Naval/Maritime History 19th of April - Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
12 November 1965 - SS Yarmouth Castle burning


SS Yarmouth Castle was an American steamship whose loss in a disastrous fire in 1965 prompted new laws regarding safety at sea.


Yarmouth Castle sailing under her original name, Evangeline



Early history
She was built in 1927 by the William Cramp & Sons Ship and Engine Building Company in Philadelphia. She was christened Evangeline and renamed Yarmouth Castle in 1964.[1] The ship was 365 feet long and measured 5,002 gross tons. Her sister ship, Yarmouth, was launched the same year. Her sister was named Yarmouth till 1954, then renamed several times, Queen of Nassau 1954, Yarmouth Castle 1957, San Andred 1966, Elizabeth A 1967, she was scrapped in 1977.

Evangeline operated the Boston – Yarmouth, Nova Scotia service for the Eastern Steamship Lines until World War II, when she was sent to the Pacific to serve as a troop ship. The ship ferried combat troops from San Francisco to the island battlefronts and also served as a hospital ship. After being refitted and refinished at the Bethlehem Steel Corporation's shipyards at a cost of US$1.5 million, she returned to passenger service in May 1947.

She operated on the New York City – Bahamas run for less than a year, and was then laid up from 1948 to 1953, save for a two-month period in 1950. The ship was sold to a Liberian company called the Volusia Steamship Company in 1954. She was given an overnight run from Boston to Nova Scotia, and resumed service to the Caribbean in 1955.

The ship was sold in 1963 to the Chadade Steamship Company, and her name was changed to Yarmouth Castle that year. She offered service from New York City to the Bahamas for Caribbean Cruise Lines, which went bankrupt that same year. By the end of 1964, Yarmouth Castle was operated by Yarmouth Cruise Lines. The ship ran pleasure cruises on the 186-mile stretch between Miami and Nassau. She was under Panamanian registry.

Fire
Yarmouth Castle departed Miami for Nassau on November 12, 1965, with 376 passengers and 176 crewmen aboard, a total of 552 people. The ship was due to arrive in Nassau the next day. The captain on the voyage was 35-year-old Byron Voutsinas.

Shortly before 1:00 a.m. on November 13, a mattress stored too close to a lighting circuit in a storage room, Room 610, caught fire. The room was filled with mattresses and paint cans, which fed the flames.

At around 1:00, a badly burned passenger emerged from a stairway and collapsed on the deck. Crewmen who rushed to the man's aid found the stairwell filled with smoke and flames. Captain Voutsinas was immediately notified of the fire by the watch officer. The captain ordered the second mate to sound the alarm on the ship's whistle, but the bridge went up in flames before the alarm could be sounded. The ship's radio operator, who had been off duty, found the radio shack to be completely ablaze by the time he reached it. By this point, Yarmouth Castle was 120 miles east of Miami and 60 miles northwest of Nassau.

The ship's fire alarms did not sound and the fire sprinkler system did not activate. Passengers were awakened by screaming and running in the corridors as people frantically tried to find lifejackets.


Photograph of the fire taken from the boat deck of Bahama Star

The fire swept through the ship's superstructure at great speed, driven by the ship’s natural ventilation system. The flames rose vertically through the stairwells, fueled by the wood paneling, wooden decks and layers of fresh paint on the walls. Many passengers had to break windows and squeeze through portholes to exit their burning cabins. The whole front half of the ship was quickly engulfed, causing passengers and crew to flee to the stern of the ship. Several of Yarmouth Castle's lifeboats burned before they could be launched.

More problems ensued. The ship's fire hoses had inadequate water pressure to fight the fire. One of the hoses had even been cut. Additionally, the swimming pool was connected to the fire pump system by way of an open valve which allowed the pool to fill and thereby reduced water pressure. Crewmen also had difficulty launching the lifeboats. The ropes used to lower the boats had been covered in thick coats of paint, causing them to jam in the winches. Even the boats that were successfully lowered had no rowlocks, and had to be paddled like canoes. In the end, only six of the 13 lifeboats were launched.

There were tales of both courage and cowardice among the crew. Many fled the ship without helping the passengers. Others pulled passengers from the windows of their cabins and directed them to rope ladderson the side of the ship. Some crew members had to physically throw weak and panic-stricken people off the side of the ship, away from the spreading flames. Several sailors even gave away their lifejackets.

The Finnish freighter Finnpulp was just eight miles ahead of Yarmouth Castle, also headed east. At 1:30 a.m., the ship's mate noticed that Yarmouth Castle had slowed significantly on the radar screen. Looking astern, he saw the glowing flames and notified the captain, John Lehto, who had been asleep. Lehto immediately ordered Finnpulp turned around. The freighter radioed Nassau three times but got no reply. At 1:36 a.m., the Finnpulp successfully contacted the United States Coast Guard in Miami. It was the first distress call sent out.

The passenger liner Bahama Star was following Yarmouth Castle at about twelve miles distance. At 2:15 a.m., Captain Carl Brown noticed rising smoke and a red glow on the water. Realizing that this was Yarmouth Castle, he ordered the ship ahead at full speed. Bahama Star radioed the U.S. Coast Guard at 2:20 a.m.

The first ship on the scene was Finnpulp. The first of Yarmouth Castle's lifeboats, which was only half-full, rowed to the freighter. Captain Lehto was angered to find that only four of the people in the boat were passengers. The other 20 were crewmembers who fled at the first alarm, among them Captain Voutsinas. The four passengers were taken aboard the freighter. Voutsinas claimed that he had come to Finnpulp to request a radio distress call. Lehto turned Voutsinas and the crewmen back to Yarmouth Castle saying, "Go back and look for more survivors." The next two lifeboats launched from Yarmouth Castle contained only crew.

By this time, Bahama Star had arrived on the scene. The ship stopped 100 yards from Yarmouth Castle and launched her lifeboats, which lined up against the starboard side of the burning ship. Some people jumped into the water and climbed aboard the lifeboats. Others descended ropes and rope ladders. Finnpulp lowered a motorboat, which towed some of the boats to Bahama Star.

Captain Brown of Bahama Star later reported hearing sounds of great panic coming from Yarmouth Castle. He recalled hearing cabin doors being broken down, as well as glass breaking and a great many people screaming. Both Brown and Lehto spoke of a low groaning sound heard throughout the rescue, which was determined to be steam escaping Yarmouth Castle's whistle. Benches, deck chairs, mattresses and luggage were thrown from the burning ship to people struggling in the water.

