Naval/Maritime History 27th of August - Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
30 January 1895 - SS Elbe, a transatlantic ocean liner for the Norddeutscher Lloyd, foundered on the night of 30 January 1895 following a collision in the North Sea with the loss of 334 lives.


SS Elbe was a transatlantic ocean liner built in the Govan Shipyard of John Elder & Company, Ltd, Glasgow, in 1881 for the Norddeutscher Lloyd of Bremen. She foundered on the night of 30 January 1895 following a collision in the North Sea with the loss of 334 lives





Construction and Early History
The Elbe had a 3-cylinder compound engine which provided power to her single-screw propeller. She was a fast ship for her time, being able to reach the speed of 15 knots, but small cargo capacity, along with her high consumption of coal, would soon make her uneconomical. She had a straight bow, two funnels and four masts. She was launched on 2 April 1881, the first of a series of eleven express steamers known as the "Rivers Class", as they were all named after German rivers. After sea trials she made her maiden voyage on 26 June 1881, leaving Bremen for New York City via Southampton. The Elbe had accommodation for 179 First Class passengers, 142 in Second Class, and 796 in Steerage. She was a very popular ship with immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe to the United States and was virtually always sold out in steerage. The Elbe spent most of the next ten years working the North Atlantic service, but she also made three voyages to Adelaide in Australia, two of which were in December 1889 and 1890.



Disaster in the North Sea
The night of 30 January 1895 was stormy. In the North Sea, conditions were freezing and there were huge seas. SS Elbe had left Bremerhaven for New York earlier in the day with 354 passengers aboard. Also at sea on this rough night was the steamship Crathie, sailing from Aberdeen in Scotland, heading for Rotterdam. As conditions grew worse, the Elbe discharged warning rockets to alert other ships to her presence. The Crathie either did not see the warning rockets or chose to ignore them. She did not alter her course, with such disastrous consequences, that she struck the liner on her port side with such force that whole compartments of the Elbe were immediately flooded.


The Crathie

The collision happened at 5.30 am and most of the passengers were still asleep.The Elbe began to sink immediately and the captain, von Goessel, gave the order to abandon ship. Amid great scenes of panic the crew managed to lower two of the Elbe's lifeboats. One of the lifeboats capsized as too many passengers tried in vain to squeeze into the boat. Twenty people scrambled into the second lifeboat, of whom 15 were members of the crew. The others were four male second-class passengers and a young lady’s maid by the name of Anna Boecker, who had been lucky enough to be pulled from the raging sea after the first boat had capsized. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Elbe, Captain von Goessel had ordered all the women and children to assemble there but no other lifeboats were launched because the ropes on the derricks were all frozen up, and so they perished along with the captain.

Within 20 minutes of the collision, the Elbe had sunk and the only survivors were the 20 people in the one surviving lifeboat. These people now had to endure mountainous seas and below-zero temperatures and they were 50 miles from land. Things looked bleak; the Elbe's distress rockets had not been seen by any passing vessels and so no one knew of their predicament. After five hours in the raging storm, their luck changed. A fishing smack from Lowestoft called the Wildflower found them. In desperate conditions the crew of the Wildflower struggled to pull the 20 survivors from the lifeboat, which had begun to break up. The skipper, William Wright, said later that the survivors would not have lasted another hour in those conditions, and believed that the only reason they had stayed alive for five hours was the expertise of the Elbe's crewmen aboard the lifeboat.



Steamship Crathie
The Crathie was a steamer of about 475 tons gross and 272 net. She left Rotterdam with general cargo for Aberdeen on January 29, 1895 carrying just 12 hands. The Craithie was also badly damaged in the collision and returned to Rotterdam flying signals of distress. When later asked why they had not stayed on to help the Elbe and her passengers, the captain, Alexander Gordon, said that he feared that his ship would sink, and in any case he did not hear any cries for help coming from the liner. It appeared to him that the Elbe was steaming away from his position.


Crash cover of a letter salvaged from the sunk SS Elbe in 1895

Miss Anna Boecker
Of the twenty who survived the sinking, only one was a female. Anna Boecker was a shy, quiet maid in the employment of an elderly lady, travelling with her employer to Southampton. In the panic and confusion of the collision she had been unable to save her employer. She joined the terrified crush of passengers lowered into the first lifeboat. When it capsized under the sheer weight of numbers, Anna ended up in the ocean. All the others from her lifeboat clambered back onto the sinking ship. Anna was alone in the treacherous sea until the survivors in the second lifeboat spotted her foundering in the water and pulled her up to safety.





Photo of the damaged bow of the Crathie, which left the scene without helping, you can find at getty:
https://www.gettyimages.ae/detail/i...r-collision-with-elbe-stock-graphic/939974942

Repercussion
The SS Elbe incident resulted in a court case which took place in Rotterdam in November 1895. The court found that the steamship Crathie was alone at fault for the collision. Amazingly the captain was merely censured for leaving the disaster, a verdict that astounded the maritime world at the time. The blame was put squarely on the first mate, who had left his post at the bridge at the critical time to chat in the galley with other crew members, and therefore had failed in his job of operating the ship's warning lights. The captain, officers and sailors of the SS Elbe received no rebuke from the court either, which caused some concern amongst the German public. The crew of the fishing smack Wildflower each were given, by Kaiser Wilhelm II, a silver and gold watch bearing his monogram and £5 as a gesture of thanks for saving the lives of the eighteen German citizens, an Austrian, and the English pilot. They also received other medals and gifts in the following years.


The only rescued lifeboat from Elbe

Wreck identified in 1987
In the early part of 1987 a group of Dutch amateur divers searched and located the wreck of the Elbe on the sea bed. They managed to salvage a small quantity of the glasswork and a quantity of porcelain as well as earthenware from the wreck site, which enabled them to identify the wreck.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Elbe_(1881)
http://www.archeosousmarine.net/elbe.php
https://www.deutsche-auswanderer-datenbank.de/index.php?id=563&L=1

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
30 January 1945 – World War II: The Wilhelm Gustloff, overfilled with German refugees, sinks in the Baltic Sea after being torpedoed by a Soviet submarine, killing approximately 9,500 people, half of them children.
- The largest loss of life in a single ship sinking in history -


MV Wilhelm Gustloff was a German military transport ship which was sunk on 30 January 1945 by Soviet submarine S-13 in the Baltic Sea while evacuating German civilians, German officials, refugees from Prussia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Estonia and Croatia and military personnel from Gotenhafen (now Gdynia) as the Red Army advanced. By one estimate, 9,400 people died, which makes it the largest loss of life in a single ship sinking in history.

Constructed as a cruise ship for the Nazi Kraft durch Freude (Strength Through Joy) organisation in 1937, she had been requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine (German navy) in 1939. She served as a hospital ship in 1939 and 1940. She was then assigned as a floating barracks for naval personnel in Gdynia (Gotenhafen) before being put into service to transport evacuees in 1945.


Wilhelm Gustloff as a hospital ship. Danzig, 23 September 1939

Construction
Wilhelm Gustloff was constructed by the Blohm & Voss shipyards. Measuring 208.5 m (684 ft 1 in) long by 23.59 m (77 ft 5 in) wide, with a capacity of 25,484 gross register tons (GRT), she was launched on 5 May 1937.

Name
The ship was originally intended to be named Adolf Hitler but instead was christened after Wilhelm Gustloff, leader of the National Socialist Party's Swiss branch, who had been assassinated by a Jewish medical student in 1936. Hitler decided on the name change after sitting next to Gustloff's widow during his memorial service.

Cruise liner
Wilhelm Gustloff was the first purpose-built cruise liner for the German Labour Front (Deutsche Arbeitsfront, DAF) and used by subsidiary organisation Kraft durch Freude (KdF) (Strength Through Joy). Her purposes were to provide recreational and cultural activities for German functionaries and workers, including concerts, cruises, and other holiday trips, and to serve as a public relations tool, to present "a more acceptable image of the Third Reich."[7] She was the flagship of the KdF cruise fleet, her last civilian role, until the spring of 1939.

Military career
During the summer of 1939, the vessel was returned to service to bring the Condor Legion back from Spain after the victory of the Nationalist forces under General Francisco Franco, in the Spanish Civil War.


German soldiers wounded at Narvikbeing transported back to Germany on Wilhelm Gustloff in July 1940.
From September 1939 to November 1940, she served as a hospital ship, officially designated Lazarettschiff D.

Beginning on 20 November 1940, the medical equipment was removed from the ship, and she was repainted from the hospital ship colours of white with a green stripe to standard naval grey. As a consequence of the British blockade of the German coastline, she was used as an accommodations ship (barracks) for approximately 1,000 U-boat trainees of the 2nd Submarine Training Division (2. Unterseeboot-Lehrdivision) in the port of Gdynia, which had been occupied by Germany and renamed Gotenhafen, located near Danzig. Wilhelm Gustloff sat in dock there for over four years. In 1942, SS Cap Arcona was used as a stand-in for RMS Titanic in the German film version of the disaster. Filmed in Gotenhafen, the 2nd Submarine Training Division acted as extras in the movie. Eventually she was put back into service to transport civilians and military personnel as part of Operation Hannibal.


A model of Wilhelm Gustloff at the Laboe Naval Memorial

Operation Hannibal – evacuation
Main article: Operation Hannibal
Operation Hannibal was the naval evacuation of German troops and civilians as the Red Army advanced. The Wilhelm Gustloff's final voyage was to evacuate German refugees, military personnel, and technicians from Courland, East Prussia, and Danzig-West Prussia. Many had worked at advanced weapon bases in the Baltic [9] from Gdynia/Gotenhafen to Kiel.

The ship's complement and passenger lists cited 6,050 people on board, but these did not include many civilians who boarded the ship without being recorded in the official embarkation records. Heinz Schön, a German archivist and Gustloff survivor who extensively researched the sinking during the 1980s and 1990s, concluded that Wilhelm Gustloff was carrying a crew of 173 (naval armed forces auxiliaries), 918 officers, NCOs, and men of the 2 Unterseeboot-Lehrdivision, 373 female naval auxiliary helpers, 162 wounded soldiers, and 8,956 civilians, of which an estimated 5,000 were children, for a total of 10,582 passengers and crew. The passengers besides civilians included Gestapo personnel, members of the Organisation Todt, and Nazi officials with their families. The ship was overcrowded, and due to the temperature and humidity inside many passengers defied orders not to remove their life jackets.

The ship left Danzig at 12:30 pm on 30 January 1945, accompanied by the passenger liner Hansa, also filled with civilians and military personnel, and two torpedo boats. Hansa and one torpedo boat developed mechanical problems and could not continue, leaving Wilhelm Gustloff with one torpedo boat escort, Löwe.[14] The ship had four captains (Wilhelm Gustloff's captain, two merchant marine captains, and the captain of the U-Boat complement housed on the vessel) on board, and they disagreed on the best course of action to guard against submarine attacks. Against the advice of the military commander, Lieutenant Commander Wilhelm Zahn (a submariner who argued for a course in shallow waters close to shore and without lights), Wilhelm Gustloff's captain—Friedrich Petersen—decided to head for deep water which was known to have been cleared of mines. When he was informed by a mysterious radio message of an oncoming German minesweeper convoy, he decided to activate his ship's red and green navigation lights so as to avoid a collision in the dark, making Wilhelm Gustloff easy to spot in the night.

As Wilhelm Gustloff had been fitted with anti-aircraft guns, and the Germans, in obedience to the rules of war, did not mark her as a hospital ship, no notification of her operating in a hospital capacity had been given and, as she was transporting military personnel, she did not have any protection as a hospital ship under international accords.

english Docu: Sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff Deadliest maritime disaster in history-WWII


Sinking
The ship was soon sighted by the Soviet submarine S-13, under the command of Captain Alexander Marinesko. The submarine sensor on board the escorting torpedo boat had frozen, rendering it inoperable, as had Wilhelm Gustloff's anti-aircraft guns, leaving the vessels defenseless. Marinesko followed the ships to their starboard (seaward) side for two hours before making a daring move to surface his submarine and steer it around Wilhelm Gustloff's stern, to attack it from the port side closer to shore, where the attack would be less expected. At around 9 pm (CET), Marinesko ordered his crew to launch four torpedoes at Wilhelm Gustloff's port side, about 30 km (16 nmi; 19 mi) offshore, between Großendorf and Leba. The first was nicknamed "for the Motherland," the second "for Leningrad," the third "for the Soviet people", and the fourth, which got jammed in the torpedo tubes and had to be dismantled, "for Stalin." The three torpedoes which were fired successfully all struck Wilhelm Gustloff on her port side.

The first torpedo struck Wilhelm Gustloff's bow, causing the watertight doors to seal off the bow which contained quarters where off-duty crew members were sleeping. The second torpedo hit the accommodations for the women's naval auxiliary, located in the ship's drained swimming pool, dislodging the pool tiles at high speed, which caused heavy casualties; only three of the 373 quartered there survived. The third torpedo was a direct hit on the engine room located amidships, disabling all power and communications.

Reportedly, only nine lifeboats were able to be lowered; the rest had frozen in their davits and had to be broken free. About 20 minutes after the torpedoes' impact, Wilhelm Gustloff listed dramatically to port so that the lifeboats lowered on the high starboard side crashed into the ship's tilting side, destroying many lifeboats and spilling their occupants across the ship's side.

The water temperature in the Baltic Sea at that time of year is usually around 4 °C (39 °F); however, this was a particularly cold night, with an air temperature of −18 to −10 °C (0 to 14 °F) and ice floes covering the surface. Many deaths were caused either directly by the torpedoes or by drowning in the onrushing water. Others were crushed in the initial stampede caused by panicked passengers on the stairs and decks. Many others jumped into the icy Baltic. The majority of those who perished succumbed to exposure in the freezing water.

Less than 40 minutes after being struck, Wilhelm Gustloff was lying on her side. She sank bow-first 10 minutes later, in 44 m (144 ft) of water.

German forces were able to rescue 996 of the survivors from the attack: the torpedo boat T36 rescued 564 people; the torpedo boat Löwe, 472; the minesweeper M387, 98; the minesweeper M375, 43; the minesweeper M341, 37; the steamer Göttingen, 28; the torpedo recovery boat (Torpedofangboot) TF19, 7; the freighter Gotenland, two; and the patrol boat (Vorpostenboot) V1703, one baby.

All four captains on Wilhelm Gustloff survived her sinking, but an official naval inquiry was started only against Wilhelm Zahn. His degree of responsibility was never resolved, however, because of Nazi Germany's collapse in 1945.

Losses
The figures from Heinz Schön's research make the loss in the sinking to be 9,343 total, including about 5,000 children. Schön's more recent research is backed up by estimates made by a different method. An Unsolved History episode that aired in March 2003, on the Discovery Channel, undertook a computer analysis of her sinking. Using maritime EXODUS software, it was estimated 9,600 people died out of more than 10,600 on board. This analysis considered the passenger density based on witness reports and a simulation of escape routes and survivability with the timeline of the sinking.

Aftermath
Many ships carrying civilians were sunk during the war by both the Allies and Axis Powers. However, based on the latest estimates of passenger numbers and those known to be saved, Wilhelm Gustloff remains by far the largest loss of life resulting from the sinking of one vessel in maritime history. Günter Grass said in an interview published by The New York Times in April 2003, "One of the many reasons I wrote Crabwalk was to take the subject away from the extreme Right... They said the tragedy of Wilhelm Gustloff was a war crime. It wasn't. It was terrible, but it was a result of war, a terrible result of war."

About 1,000 German naval officers and men were aboard during, and died in, the sinking of Wilhelm Gustloff. The women on board the ship at the time of the sinking were inaccurately described by Soviet propaganda as "SS personnel from the German concentration camps". There were, however, 373 female naval auxiliaries amongst the passengers.

On the night of 9–10 February, just 11 days after the sinking, S-13 sank another German ship, General von Steuben, killing about 4,500 people.

Before sinking Wilhelm Gustloff, Alexander Marinesko was facing a court martial due to his problems with alcohol and for being caught in a brothel while he and his crew were off duty, so Marinesko was thus deemed "not suitable to be a hero" for his actions. Therefore, instead of gaining the title "Hero of the Soviet Union," he was awarded the lesser Order of the Red Banner of Military Valour. Although widely recognized as a brilliant commander, he was downgraded in rank to lieutenant and dishonorably discharged from the navy in October 1945.

