliamentary majority). However to avoid civil
war, Sun stepped down in favour of Yuan.
It was at this time that the six-year old Pu Yi
was forced to abdicate - the subject of the 1987
film, "The Last Emperor".