Finnpulp actually pulled alongside Yarmouth Castle on the port side, and passengers stepped from the burning ship onto the deck of the freighter. Finnpulp was quickly forced to retreat to a safe distance, however, when her paint began to smoke and burn. The freighter then dispatched its lifeboats to pluck people from the water.

U.S. Coast Guard pilots in four planes flying 4,000 feet overhead later said they were nearly engulfed by the smoke and flames, which could be seen for miles.

All survivors had been pulled aboard Finnpulp and Bahama Star by 4:00 a.m., by which time Yarmouth Castle's hull was glowing red. The water around the ship was visibly boiling. Just before 6:00 a.m., Yarmouth Castle rolled over onto her port side. There was a roar of steam and bursting boilers, and she sank beneath the surface at 6:03 a.m.

Aftermath
Fourteen critically injured people were taken by helicopter from Bahama Star to Nassau hospitals. Bahama Star rescued 240 passengers and 133 crewmen. Finnpulp rescued 51 passengers and 41 crewmen. Both ships arrived in Nassau on November 13.

Eighty-seven people went down with the ship, and three of the rescued passengers later died at hospitals, bringing the final death toll to 90. Of the dead, only two were crewmembers: stewardess Phyllis Hall and Dr. Lisardo Diaz-Toorens, the ship's physician. While some bodies were recovered, most were lost with the ship.

The Yarmouth Castle fire was the worst disaster in North American waters since the Noronic burned and sank in Toronto Harbour with the loss of up to 139 lives in 1949.

Investigation
An investigation into the sinking was launched by the U.S. Coast Guard, which issued a 27-page report on the disaster in March 1966.

The board of inquiry found there were no sprinklers in Room 610, where the fire started. Mattresses had been stacked improperly close to the ceiling light, which was the ultimate cause of the fire.

Room 610 was unsuitable as a cabin because it was too hot, being located directly above the boiler room. The paneling and suspended ceiling had been removed from the room a month before the blaze, and the exposed insulation fueled the fire.

Excessive layers of paint were also found to be at fault. Walls were never stripped before being re-painted, which the board maintained was a fire hazard. Painted ropes had prevented several of Yarmouth Castle's lifeboats from being launched. Some passengers had difficulty escaping their cabins, as the clamps on the portholes had been painted over.

The Coast Guard discovered numerous other violations: No fire doors were closed during the blaze. Lifejackets were not stored in every cabin. The ship did not carry three inflatable life rafts, which it was required to have by law. There was only one radio operator on board, while the law required two. Passengers had also never been informed of evacuation procedures.

Yarmouth Castle had passed a safety check and fire drill three weeks before she burned and sank. However, the ship did not need to conform to American safety regulations since it was registered under the Panamanian flag. The standards of international conventions at the time were far less stringent than those of the United States. Also, Yarmouth Castle had been built in 1927, and did not conform to many safety rules adopted since then.

Captain Voutsinas and other members of the crew were ultimately charged with violation of duty for leaving the ship before attempting to rescue passengers.

The Yarmouth Castle disaster was followed by updates to the Safety of Life at Sea law, or SOLAS. The updated law brought new maritime safety rules, requiring fire drills, safety inspections and structural changes to new ships. Under SOLAS, any vessel carrying more than 50 overnight passengers is required to be built entirely of non-combustible materials such as steel. Yarmouth Castle's largely wooden superstructure was found to be the main cause of the fire's rapid spread.

Legacy
Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot wrote a song based on the tragedy. Called "Ballad of Yarmouth Castle," it was released on his fifth United Artists album, Sunday Concert, in 1969. That album, along with Lightfoot's other UA releases, was re-released in a three-CD compilation, The Original Lightfoot: The United Artists Years, in 1992. The ballad was not Lightfoot's only shipwreck-themed song; in 1976, he released his album Summertime Dream, which included the song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," based on the sinking of the American-flagged Great Lakes freighter Edmund Fitzgerald in an early November gale in 1975.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Yarmouth_Castle

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
Other Events on 12 November


1699 - HMS Biddeford (1695 - 20), Cptn. Samuel Martin, wrecked on Point Baque.

HMS Biddeford (1695) was a 24-gun sixth rate launched in 1695 and wrecked in 1699.


1757 – Launch of HMS Richmond, 32-gun Richmond-class fifth-rate frigates of the Royal Navy

HMS Richmond was the name ship of the six-vessel, 32-gun Richmond-class fifth-rate frigates of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1757 and served throughout the American Revolutionary War until the French 74-gun Bourgogne and the frigate Aigrette captured her on 11 September 1781 in the Chesapeake. She then served as Richemont.
The French burned her at Sardinia on 19 May 1793 to prevent the Spanish from capturing her.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Richmond_(1757)
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collec...el-343202;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=R


1806 - Boats of HMS Galatea (1794 - 32), Cptn. George Sayer, captured schooner Reunion (10), off Guadeloupe.

HMS Galatea was a fifth-rate 32-gun sailing frigate of the British Royal Navy that George Parsons built at Bursledon and launched in 1794. Before she was broken up in 1809 she captured numerous prizes and participated in a number of actions, first in the Channel and off Ireland (1794–1803), and then in the Caribbean (1802–1809), including one that earned her crew the Naval General Service Medal.


Scale 1:48. Plan showing the framing profile (disposition) for Pallas (1793), a 32-gun, Fifth Rate Frigate, building at Woolwich Dockyard and later copies sent to Chatham Dockyard for Stag (1793), Unicorn (1734), and later for Galatea (1794), Lively (1794), Alcemene (1794), and Cerberus (1794), all 32-gun, Fifth Rate Frigates.
Read more at http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/82978.html#TlYuTPoRlPTs1f8h.99

Off Guadeloupe on the morning of 12 November 1806 Galatea sailed after a strange sail. After a pursuit of a few hours Galatea was able, once the seas were calm enough, to dispatch a boarding party. The schooner's crew resisted slightly, but she struck just before the boarding party came on board. The schooner was the Réunion, bound for Martinique from La Guaira with cargo and dispatches from the Spanish government at Caracas to the French commander at Martinique. Réunion was pierced for 14 guns but was armed with ten.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Galatea_(1794)


1912 - Lt. Theodore Ellyson makes the first successful launch of an airplane (A-3) by catapult at the Washington Navy Yard.