In 1960, he was reinstated as captain third class and granted a full pension. In 1963, Marinesko was given the traditional ceremony due to a captain upon his successful return from a mission.

He died three weeks later from cancer. Marinesko was posthumously named a Hero of the Soviet Union by Mikhail Gorbachev in 1990

Die Gustloff - Kai Wiesinger, Valerie Niehaus, Tom Wlaschiha (2008)

german documentation


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Wilhelm_Gustloff

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
30 January 1959 – MS Hans Hedtoft, said to be the safest ship afloat and "unsinkable" like the RMS Titanic, strikes an iceberg on her maiden voyage and sinks, killing all 95 aboard.


MS Hans Hedtoft was a Danish liner that struck an iceberg and sank on 30 January 1959 on her maiden voyage off the coast of Western Greenland. The only piece of wreckage ever found was a lifebelt. As of 2019, she remains the last known ship sunk by an iceberg with casualties.





Description
Hans Hedtoft was 82.65 metres (271 ft 2 in) long, with a beam of 14.17 metres (46 ft 6 in) and a depth of 6.43 metres (21 ft 1 in). She was assessed at 2,875 GRT, 1,368 NRT.

Hans Hedtoft was built by Frederikshavns Værft at Frederikshavn in northern Denmark. She was yard number 226, launched on 13 August 1958 and completed on 17 December. She had a double bottom and seven watertight compartments and an armoured bow and stern. She was designed to provide a year-round service between Denmark and Greenland. Like the RMS Titanic, Hans Hedtoft had a riveted hull, a feature which was criticised by Knud Lauritzen, a shipowner. Lauritzen claimed that a riveted hull was not as resistant to ice pressure as a welded hull. Hans Hedtoft had the Code Letters and radio callsign OXKA. The ship was named for a former prime minister of Denmark.




Sinking
Hans Hedtoft sailed from Copenhagen on her maiden voyage on 7 January 1959. Her voyage to Julianehaab, Greenland, was made in record time. Hans Hedtoft called at Nuuk, Sisimiut and Maniitsoq before returning to Julianehaab.


USCGC Campbell

On 29 January, she began her return journey. The ship had 40 crew, 55 passengers and a cargo of frozen fish on board. One of her passengers was the Danish parliament (Folketing) member Augo Lynge. The next day, Hans Hedtoft collided with an iceberg about 35 miles (56 km) south of Cape Farewell, the southernmost point of Greenland. A distress call was given at 13:56 (local time) stating that the ship had hit an iceberg at 59°30′N 43°00′W. The call was answered by the USCGC Campbell, the West German trawler Johannes Krüss of Bremerhaven and another West German trawler. Within an hour, another message was sent stating that the engine room was flooded. At 15:12, it was announced that the ship was sinking. A final message was sent at 17:41 stating the ship was slowly sinking and requesting immediate assistance. Aircraft in Newfoundland were grounded by the weather and unable to assist in the search for Hans Hedtoft. The beginning of an SOS was received by Johannes Krüss at 17:41 after which communication with Hans Hedtoft was lost. On 31 January, USCGC Campbell reported that conditions were the worst seen and there was no sign of Hans Hedtoft or her passengers and crew. The search was called off on 7 February. The only piece of wreckage ever recovered was a lifebelt which washed ashore on the Faroe Islands some nine months after the ship sank. The ship sank with parish registers from parishes of Greenland, which were meant to be deposited in archives in Denmark, causing a major loss for Greenlandic genealogy.

As a result of the sinking, the airfield at Narsarsuaq, Greenland, which had closed in November 1958, was reopened. An appeal fund for the relatives of the victims was opened. Kr40,000 (then £2,000) was raised amongst ten countries in two months. Compensation for the relatives amounted to Kr1,184,936 (then £59,000). Like the RMS Titanic, Hans Hedtoft was said to be the safest ship afloat, being described as "unsinkable" by some.

Possible use as a warship
Hans Hedtoft was armed with three 40 mm anti-aircraft guns, on the orders of the Danish Ministry of Defence (MoD). The armament was not part of the original plans, and the ship was strengthened in three places to take the guns. An ammunition room was built into the bow of the ship. The MoD provided the anti-aircraft guns free of charge. Although fitted during tests, the guns were dismounted and carried aboard Hans Hedtoft at the time of her sinking. An order had been issued that the guns were to be removed from the ship immediately after she arrived back in Copenhagen. It was claimed that the arming of Hans Hedtoft resulted in a warship being constructed without the approval of the Folketing.

Memorial
On 30 January 2005, Queen Margrethe unveiled a monument at North Atlantic Wharf, Copenhagen, to the 95 people lost on Hans Hedtoft.

documentation in danish language



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Hans_Hedtoft

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
Other Events on 30 January


1820 – Edward Bransfield sights the Trinity Peninsula and claims the discovery of Antarctica.

Edward Bransfield (c. 1785 – 31 October 1852) was an Irish sailor who rose to become an officer in the British Royal Navy, serving as a master on several ships, after being impressed into service at the age of 18 in Ireland. He is noted for exploring parts of Antarctica, sighting the Trinity Peninsula in January 1820.

Antarctica

Bransfield Strait from Tangra Mountains, Livingston Island; Antarctic Peninsula in the background

See also: History of Antarctica
During 1773 James Cook sailed beyond the Antarctic Circle—noting with pride in his journal that he was "undoubtedly the first that ever crossed that line.". The next year, he circumnavigated Antarctica completely and reached a latitude of 71° 10', before being driven back by the ice. It was the furthest south any European man had ever travelled.

Although Cook failed to see Antarctica, he dispelled once and for all the myth that a fertile, populous continent surrounded the South Pole. Not surprisingly, the British Admiralty lost interest in the Antarctic and turned its attention to the ongoing search for the Northwest Passage. Almost half a century passed before anyone else is known to have travelled as far south as Cook.

During 1819 while rounding Cape Horn, William Smith, the owner and skipper of an English merchant ship, the Williams, was driven south by adverse winds and discovered what came to be known as the South Shetland Islands. When news of his discovery reached Valparaíso, Captain Shirreff of the Royal Navy decided that the matter warranted further investigation. He chartered the Williams and appointed Bransfield, two midshipmen, and the surgeon from the ship HMS Slaney, to survey the newly-discovered islands. Smith remained aboard, acting as Bransfield's pilot.

After a brief and uneventful voyage into the Southern Ocean, Bransfield and Smith reached the South Shetland Islands. Bransfield landed on King George Island and took formal possession on behalf of King George III (who had died the day before on 29 January 1820). He proceeded in a south-westerly direction past Deception Island, not investigating or charting it. Turning south, he crossed what is now known as the Bransfield Strait (named for him by James Weddell in 1822), and on 30 January 1820 sighted Trinity Peninsula, the northernmost point of the Antarctic mainland. "Such was the discovery of Antarctica," writes the English writer Roland Huntford.

Unknown to Bransfield, two days earlier, 28 January 1820, the Russian explorer Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen may have caught sight of an icy shoreline now known to have been part of East Antarctica. On the basis of this sighting and the co-ordinates given in his log-book, Bellingshausen has been credited by some (e.g., the British polar historian A. G. E. Jones) with the discovery of the continent.

Bransfield made a note in his log of two "high mountains, covered with snow", one of which was subsequently named Mount Bransfield by Dumont D'Urville in his honour.

Having charted a segment of the Trinity Peninsula, Bransfield followed the edge of the icesheet in a north-easterly direction and discovered various points on Elephant Island and Clarence Island, which he also formally claimed for the British Crown. He did not sail around Elephant Island and did not name it (it is named for elephant seals), although he charted Clarence Island completely.

When Bransfield returned to Valparaíso, he gave his charts and journal to Captain Shirreff, who delivered them to the Admiralty. The original charts are still in the possession of the Hydrographic department in Taunton, Somerset, but Bransfield's journal has been lost. The Admiralty, it seems, was still more interested in the search for the Northwest Passage. But, two private accounts of Bransfield's historic voyage were published during 1821.

During recent years the journal of one of the midshipmen, Charles Poynter, was discovered in New Zealand. An account has been published by the Hakluyt Society, edited by Richard Campbell, RN.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bransfield
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Antarctica



1911 – The destroyer USS Terry makes the first airplane rescue at sea saving the life of Douglas McCurdy ten miles from Havana, Cuba.

USS Terry (DD-25) was a modified Paulding-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War I, and later in the United States Coast Guard, designated CG-19. She was the first ship named for Edward A. Terry, and the first ship commanded by future Fleet Admiral and Chief of Naval Operations Ernest J. King.


USS Terry (DD-25) in harbor with her crew standing in formation on deck, prior to World War I.

Terry was laid down on 8 February 1909 at Newport , Virginia, by the Newport Shipbuilding Company, launched on 21 August 1909, sponsored by Mrs. George Henry Rock, and commissioned on 18 October 1910, Lieutenant CommanderMartin E. Trench in command.


John Alexander Douglas McCurdy (August 2, 1886 – June 25, 1961) was a Canadian aviation pioneer and the 20th Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia from 1947 to 1952




https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Terry_(DD-25)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Alexander_Douglas_McCurdy

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
31 January 1748 - HMS Nottingham (60), Cptn. Harland, and HMS Portland (50), Cptn. Charles Stevens, took Magnanime (74) off Ushant.


The Action of 31 January 1748 was a minor naval battle of the War of Austrian Succession between two British Royal naval ships and a French naval ship of the line. The battle ended with the capture of the French ship of the line Le Magnanime.



In January 1748, Le Magnanime left Brest for the East Indies. She was partially dismasted in a storm off the coast of Ushant and while limping back to Brest, she was spotted by a British fleet under Edward Hawke.

All sail was immediately made; HMS Nottingham under Captain Robert Harland having at 1 am closed with the chase commenced the action and a running fight of six hours duration ensued. The rear admiral having observed the size of the ship sent the sixty gun ship HMS Portland under Captain Stevens to proceed to the Nottingham's assistance. By the time the Portland had arrived up the French ship which proved to be the Magnanime a large class 74 gun ship commanded by the Marquis d'Albert after receiving a few shot from the Portland was forced to strike.

The Magnanime out of a crew of 686 men had 45 killed and 105 wounded; Nottingham had 16 killed and 18 wounded while Portland, catching up and joining the fight an hour later, had only 4 wounded.

Magnanime being a new ship of less than four years old was added to the British navy under the same name.





Scale: 1:48. A contemporary block design model of the ‘Magnanime’ (1744), a French 70-gun, two-decker ship of the line. There is painted decoration on the stern along with the name, ‘Le Magnanime’. It appears to be a block model but is in fact hollow. 'Magnanime' measured 174 feet along the gun deck by 50 feet in the beam, displacing 1823 tons. It was captured by the ‘Nottingham’ and ‘Portland’ in 1747 and commissioned into the Royal Navy. In 1759 under the captaincy of Lord Howe it took part in the Battle of Quiberon Bay, a naval encounter with the French fleet during the Seven Years War (1756–63). It was broken up in 1775.

The Magnanime was originally a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy launched in 1744 at Rochefort. Captured on 12 January 1748, she was taken into Royal Navy service as the third rate HMS Magnanime. She played a major part in the 1757 Rochefort expedition, helping to silence the batteries on the Isle of Aix, and served at the Battle of Quiberon Bayin 1759 under Lord Howe, where she forced the surrender of the French 74-gun Héros. Following a survey in 1770, she was deemed unseaworthy and was broken up in 1775.



Construction
Le Magnanime was built between 1741 and 1745 in the port of Rochefort on the Charente estuary, France, and was designed by the renowned shipwright Blaise Geslain. She was 165 French feet in length (153½ French feet on the keel), 44½ French feet in breadth and 22 French feet in depth in hold; she measured 1,600 tons (2,900 tons displacement). As remeasured by the British following her capture, she was 173 feet 7 inches (52.91 m) along her gundeck with a 49 feet 4.5 inches (15.050 m) beam, and with a depth in the hold of 21 feet 7 inches (6.58 m), she had a capacity of just over 1,823 tons BM. When first fitted out by the British, Magnanime carried twenty-eight 32 pounders (15 kg) cannon on her lower deck (replacing the French 36-livre guns she had originally carried), thirty 18 pounders (8.2 kg) on her upper deck (replacing her French 18-livre guns), and sixteen 9 pounders (4.1 kg) guns (replacing her French 8-livre guns) - ten on her quarter deck and six on her forecastle.


Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plan, stern board with name in a cartouche on the counter, sheer lines with inboard detail and figurehead, and longitudinal half-breadth for Magnanime (captured 1748), a captured French Third Rate, after her Great Repair at Plymouth Dockyard between October 1750 and May 1756. She was fitted as a 74-gun Third Rate, two-decker. The plan includes 'ticked lines' indicating where she was doubled.

Capture
Main article: Action of 31 January 1748
In January 1748, Le Magnanime left Brest for the East Indies. She was partially dismasted in a storm off the coast of Ushant and while limping back to Brest, she was spotted by a British fleet under Edward Hawke. Le Magnanime was chased and engaged by HMS Nottingham and HMS Portland, and was forced to strike with 45 members of her crew killed and 105 injured. Nottingham had 16 killed and 18 wounded while Portland, catching up and joining the fight an hour later, had only 4 wounded.

Royal Navy service
Magnanime was purchased by the Navy Board in July 1749 and, after an extensive refit, went to sea in 1756 under the command of Captain Wittewronge Taylor. She served as Rear-Admiral Savage Mostyn's flagship, part of the Channel Fleet commanded by Vice Admirals Edward Boscawen and later, Charles Knowles.[2]

Rochefort Expedition
Main article: Raid on Rochefort


1757 chart of Basque Roads

While in Admiral Hawke's fleet, under Captain Richard Howe, Magnanime took part in the 1757 Raid on Rochefort, one of a series of raids designed to draw French troops away from the German front.

The plan to take Rochefort itself was later abandoned but Île d'Aix was captured and in the preceding battle, it was Magnanime's guns that bombarded the island's fort into submission. The British fleet began its final approach to Basque Roads on 19 September 1757, Île-d'Aix lying some way beyond at the mouth of the Charente estuary. The island was extremely important to the port of Rochefort because ships of the line were required to load and unload supplies and armaments there, being unable to navigate the shallow river fully laden. It was expected therefore to be heavily defended. Although, as Hawke was later to discover, a couple of third rates would be sufficient for the task.

Hawke had formed an advanced squadron, under Sir Charles Knowles, comprising Magnanime, Barfleur, Neptune, Torbay and Royal William, and at around noon he sent these ships on ahead.[9] Just after 14:00, as they were approaching the Antioch Passage, between Île d'Oléron and Île de Ré, a French two-decker was sighted, and Magnanime and two other vessels were ordered to pursue. The squadron was now without a competent pilot, who was aboard Magnanime, and the fleet, Hawke having by this time caught up, had to wait until the three ships returned the following afternoon. By this time the wind had dropped and the British were forced to anchor. The lack of wind caused further delays and it was not until the fifth attempt that the British finally managed to enter the bay. On the morning of 23 September, at around 10:00, Knowles' squadron, with Magnanime in the lead, was sent to silence the batteries on Île de Aix. Howe came within range of the fort at noon but held his fire for a further hour until he had brought Magnanime up within 40 yards (37 m). Shortly after the second ship, Barfleur arrived, the fort surrendered.


The Battle of Quiberon Bay, Nicholas Pocock, 1812. National Maritime Museum

Quiberon Bay
Main article: Battle of Quiberon Bay
In 1758, Magnanime was in Admiral George Anson's fleet under the temporary command of Captain Jervis Porter before rejoining Hawke's fleet under Lord Howe once more. In 1759 Hawke was charged with blockading the French coast but a storm had forced him off his station, allowing the French fleet, under the Comte de Conflans, to break out of Brest on 14 November. On hearing the news, Hawke immediately set off in pursuit. Conflans had slowed on the night of the 19th in order to arrive at Quiberon at dawn, and to investigate a small squadron of ships under Admiral Robert Duff, 20 miles (32 km) off Belleisle. At this point Hawke's fleet appeared on the horizon. Magnanime and two frigates had been ordered ahead and were the first ships to spot the French at around 8:30. Conflans was faced with the decision to stand and fight in rough seas and unfavourable winds, or to attempt to reach the hazardous waters around Quiberon Baybefore nightfall. He chose the latter and Hawke gave the signal for 'line abreast'. The French fleet entered the bay at around 14:30 and, despite the fading light, the British fleet followed with Magnanime in the van.


Richard Howe, twice captain of Magnanime

The British van was already starting to overhaul the French and, around this time, the first shots were being exchanged. Magnanime's guns were not discharged however, Howe wanted to reach the centre of the enemy's fleet before firing. Hawke's ship, HMS Royal George, entered the bay at around 16:00, by which time the French 80 gun Formidable had already surrendered to HMS Resolution. Magnanime forced the 74 gun, Héros to strike her colours, but was unable to take possession of the ship, which later ran aground. In all six French battleships were wrecked or destroyed with one, Formidable, captured. The rest of the French fleet dispersed with many jettisoning guns and supplies to escape over the shoals. The British lost two ships.

Later career
In July 1760, Howe was replaced as captain of Magnanime by Captain Robert Hughes. This was a temporary command however and Hughes was replaced by Captain Charles Saxton early in 1762 where she served as flagship to Commodore J. Cerrit in the Basque Roads. Magnanime spent the summer of 1762 under Captain John Montagu, again in a fleet commanded by Edward Hawke but by the autumn of that year she was in Charles Hardy's fleet. She was surveyed by the Navy Board in 1763 and again in 1770 when she was considered unseaworthy. She was not repaired and was broken up in April 1775, at Plymouth


HMS Nottingham was a 60-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Deptford Dockyard and launched on 10 June 1703. She was the first ship to bear the name.

Commissioned under Captain Samuel Whitaker, she formed part of Admiral Cloudesley Shovell's fleet that sailed with Admiral Rooke to attack and take the formidable Rock of Gibraltar in 1704. The ship also saw action in the Battle of Cabrita point in March 1705 and in the Mediterranean in 1711.


Samuel Scott's Action between HMS Nottingham and the Mars. Mars was returning to France after the failed Duc d'Anville Expedition, 11 October 1746

Nottingham was rebuilt according to the 1706 Establishment at Deptford, from where she was relaunched on 5 October 1719. On 18 May 1739, orders were issued directing that Nottingham be taken to pieces and rebuilt according to the 1733 proposals of the 1719 Establishment at Sheerness, from where she was relaunched on 17 August 1745.

The ship, when captained by Philip de Saumarez, also attacked and captured the French ship Mars, which was returning to France after the failed Duc d'Anville Expedition, 11 October 1746. The Nottingham took Augustin de Boschenry de Drucour captive.

Nottingham gained more success with the capture of the French 74 gun Magnanime on 31 January 1748 under Captain Robert Harland.

Nottingham continued in service until 1773, when she was sunk to form part of a breakwater


HMS Portland was a 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Limehouse according to the dimensions laid down in the 1741 proposals of the 1719 Establishment, and launched on 11 October 1744.

Portland served until 1763, when she was sold out of the navy


Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plan, sheer lines with inboard detail, and longitudinal half-breadth for Falkland (1744), a 1741 Establishment 50-gun Fourth Rate, two-decker. The plan was later used for Portland (1744), and Harwich (1743), Colchester (1744), Chester (1744), Winchester (1744),Gloucester (1745), Maidstone (1744), Advice (1746), Norwich (1745), Ruby (1745), Salisbury (1746). The body plan and longitudinal half-breadth was later altered for Litchfield (1746) and Colchester (1746).



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_of_31_January_1748
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Magnanime_(1748)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Nottingham_(1703)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Portland_(1744)

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
31 January 1808 - HMS Delight Sloop (1806 - 16), Philip Cosby Handfield, wrecked on the coast of Calabria.


HMS Delight was a British Royal Navy 16-gun brig-sloop of the Seagull class launched in June 1806, six months late. She grounded off Reggio Calabria in January 1808 and was burnt to prevent her being salvaged.



Career
Commander Phillip Handfield commissioned Delight in July 1806. He then sailed her for the Mediterranean in November.

In February 1807, Delight was part of the Rear Division, commanded by Rear-Admiral Sir Sidney Smith, at Admiral Duckworth's Dardanelles Operation, which was the Royal Navy's unsuccessful attempt to impose British demands on the Ottoman Empire as part of the Anglo-Turkish War (1807-1809).

On 6 April 1807 Delight brought to Vice Admiral Lord Collingwood at Cadiz the news of the capitulation of Alexandria to British forces on 28 March.

Fate
Delight was with a British squadron at Palermo when news arrived that the French had captured four Sicilian gunboats and taken them to Reggio di Calabria. Delight and HMS Glatton sailed to attempt to recapture the boats, and more importantly their guns, to prevent the French from using them against the British forces at Scylla (Scilla, Calabria). While attempting to prepare for action at the port, Delight grounded. Captain Thomas Secombe came over from Glatton to assist in the attempt to free Delight. Delight came under heavy fire from the shore, which she returned, but during the exchange French fire killed Handfield and seriously wounded Secombe. Eventually the decision was made to abandon Delight and the crew took to the boats. However, the French arrived before everyone could escape, and they captured a number of men, including Secombe. The French permitted Secombe to come to Messina on parole, but he died on 3 February from his wounds.



Drawing showing the body plan with stern board outline, sheer lines with midship framing and scroll figurehead, and longitudinal half-breadth for the Seagull-class ships

The Seagull class were built as a class of thirteen 16-gun brig-sloops for the Royal Navy, although an extra 2 carronades were added soon after completion. The class was designed by one of the Surveyors of the Navy - Sir William Rule - and approved on 4 January 1805. Five vessels to this design were ordered in December 1804; eight more were ordered in the summer.

Armament
Unlike the larger Cruiser-class brig-sloops, whose main battery was composed of 32-pounder carronades, the Seagull class (and the similar Fly-class brig-sloops designed by Rule's co-surveyor - Sir John Henslow) were armed with a main battery of 24-pounder slide-mounted carronades.





https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Delight_(1806)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seagull-class_brig-sloop

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
31 January 1808 - HMS Leda (1800 - 38), Cptn. Robert Honeyman, wrecked at the entrance of Milford Haven.


HMS Leda, launched in 1800, was the lead ship of a successful class of forty-seven British Royal Navy 38-gun sailing frigates. Leda's design was based on the French Hébé, which the British had captured in 1782. (Hébé herself was the name vessel for the French Hébé-class frigates. Hébé, therefore, has the rare distinction of being the model for both a French and a British frigate class.) Leda was wrecked at the mouth of Milford Haven in 1808, Captain Honeyman was exonerated of all blame, as it was a pilot error.



French Revolutionary Wars
Captain George Johnstone Hope commissioned Leda in November 1800. In 1801 he sailed her in the English Channel and to the coast of Egypt.

On 12 March 1801, Leda recaptured Bolton, Captain Watson, a 20-gun letter of marque that had sailed from Demerara to Liverpool some 6 weeks previously in company with Union and Dart. These two vessels were also letters of marque, all carrying valuable cargoes of sugar, coffee, indigo and cotton. During the voyage Union started to take on water so her crew transferred to Bolton. Then Bolton and Dart parted company in a gale. Next, Bolton had the misfortune to meet the French privateer Gironde, which was armed with 26 guns and had a crew of 260 men. Gironde captured Bolton in an hour-long fight that killed two passengers and wounded Watson and five men. Although Gironde was damaged, she had suffered no casualties. Boltonwas also carrying ivory, a tiger, and a large collection of birds, monkeys, and the like.

Then on 5 April Leda captured the French ship Desiree, of eight men and 70 tons. She was sailing from Bordeaux to Brell with a cargo of wheat. Four days later Leda recaptured the Portuguese ship Cæsar, of 10 men and 100 tons. Cæsar had been sailing from Bristol to Lisbon with a cargo of sundries when the French privateer Laura had captured her.

Lastly, on 1 May, Leda captured the French privateer Jupiter. Jupiter, of 90 tons, was armed with 16 guns and had a crew of 60 men. She was from Morlaix on cruise. On the same day Leda recaptured the Portuguese vessel Tejo. Then on 2 September Leda captured Venturose.

Because Leda served in the navy's Egyptian campaign (8 March to 8 September 1801), her officers and crew qualified for the clasp "Egypt" to the Naval General Service Medal that the Admiralty issued in 1847 to all surviving claimants.

In September 1802 Leda came under the command of Captain John (or James) Hardy.


Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plan, sheer lines, and longitudinal half-breadth for 'Leda' (1800), and later with alterations for 'Pomone' (1805), 'Shannon' (1806), 'Leonidas' (1807), 'Surprise' (1812), 'Lacedemonian' (1812), 'Tenedos' (1812), 'Lively' (1804), 'Trinocomalee' (1817), 'Amphitrite' (1816), 'Hebe' (1826), and 'Venus' (1820), all 38-gun Fifth Rate, Frigates. The draught was prepared from that of the captured French ship 'Hebe' (captured 1782). The plans for 'Amphitrite' and 'Trincomalee' were resent in 1813 on the 'Stirling Castle' after the capture of 'Java' by the US Frigate 'Constitution' in 1812. A duplicate set were dispatched on the Hon East India Company ship 'Tigris' in 1814. This plan was sent to Devonport, arriving on 20 January 1875. The plan was later sent to Chatham, arriving 8 July 1893, for making a half-model of 'Shannon' for the museum in the R. N. College, Greenwich.

Napoleonic Wars
Captain Robert Honyman (or Honeyman) recommissioned Leda in August 1803 for the North Sea. he would remain her captain until her loss in 1808. Still, at various times Leda was under the temporary command of Captain Henry Digby in 1804 and Captain John Hartley in February 1805.

In 1803 Leda was in the Channel. When the war with France recommenced, Honeyman was put in charge of a small squadron of gun-brigs off Boulogne. On 18 May Leda and Amelia detained the Dutch ship Phoenix. The next day Leda captured Bodes Lust.

Five days after that, Leda, Amelia, Raisonable and Gelikheid were in company at the capture of the Dutch ship Twee Vrienden.

On 29 September Honyman and his squadron attacked a division of 26 enemy gun boats. The engagement lasted several hours until the gunboats took refuge off the pier in Boulogne. Honyman wanted to have his bomb vessels engage them, but winds and tide were unfavorable. The next day 25 more French gunboats arrived. However, before they could join the division that had arrived the night before, the British were able to drive two on shore where they were wrecked. The British suffered no casualties or material damage though a shell did explode in Leda's hold. Fortunately, this did little damage and caused no casualties.

On 21 October Honyman sighted a convoy of six French sloops, some armed, under the escort of a gun-brig. He sent Harpy and Lark to pursue them but the winds were uncooperative and the squadron was unable to engage. Instead, the hired armed cutter Admiral Mitchell, which had only 35 men and twelve 12-pounder carronades, came up and attacked the convoy. After two and a half hours of cannonading, Admiral Mitchell succeeded in driving one sloop and the brig, which was armed with twelve 32-pounder guns, on the rocks. Admiral Mitchell had one gun dismounted, suffered damage to her mast and rigging, and had five men wounded, two seriously.

At the end of July 1804, a boarding party under Lieutenant M'Lean took Leda's boats to mount an unsuccessful attack on a French gunvessel in Boulogne Roads. The attackers succeeded in capturing their target, but the strong tide prevented them from retrieving her. Casualties were heavy in the cutting out party and M'Lean was among the dead; in all, only 14 out of the 38 men in the boarding party returned to Leda.

Early in the morning of 24 April 1805, Leda, again under Honyman's command after Hartley's temporary command, sighted twenty-six French vessels rounding Cap Gris Nez. Honyman immediately ordered Fury, Harpy, Railleur, Bruiser, Gallant, Archer, Locust, Tickler, Watchful, Monkey, Firm and Starling to intercept. After a fight of about two hours, Starling and Locust had captured seven armed schuyts in an action within pistol-shot of the shore batteries on Cap Gris Nez. The schuyts were all of 25 to 28 tons burthen, and carried in all 117 soldiers and 43 seamen under the command of officers from the 51st. Infantry Regiment. The French convoy had been bound for Ambleteuse from Dunkirk. On the British side the only casualty was one man wounded on Archer.

The next day Archer brought in two more schuyts, No.s 44 and 58, each armed with one 24-pounder and two 12-pounders. On 25 April 1805 Railleur towed eight of the French schuyts into the Downs. Starling, which had received a great deal of damage, followed Railleur in.

Leda was one of the escorts to a convoy of transports and EIC vessels that were part of the expedition under General Sir David Baird and Admiral Sir Home Riggs Popham that would in 1806 capture the Dutch Cape Colony. They would carry supplies and troops to the Cape, and then continue on their voyages.

At 3:30a.m. on 1 November, near Rocas Atoll at 3°51′27″N 33°48′57″W, Leda sighted breakers and fired a gun, the signal to tack, herself barely missing the danger. King George was unable to tack and wrecked. As Britannia was on the point of tacking she ran afoul of Streatham and lost her bowsprit and foretopmast. She then drifted on to the atoll where she lost her rudder and bilged. In the morning Leda was able to rescue the survivors from King George and Comet, Europe, and Varuna sent their boats and were able to rescue about 400 people from Britannia, including Captain Brisk, his crew, and recruits for the EIC's armies.

The British fleet, including Leda, arrived in Table Bay on 5 January 1806 and anchored off Robben Island. Leda supported the landing of the troops.

On 6 January 1807 Leda was in company with Pheasant and Daphne at the capture of Ann, Denning, master. Leda shared in the capture of the Rolla on 21 February. On 4 March she was at Table Bay and in sight when Diadem captured the French frigate Volontaire and the two transports that Volontaire was escorting, which turned out to be two British transports that the frigate had captured in the Bay of Biscay, together with the British troops on board. On 19 March the squadron captured the General Izidro.

In June 1810 the prize money for the capture of the Cape of Good Hope was payable. Then in July 1810 there was further distribution of money for the capture of Volontaire and Rolla. In December 1810 prize money for General Izidro was payable.

Leda then accompanied Home Popham across the Atlantic for his expedition to the River Plate. On 9 September 1806 Leda pursued a brigantine on her way to Montevideo until the brigantine's crew beached her. Leda then sent her boats to retrieve or destroy the brigantine. However, when the boarding party reached the brigantine they discovered that her crew had already abandoned her. They also found that she was unarmed, though pierced for 14 guns. Because of the heavy seas the boarding party could not retrieve the brigantine, or even burn her. Instead they simply set her adrift among the breakers. During the operation small arms fire from the shore wounded four men.

Leda remained in South America until the final British evacuation in about September 1807. On 22 August she was in sight, together with a number of other warships, when Procris captured Minerva. Leda then returned to Sheerness and served in the Channel.

At eight o'clock on the morning of 4 December, some 4 leagues (19 km) off Cap de Caux, Leda sighted a privateer lugger making for the French coast, as well as a brig that appeared to be her prize. The brig ran for Havre de Grace but the lugger sailed in another direction as Leda pursued her. After six hours Leda succeeded in capturing the lugger, which turned out to be the brand new vessel Adolphe, under the command of Nicholas Famenter. Adolphe was armed with ten 18-pound carronades, four 4-pounder guns, two 2-pounder guns and two swivel guns. She was eight days out of Boulogne. She had only 25 men on board as she had already put another 45 men of her crew on prizes. She ran ashore on the Bemberg Ledge and it was unlikely she would be gotten off.

Loss
On 31 January 1808, Leda was caught in a gale that did much damage to the ship. Honeyman decided to try to take refuge at Milford Haven but she was wrecked at the mouth of the harbour. The quarantine master for the port came aboard Leda to urge her abandonment. The entire crew was able to get off safely.

A court martial held on board HMS Salvador del Mundo in the Hamoaze acquitted Honeyman and his crew of all blame. It found that the pilot, James Garretty, had laid a wrong course after mistaking Thorn Island for the Stack Rocks, a mistake that was due to the bad weather and poor visibility.



HMS Pomone

The Leda-class frigates, were a successful class of forty-seven British Royal Navy 38-gun sailing frigates constructed from 1805-1832. Based on a French design, the class came in five major groups, all with minor differences in their design. During their careers, they fought in the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812. Forty-five of the 47 were eventually scrapped; two still exist.