Theodore Gordon Ellyson, USN (27 February 1885 – 27 February 1928), nicknamed "Spuds", was the first United States Navy officer designated as an aviator ("Naval Aviator No. 1"). Ellyson served in the experimental development of aviation in the years before and after World War I. He also spent several years before the war as part of the Navy's new submarine service. A recipient of the Navy Cross for his antisubmarine service in World War I, Ellyson died in 1928 when his aircraft crashed over the Chesapeake Bay.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_G._Ellyson


1913 - The first International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea

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


1940 - Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Harold R. Stark, submits the memorandum to Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox with four war plans if the United States enters World War II. Stark recommends the fourth war plan, Plan Dog, calling for a strong offensive in the Atlantic and defense in the Pacific.

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


1941 – World War II: The Soviet cruiser Chervona Ukraina is destroyed during the Battle of Sevastopol.

Chervona Ukraina (Ukrainian: "Червона Україна") was an Admiral Nakhimov-class light cruiser of the Soviet Navy assigned to the Black Sea Fleet. During World War II, she supported Soviet forces during the Sieges of Odessa and Sevastopol before being sunk at Sevastopol on 12 November 1941 by German aircraft. She was raised in 1947 and was used as a training hulk before becoming a target ship in 1950.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_cruiser_Chervona_Ukraina
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Sevastopol_(1941–42)


1942 - Lt. Cmdr. Bruce McCandless displays superb initiative by assuming command of the USS San Francisco (CA 38) during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal after all other personnel on the navigating and signal bridges were rendered unconscious, killed, or wounded. McCandless boldy continues to engage the enemy, leading the San Francisco to victory

Bruce McCandless I (August 12, 1911 – January 24, 1968) was an officer of United States Navy who received the Medal of Honor during World War II for his heroism on board USS San Francisco, during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, November 13, 1942. He retired with the rank of Rear Admiral. McCandless was the father of NASA astronaut, CAPT Bruce McCandless II, USN (Ret). Additionally, Admiral McCandless was the great-grandson of David Colbert McCanles of the Rock Creek Station, Nebraska shoot-out with Wild Bill Hickok. After that, the McCanles family changed its name to McCandless and moved to Florence, Colorado.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_McCandless
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_San_Francisco_(CA-38)


1943 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt embarks on USS Iowa (BB 61) to attend the Allied conferences at Tehran, Iran, and Cairo.

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


1943 - PB4Y-1 (VB-103) sinks German submarine U-508 in the Bay of Biscay. Prior to this, U-508 sank 14 Allied vessels, including the American merchant SS Nathaniel Hawthorne Nov. 7, 1942.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_submarine_U-508

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
13 November 1769 – Launch of HMS Royal Oak, a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal-Oak-class, at Plymouth.


HMS Royal Oak was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 13 November 1769 at Plymouth.
She fought at the Battle of the Chesapeake in 1781.
Royal Oak was converted for use as a prison ship in 1796, and was broken up in 1815.


Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plan with stern board outline, sheer lines, and modified longitudinal half-breadth proposed (and approved) for 'Royal Oak' (1810), and later for 'Hector' (1774), 'Sultan' (1775), and 'Vengeance' (1774), all 74-gun Third Rate, two-deckers.
Read more at http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/80604.html#TOq2xMHO0evSLtSa.99

Class and type: Royal Oak-class ship of the line
Tons burthen: 1606 21⁄94 (bm)
Length: 168 ft 6 in (51.36 m) (gundeck)
Beam: 46 ft 9 in (14.25 m)
Depth of hold: 20 ft (6.1 m)
Sail plan:Full rigged ship
Armament:

• 74 guns:
• Gundeck: 28 × 32 pdrs
• Upper gundeck: 28 × 18 pdrs
• Quarterdeck: 14 × 9 pdrs
• Forecastle: 4 × 9 pdrs

The Royal Oak-class ships of the line were a class of six 74-gun third rates, designed for the Royal Navy by Sir John Williams. The Alfred class were an enlarged version of the Royal Oak class.


Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the framing profile (disposition) for 'Royal Oak' (1769), a 74-gun Third Rate, two-decker.
Read more at http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/80605.html#AkRCq777BvsCHxFh.99

Ships

• HMS Royal Oak

Builder: Plymouth Dockyard
Ordered: 16 November 1765
Launched: 13 November 1769
Fate: Broken up, 1815

• HMS Conqueror

Builder: Plymouth Dockyard
Ordered: 12 October 1768
Laid Down: October 1769
Launched: 18 October 1773
Completed for Sea: 12 July 1777
Fate: Broken up, November 1794

• HMS Bedford

Builder: Woolwich Dockyard
Ordered: 12 October 1768
Launched: 27 October 1775
Fate: Broken up, 1817

• HMS Hector

Builder: Adams, Deptford
Ordered: 14 January 1771
Launched: 27 May 1774
Fate: Broken up, 1816

• HMS Vengeance

Builder: Randall, Rotherhithe
Ordered: 14 January 1771
Launched: 25 June 1774
Fate: Broken up, 1816


The Vengeance of 74 Guns sailing from Martinique with a fresh breeze; engraving, coloured

• HMS Sultan

Builder: Barnard, Harwich
Ordered: 14 January 1771
Launched: 23 December 1775
Fate: Broken up, 1816


Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the inboard profile, with the alterations to the quarterdeck, for 'Royal Oak' (1769), a 74-gun Third Rate, two-decker building at Plymouth Dockyard.
Read more at http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/80606.html#R2uTrckT2v8tTMYD.99



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Royal_Oak_(1769)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Oak-class_ship_of_the_line
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collec...el-344838;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=R

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
13 November 1783 - Launch of HMS Thunderer, a 74-gun Culloden-class ship of the line of the Royal Navy


HMS Thunderer was a ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built in 1783. It carried 74-guns, being classified as a third rate. During its service it took part in several prominent naval battles of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars; including the Glorious First of June, the Battle of Cape Finisterre and the Battle of Trafalgar.