Origins
The design of the name ship, Leda of 1800, was based on Sané's design for the French Hébé-class frigate. The British 44-gun fifth rate HMS Rainbow captured Hébé in 1782. (The British took Hébé into service as HMS Hebe but in 1805 renamed her HMS Blonde). The class of frigates built to the lines of Leda were in contemporary parlance called the 'Repeat Leda class'.

Pomone and Shannon, the second and third ship of the class respectively, was built using Josiah Brindley's patent method of construction which dispensed with 'lodging' and 'hanging knees', oak elements which had to be grown to shape. Oak suitable for shipbuilding had become increasingly difficult to obtain through the long period of warfare. Bindleys fastenings proved to be weak. Captain Philip Broke of the Shannon claimed her topsides were weak and "worked like a basket." Shannon was actually is such poor condition by 1813 that she almost missed her engagement with the USSChesapeake.

Characteristics and performance
The vessels of the class were fast, most recording 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) large and 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) close-hauled. However, their French-style proportions made them unweatherly compared to frigates designed to British proportions (such as the Lively class). Many captains requested additions to the frigates' false keels to remedy this. The Leda class stood to their canvas well and liked a stiff gale, but were prone to excessive pitching in very heavy seas. All captains complained of the class's poor stowage capacity, the result of their fine French underwater lines, but stowage improved after the introduction of iron fresh-water tanks. Lastly, captains considered the class to be "wet", a result of lively rolling and pitching causing seams to loosen


HMS Trincomalee, one of the two surviving members of the class.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Leda_(1800)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leda-class_frigate
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collec...el-325568;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=L

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
31 January 1828 - HMS Cambrian (38), Cptn. Gawen William Hamilton, wrecked in attacking pirates off the fort at Grabusa (or Carabousa), a small island about a mile off Akra Vouxa, the north-west point of Crete.


HMS Cambrian was a Royal Navy 40-gun purpose built fifth-rate frigate. She was built and launched at Bursledon in 1797 and served in the English Channel, off North America, and in the Mediterranean. She was briefly flagship of both Admiral Mark Milbanke and Vice-Admiral Sir Andrew Mitchell during her career, and was present at the Battle of Navarino. Cambrian was wrecked off the coast of Grabusa in 1828.



Design
Ordered on 30 April 1795, Cambrian was designed by Sir John Henslow and built by George Parsons of Bursledon. She represented the first attempt to design a frigate that would carry 24-pounder guns and was one of several designs the Admiralty ordered to find a counter to French 24-pounder frigates.[2] For her design, Henslow essentially simply scaled-up an earlier design. However, she was still too small to carry 24-pounder long guns comfortably and so the Admiralty replaced these first with lighter 24-pounders (in April 1799) and then with 18-pounders in 1805

please read the complete and about very active history in wikipedia....


Scale: 1:48. A contemporary half block model of the 40 gun frigate HMS Cambrian (1797). A plaque is inscribed "Cambrian 40 1797. Built at Bursledon, one of the first heavy frigates built in immitation of French vessels. Present at Navarino and wrecked in the next year 1828. Dimensions gun deck 154ft beam 41ft 3in".

Fate
In January 1828, Cambrian was again involved in the suppression of piracy as part of a squadron under Commodore Sir Thomas Staines. Staines took a small squadron to the island of Grabusa, off Cape Busa (Vouxa) to deal with a nest of Greek pirates that had made the harbour there their home after the Greeks had taken possession of it early in the war against the Turks in Crete. The squadron consisted of Cambrian, Pelican, Isis, Rattlesnake, Zebra, Cameleon, and two French corvettes. In the port there were 14 Greek vessels, together with an Austrian and an Ionian merchantman that the pirates had taken. After the pirates had refused to surrender, the squadron opened fire and destroyed a number of the vessels. Marines from Pelican and Isis then landed to take possession of the fortress there. However, as the squadron left, Isis struck Cambrian, causing her to broadside the rocks in the narrow channel. Cambrian settled in shallow water and her entire crew left in an orderly manner. The strong swell then broke up Cambrian





https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Cambrian_(1797)

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
31 January 1892 - SS Eider, a 4,179 ton German ocean liner built for Norddeutscher Lloyd, wrecked


SS Eider was a 4,179 ton German ocean liner built for Norddeutscher Lloyd in 1884 by John Elder & Co. of Glasgow as the fourth ship in the Rivers class. She had four masts and was a two-funnelled steamer 430 ft long, with a crew of 167, and capable of carrying 1,204 passengers. However, she had a short service history, being lost in what is remembered as one of the most impressive and memorable shipwrecks on the coast of the Back of the Wight, a region on the Isle of Wight, England.





Wreck
On 31 January 1892, Eider was heading up the English Channel to Bremen through thick fog. Around 10 p.m. the ship ran hard aground on the Atherfield Ledge, a hard outcrop of rock projecting from the large bay of the Back of the Wight. Captain Heinecke jettisoned cargo and called for tugs. The new Atherfield lifeboat approached from a recently established station on the cliffs, but the captain refused her offer of help.

The tugs did reach Eider, but a gale had arisen that made it impossible for them to get close enough in case they struck the rocks as well. At 10 a.m. the captain decided to evacuate the passengers; however, it was now too rough for the small Atherfield lifeboat, Catherine Swift, to be launched. The bigger lifeboats located at Brook and Brighstone were launched, but they had much farther to travel. The Brighstone lifeboat, Worcester Cadet, arrived first and carried a dozen women and children to Atherfield beach. The Brook lifeboat, William Slaney Lewis, reached Eider five hours after being launched and rescued another load of women and children.

By 2 p.m. the sea had worsened to the point where rollers were reaching over the stern, but by 3 p.m. the water had calmed and the lifeboats were relaunched. All the passengers were saved, but the crew stayed on board.

On Tuesday the gale reached storm force and the lifeboats evacuated the crew and bullion from the now badly holed and sinking vessel.



Result
The rescue brought praise for those involved from all around the world. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) awarded medals to some crew members, and Kaiser Wilhelm II gave each coxswain an engraved gold watch and donated £200 to the RNLI. The ship was later salvaged and declared a total loss.

Notable passengers
Friedrich Trump, grandfather of 45th U.S. President Donald Trump, immigrated from Bremen, Germany, to New York aboard Eider in 1885 at the age of 16

=> I did not know that Trump´s grandfather and grandmother were germans - so his father was a "german" - upps



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Eider

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
31 January 1917 – World War I: Germany announces that its U-boats will resume unrestricted submarine warfare after a two-year hiatus.


1917: Resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare


The shaded areas show the unrestricted submarine warfare zone announced by Germany on 1 February 1917

On 22 December 1916, Admiral von Holtzendorff composed a memorandum which became the pivotal document for Germany's resumption of unrestricted U-boat warfare in 1917. Holtzendorff proposed breaking Britain's back by sinking 600,000 tons of shipping per month, based on a February 1916 study by Dr. Richard Fuss, who had postulated that if merchant shipping was sunk at such a rate, Britain would run out of shipping and be forced to sue for peace within six months, well before the Americans could act. Even if the "disorganized and undisciplined" Americans did intervene, Holtzendorff assured the Kaiser, "I give your Majesty my word as an officer, that not one American will land on the Continent."

On 9 January 1917, the Kaiser met with Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg and military leaders at Schloss Pless to discuss measures to resolve Germany's increasingly grim war situation; its military campaign in France had bogged down, and with Allied divisions outnumbering German ones by 190 to 150, there was a real possibility of a successful Allied offensive. Meanwhile, the German navy was bottled up in its home port of Kiel, and the British blockade had caused a food scarcity that was in turn causing deaths due to malnutrition. The military staff urged the Kaiser to unleash the submarine fleet on shipping travelling to Britain, Hindenburg advising the Kaiser that "The war must be brought to an end by whatever means as soon as possible." On 31 January, the Kaiser duly signed the order for unrestricted submarine warfare to resume effective 1 February; Bethmann-Hollweg, who had opposed the decision, said "Germany is finished".

On 27 January, Admiral Beatty observed that "The real crux lies in whether we blockade the enemy to his knees, or whether he does the same to us."

Germany had 105 submarines ready for action on 1 February: 46 in the High Seas Fleet; 23 in Flanders; 23 in the Mediterranean; 10 in the Baltic; and 3 at Constantinople. Fresh construction ensured that, despite losses, at least 120 submarines would be available for the rest of 1917. The campaign was initially a great success, nearly 500,000 tons of shipping being sunk in both February and March, and 860,000 tons in April, when Britain's supplies of wheat shrank to six weeks worth. In May losses exceeded 600,000 tons, and in June 700,000. Germany had lost only nine submarines in the first three months of the campaign.

On 1 February, near Gironde, a U-boat surfaced near the Romanian merchant București, the latter being armed with two 120 mm guns. A short artillery duel ensued, between the merchant's aft gun (manned by officer Ciocaș Mihail) and the submarine's deck gun. Eventually, a shell from the merchant's gun fell 50 meters away from the submarine, prompting the U-boat to submerge and retreat.

On 3 February, in response to the new submarine campaign, President Wilson severed all diplomatic relations with Germany, and the US Congress declared war on 6 April.

Allied response
Further information: Convoys in World War I and Allied Maritime Transport Council


Just like that, cartoon depicting Wilhelm II ripping apart Germany's promise to "abandon ruthless submarine policy"

The new policy of unrestricted submarine warfare was initially a success. In January 1917, prior to the campaign, Britain lost 49 ships; in February, after it opened, 105; and in March, 147. In March a full 25% of all Britain-bound shipping was sunk.

At first, the British Admiralty failed to respond effectively to the German offensive. Despite the proven success of troop convoys earlier in the war, the Channel convoys between England and France, and the Dutch, French, and Scandinavian convoys in the North Sea, they initially refused to consider widespread convoying or escorting. Convoying imposed severe delays on shipping, and was believed to be an own goal, amounting to a loss of carrying capacity greater than the loss inflicted by the U-Boats. It was disliked by both merchant and naval captains, and derided as a defensive measure. It was not until 27 April that the Admiralty endorsed the convoy system, the first convoy sailing from Gibraltar on 10 May.

In April, US Rear Admiral William Sims arrived in London as US Naval Liaison. He was dismayed to be informed by the Admiralty that Germany would win the war if its submarines went unchecked, and cabled Washington to have USN destroyers despatched to Queenstown, Ireland, from where they were to patrol to the west.

As merchantmen from Allied countries were sunk, Brazilian ships took over routes that had been vacated. However, this led the Brazilian vessels into waters patrolled by U-boats. When coupled with Germany's policy of unrestricted submarine warfare, the result was that Brazilian ships were soon lost, which drove the country closer to declaring war on the Central Powers.

In May and June a regular system of transatlantic convoys were established, and after July the monthly losses never exceeded 500,000 tons, although they remained above 300,000 tons for the remainder of 1917. Convoying was an immediate success; on whichever routes it was introduced it resulted in a drop in shipping losses, with the U-boats seeking out easier prey. It also brought warships escorting the convoys in contact with attacking U-boats, leading to an increase in U-boats destroyed. German submarine losses were between 5 and 10 each month, and they soon realized the need to increase production, even at the expense of building surface warships. However, production was delayed by labour and material shortages.

The Allied Maritime Transport Council was established on 3 November 1917, bringing together representatives from the British Empire, the United States, France and Italy to provide an ‘international administration’ for more efficient management of shipping. This initiative lead the civil action which complemented the naval action in response to the U-boat campaign, and which consisted of the efficient organisation of both shipping and of the distribution of supplies, such that the utility of every ton of imported goods was used to the maximum effectiveness.


Summary
Allied and Neutral Tonnage sunk by u-boats in World War I



Grand Total 12,850,815 gross tons

Allied losses included 10 battleships, 18 cruisers and several smaller naval vessels.

Unrestricted submarine warfare was resumed in February 1917 and the British began full-scale convoying in September 1917. The heaviest losses were suffered in April 1917 when a record 881,027 tons were sunk by the U-boats.

150,000 tons of purely British shipping were lost in January 1917, and 300,000 tons in February; Allied and neutral losses increased in a similar proportion. In April 525,000 tons of British shipping were lost. In October 270,000 tons were lost, and in December 170,000 tons were lost. These totals are included in the above figures.

29 U-boat commanders were decorated with the Pour le Mérite, the highest German decoration for gallantry for officers. 12 U-boat crewmen received the Goldene Militär-Verdienst-Kreuz, the highest bravery award for non-commissioned officers and enlisted men.

The most successful U-boat commanders of World War I were Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière (189 merchant vessels and two gunboats with 446,708 tons), followed by Walter Forstmann (149 ships with 391,607 tons), and Max Valentiner (144 ships with 299,482 tons). So far, their records have never been surpassed by anyone in any later conflict.

Sir Joseph Maclay approved four standard designs of merchant ship and placed orders for over 1,000,000 tons of shipping (Britain launched 495,000 tons of shipping in the first half of 1917, but 850,000 tons were sunk in the first quarter alone; by 1918 3,000,000 tons a year were being launched).

German Submarine Force 1914–1918

• Total operational boats: 351
• Total sunk in combat: 178 (41 by mines, 30 by depth charges and 13 by Q-ships[65])
• Other losses: 39
• Completed after Armistice: 45
• Surrendered to Allies: 179
• Men lost in U-boats: 515 officers and 4894 enlisted men

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U-boat_Campaign_(World_War_I)

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
31 January 1918 – A series of accidental collisions on a misty Scottish night leads to the loss of two Royal Navy submarines with over a hundred lives, and damage to another five British warships.


The "Battle of May Island" is the black humour name given to the series of accidents that occurred during Operation E.C.1 in 1918. Named after the Isle of May, an island in the Firth of Forth, close by, it was a disastrous series of accidents amongst Royal Navy ships on their way from Rosyth in Scotland to fleet exercises in the North Sea. On the misty night of 31 January to 1 February 1918, five collisions occurred between eight vessels. Two submarines were lost and three other submarines and a light cruiser were damaged. 104 men died, all of them Royal Navy.



Naming
Although it took place during the First World War it was an entirely accidental tragedy and no enemy forces were present. It was therefore not a Battle and was only referred to as such with black humour.

Operation E.C.1
Around 40 naval vessels left Rosyth on the Firth of Forth, Scotland on the afternoon bound for Scapa Flow in Orkney where the exercise, EC1, involving the entire Grand Fleet would take place the following day.

The vessels included the 5th Battle Squadron of three battleships with their destroyer escorts, the 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron of four battlecruisers and their destroyers, two cruisers and two flotillas of K-class submarines each led by a surface warship. The Kclass submarines were specially designed to operate with a battle fleet. They were large boats for their time, at 339 feet (103 m) long and were powered by steam turbines to allow them to travel at 24 knots on the surface, to keep up with the fleet.

The two flotillas were the 12th Submarine Flotilla, consisting of K3 , K4, K6 and K7 which were led by Captain Charles Little in the light cruiser HMS Fearless and the 13th Submarine Flotilla, consisting of K11, K12, K14, K17 and K22 which were led by Commander Ernest William Leir in the destroyer HMS Ithuriel. Vice Admiral Beatty had moved the 12th and 13th flotillas of K class submarines in December 1917from Scapa Flow to Rosyth in order to ensure that they were in a better strategic location from which to undertake operations.


The bow of the drydocked cruiser HMS Fearless after colliding with the submarine K17

Timeline
At 18:30 hours the vessels weighed anchor and the entire fleet under the command of Vice Admiral Sir Hugh Evan-Thomas in Courageous steamed in a single line nearly 30 miles (48 km) long. At the head of the line were the Courageous followed by Ithuriel leading the rest of the 13th Submarine Flotilla. Several miles behind them was the battlecruiser squadron containing HMAS Australia, HMS New Zealand, Indomitable and Inflexible with their destroyers. After these came the 12th Submarine Flotilla and bringing up the rear were three battleships, which were accompanied by a number of screening destroyers. The initial speed was 16 knots, but Evan-Thomas had ordered his forces to increase speed to 22 knots when they passed May Island, which lay just at the entrance to the Forth estuary.

All vessels were ordered to sail astern of each other, 400 yards (370 m) apart. To avoid attracting German U-boats, particularly as one was suspected to be in the area, after dark each vessel showed only a dim blue stern light accompanied by black-out shields that restricted the lights to one compass point either side of the boats' centre line and they also were all instructed to maintained radio silence.