Scale 1:48. Plan showing the body plan, sheer lines, and longitudinal half-breadth for 'Thunderer' (1783), 'Terrible' (1785), 'Venerable' (1784), 'Victorious' (1785), 'Theseus' (1786), 'Ramillies' (1785), and 'Hannibal' (1786), all 74-gun Third Rate, two-deckers. The plan also records alterations dated January 1813 for cutting down 74-gun Third Rates to Frigates, relating specifically to 'Majestic' (1785), 'Resolution' (1770), and 'Culloden' (1783), all 74-gun Third Rate, two-deckers. Only the 'Majestic' was cut down to a 58-gun Fourth Rate, as the other two were broken up in 1813.
Read more at http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/80760.html#K7sE6U7BZK0c4y0y.99

Class and type: Culloden-class ship of the line
Tons burthen: 1,679 (bm)
Length: 170 ft 8 in (52.02 m) (gundeck)
Beam: 47 ft 7 in (14.50 m)
Depth of hold: 19 ft 11 in (6.07 m)
Sail plan: Full rigged ship
Complement: about 600
Armament:

• Gundeck: 28 × 32-pounder guns
• Upper gundeck: 28 × 18-pounder guns
• Quarterdeck: 14 × 9-pounder guns
• Forecastle: 4 × 9-pounder guns

History
Thunderer was built by the Wells brother's shipyard in Rotherhithe and launched on 13 November 1783. After completion, she was laid up until 1792, when she underwent a 'Middling Repair' to bring her into service in 1793.

In 1794 she fought at the Glorious First of June under Captain Albemarle Bertie, and from 1796 to 1801 served in the West Indies, under a succession of captains. During this period, under Captain Pierre Flasse, Thunderer fought at the Battle of Jean-Rabel in which she and HMS Valiant forced the crew of the French frigate Harmonie to scuttle their vessel to prevent her capture.

On 15 October, Melampus and Latona, and later Orion and Thalia, and later still Pomone and Concorde, chased two French frigates, the Tartu and Néréide, 50-gun frigate Forte and the brig-aviso (or corvette) Éveillé. The British ships had to give up on the frigates due to the closeness of the shore. However, Pomone and Thunderer, which had joined the chase, were able to take the Eveillé, of 18 guns, and 100 men. The French force had been out for 60 days and had captured 12 West Indiamen, two of which, Kent and Albion, the British had already recaptured. Pomone and her squadron had recaptured Kent on 9 October. Orion recaptured Albion. Warren's squadron returned to England in December with the remnants of the expedition to Quiberon Bay.

In mid-1799 Thunderer was part of a British squadron that detained the schooner Pegasus. Pegasus had been flying an American flag and was carrying 68 slaves from Jamaica to Havana. Her captors sent Pegasus into the Bahamas where they were sold in late June and early July. The advertisements for the sales gave the origins of the slaves as Martinique, suggesting that Pegasus had been carrying false papers.

On 10 October 1800, Thunderer rescued the crew of Diligence which had struck a reef off the north coast of Cuba. The British set fire to Diligence as they left. It turned out that she had hit an uncharted shoal near Rio Puercos.

Thunderer was recommissioned in 1803, and in 1805 she fought in Admiral Calder's fleet at the Battle of Cape Finisterre. Her captain, William Lechmere, returned to England to attend a court-martial as a witness to the events of Admiral Calder's action off Cape Finisterre at the time of the battle.

Later that year she fought at the Battle of Trafalgar under the command of her First Lieutenant, John Stockham. The surgeon on board was Scotsman James Marr Brydone, who was the first of the main British battle fleet to sight the Franco-Spanish fleet. Thunderer signalled the Victory and three minutes later battle orders were signalled to the British fleet beginning the Battle of Trafalgar.

On 25 November, Thunderer detained the Ragusan ship Nemesis, of 350 tons (bm), four guns and 18 men, Poulovich, master. Nemesis was sailing from Isle de France to Leghorn, Italy, with a cargo of spice, indigo dye, and other goods. Thunderer shared the prize money with ten other British warships.

In 1807, Thunderer served in the Dardanelles Operation as part of a squadron under Admiral Sir John Duckworth and was badly damaged when the squadron withdrew from the area. However, she accompanied Duckworth on the Alexandria expedition of 1807, and in May left Alexandria for Malta, where she was provisioned and repaired over a period of 30 days.

She was decommissioned in November 1808 and broken up in March 1814.

It is reputed that some of her timbers were re-used to build Christ Church, Totland on the Isle of Wight, whilst others were used in the construction of the lych gate at St. Nicolas' Church at North Stoneham near Eastleigh


Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the framing profile (disposition) for Bombay Castle (1782), Powerful (1783), Defiance (1783), and Thunderer (1783), all 74-gun Third Rate, two-deckers. The Thunderer (1783) is included in this design prior to the name being used for a ship in the Culloden/Thunder class of 1769. The plan is signed by John Williams (Surveyor of the Navy, 1765-1784).
Read more at http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/80622.html#0lIPuzTDvzA8g7lu.99

The Culloden-class ships of the line were a class of eight 74-gun third rates, designed for the Royal Navy by Sir Thomas Slade. The Cullodens were the last class of 74 Slade designed before his death in 1771.

Ships

• HMS Culloden

Builder: Deptford Dockyard
Ordered: 30 November 1769
Launched: 18 May 1776
Fate: Wrecked, 1781

• HMS Thunderer

Builder: Wells, Rotherhithe
Ordered: 23 August 1781
Launched: 13 November 1783
Fate: Broken up, 1814

• HMS Venerable

Builder: Perry, Wells & Green, Blackwall Yard
Ordered: 9 August 1781
Launched: 19 April 1784
Fate: Wrecked, 1804


The Battle of Camperdown, 11 October 1797 by Thomas Whitcombe, painted 1798, showing the British flagship Venerable (flying the Blue Ensign from her stern) engaged with the Dutch flagship Vrijheid.

• HMS Terrible

Builder: Wells, Rotherhithe
Ordered: 13 December 1781
Launched: 28 March 1785
Fate: Broken up, 1836

• HMS Victorious

Builder: Perry, Blackwall Yard
Ordered: 28 December 1781
Launched: 27 April 1785
Fate: Broken up, 1803

• HMS Ramillies

Builder: Randall, Rotherhithe
Ordered: 19 June 1782
Launched: 12 July 1785
Fate: Broken up, 1850

• HMS Hannibal

Builder: Perry, Blackwall Yard
Ordered: 19 June 1782
Launched: 15 April 1786
Fate: Captured, 1801


HMS Hannibal (left foreground) lies aground and dismasted at the Battle of Algeciras Bay.