The night was clear and the seas relatively calm, but the moon had not yet come up. As each group passed the Isle of May at the mouth of the firth, they altered course and increased speed to 20 knots.

At approximately 19:00 hours, Courageous passed May Island and increased speed, just as a low-lying bank of mist settled over the sea. As the 13th Submarine Flotilla passed the island, a pair of lights (possibly minesweeping naval trawlers) were seen approaching the line of submarines. The flotilla altered course sharply to port to avoid them but the helm of the third-in-line K14 jammed for six minutes and she veered out of line. Both K14 and the boat behind her, K12 turned on their navigation lights and eventually K14s helm was freed and she tried to return to her position in the line. The next submarine in line, K22 had lost sight of the rest of the flotilla in the mist and veered off the line with the result that she hit K14 at 19:17 hours severing the bow and breaching the forward mess deck, where two men were killed. Both stricken submarines stopped and carefully pulled themselves apart whilst the rest of the flotilla, unaware of what had happened continued out to sea.


HMS K12 in 1924
K22 radioed in code to the cruiser leading the flotilla to say that she could reach port but that K14 was crippled and sinking.

About fifteen minutes later, the 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron passed the island and the two submarines. The captain of K22 ordered the firing of a red Very light, which ensured three of the four battlecruisers were able to avoid both submarines. However the battlecruiser Inflexible bringing up the rear struck K22 a glancing blow at 19:43 hours before continuing on her way. The battlecruiser bent the first 30 feet (9.1 m) of the bow of K22 at right angles and wrecked the ballast and fuel tanks. She settled by the bow until only the conning tower showed.

Meanwhile, Leir, captain of Ithuriel, had received and decoded the message about the first collision between the two submarines and turned back to help them. Leir, sent a message to the flag officer on HMS Australia at 20:40 hours to other shipping, in code, warning them of what was happening. "Submarines K-12 and K-22 have been in collision and are holed forward. I am proceeding to their assistance with 13th Submarine Flotilla. Position 18 miles east magnetic from May Island".

This could have made a difference and prevented the loss of at least some of those in the water, except that the primitive technology of the time meant that for some considerable length of time the message was delayed until 21:20.[2] As the submarines behind Ithuriel turned to follow her, which meant that the flotilla was heading back towards the 2nd Battle Squadron which passed through the flotilla and it was only through emergency turns by both groups of vessels that further accidents were narrowly avoided.

As the 13th Flotilla reached the Isle of May, they encountered the outbound 12th Submarine Flotilla. The leader of the 12th Flotilla, Fearless loomed out of the mist and upon sighting the flotilla attempted to avoid the them by going "hard astern" and sounding the related alarm, but the cruiser was moving too fast to do so and collided with the starboard side of K17 at approximately 20:32 hours. K17 then sank within a few minutes, although most of her crew were able to jump overboard. Fearless launched her boats in a failed attempt to rescue any survivors, but the few found were recovered by one of the other submarines. The bulkheads bow of Fearless had to be shored up to prevent further flooding, but she was not in any danger of sinking and returned to Rosyth at a very slow speed. She was repaired and survived the war.

K4, which upon hearing the sirens raised by Fearless which signalled that she had stopped, but not the trailing K-3, which narrowly missed K-4 and then stopped three cables further on. However K6 despite going full astern could not avoid a head on collision at 20:36 hours against the broadside laying K-4 nearly cutting the latter in half. The seriously damaged K4 sank with all of her crew, during which she was hit by K7 at 20:38 hours.

At this point the 5th Battle Squadron of three battleships and their destroyers passed through the area unaware of what had happened, some of the destroyers cutting down the survivors of K17 struggling in the water. Only nine of the 56 men originally on board the submarine survived and one of these died of his injuries shortly afterwards.

Within 75 minutes, the submarines K17 and K4 had been sunk, and K6, K7, K14, K22 and Fearless had been damaged.

K14 was taken in tow by HMS Venetia and reached port.



Aftermath

The memorial to the battle, Anstruther

A total of 104 lives were lost during the "Battle of May Island"; 55 from K4, 47 from K17, and two from K14.

The subsequent hastily-convened Court of Inquiry began on 5 February 1918 and sat for five days. The Court of Inquiry released it's final report on 19 February 1918, in which it placed the blame for the incident on Leir and four officers on the K boats. They recommended that Leir be court martialed. The case of negligence against Leir for the loss of K-17 was “not proved”. Both the investigation and court martial were kept quiet, with much of the information not released until 1994, by which time all of the participants had died. to avoid embarrassment to the Navy by which time the last of the survivors had died.

A memorial cairn was erected 84 years later, on 31 January 2002 at Anstruther harbour opposite the Isle of May. The Submariners' Association holds an annual commemorative service to honour loss the life.

Wrecks
In 2011, surveyors conducting a detailed preparatory survey of the sea floor for the Neart Na Gaoithe offshore wind farm, published sonar images of the wrecks of the two submarines, K-4 and K-17 sunk during the accident. The site of the two sunken submarines, 100 metres apart and about 50 metres down, has long been known, but the wrecks have now been officially surveyed by divers from the specialist marine consultants EMU.

Additional information:
Accident 17 November 1917
On 17 November 1917, K4 collided with sister ship K1 during an accident off the Danish coast. The light cruiser Blonde operating with K1 had to make a sharp turn to avoid three units from the 4th Cruiser Squadron. And in the confusion, K4 collided with K1. The crew of K1 were rescued and K1 sunk by the Blonde.




https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_May_Island

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
31 January 1953 - MV Princess Victoria, one of the earliest roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) ferries, sank


MV Princess Victoria was one of the earliest roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) ferries. Built in 1947, she operated from Stranraer to Larne. During a severe European windstorm on 31 January 1953, she sank in the North Channel with the loss of 133 lives. This was then the deadliest maritime disaster in United Kingdom waters since World War II.



History
Princess Victoria was built in 1947 by William Denny and Brothers, Dumbarton. She was the first purpose-built ferry of her kind to operate in British coastal waters and the fourth ship to bear the name, her 1939 predecessor having been sunk during World War II in the Humber Estuary by a German mine. Although innovative in her loading methods, the vessel looked externally similar to her namesake. She could hold 1,500 passengers plus cargo and had sleeping accommodation for 54.



Service
Princess Victoria was initially employed by London, Midland & Scottish Railway and then by its successor British Railways, on the crossing from Stranraer in Scotland to Larne in Northern Ireland.

Sinking
Captained by the 55-year-old James Ferguson, the vessel left Stranraer's railway loading pier at 07:45 AM with 44 tons of cargo, 128 passengers and 51 crew. Captain Ferguson had served as master on various ferries on the same route for 17 years. A gale warning was in force but he made the decision to put to sea. Loch Ryan is a sheltered inlet and the immediate force of the wind and sea was not apparent, but it was noted that spray was breaking over the stern doors. A "guillotine door" had been fitted, because of a previously identified problem with spray and waves hitting the stern doors, but it was rarely used, because it took too long to raise and lower. This would have provided extra protection for the sliding stern doors. On this occasion it was not lowered.

Shortly after clearing the mouth of Loch Ryan, the ship turned west towards Larne and exposed her stern to the worst of the high seas. Huge waves damaged the low stern doors, allowing water to enter the car deck. The crew struggled to close the doors again but they proved to be too badly damaged and water continued to flood in from the waves. The scuppers did not seem to be allowing the water to drain away. The ship took a list to starboard and at this point Captain Ferguson decided to retreat to the safety of Loch Ryan by going astern and using the bow rudder. This proved to be impossible, because the extreme conditions prevented the deckhands from releasing the securing pin on the bow rudder, and the Captain then made a decision to try to reach Northern Ireland by adopting a course which would keep the stern of the craft sheltered from the worst of the elements. At 09:46 AM, two hours after leaving Stranraer a message was transmitted in Morse code (the Princess Victoria did not have a radio telephone) by radio operator David Broadfoot to the Portpatrick Radio Station: "Hove-to off mouth of Loch Ryan. Vessel not under command. Urgent assistance of tugs required". With a list to starboard exacerbated by shifting cargo, water continued to enter the ship. At 10:32 AM an SOS transmission was made, and the order to abandon was given at 14:00. Possibly the first warship in the area was HMS Launceston Castle, commanded by Lt. Cdr J M Cowling, a frigate which was en route to Derry. Searches were carried out but Launceston Castle was forced to leave when her condensers were contaminated by salt. Upon the upgrade of the assistance message to an SOS, the Portpatrick Lifeboat the Jeannie Spiers was dispatched, as was the destroyer HMS Contest. Contest, commanded by Lt Commander HP Fleming, left Rothesay at 1109hrs but, although she came close to her position at 1330hrs, poor visibility prevented the crew from seeing the sinking ship. The destroyer had been trying to maintain a speed of 31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph) to reach the listing ferry but, after sustaining damage from the seas, Lt Cdr Fleming was forced to reduce speed to 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph).

The Princess Victoria was still reporting her position as 5 miles north west of Corsewall Point but her engines were still turning and even at the speed of 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) were gradually drawing the vessel closer to Northern Ireland and away from her reported position. At 1308hrs, the ship broadcast that her engines had stopped. The final morse code message at 1358hrs reported the ship "on her beam end" 5 miles east of the Copeland Islands.

Rescue attempt

RAF Hastings Aircraft


The Lifeboat Sir Samuel Kelly preserved in Northern Ireland.

The court of inquiry found that assistance to the Princess Victoria had been hampered by other distress operations already under way in the extreme weather conditions of the day. An RAF Hastings aircraft had been assisting rescues off Lewis and Barra and as a result did not reach the location of the doomed ferry until 1531hrs, dropping supplies and guiding HMS Contest to the scene.

The inquiry noted how different the outcome might have been if the aircraft had been available earlier.[4] Confusion over the location of the Princess Victoria had contributed to the rescue vessel's difficulty in locating her and it was not until the crew had sighted the coast of Northern Ireland at 1335hrs and transmitted a new position fix, that the rescue attempt was able to home in.

In addition to the naval, RAF and lifeboats then searching, four small merchant vessels which had been sheltering in Belfast Lough put to sea immediately to assist, after hearing the transmission which placed the Princess Victoria close to their anchorage: the cattle ship Lairdsmoor, the trawler Eastcotes, the coastal oil tanker Pass of Drumochter and the coastal cargo ship Orchy.

Despite arriving before the lifeboats, the merchant ships were unable to rescue the survivors in lifeboats, as the fierce waves were in danger of dashing the smaller boats against the sides of the larger ships. All they could do was to provide shelter from the worst of the seas until the Donaghadee lifeboat, the Sir Samuel Kelly, arrived and was able to bring survivors on board. This lifeboat has been preserved and is now part of the collection of the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.

The captains of the merchant ships: James Alexander Bell of the Lairdsmoor, David Brewster of the Eastcotes, James Kelly of the Pass of Drumochter and Hugh Angus of Orchy each became Members of the Order of the British Empire. Lieutenant Commander Stanley Lawrence McArdle and Chief Petty Officer Wilfred Warren of HMS Contest were both awarded the George Medal for diving into the water to help survivors.

The ship's radio officer, David Broadfoot, was posthumously awarded the George Cross for staying at his post to the very end, allowing passengers and crew to escape, even though by doing so he was preventing his own escape. His medal is on permanent display in Stranraer Museum.

There were 44 survivors but notably none of the ship's officers was among them

Loss of life
The sinking of Princess Victoria occurred during a severe European windstorm which also caused the North Sea Flood of 1953, claiming 531 fatalities in the UK alone, although this was the worst single incident in that storm. There were 133 deaths, including the Deputy Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, Maynard Sinclair and the MP for North Down, Sir Walter Smiles. Controversially, there were no women or children among the survivors. Eyewitnesses reported seeing a lifeboat containing at least some of the women and children being smashed against the side of the Princess Victoria by the huge waves. The disaster shocked many people because, although it took place in extreme weather conditions, it involved a routine journey, on a relatively short crossing (20 miles) in what were believed to be safe waters.

In Larne and Stranraer, small towns that largely relied on their seaports, most families were affected in some way. A ceremony was held in Larne; wreaths were thrown on the water and the crowd sang "Lord, hear us when we cry to thee, for those in peril on the sea".

The bodies of 100 people who died in the disaster were eventually recovered, although some of them came ashore as far away as the Isle of Man.

Court of Enquiry
The Court of Enquiry into the sinking, held in March 1953 at Crumlin Road Courthouse in Belfast, found that the Princess Victoria was lost due to a combination of factors. In a report of 30,000 pages the enquiry found that: firstly, the stern doors were not sufficiently robust. Secondly, arrangements for clearing water from the car deck were inadequate. The report concluded "If the Princess Victoria had been as staunch as those who manned her, then all would have been well and the disaster averted." The court also noted that the duty destroyer HMS Tenacious from the 3rd Training Squadron, based at HMS Sea Eagle at Londonderry Port, was unable to put to sea, as too many men had been released on shore leave. As a consequence of the enquiry, the duty destroyer from the 3rd Squadron was subsequently based "on station" at the mouth of Lough Foyle on 1 hour readiness to put to sea.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Princess_Victoria

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
Other Events on 31 January


1779 - HMS Apollo (1763 - 32), Cptn. Philemon Pownall, took Oiseau (1767 - 32).

HMS Apollo was a 32-gun fifth-rate launched in 1763 as HMS Glory. She was renamed in 1774, and was broken up in 1786.

Oiseau, (one-off 32-gun design of 1767 by François-Guillaume Clairin-Deslauriers, with 26 x 8-pounder and 6 x 4-pounder guns, launched 11 January 1769 at Rochefort) – captured by British Navy 31 January 1779, becoming HMS Oiseau.

HMS Oiseau (1779), a 32-gun fifth rate, launched in 1769 as the frigate Oiseau, captured from France on 31 January 1779 by HMS Apollo and sold on 19 June 1783. She then became the Liverpool-based slaver Count du Nord. Last listed in 1789. May have become the Dover, sold to the Imperial East India Company, Ostend (Austrian flag) in 1796.


1797 - HMS Andromache (32) captured an Algerine corsair.

HMS Andromache (1781) was a 32-gun fifth rate launched in 1781 and broken up in 1811.


1798 – Launch of French Heureuse at Basse-Indre, near Nantes

Heureuse class (38-gun design by Pierre Degay, with 26 x 12-pounder and 12 x 6-pounder guns).
Heureuse, (launched 31 January 1798 at Basse-Indre, near Nantes).
Chiffone, (launched 31 August 1799 at Basse-Indre, near Nantes).


Capture of La Chiffonne, Augt 19th 1801 (PAD5651)


lines & profile NMM, Progress Book, volume 5, folio 298, states that 'Chiffonne' arrived at Woolwich Dockyard on 3 March 1803 and was docked on 8 April to be recoppered. She was undocked on 23 May 1803, and sailed on 17 June 1808 having been fitted. NMM, Progress Book, volume 6, folio 373, states that 'Chiffonne' went to Sheerness Dockyard in 1804 for defects to be sorted, and then in 1808 and 1811 to Portsmouth Dockyard for repairs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_frigate_Chiffone_(1799)
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collec...el-301963;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=C


1812 - HMS Laurel (36), Cptn. Samuel Campbell Rowley, wrecked on the sunken Govivas rock in Teigneuse Passage, Quiberon Bay.

HMS Laurel (1809) was a 36-gun fifth-rate frigate, formerly the French Fidelle. She was captured on the stocks in 1809, and was wrecked in 1812


1823 - HMS Naiad (38), Cptn. Robert Cavendish Spencer, and HMS Cameleon (10) captured Algerine corsair Tripoli (18).

HMS Naiad was a Royal Navy fifth-rate frigate that served in the Napoleonic Wars. She was built by Hall and Co. at Limehouse on the Thames, launched in 1797 and commissioned in 1798. She served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and her last actions occurred in 1824-5. She was paid off in 1826. She then served for many years in Latin America as a depot ship, first for the Royal Navy and then for the Pacific Steam Navigation Company. She was broken up in 1898, 101 years after her launching.


Naiad tows the Belleisle towards Gibraltar, 23 October 1805

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Naiad_(1797)


1878 - USS Stars and Stripes (1861) was a 407-ton steamer acquired by the U.S. Navy sunk

USS Stars and Stripes (1861) was a 407-ton steamer acquired by the U.S. Navy and put to use by the Union during the American Civil War.
Stars and Stripes served the Union Navy primarily as a screw gunboat, and as a tugboat when necessary, in the blockade of the rivers and ports of the Confederate States of America

The ship operated in merchant service until, while steaming from Philadelphia to Pará, Brazil, she was wrecked on the outer bar of Currituck Beach, North Carolina, on the evening of 31 January 1878. Both the ship and her cargo were a total loss. 85 persons lost their lives.

The steamers E.B. Hale and Stars & Stripes fitting out at the New York Navy Yard, during the summer of 1861

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Stars_and_Stripes_(1861)


1944 - The Marshall Island Invasion begins with US Marine and Army troops landing at Kwajalein and Majuro atolls and then on Roi and Namur the following day. Vice Adm. Raymond A. Spruance, Task Force 50, commands the overall operation, while the landing force is under the command of Marine Maj. Gen. Holland M. Smith.


1944 - USS Guest (DD 472) and USS Hudson (DD 475) sink the Japanese submarine I-171 off the Bismarck Archipelago. Also on this date, USS Trigger (SS 237) sinks the Japanese minelayer Nasami and damages a destroyer in the Central Pacific area, while USS Tullibee (SS 284) sinks the Japanese auxiliary netlayer Miro Maru north-northwest of Saipan


1945 - USS Boarfish (SS 327) attacks Japanese HI 88 convoy and sinks freighter Enki Maru 50 miles southeast of Tourance, French Indochina. She also damages a cargo ship that runs aground and 14th Air Force aircraft destroys it the next day.

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
1 February 1662 – The Chinese general Koxinga seizes the island of Taiwan after a nine-month siege.


The Siege of Fort Zeelandia of 1661–1662 ended the Dutch East India Company's rule over Taiwan and began the Kingdom of Tungning's rule over the island. Taiwanese scholar Lu Chien-jung described this event as "a war that determined the fate of Taiwan in the four hundred years that followed"




Prelude
Main article: Sino–Dutch conflicts
From 1623 to 1624 the Dutch had been at war over the Pescadores, and in 1633 clashed with a fleet led by Zheng Zhilong in the Battle of Liaoluo Bay, ending in another Dutch defeat. By 1632 the Dutch had established a post on a peninsula named Tayoan (now Anping District of Tainan), which was separated from the main part of Formosa by a shallow lagoon historically referred to as the Taikang inland sea [zh]. The Dutch fortifications consisted of two forts along the bay: the first and main fortification was the multiple-walled Fort Zeelandia, situated at the entrance to the bay, while the second was the smaller Fort Provintia, a walled administrative office. Frederick Coyett, the governor of Taiwan for the Dutch East India Company, was stationed in Fort Zeelandia with 1,800 men, while his subordinate, Valentyn, was in charge of Fort Provintia and its garrison of 500 men.[


Fort Zealandia in Taiwan pictured during the 17th century.

In 1659, after an unsuccessful attempt to capture Nanjing, Koxinga, son of Zheng Zhilong and leader of the Ming loyalist remnants, felt that the Qing Empire had consolidated their position in China sufficiently, while his troops needed more supplies and manpower. He began searching for a suitable location as his base of operations, and soon a Chinese man named He Bin (Chinese: 何斌), who was working for the Dutch East India Company in Formosa (Taiwan), fled to Koxinga's base in Xiamen and provided him with a map of Taiwan.

The siege


The surrender of Fort Zeelandia


Peace Treaty of 1662, between Dutch Governor and Koxinga.

On 23 March 1661, Koxinga's fleet set sail from Jinmen with hundreds of junks of various sizes, with roughly 25,000 soldiers and sailors aboard. They arrived at Penghu the next day. On 30 March, a small garrison was left at Penghu while the main body of the fleet left and arrived at Tayoan on April 2. On Baxemboy Island in the Bay of Taiwan, unrelated to the siege, 2,000 Chinese attacked 240 Dutch musketeers, routing them. After passing through a shallow waterway unknown to the Dutch, they landed at the bay of Lakjemuyse [zh]. Four Dutch ships attacked the Chinese junks and destroyed several but one of their own squadron was burnt by fire boats. The rest escaped from the harbor, two to return, while the third sailed for Batavia, not reaching her destination until after some fifty days owing to the south monsoon. No further opposition was for the time encountered. The remainder of Koxinga's men were safely landed and built earthworks overlooking the plain.

"Some were armed with bows and arrows hanging down their backs ; others had nothing save a shield on the left arm and a good sword in the right hand ; while many wielded with both hands a formidable battle-sword fixed to a stick half the length of a man. Everyone was protected over the upper part of the body with a coat of iron scales, fitting below one another like the slates of a roof; the arms and legs being left bare. This afforded complete protection from rifle bullets and yet left ample freedom to move, as those coats only reached down to the knees and were very flexible at all the joints. The archers formed Koxinga's best troops, and much depended on them, for even at a distance they contrived to handle their weapons with so great skill that they very nearly eclipsed the riflemen. The shield bearers were used instead of cavalry. Every tenth man of them is a leader, who takes charge of, and presses his men on, to force themselves into the ranks of the enemy. With bent heads and their bodies hidden behind the shields, they try to break through the opposing ranks with such fury and dauntless courage as if each one had still a spare body left at home. They continually press onwards, notwithstanding many are shot down ; not stopping to consider, but ever rushing forward like mad dogs, not even looking round to see whether they are followed by their comrades or not. Those with the sword-sticks—called soapknives by the Hollanders—render the same service as our lancers in preventing all breaking through of the enemy, and in this way establishing perfect order in the ranks ; but when the enemy has been thrown into disorder, the Sword-bearers follow this up with fearful massacre amongst the fugitives.​

"Koxinga was abundantly provided with cannons and ammunition . . He had also two companies of 'Black-boys,' many of whom had been Dutch slaves and had learned the use of the rifle and musket-arms. These caused much harm during the war in Formosa."​

The latter courageously marched in rows of twelve men towards the enemy, and when they came near enough, they charged by firing three volleys uniformly. The enemy, not less brave, discharged so great a storm of arrows that they seemed to darken the sky. From both sides some few fell hors de combat, but still the Chinese were not going to run away, as was imagined. The Dutch troops now noticed the separated Chinese squadron which came to surprise them from the rear; and seeing that those in front stubbornly held their ground, it now became a case of sero sapiunt Phryges. They now discovered that they had been too confident of the weakness of the enemy, and had not anticipated such resistance. If they were courageous before the battle (seeking to emulate the actions of Gideon), fear now took the place of their courage, and many of them threw down their rifles without even discharging them at the enemy. Indeed, they took to their heels, with shameful haste, leaving their brave comrades and valiant Captain in the lurch. Pedel, judging that it would be the veriest folly to withstand such overwhelming numbers, wished to close together and retreat in good order, but his soldiers would not listen to him. Fear had the upper-hand, and life was dear to them; each therefore sought to save himself. The Chinese saw the disorder and attacked still more vigorously, cutting down all before them. They gave no quarter, but went on until the Captain with one hundred and eighteen of his army were slain on the field of battle, as a penalty for making light of the enemy. Other misfortunes befell this unhappy company. A large number of the rifles in possession of our troops were left behind. This battle was fought on a sandy plain, from which escape was impossible, and but for the proximity of the pilot-boat, which lay close to the shore, not one would have been left to tell the tale. The fugitives, who had to wade up to their throats in water, were conveyed to Tayouan.​

But it was observed that the greatest part of the hostile army—which, according to one of the prisoners, amounted to twenty thousand men, Koxinga himself being present—had already landed on the Sakam shore. To all appearance they would probably resist, pursue, and defeat us, seeing that they had a large force of cavalry, and were armed with rifles, soapknives, bows and arrows, and such like weapons, besides being harnessed and provided with storm-helmets.​

On April 4, Valentyn surrendered to Koxinga's army after it laid siege to Fort Provintia. The rapid assault had caught Valentyn unprepared since he was under the impression that the fort was under the protection of Fort Zeelandia. On April 7, Koxinga's army surrounded Fort Zeelandia, sending the captured Dutch priest Antonius Hambroek as emissary demanding the garrison's surrender. However, Hambroek urged the garrison to resist instead of surrender and was executed after returning to Koxinga's camp. Koxinga ordered his artillery to advance and used 28 cannons to bombard the fort. Koxinga's fleet then began a massive bombardment; troops on the ground attempted to storm the fort, but were repulsed with considerable losses. Koxinga then changed his tactics and laid siege to the fort.


Surrender of Fort Zeelandia

On the 28th of May, news of the siege reached Jakarta, and the Dutch East India Company dispatched a fleet of 10 ships and 700 sailors to relieve the fort. On July 5, the relief force arrived and engaged in small scale confrontations with Koxinga's fleet. On July 23, the two sides gave major battle as the Dutch fleet attempted to break Koxinga's blockade. After a brief engagement, the Dutch fleet was forced to retreat with two ships sunk, three smaller vessels captured, and 130 casualties. A second, ultimately unsuccessful attempt at relief was mounted in October. The Chinese lured Dutch ships into a trap with a false withdrawal and massacred the crew on board the Dutch ships and used pikes to kill those who jumped overboard. The Chinese caught Dutch grenades in nets and threw them back at the Dutch.

Coyet remarked on the accuracy of Chinese cannon bombardment against Dutch gun emplacements on the fort.[23] Explosive landmines were used by Koxinga against Dutch musketeers.

In the following December, deserting German mercenaries brought Koxinga word of low morale among the garrison, and he launched a major assault on the fort, which was ultimately repelled. In January 1662, a German sergeant named Hans Jurgen Radis defected to give Koxinga critical advice on how to capture the fortress from a redoubt whose strategic importance had gone hitherto unnoticed by the Chinese forces. Koxinga followed his advice and the Dutch redoubt fell within a day. This claim of a defector appears in a post hoc account of the siege written by Frederick Coyett, whom scholars have noted sought to absolve the author of responsibility for the defeat. A Swiss soldier also writes about the betrayal independently. Ming records make no mention of any defector or German named Hans Jurgen Radis. Koxinga deployed cannons his uncle had dredged up years earlier from the sea. The Ming dynasty used Fujianese to reverse engineer salvaged British and Dutch cannons.

On 12 January 1662, Koxinga's fleet initiated another bombardment, while the ground force prepared to assault the fort. With supplies dwindling and no sign of reinforcement, Coyett finally ordered the hoisting of the white flag and negotiated terms of surrender, a process that was finalized on February 1. On the 17th of February, the remaining Dutch East India Company personnel left Taiwan; all were allowed to take with them their personal belongings, as well as provisions sufficient for them to reach the nearest Dutch settlement.

Torture
Torture was used by both sides in the war. One Dutch physician carried out a vivisection on a Chinese prisoner. The Chinese amputated the genitals, noses, ears, and limbs of Dutch prisoners while they were still alive and sent back the mutilated corpses and prisoners to the Dutch. Chinese rebels had earlier cut the genitals, eyes, ears and noses of Dutch people in the Guo Huaiyi rebellion. The mouths of Dutch soldiers were filled with their amputated genitals by the Chinese who also slammed nails into their bodies, and amputated their noses, legs and arms and sent the bodies of these Dutch soldiers back to the fort.

Taiwanese Aborigines
The Taiwanese aboriginal tribes, who were previously allied with the Dutch against the Chinese during the Guo Huaiyi Rebellion in 1652, turned against the Dutch during the siege. They defected to Koxinga's Chinese forces. The aboriginals (Formosans) of Sincan defected to Koxinga after he offered them amnesty. They proceeded to work for the Chinese in executing captured Dutchmen. On 17 May 1661, the frontier aboriginals in the mountains and plains also surrendered and defected to the Chinese. They celebrated their freedom from compulsory education under the Dutch rule by hunting down Dutch colonists and beheading them, while destroying their Christian school textbooks. Koxinga formulated a plan to give oxen, farming tools, and teach farming techniques to the Taiwan Aboriginals. He gave them Ming gowns and caps, provided feasts for chieftains and gifted tobacco to Aboriginals who were gathered in crowds to meet and welcome him as he visited their villages after he defeated the Dutch.

Aftermath
After arriving in Jakarta, Coyett was imprisoned for three years and tried for high treason, for surrendering the post and the loss of valuable goods. After lobbying by friends and relatives he was partially pardoned in 1674, and exiled to the most eastern of the Banda Islands. He published Neglected Formosa (Dutch: 't Verwaerloosde Formosa) in 1675, a book in which he defended his actions in Taiwan and criticized the company for neglecting his pleas for reinforcement.

After the loss of the post at Tayoan, the Dutch East India Company mounted several attempts at recapture—even forming an alliance with the Qing Empire to defeat Koxinga's fleet. The alliance captured Keelung in northern Taiwan, but was forced to abandon it because of logistical difficulties and the inferiority of the Qing fleet when pitted against Koxinga's veteran sailors.

Dutch prisoners
During the Siege of Fort Zeelandia the Chinese took many Dutch prisoners, among them the Dutch missionary Antonius Hambroek and his wife, and two of their daughters. Koxinga sent Hambroek to Fort Zeelandia to persuade the garrison to surrender; if unsuccessful, Hambroek would be killed upon return. Hambroek went up to the Fort, where two of his other daughters still remained, and urged the garrison to not surrender. He subsequently returned to Koxinga's camp and was beheaded. Additionally, a rumor was spread among the Chinese that the Dutch were encouraging the native Taiwan aboriginals to kill Chinese. In retaliation, Koxinga ordered the mass execution of Dutch male prisoners, mostly by crucifixion and decapitation with a few women and children also being killed. The remainder of the Dutch women and children went into slavery, with Koxinga taking Hambroek's teenage daughter as his concubine (she was described by the Dutch commander Caeuw as "a very sweet and pleasing maiden", and some sources report her submission to have been voluntary) while other Dutch women were sold to Chinese soldiers to become their (secondary) wives or mistresses. The daily journal of the Dutch fort recorded that "the best were preserved for the use of the commanders, and the rest were sold to the common soldiers. Happy was she that fell to the lot of an unmarried man, being thereby freed from vexations by the Chinese women, who are very jealous of their husbands." The Chinese took Dutch women as slave concubines and wives and they were never freed: in 1684 some were reported to be still living. In Quemoy a Dutch merchant was contacted with an arrangement to release the prisoners which was proposed by a son of Koxinga's but it came to nothing. Some Caucasian physical traits like auburn and red hair among people in regions of south Taiwan are most likely a consequence of this episode of Dutch women becoming concubines to the Chinese commanders.

The Chinese taking Dutch women as concubines was featured in Joannes Nomsz's famous play "Antonius Hambroek, of de Belegering van Formoza" ("Antonius Hambroek, or the Siege of Formosa"), which documented European anxieties at the fate of the Dutch women and defeat by non-Europeans.

Cultural influences
The battle was depicted in the movie The Sino-Dutch War 1661 (Chinese: 鄭成功1661), which ended in Koxinga's victory over the Dutch.




https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Fort_Zeelandia

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
1 February 1668 – Launch of French La Royal Louis, a ship of the line of the French Royal Navy


The Royal Louis was a ship of the line of the French Royal Navy. She was constructed at Toulon between 1666 and 1669 under the direction of Rodolphe Gédéon and served as flagship of the French fleet in the Mediterranean.



While intended when first built to serve as the flagship of François de Bourbon-Vendome, Duc de Beaufort, for the Cretan campaign of 1669, she was not ready in time and she saw no service until 1677. She underwent reconstruction at Toulon from December 1676 to April 1677; four of her 24-pounder guns were replaced by four 36-pounders on the lower deck, two more 18-pounders were added on her middle deck, and two 6-pounders were removed from her quarterdeck, thus keeping her as a 104-gun ship.



She then sailed from Toulon on 11 May 1677, under the command of Abraham Duquesne, to Messina in Sicily, at the head of a small squadron to support rebels opposing Spanish rule there. On returning to Toulon, she saw no further sea service until taken out of service in 1691.

On his visit to Toulon in 1683, the English naval engineer Edmund Dummer described the Royal Louis as "a great ship and glorious in her first carving, no doubt; but to my judgment not of good proportion, nor good workmanship, her figure under water I know not, nor is that above to be admired".