• HMS Theseus

Builder: Perry, Blackwall Yard
Ordered: 11 July 1780
Launched: 25 September 1786
Fate: Broken up, 1814



Scale 1:48. Plan showing the inboard profile for 'Thunderer' (1783), a 74-gun Third Rate, two-decker, building at Deptford by Mr Wells. Copies were sent to various yards for building the 'Terrible' (1785), 'Venerable' (1784), 'Victorious' (1785), 'Theseus' (1786), 'Ramillies' (1785), and 'Hannibal' (1786). The plan also records the alterations to the upper deck gun ports and channels for cutting the 74-gun Third Rates down to Frigates.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Thunderer_(1783)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culloden-class_ship_of_the_line
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collec...el-354109;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=T

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
13 October or November 1800 - HMS Milbrook (1798 - 18), Lt. Matthew Smith, captured French privateer Bellone (36) whilst escorting a convoy off Oporto. She afterwards escaped using sweeps when Milbrook could not take possession due to damage sustained.


HMS Milbrook (or Millbrook) was one of six vessels built to an experimental design by Sir Samuel Bentham. After the Royal Navy took her into service in her decade-long career she took part in one notable single-ship action and captured several privateers and other vessels, all off the coast of Spain and Portugal. She was wrecked on the Portuguese coast in 1808.


lines & profile NMM, Progress Book, volume 5, folio 656, states that 'Arrow' arrived at Portsmouth Dockyard on 28 September 1796 and was docked on 4 October. She sailed having been fitted on 25 February 1797. She was further refitted between January and April 1798. NMM, Progress Book, volume 5, folio 656, states that 'Dart; arrived at Portsmouth Dockyard on 18 October 1796 and was docked on 20 November. She sailed having been fitted on 27 February 1797. She was further refitted at Portsmouth between June and December 1797.


Design
Hobbs & Hellyer built six vessels to Bentham's design. Milbrook was a somewhat smaller version of his Dart-class vessels (Dart and Arrow), and of another schooner, Netley. Bentham's designs featured little sheer, negative tumblehome, a large-breadth to length ratio with structural bulkheads, and sliding keels. They were also virtually double-ended.

Type: Experimental design
Tonnage: 148 (bm)
Length:

• 81 ft 8 1⁄2 in (24.9 m) (overall)
• 57 ft 6 in (17.5 m) (keel)

Beam: 21 ft 0 in (6.4 m)
Depth of hold :9 ft 8 in (2.9 m)
Sail plan: Schooner
Complement: 50
Armament: 16 x 18-pounder carronades; later 12

Inboard profile plan NMM, Progress Book, volume 5, folio 656, states that 'Arrow' arrived at Portsmouth Dockyard on 28 September 1796 and was docked on 4 October. She sailed having been fitted on 25 February 1797. She was further refitted between January and April 1798. NMM, Progress Book, volume 5, folio 656, states that 'Dart; arrived at Portsmouth Dockyard on 18 October 1796 and was docked on 20 November. She sailed having been fitted on 27 February 1797. She was further refitted at Portsmouth between June and December 1797.
Read more at http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/83325.html#lLDYkUauWY5T2Zia.99

Career
French Revolutionary Wars
Lieutenant Matthew Smith commissioned Milbrook in December 1798, She was re-rated as a gunvessel in 1799. In February 1800 Smith wrote that the Barrack-master-general (General Oliver de Lancey) had ordered that she continue to serve the board he headed because she was "extremely fast, in all weathers a good sea-boat, tight as a bottle."[2] Still, she received coppering at Portsmouth in April 1800.

Milbrook was part of Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren's squadron and so entitled to share in the proceeds from the squadron's cutting out of the French privateer Guêppe on 30 August from Vigo Bay.

A violent gust of wind drove the frigate Stag on shore on 6 September in Vigo Bay. There was no loss of life, due in large part to Milbrook, which rescued many survivors. Stag's officers blew her up to prevent the French salvaging anything useful, and her crew were distributed amongst the fleet.

On 26 September Milbrook captured the American brig Atlas, while Atlas was sailing between Vigo and Seville.

Milbrook and Bellone
Some two weeks later, on 13 October, Milbrook engaged a French privateer in a notable but ultimately indecisive action. Milbrook was lying becalmed off Oporto when she sighted a strange sail, apparently a French 36-gun frigate. Smith was escorting two brigs of the Newfoundland fleet and there were other vessels, possibly of that fleet, in the offing. To protect the merchantmen Milbrook sailed to intercept the enemy vessel.

The action began at 8 a.m. and lasted until nearly 10 a.m., in almost complete calm, until the French vessel struck. However, Milbrook's rigging was so badly cut and her boats holed, that she was unable to take possession of her prize; seeing this, when a light breeze came up the French vessel used her sails and sweeps to escape. In the action Milbrook had ten of her carronades dismounted, and had 12 men (out of a crew of 47) wounded. At one point Milbrook had only three carronades firing as she used her sweeps to change her position and had to endure the raking fire from her opponent for 15 minutes. Milbrook was so damaged that she had to be towed into the Tagus.

Later accounts reveal that the French vessel was the privateer Bellone, of Bordeaux. The reports credit Milbrook with having her carronades fixed on the non-recoil principle (i.e., fixed to the vessel so that the vessel absorbs the recoil and the cannons did not have to be run out before firing again), enabling Milbrook to fire 11 broadsides before the French vessel could fire three. Bellone had to put into Vigo and reports from there suggested that she had suffered 20 men killed, and her first and second captains and 45 men wounded, out of a crew of 220-260 men. Bellone had been armed with twenty-four 8-pounder guns and six or eight 36-pounder carronades.

As a reward for his gallantry Smith received promotion to Commander. Also, the British factory of Oporto voted him their thanks, and presented him with a piece of silver plate worth £50.

Smith was still in command, and off Spain, on 19 December when Milbrook captured the Spanish privateer lugger Barcelo.

At some point in 1800, Milbrook shared with Hussar and Loire in the capture of the Francoise, and the recapture of the Princess Charlotte.