She was removed from service in 1691, and taken to pieces at Toulon in 1697, having been replaced by a new First Rank ship of the same name.


Drawing by Pierre Puget

References

• Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours 1 1671 - 1870. p. 223. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922.
• Nomenclature des Vaisseaux du Roi-Soleil de 1661 a 1715. Alain Demerliac (Editions Omega, Nice – various dates).
• The Sun King's Vessels (2015) - Jean-Claude Lemineur; English translation by François Fougerat. Editions ANCRE. ISBN 978-2903179885
• Winfield, Rif and Roberts, Stephen (2017) French Warships in the Age of Sail 1626-1786: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4738-9351-1.

1. ^ the French pre-metric foot measured 32.48394 cm, and was thus 6.575% longer than the equivalent English foot.
2. ^ Fox, Celina (2007). "The Ingenious Mr Dummer: Rationalizing the Royal Navy in Late Seventeenth-Century England" (PDF). Electronic British Library Journal. p. 17. Retrieved 3 October2009.
3. ^ Dessert, Daniel (1996). La Royale. Vaisseaux et marins du Roi-Soleil. Paris: Fayard. p. 324. ISBN 2-213-02348-4.

Dessin sans date de Pierre Puget représentant sans doute le premier Royal Louis construit en 1668. Trois-Ponts de plus de 100 canons. Vaisseau dit de premier rang.




Louis XIV (1643 to 1715)


Aft of Soleil Royal, by Jean Bérain the Elder


Naval parade organised by Maurepas

The first eight years of this reign were under the Regency of Anne of Austria, the consort of Louis XIII, while French politics were dominated by Cardinal Jules Mazarin, who served as Chief Minister from 1642, and Louis XIV did not achieve personal rule until the death of Cardinal Mazarin in March 1661.

The French rating system was historically a division into three Ranks, but a new system of four Ranks was provisionally created in 1669; however a new system quickly replaced this in 1671. Earlier vessels are shown under the rating they were given in 1671 – in the case of vessels deleted prior to 1671, these are included according to the rate they would have been given in 1671 had they not been deleted. Under this new system, French major warships were from 1671 divided into five ranks or "Rangs"; ships of the line (vaisseaux) were divided into the highest three ranks.

The original rating system was thoroughly reformed under Colbert's administration two years later, on 24 June 1671, and the overwhelming majority of French warships underwent name changes at that date; vessels are listed below under their original name at time of launching or acquisition, even if they subsequently were better known by the name they were given later.

Vessels of the Fourth and Fifth Ranks were categorised as frigates (frégates or frégates-vaisseaux) of the 1st Order and 2nd Order respectively; light frigates (frégates légères) and even smaller vessels were excluded from the rating system.

First Rank Ships ("vaisseaux de Premier Rang")
From 1670, the First Rank could be categorised as ships of the line carrying more than 70 carriage guns (although other factors also played a part in determining what Rank a ship was given); in 1690 this was limit was effectively risen to ships carrying 80 or more guns.

Vaisseaux de Premier Rang Extraordinaire
The largest and most heavily armed First Rank ships, effectively those carrying 100 carriage guns or more, were placed in a sub-category of Vaisseaux de Premier Rang Extraordinaire. Only a few of these were built, but they always provided the flagships of the two Fleets - the Flotte du Levant (on the Mediterranean coast of France) and the Flotte du Ponant (on the Atlantic and Channel coasts). They were all full three-deckers, i.e. with three full-length gun decks, with the uppermost of these surmounted by an armed forecastle, quarterdeck and poop.

• Royal Louis 104 guns (designed and built by Rodolphe Gédéon, launched 1 February 1668 at Toulon) – renamed Royal Louis Vieux 1692 and broken up 1697. Nominally assigned 120 guns, but never carried more than 104.
• Dauphin Royal 100, later 104 guns (designed and built by François Pomet, launched 29 March 1668 at Toulon) – broken up 1700
• Royal Duc 104 guns (designed and built by Laurent Hubac, launched December 1668 at Brest) – renamed Reine in June 1671 and broken up 1688
• Soleil Royal 106, later 110 guns (designed and built by Laurent Hubac, launched 13 December 1669 at Brest) – burnt by the English in an action at Cherbourg in June 1692
• Victorieux 108 guns (designed and built by François Pomet, probably launched in late 1675 at Rochefort) – broken up 1685 (badly built and never brought into service)
• Royal Louis 110 guns (designed and built by François Coulomb snr, launched 22 September 1692 at Toulon) – broken up 1727
• Foudroyant 104 guns (designed and built by Étienne Hubac, launched 24 December 1692 at Brest) – exchanged names with Soleil Royal in March 1693 (see below), broken up 1714
• Terrible 100/104 guns (designed and built by Blaise Pangalo, launched 21 February 1693 at Brest) – broken up 1714
• Foudroyant 104 guns (designed and built by Blaise Pangalo, launched 14 November 1693 at Brest) – originally to have been named Soleil Royal, but exchanged names with Foudroyant in March 1693 (before work on her began), and broken up 1714

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_ship_Royal_Louis_(1668)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ships_of_the_line_of_France

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
1 February 1756 – Launch of Spanish Triunfante, 68 at Ferrol - Wrecked 5 January 1795


Triunfante class all ordered 1752-54 at Ferrol (Esteiro Dyd), 68 guns

Triunfante 68 (launched 1 February 1756 at Ferrol) - Wrecked 5 January 1795
Dichoso 68 (launched 18 March 1756 at Ferrol) - Stricken 15 October 1784
Monarca 68 (launched 13 June 1756 at Ferrol) - Captured by Britain at the Battle of Cape Santa Maria, 1780, retaining same name, sold 1791
Diligente 68 (launched 25 September 1756 at Ferrol) - Captured by Britain at the Battle of Cape Santa Maria, 1780, renamed HMS Diligence, BU 1784


Monarca (captured 1780)
Spanish 68-gun Third Rate, two-decker, taken by Admiral George Rodney's fleet at the 'Moonlight Battle' off Cape St Vincent on 16 January 1780.



Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plan, stern board with some decoration detail, sheer lines with inboard detail and figurehead, and longitudinal half-breadth for 'Monarca' (1780), a captured Spanish Third Rate, as taken off prior to being fitted[?] as a 68-gun Third Rate, two-decker. 'Monarca' was at Portsmouth Dockyard being fitted between May and September 1780, which cost £15,388.18.0 to undertake. Signed by George White [Master Shipwright, Portsmouth Dockyard, 1779-1793].


Scale: 1:24. Plan showing the front and side elevations, and sections for the 'made masts' for 'Princessa' (1780), 'Diligente' (1780), captured Spanish Third Rates, fitted as 70-gun Third Rate two-deckers, and 'Monarca' (1780), a captured Spanish Third Rate, fitted as a 68-gun Third Rate, two-decker. Signed by George White [Master Shipwright, Portsmouth Dockyard, 1779-1793].


No scale. Plan showing a part elevation, and two sections illustrating a method of stopping shot holes in warships, as tried in Portsmouth Dockyard on Monarca (1780), a captured Spanish Third Rate, fitted as a 68-gun Third Rate, two-decker. Note that she was sold in 1791. Signed by George White [Master Shipwright, Portsmouth Dockyard, 1779-1793].


http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collec...el-331811;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=M

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
1 February 1800 - USS Constellation engages French frigate La Vengeance in a 5-hour battle


The USS Constellation vs La Vengeance, or the Action of 1 February 1800, was a single-ship action fought between frigates of the French Navy and the United States Navy during the Quasi-War. In the battle the American frigate USS Constellation tried to take the French frigate La Vengeance as a prize. Both ships were heavily damaged. Although the French frigate struck her colors twice, she managed to flee after the main mast of her opponent had fallen.

In 1798, an undeclared war had begun between the United States and France due to French seizures of American merchantmen. As part of an American effort to deter French attacks, Commodore Thomas Truxton led an American naval squadron that was dispatched to the Lesser Antilles. Learning that regular French naval forces were in the region, Truxton set out in his flagship Constellation and sailed to Guadeloupe to engage them. On 1 February 1800, while nearing the French colony, Constellation met François Marie Pitot's frigate La Vengeance of the French Navy. Despite Pitot's attempts to flee, his frigate was drawn into a heavy engagement with Constellation. Although the French frigate struck her colors (surrendered) twice, Constellation was unable to take La Vengeance as a prize. Eventually Pitot was able to escape with his frigate to Curaçao, though only after sustaining severe casualties and damage to his vessel. Truxton's ship sustained light damage and sailed to Jamaica for repairs before returning home to a hero's welcome.



Background
In 1800, the Quasi-War between the United States and France was in full force. In order to prevent French attacks against American merchantmen in the Caribbean, the United States Navy maintained four squadrons of vessels in the region. One such squadron was commanded by Commodore Thomas Truxton, and tasked with patrolling the Lesser Antilles. Taking command on 19 January 1800 after arriving at Saint Kitts in his flagship USS Constellation, Truxton's squadron consisted of four frigates, three schooners, and a ship-rigged man of war. Besides the numerous privateers operating in the area, the only French naval forces in Truxton's area of operations were the frigate La Vengeance under François Marie Pitot and the corvette La Berceau under Louis Senes. Both vessels had arrived at Guadeloupe on 10 December 1799 escorting the new administrators of the French colony. Once at Saint Kitts Truxton dispersed his squadron, giving each ship orders to cruise independently. He then set sail for Guadeloupe on 30 January 1800 with his flagship Constellation, intending to challenge the French frigate and corvette there. The same day, Pitot in La Vengeance left Guadaloupe's capital of Basse-Terre for France.

By this point in the Quasi-War, the 1,265-ton Constellation carried 38 cannon despite officially being classified by the United States Navy as a 36-gun frigate. Previously her armament had consisted of 24-pounder guns, but these had proven inefficient during Truxton's action with L'Insurgente and as a result were removed and replaced with twenty-eight 18-pounder cannon and ten 24-pounder carronades. Truxton and his crew were hardened veterans and were well prepared for a fight. Their French counterparts were not as ready for an engagement. Pitot's frigate was carrying a large quantity of specie as well as 36 American prisoners of war and 80 passengers, two of whom were generals. Under such circumstances Pitot intended to avoid an engagement if possible, even though La Vengeance was a more heavily armed vessel carrying eight 42-pounder carronades, twenty-eight 18-pounders, and sixteen 12-pounder cannon. The French also had a distinct advantage in the event of a boarding action, as Constellation had only 310 men to La Vengeance's complement of 380 crew.

Engagement


Constellation and La Vengeance engaged in combat.

On 1 February 1800 at 07:00, Truxton's crew spotted what appeared to be a 54-gun frigate flying British colors two leagues off the Basse-Terre roadstead. In an effort to communicate with the mysterious frigate, Constellation flew British colors. Pitot had sighted the American ship by 07:45. Thinking the vessel chasing him was a superior 55-gun warship, he sought to avoid conflict, and continued to sail with the wind rather than head north as he had originally intended. In an effort to increase her speed, the French frigate's crew put out studding sails to catch more wind. The behavior of Pitot's frigate signaled to Truxton that she was really a French warship, so he ordered Constellation cleared for action and gave chase. By 08:00 he struck the British colors and raised the American flag. As he closed with La Vengeance he shouted through a speaking trumpet for the French vessel to surrender.

At this point the action began, with Pitot's stern chasers opening fire upon Constellation. In an effort to cut the American frigate's advantage in speed, La Vengeance changed course to the south-east where the wind would give her an advantage. As he maneuvered his vessel, Pitot was able to unleash a broadside aimed at Constellation's rigging. The American frigate waited to return fire until she'd gained the weather gage. Now having the advantage of the wind, Truxton's opening double-shotted broadside slammed into the port side of La Vengeance's hull. Sailing side by side, the two frigates continued to engage each other for two and a half hours while Truxton attempted unsuccessfully to move his ship into a raking fire position. As the French tended to aim for the rigging, at one point Constellation's foresails were shot away and the frigate lost her maneuverability until they could be replaced.

La Vengeance prepared for a boarding action when the two frigates drew closer together at 22:45, but this attempt was foiled when Constellation fired broadsides of grapeshot at Pitot's ship while American marines fired their muskets and hurled grenades down from the rigging. With the French ship drawing off, the two vessels began a longer range round shot duel that lasted until 02:00 on 2 February 1800, when La Vengeance struck her colors for the second time. At some point earlier in the action, Pitot had struck his flag but the Americans did not notice because of darkness. Truxton moved Constellation to within 25 yards (23 m) of his vanquished opponent aiming to take her as a prize. The American commodore's ambitions were spoiled when at 03:00 Constellation's mainmast fell overboard, killing several topmen who went down with it. With the Americans unable to come alongside his vessel, Pitot took advantage of the situation and simply slipped away into the darkness.

Aftermath

The reverse of Truxton's Congressional Gold Medal

Casualties were heavy on both sides, and both vessels were in such poor condition that each commander thought he had sunk his opponent. Most of La Vengeance's rigging had been blown away; only the lower foremast, lower mizzenmast, and bowsprit were operational. Pitot set course for Curaçao and was forced to ground his vessel there to prevent her from sinking. The number of French casualties is somewhat unclear: official French accounts report 28 dead and 40 wounded, while accounts from Curaçao state that the French frigate had lost 160 men. Once Pitot reached Curaçao he was beset with further problems. La Vengeance remained out of action for months due to difficulties in acquiring support needed to repair the frigate from the Dutch officials there. A French expedition to seize the island brought the material needed to repair the frigate, but when asked to help attack the island Pitot refused and slipped away to Guadaloupe.

Constellation had suffered heavy damage with 15 of her crew slain and a further 25 wounded, of whom 11 later died. The ship sailed to Port Royal, Jamaica, for a refit, but Truxton could not complete the necessary repairs because of a shortage of naval stores. The ship left Jamaica a week after she arrived, with only her mainmast replaced. After escorting a convoy of 14 merchantmen back to the United States, Truxton sailed his battered frigate to Hampton Roads for a proper refit. Only after he returned to the United States did the American commodore finally learn that the La Vengeance had not been sunk. Truxton was considered a hero and received considerable praise for his actions. In response to his battle with Pitot's frigate, the American government commended Truxton with a Congressional Gold Medal depicting the battle. James C. Jarvis, a 13-year-old Midshipman who was killed when the mainmast collapsed, became famous for his bravery during the battle.


Scene depicting the engagement, with the Constellation (left), firing upon the L'Insurgente (right).

USS Constellation was a nominally rated 38-gun wooden-hulled, three-masted frigate of the United States Navy. She was named by George Washington to reflect a principle of the United States Constitution. She was built under the direction of David Stodder at his naval shipyard on Harris Creek in Baltimore's Fell's Point maritime community, and she was launched on 7 September 1797. She was one of the original six frigates whose construction the Naval Act of 1794 had authorized. Joshua Humphreys designed these frigates to be the young Navy's capital ships, and so Constellation and her sisters were larger and more heavily armed and built than standard frigates of the period. Her first duties with the newly formed US Navy were to provide protection for American merchant shipping during the Quasi-War with France and to defeat the Barbary pirates in the First Barbary War.



Design and construction
Main article: Original six frigates of the United States Navy


Design of the hull of USF Constellation, which it shared with USF Congress.

American merchant vessels began to fall prey to Barbary Pirates, along the so-called "Barbary Coast" of North Africa, Morocco, Tunis (in future Tunisia), Tripoli (in future Libya), and most notably from Algiers (in future Algeria), in the Mediterranean Sea during the 1790s. Congress responded with the Naval Act of 1794. The Act provided funds for the construction of six frigates to be built in six different East Coast ports; however, it included a clause stating that construction of the ships would cease if the United States agreed to peace terms with Algiers. By the time of the conclusion in 1815, of the later War of 1812 with Great Britain, the United States had fought a series of three brief, but savage naval and amphibious wars.

Joshua Humphreys' design was deep, long on keel and narrow of beam (width) to allow the mounting of very heavy guns while affording high speed downwind and efficiency when close-hauled. The design was to extremely heavy scantlings, including the planking, and incorporated Humphreys' innovative diagonal rib to limit hogging. This gave the hull greater strength than those of more lightly built frigates. Humphreys developed his design after realizing that the fledgling United States could not match for size the navies of the European states. He therefore designed his frigates to be able to overpower other frigates, but with the speed to escape from a "ship of the line" (equivalent to a modern-day "battleship").