In February 1801 Lieutenant Mauritius Adolphus Newton de Starck, who signed his name as Newton Starck, replaced Smith in command of Milbrook. On 15 September Milbrook was off Cape Montego when she sighted a Spanish privateer. After a long chase, Milbrook captured the Baptista, of eight guns, which was carrying a valuable cargo of English prize butter from Vigo to Seville.

On 6 September Milbrook was at Plymouth awaiting carry dispatches to Rear-Admiral Sir James Saumarez, and the garrison at Gibraltar. Two days later Milbrook left for Portsmouth, on her way to the fleet off Cadiz.

Milbrook returned to Portsmouth from Lisbon on 22 August 1802. She was paid off and Starck recommissioned her on 31 October in Portsmouth.


bulkhead NMM, Progress Book, volume 5, folio 656, states that 'Arrow' arrived at Portsmouth Dockyard on 28 September 1796 and was docked on 4 October. She sailed having been fitted on 25 February 1797. She was further refitted between January and April 1798. NMM, Progress Book, volume 5, folio 656, states that 'Dart; arrived at Portsmouth Dockyard on 18 October 1796 and was docked on 20 November. She sailed having been fitted on 27 February 1797. She was further refitted at Portsmouth between June and December 1797.
Read more at http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/83330.html#jYUEWkYg3sFwlzot.99

Napoleonic wars
By July 1803 Milbrook had assumed her station off Dunkirk in company with Lynx and Basilisk. On 11 August Milbrook convoyed 50 vessels from Portsmouth to the Downs.

August–September she was in pursuit of a strange vessel when she grounded on Kentish Knocke. She lay there for some seven hours with the sea breaking over her before she was able to free herself. Subsequently, J. Helby, foreman of shipwrights, wrote that she had survived without any damage shocks that would bilge most other vessels.

On 28 October 1803, Milbrook and Merlin were off Dunkirk when they pursued and drove on shore the French privateer lugger Sept Freres. Sept Freres was armed with two guns and had a crew of 30 men under the command of Citizen Pollet. Milbrook anchored close to the lugger and came under fire from some field guns on shore. Though she took some hits, the British suffered no casualties. Head money was finally paid in May 1827.

On 28 March 1804 Milbrook and Starck sailed with a number of other vessels for the Boulogne station. Lieutenant John C. Carpenter was appointed to Milbrook on 30 April, and in May replaced Starck. On 3 June Milbrook and an armed ship sailed from Portsmouth to cruise off Calais. She returned to Deal on 22 July, having lost cables and anchors. Milbrook arrived at Portsmouth from the Downs on 24 August. she sailed on 17 September with the gun-brigs Attack and Steady to escort the Newfoundland fleet to Poole, where Wolf would relieve them.

On 6 May 1805 Milbrook captured the Spanish privateer lugger Travela, of three guns and 40 men, off Oporto. Travela had the day before captured a brig carrying wine from Oporto. Carpenter suspected that Travela had sent the brig to Vigo, so he sailed there. On the morning of 9 May he intercepted the British brig Stork in the Bayona Islands (Baiona) outside Vigo. Stork, which was carrying salt, had been part of the Newfoundland convoy when the 12-gun Spanish privateer brig Fenix had captured her a month earlier. The vessel Travela had captured may have been the Constantia, Luftman, master, which had just left Oporto for Belfast.

In early June the Portuguese vessel Rosalie, which Milbrook had detained as Rosalie was sailing from Lisbon to Nantes, arrived in Plymouth.

On 18 May 1806, Milbrook was escorting John, Lothringen, master, from Lisbon to Oporto when they encountered a French 74-gun ship and a frigate off the Berlengas (known to the British as the Burlings). The French vessels captured John, but Milbrook escaped.

In September Carpenter resigned from Milbrook, and Lieutenant James Leach replaced him in command. On 30 August 1807, Milbrook recaptured the brig Badger, of Dublin. A little over two weeks later, on, 17 September, Milbrook, in company with the letter of marque Ceres, captured the Danish brig Kraben. Kraben was condemned to the Crown.

On 26 October, Tsar Alexander I of Russia declared war on Great Britain. The official news did not arrive there until 2 December, at which time the British declared an embargo on all Russian vessels in British ports. Milbrook was one of some 70 vessels that shared in the seizure of the 44-gun Russian frigate Speshnoy (Speshnyy), then in Portsmouth harbour. The British seized the Russian storeship Wilhelmina (Vilghemina) at the same time. The Russian vessels were carrying the payroll for Vice-Admiral Dmitry Senyavin's squadron in the Mediterranean.

The British consul at Oporto, and the factory, both wrote letters of thanks to Leach for his services to the British trade with Oporto and the factory gave him a piece of plate worth £50.


Upper deck plan NMM, Progress Book, volume 5, folio 656, states that 'Arrow' arrived at Portsmouth Dockyard on 28 September 1796 and was docked on 4 October. She sailed having been fitted on 25 February 1797. She was further refitted between January and April 1798. NMM, Progress Book, volume 5, folio 656, states that 'Dart; arrived at Portsmouth Dockyard on 18 October 1796 and was docked on 20 November. She sailed having been fitted on 27 February 1797. She was further refitted at Portsmouth between June and December 1797.
Read more at http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/83328.html#hFJ26lqVeG8FXQxQ.99

Fate
Milbrook arrived off Berlenga Grande Island in the Burlings on 24 March 1808 and anchored. While she was changing to a better position a squall struck her and drove her onto a reef. Her crew hauled her off and into clear water where she rode out the night. However, at 8a.m. the next morning, her cable fasteners gave way and she was again driven on the rocks, where she bilged. She quickly fell on her side and was lost. The crew was saved.

At the subsequent court martial the letters from Oporto were read into evidence, and the court martial not only exonerated Leach but "deemed his conduct highly meritorious and praiseworthy". His officers and crew presented him with a sword worth 50 guineas as a token of their esteem. He next captained the hired armed lugger Black Joke on a special service to the Spanish coast before taking command of the bomb vessel Desperate on the Downs station.