Constellation was built under the direction of Colonel David Stodder at his naval shipyard on Harris Creek in Baltimore's Fell's Point maritime community, according to a design by Joshua Humphreys and launched on 7 September 1797, just as the United States entered the Quasi-War with the revolutionary French Republic. Harris Creek which flows into the Northwest Branch of the Patapsco River was later filled in to gain additional land for residential/industrial development and diverted underground to a subterranean storm drain and culvert in the early 19th century. It was situated east of Fell's Point and south of where modern-day Patterson Park, (near Highlandtown), and the community of Canton are currently located.

An earlier visitor to the Harris Creek naval shipyard of David Stodder, east of Baltimore Town in 1796, the Duke de la Rochefoucaule-Liancourt, saw the Constellation under construction and noted in his journal: "I thought her too much encumbered with wood-work within, but in other respects she is a fine vessel being built of those beautiful kinds of wood, the ever-green oak and cedar; she is pierced for 36 guns."

Armament
See also: Naval artillery in the Age of Sail
The Naval Act of 1794 had specified 36-gun frigates; however, Constellation and her sister-ship Congress were re-rated to 38's because of their large dimensions, being 164 ft (50 m) in length and 41 ft (12 m) in width.

The "ratings" by number of guns were meant only as an approximation, as Constellation could and often did carry up to 48 guns. U.S. Navy ships of this era had no permanent battery of guns such as modern Navy ships carry. The guns were designed to be completely portable and often were exchanged between ships as situations warranted. Each commanding officer outfitted armaments to his liking, taking into consideration factors such as the overall tonnage of cargo, complement of personnel aboard, and planned routes to be sailed. Consequently, the armaments on ships changed often during their careers, and records of the changes were not generally kept.


Vengeance was a 48-gun frigate of the French Navy, lead ship of her class. She engaged USS Constellation during the Quasi-War, in an inconclusive engagement that left both ships heavily damaged. During the French Revolutionary Wars, HMS Seine hunted Vengeance down and captured her after a sharp action. She was recommissioned in the Royal Navy as the 38-gun fifth rate HMS Vengeance, but the British apparently never returned her to seagoing service. Accounts are divided as to her eventual fate. She may have been broken up in 1803 after grounding in 1801, or continued as a prison ship until 1814.



Construction
Vengeance was one of two frigates built to Pierre Degay's design of 1793, initially ordered as Bonne Foi, and launched on 8 November 1794. She was a member of one of the larger classes of frigate, armed with 24-pounders.


Capture of La Vengeance - Augt 21st 1800 (PAD5639)

The Vengeance class was a type of large sailing frigates designed by Pierre Degay and built in Paimbœuf for the French Navy. Rated at 48 guns, the type was one of the French attempts at increasing the firepower of frigates by mounting a 24-pounder main battery, as was tried with Forfait's Romaine class. The attempt was unsuccessful, and the ships mounted 18-pounder long guns on their main gun deck while in service.

Only two ships of the design were built, both being captured by the British and recommissioned in the Royal Navy.

• Vengeance

Builder: Paimbœuf
Begun: June 1793
Launched: 8 November 1794
Completed: By April 1795
Fate: captured on 20 August 1800 by the Royal Navy. Sold in 1814.

• Résistance

Builder: Paimbœuf
Begun: April 1794
Launched: 28 November 1795
Completed: May 1796
Fate: captured on 9 March 1797 by the Royal Navy. Sold in 1814.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Constellation_vs_La_Vengeance
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Constellation_(1797)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Vengeance_(1800)
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections.html#!csearch;authority=vessel-357215;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=V

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
1 February 1851 - Brandtaucher, the first german submarine, sank during acceptance trials in Kiel Harbour. The crew is able to escape.


Brandtaucher (German for Fire-diver) was a submersible designed by the Bavarian inventor and engineer Wilhelm Bauer and built by Schweffel & Howaldt in Kiel for Schleswig-Holstein's Flotilla (part of the Reichsflotte) in 1850.





History
In January 1850 Bauer, a cavalryman during the German-Danish War, designed Brandtaucher as a way to end the Danish naval blockade of Germany. Bauer's early sketch attracted the attention of the Minister of Marine, who allowed him to construct a 70 × 18 × 29 cm (27.6 × 7.1 × 11.4 in) model. The model was demonstrated in Kiel harbour in front of naval dignitaries. Its satisfactory performance led to the construction of a full-scale model, which was funded by contributions from army personnel and local civilians. Due to the inadequate funding, the scale of the boat had to be downgraded and the design altered and simplified; resulting in a reduced diving depth from 30 m to 9.5 m. This redesign included eliminating the use of enclosed ballast tanks to contain the water being taken into and expelled from the submarine. Instead, the water was allowed to pool inside the bottom of the hull, below the main floor, and was able to move relatively unobstructed within this area when the ship changed orientation. The resulting instability was probably a significant contributing factor to the loss of the vessel.

As built, Brandtaucher was 8.07 m long and 2.02 m at maximum beam, with a draught of 2.63 m. It was propelled by a crew of three turning large tread wheels connected to a propeller. The boat could reach a speed of three knots, but this could not be maintained for long periods of time.

On 1 February 1851, Brandtaucher sank after a diving accident during acceptance trials in Kiel Harbour. The submarine experienced equipment failure, and sank to the bottom of a 60-foot hole at the bottom of Kiel Harbour. Bauer escaped by letting in water, thus increasing the air pressure, which allowed Bauer and his two companions to open the hatch and swim to the surface. This was the first submarine escape to be witnessed and reported.



In 1887 the wreck was discovered, and it was raised on 5 July 1887. Brandtaucher was first placed on display at the Naval Academy in Kiel and then in 1906 it was moved to the Museum für Meereskunde in Berlin. From 1963 to 1965 it was restored in the DDR at Rostock, and placed on display at the Nationale Volksarmee Museum in Potsdam. The boat can now be viewed at the Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces Museum of Military History), in Dresden.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandtaucher
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Bauer_(Ingenieur)#Brandtaucher
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Bauer_(Ingenieur)
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militärhistorisches_Museum_der_Bundeswehr

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
1 February 1870 – Launch of Blackadder, a clipper ship


Blackadder was a clipper ship, a sister ship to Hallowe'en, built in 1870 by Maudslay, Sons & Field at Greenwich for Jock Willis & Sons.

Blackadder was dismasted on her maiden voyage due to failures in the mast fittings and rigging. She "was able to reach the Cape under jury rig 63 days out."[4] John Willis took legal action against the builders which dragged on to such an extent that her sister ship, Hallowe'en, was not handed over to Willis until nearly 18 months after her launch. After John Willis died in 1900, Blackadder was bought by J. Aalborg of Kragerø in Norway. On 5 November 1905 she was wrecked whilst on passage from Barry to Bahia loaded with coal.



History
Jock Willis & Sons operated a shipping line which specialised in fast sailing cargo ships, including tea clippers trading tea from China. These were 'state of the art' ships designed to take part in what had become a race to be the fastest ship home with the new season tea. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 together with steady improvements in steam engineering meant that sailing ships were slowly being replaced by steam ships, which could operate on guaranteed timetables and make use of the shorter route through the canal, which was unsuitable for sailing ships. However, steamers had the disadvantage of having to purchase coal for the journey and to carry coal, reducing the space available for cargo. A number of ship owners therefore still believed there was a place for good sailing ships, and these continued in profitable service for many years.

In 1869 Jock Willis, junior (son of Jock Willis, senior, founder of the company) had commissioned another clipper, Cutty Sark, which was a composite design (timber hull on iron frame). He now commissioned two further ships, but this time with iron hulls. As was the case with Cutty Sark, the shape of the hull for the ships was based upon another ship belonging to Willis, The Tweed (previously named Punjaub). This was a former sail/paddle steamer frigate built in Bombay for the East India Company, later sold when the East India company navy was merged into the Royal Navy. Willis removed the engines and paddle wheels and found he had an exceptionally good sailing ship. Messrs. Ritherdon and Thompson, the surveyors to the East India Council, were commissioned to prepare drawings for the new ships based upon The Tweed. Although similar below the water and of very similar size, the two ships looked somewhat different from Cutty Sark.

Maudsley and Co. were contracted to construct the ship, although they were an engineering company relatively inexperienced with whole ship design. This was not dissimilar to Willis' choice in builders for Cutty Sark which was also a new and inexperienced company, which in that instance became bankrupt before Cutty Sark was completed. The contract was signed in June 1869 and the ship launched March 1870, to the highest Lloyds standards and using the best materials.



Maiden voyage
Cargo was starting to be loaded on board the ship even before installation of the masts had been completed. Masts on such a ship are sectional and are installed in overlapping pieces with stays (lines) running up from the deck to fixing points on each section to hold the masts steady. It was noticed that the stays were slack, so they were re-tightened, only for them to be found slack again the following day. On further examination it was discovered that the metal cradles which supported the topmasts had been incorrectly manufactured, and had simply bent out of shape once tension had been applied on the stays. Rather than remove the masts to repair the damage, additional strengthening was added to hold together the cradles and provide new fixing points. However, the bent ironwork could not be repaired with the masts in place. The ship sailed for China.

During the journey it became clear that repairs had been inadequate. Chains were added to the mainmast to help support its topmast, and it was noticed that rivets holding the collar around the mainmast were becoming loose. The ship's carpenter proposed drilling through the mast and inserting a winch handle to ensure the collar stayed in place, but the captain refused. Only the skysail yards were taken down to reduce loading on the masts.

At about midnight, with the wind slackening and changing direction and approaching the Roaring Forties, the captain decided to trim the ship and ordered a change in helm. Despite care by the helmsan to carry out the turn as slowly as possible so as to minimise the stress on the masts as the pressure from the winds changed, the inevitable rolling of the ship as it ceased to be pushed along while turning caused the collar to break away and the lower rigging with it. The continuing rolling meant the masts leaned one way and then the other, each time becoming looser. The iron mainmast buckled below the level of the deck, tearing the deck as it did, ending leaning to port at 45 degrees. Shortly the remaining supports gave way and with an extra large roll, the mast tore further through the deck and fell overboard.

Braces to the mizzen mast from the main had been torn away, and it too started to rock loose. Despite attempts to get a line on it, while also trying to clear lines still attached to the sinking mainmast, this mast too fell, this time backwards across the stern of the ship, just missing the wheel. Crew worked to get the mizzen free and overboard, as it rolled dangerously about on the deck. The sole remaining mast was now unsupported because its braces from the mainmast had also gone, but in this case, the crew managed to get lines tightened to hold it in place. Both fore topsail yards had been snapped as the falling main mast pulled on them, and the other yards were pulled out of place.

The following morning two men went aloft on the still swaying foremast to try to clear the broken rigging and yards. The royal yard came loose and fell, bringing with it part of the fore topgallant mast. Over the next three days the crew managed to salvage enough yards to have three sails on the foremast plus stunsails and set course for Simon's Bay. Another ship, the St. Mungo saw the state of Blackadder and tried to come to assist, but was unable to catch up. Approaching False Bay to anchor, the ship fouled a wreck and before repairs were completed was in collision with two other vessels. Replacement masts and yards were sent out from Britain and the ship eventually proceeded to Shanghai. On the way she collided with a French mail steamer, and after further repairs lost her jibboon in yet another collision at Penang. She returned to London, arriving 17 November 1871 without further notable incident. The ship's insurers refused to pay out on claims for the damage, on the grounds the ship had been unseaworthy when it set out, and eighteen months of litigation against the builders ensued.


sistership Hallowe'en

Calmer sailing
The ship's captain was dismissed and replaced with Captain Moore. The following season's journey to China was relatively uneventful, only involving the loss of the mizzen topgallant mast in a collision. Moore was moved to command Cutty Sark and replaced with Sam Bissett, who had been mate on the maiden voyage. Carrying coal from Sydney to Shanghai she was caught in a typhoon, which caused the ship to heel over so much that the main and mizzen masts had to be cut away once more to right her. The cargo had shifted and had to be moved before the ship could be properly righted, but she limped on to Shanghai where new masts were fitted and she proceeded to Iloio and loaded a cargo for Boston. In the China sea the ship hit an uncharted reef and stuck fast, despite throwing the cargo overboard. the ship was abandoned and the crew taken off by Albyn's isle, which had come to their assistance. A squall sprang up, which now blew the ship clear of the reef and after a chase of some hours, the crew managed to reboard the ship and take control of their vessel again. A slow journey to Boston followed. For the fourth season she was commanded by Captain White.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackadder_(clipper)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallowe'en_(clipper)

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
1 February 1902 - Launch of USS Plunger (SS-2), the lead ship of the Plunger-class submarine and one of the earliest submarines of the United States Navy


USS Plunger (SS-2) was one of the earliest submarines of the United States Navy. She was the lead boat of her class and was later renamed A-1 when she was designated an A-type submarine. She is not to be confused with the experimental submarine Plunger which was evaluated by the U.S. Navy from 1898 to 1900.





Early service
Plunger was originally laid down on 21 May 1901 at Elizabethport, New Jersey, at Lewis Nixon's Crescent Shipyard. Arthur Leopold Busch supervised the construction of the A-Class submarines built there. The prototype Fulton experimental craft was laid down at Isaac Rice's Electric Boat Company prior to these first A-class submarines.

She was launched on 1 February 1902, and commissioned at the Holland Torpedo Boat Company yard at New Suffolk, New York on 19 September 1903.

Assigned to the Naval Torpedo Station at Newport, Rhode Island for experimental torpedo work, Plunger operated locally from that facility for the next two years, a period of time broken only by an overhaul at the Holland yard at New Suffolk from March–November 1904. Besides testing machinery, armament and tactics, the submarine torpedo boat also served as a training ship for the crews of new submersibles emerging from the builder's yards.

In August 1905, Plunger underwent two weeks of upkeep before leaving the yard on 22 August. She was towed by the tug Apache to New York City, where Plunger conducted trials near the home of President Theodore Roosevelt. Upon the submarine's arrival that afternoon, she moored alongside the tug and prepared for a visit from President Theodore Roosevelt.





President Roosevelt's visit
The following morning, Plunger charged her batteries and made a series of five short dives before returning alongside Apache to recharge. Later that afternoon, Roosevelt boarded the Plunger and stayed aboard for almost two hours while she made another series of dives before returning to moor alongside the tug. Roosevelt spent almost another hour on board the submarine before he left.

Roosevelt's novel voyage prompted significant interest. On 6 September, Roosevelt wrote from Oyster Bay to Hermann Speck von Sternburg: "I myself am both amused and interested as to what you say about the interest excited about my trip in the Plunger. I went down in it chiefly because I did not like to have the officers and enlisted men think I wanted them to try things I was reluctant to try myself. I believe a good deal can be done with these submarines, although there is always the danger of people getting carried away with the idea and thinking that they can be of more use than they possibly could be." To another correspondent he declared that never in his life had he experienced "such a diverting day … nor so much enjoyment in so few hours."



Later service
Decommissioned on 3 November 1905, Plunger remained inactive until she was recommissioned on 23 February 1907. On 3 May 1909, Ensign Chester Nimitz, the future Fleet Admiral who would say he considered the submarines of the time "a cross between a Jules Verne fantasy and a humpbacked whale", assumed command of Plunger. That September, the submarine torpedo boat visited New York City to take part in the Hudson-Fulton celebrations.

Reassigned to the Charleston Navy Yard, Plunger reached that port on 24 October and moored alongside the gunboat Castine, the tender for the Atlantic Submarine Flotilla. Shortly thereafter, Castine's medical officer, Assistant Surgeon Micajah Boland, inspected Plunger and two other submarine torpedo boats. His report graphically described living conditions on these boats. He found "their sanitary condition to be far from satisfactory, notwithstanding the fact that they had been at sea only about forty-five hours."

Plunger was renamed A-1 on 17 November 1911. She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 24 February 1913.

By 1916, A-1 had been authorized for use as an "experimental target, designated 'Target E'". She was ultimately hoisted on board the hulk of the former monitor Puritan and authorized for sale in 1921, on an "as is, where is" basis. She was sold for scrapping on 26 January 1922.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Plunger_(SS-2)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plunger-class_submarine
http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08002.htm