The plate represents the sloop 'Dart', commanded by Captain P. Campbell in the act of boarding and taking the French frigate 'La Desiree'. 'Dart' is in the centre of the picture. Inscribed: "Capture of La Desiree - July 7th 1800."
Read more at http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/109789.html#EF6o1UIe1UZiJDwp.99


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Milbrook_(1798)
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collec...el-306359;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=D

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
13 November 1809 – Birth of John A. Dahlgren, American admiral (d. 1870)


John Adolphus Bernard Dahlgren (November 13, 1809 – July 12, 1870) was a United States Navy officer who founded his service's Ordnance Department and launched major advances in gunnery.

Dahlgren was born on November 13, 1809, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Bernhard Ulrik Dahlgren, a merchant and Swedish Consul in the city.


Rear Admiral Dahlgren, on board the USS Pawnee, beside a 50-pounder Dahlgren rifle (one of his bottle-shaped cast-iron cannons), c. 1864.

Dahlgren devised a smoothbore howitzer, adaptable for many sizes of craft as well as shore installations. He then introduced a cast-iron muzzle-loading cannon with vastly increased range and accuracy, known as the Dahlgren gun, that became the Navy's standard armament.

In the Civil War, Dahlgren was made Commander of the Washington Navy Yard, where he established the Bureau of Ordnance. In 1863, he took command of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron at the rank of Rear Admiral, and helped William Tecumseh Sherman secure Savannah, Georgia.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_A._Dahlgren

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
13 November 1816 - HMS Tay (18), Cptn. Samuel Roberts, wrecked in Gulf of Mexico off the Yucatan coast.


HMS Tay was launched on 28 November 1813 at Bucklers Hard as a 20-gun sixth-rate post ship. She had a brief career, notable only for her the circumstances surrounding her wrecking in the Gulf of Mexico off the Yucatán coast on 11 November 1816.


Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plan, sheer lines, and longitudinal half-breadth proposed (and approved) for Levant (1813), Cyrus (1813), Medina (1813), Carron (1813), Cyrene (1814), Falmouth (1814), Hind (1814), Slaney (1813), Lee (1814), Spey (1814), Esk (1813), Leven (1813), Erne (1813), Larne (1814), Tay (1813), and Bann (1814), all 20-gun Sixth Rates, later re-classed as Sloops. The plan includes a note relating to alterations to the rudder for Medina and Carron, dated April 1814. A later annotation dated 1818 refers to fitting Leven with a quarterdeck and forecastle.
Read more at http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/83771.html#UJVFHtDG8zUZuWOR.99

Class and type: Cyrus-class post ship
Tons burthen: 455 12⁄94 (bm)
Length:

• 115 ft 8 1⁄2 in (35.3 m) (gundeck)
• 97 ft 2 5⁄8 in (29.6 m) (keel)

Beam: 29 ft 10 in (9.1 m)
Depth of hold: 8 ft 6 1⁄8 in (2.6 m)
Sail plan: Full rigged ship
Complement: 135
Armament:

• 20 × 32-pounder carronades
• 2 × 6-pounder chase guns

Career
On her launch Tay went into Ordinary at Portsmouth. Then in October to November 1814 she underwent fitting for sea. Captain William Robilliard commissioned her in August 1814. In January–February 1815 Tay underwent modification at Portsmouth. Captain Robert Boyle assumed command in February.

On 26 June, Panther, Gezoline, master, arrived at Plymouth as a prize to Conway, Musquito, Acteon, Tay, and Prometheus. Panther had been sailing from Martinique to Dunkirk when the British captured her.

Commander Samuel Roberts was promoted to post captain on 13 June 1815 and replaced Boyle in command of Tay on 24 January 1816.[Note 1] Roberts then sailed Tay to the Jamaica Station.


section, midship (ZAZ3995)
Read more at http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/83786.html#3PPpKD8tA24GIhyb.99

Loss
Tay was sailing from Havana to Campeche, Mexico, when at 1 a.m. 11 November lookouts spotted breakers ahead, even though a sounding a few minutes earlier had found no ground at 20 fathoms. Although the helmsman was able to turn her, Tay slammed broadside into a coral reef; she slammed twice more before heeling over and filling with water. The crew fired distress guns, cut away her masts, launched boats, and manned the pumps. Daylight showed a rocky reef nearby. However, in trying to reach it the boats swamped, causing one passenger, a Spaniard, to drown. Eventually the crew were able to use a raft to reach the rocks while hauling a hawser that the rest of the crew then used to escape the wreck. The next day the crew used the boats to salvage provisions and stores from the wreck and establish a camp on a nearby island. Lieutenant Henry Smithwick then sailed Tay's yawl to the mainland in search of help.

On 18 November the Spanish guarda costa Valencey, Captain Varines, arrived, together with the schooner Zaragozana. After the Spaniards had verified that all the crew were safely on the island, they proceeded to demand, at gunpoint, that Captain Roberts and his crew surrender and deliver over their arms and any specie on board Tay. Roberts surrendered, declaring he and his men "prisoners of war", a status the Spaniards acknowledged. They then proceeded to loot Tay of her stores and provisions. The Spaniards also recovered about $350,000 in specie. (An early report of her loss stated that Tay had $2 million in specie on board.) Zaragozana then took off Tay's complement.

Tay had struck on the east side of Scorpion Reef (Spanish: Arrecife Alacranes; 22°26′N 89°40′W), which surrounds a small group of islands. The reef and islands sit in the Gulf of Mexico off the northern coast of the state of Yucatán, Mexico, and are part of the Campeche Bank archipelago.


Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the framing profile (disposition) for Levant (1813), Cyrus (1813), Medina (1813), Carron (1813), Cyrene (1814), Falmouth (1814), Hind (1814), Slaney (1813), Lee (1814), Spey (1814), Esk (1813), Leven (1813), Erne (1813), Larne (1814), Tay (1813), and Bann (1814), all 20-gun Sixth Rates, later re-classed as Sloops.
Read more at http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/83772.html#cKo9OTt29pk3gh09.99

Court martial and aftermath
The Navy held a court martial for Roberts and his crew on Salisbury at Port Royal, Jamaica, on 21 February 1817. The trial lasted 18 days, not including Sundays, and covered three issues: the loss of Tay, the propriety of Roberts's surrender, and the behaviour of some of Tay's crew.

The court martial acquitted Roberts, his officers, and crew of any blame for the loss of Tay. It attributed the loss to a strong westerly current and stated that Roberts had taken every possible precaution. Furthermore, the board commend the officer of the watch, acting Lieutenant William Henry Gearey, for his prompt and officer-like conduct when the breakers were first discovered.

With respect to the surrender, the court martial again exonerated Roberts and his crew, saying:

that in consequence of the peculiar situation of the ship, her guns being entirely useless, her magazine drowned, the greater part of her crew on shore unarmed, on the island, eleven miles from the wreck, and the treacherous conduct of the Spaniards, in inveigling on board and taking possession of the boats and their crews, all and every means of defence was rendered impracticable; that in this distressed and helpless situation the conduct of the Spaniards became so decidedly hostile and insulting, that no other alternative was left for preserving the dignity of his Majesty's flag, but that of striking it, which was accordingly done, with the concurrence of every officer present; and the Court doth fully approve of Captain Roberts's conduct, and doth, therefore, acquit him, the officers, and crew, of all blame; and they are hereby acquitted accordingly."​

During the stay on the island there had been a notable breakdown in discipline among the crew. The court martial sentenced 14 sailors and marines to receive from 50 to 200 lashes for offenses ranging from drunkenness to looting of the wreck. Midshipman Hilkitch Head was found guilty of breaking into cabins and rifling them for papers and money. His sentence comprised two parts. First, he was taken to the quarterdeck of a naval vessel, stripped of his coat (and of his marks of rank), and discharged from the Navy. Second, he then was sentenced to six months in solitary confinement in the Marshalsea.

Aftermath
When Roberts departed for Britain, the merchants of Kingston, Jamaica, presented "an Address to him, expressive of the high respect they entertain of his character, their indignation at the dastardly conduct of the officer commanding the Spanish vessel sent to his assistance, their admiration of the judgment Captain R. displayed on that trying occasion, and their deep regret that the station had been deprived of his valuable services."

Roberts left for England on 17 March as captain of the transport Lady Hamilton. After his return to England, Roberts went on to Waterford, where he had been born. There some local notables gave him a testimonial dinner. On 31 January 1823 Roberts commissioned the sloop Egeria.[8] In her he cruised to the West Indies and Havana, returning to England in July 1825.

Reportedly, in October 1818 the Spanish returned the specie that they had looted from Tay.


The Cyrus-class sixth rates of the Royal Navy were a series of sixteen-flush decked sloops of war built to an 1812 design by Sir William Rule, the Surveyor of the Navy. The first nine ships of the class were launched in 1813 and the remaining seven in 1814. The vessels of the class served at the end of the Napoleonic War. They were built on the lines of HMS Hermes, which was based in turn on the French ship Bonne Citoyenne.

The Cyrus class was intended to be the counter to the new Frolic class ship-rigged sloops that were under construction for the United States Navy. No encounter took place between any vessel of the Frolic class and one of the Cyrus class, but HMS Levant was captured by the older American frigate USS Constitution.[1]

With the re-organisation of the rating system which took place in the Royal Navy effective from 1 January 1817, the Cyrus class flush-decked ships were re-classified as 20-gun sloops.




https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Tay_(1813)
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collec...el-352776;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=T

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
13 November 1901 – The 1901 Caister lifeboat disaster.

The Caister lifeboat disaster of 13 November 1901 occurred off the coast of Caister-on-Sea, Norfolk, England. It took place during what became known as the "Great Storm", which caused havoc down the east coasts of England and Scotland.



Disaster events
Poor weather conditions on 13 November contributed to the disaster. A gale created lashing rain and a heavy sea. Shortly after 11:00 PM, flares were seen from a vessel on the Barber sands. The Cockle light-ship fired distress signals to indicate a vessel in trouble. The crew of the lifeboat Beauchamp were alerted and an attempt was made to launch the lifeboat. The heavy seas washed the boat off her skids and she was hauled back up the beach for another attempt. The crew fought until 2:00 AM in the dark and cold with warp and tackle to get the lifeboat afloat.

After the launch most of the launching crew went home to change their wet clothing. James Haylett Sr, who had been the assistant coxwain for many years and was now 78 years old, remained on watch despite being wet through and having no food. He had two sons, a son-in-law, and two grandsons in the boat.

The coxwain steered towards the stricken vessel but the sea conditions forced the boat back towards the beach and she struck the beach bow first about 50 yards (46 m) from the launch point. The heavy sea struck the starboard quarter and capsized the boat, breaking off the masts and trapping the crew beneath the boat. Beauchamp was a Norfolk and Suffolk-class non-self-righting boat, 36 feet (11 m) in length, 10 1⁄2 feet (3.2 m) wide and weighing 5 long tons (5.1 t) without her gear. When fully crewed and equipped and with ballast tanks full she needed 36 men to bring her ashore.

The time was now around 3:00 AM. Frederick Henry Haylett returned to the lifeboat house after getting changed and alerted his grandfather James Haylett Sr to the cries coming from the boat. They ran to where Beauchamp lay keel up in the surf. James Haylett managed to pull his son-in-law Charles Knights from the boat. Frederick Haylett also ran into the surf and pulled John Hubbard clear. James Haylett returned to the water to pull his grandson Walter Haylett clear. These were the only survivors.

After the disaster
Eight bodies were subsequently recovered at the scene with another, that of Charles Bonney George, being washed away only to be recovered months later in April of the following year. The crewmen lost were Aaron Walter Haylett (Coxswain), James Haylett Jr (Late Cox), William Brown (Second Coxswain), Charles Brown, William Wilson, John Smith, George King, Charles George, and Harry Knights. Asked at the inquest to their deaths why the crew had persisted in the rescue, retired coxswain James Haylett said, "They would never give up the ship. If they had to keep at it 'til now, they would have sailed about until daylight to help her. Going back is against the rules when we see distress signals like that." This response was translated by journalists to become the famous phrase "Caister men never turn back"; "Never Turn Back" was later to become a motto of the RNLI. Haylett was subsequently awarded the RNLI Gold Medal in recognition of his gallantry and endurance.

The victims are all buried in Caister Cemetery, where a monument financed by public donation was raised to them in 1903.


Memorial to the lifeboatmen who died

Beauchamp
Following the disaster Beauchamp never returned to service and was abandoned in a boatyard before finally being broken up. Beauchamp, the cost of which was presented to the Institution by Sir Reginald Proctor Beauchamp, Bart, was placed on her station in 1892, and up to the time of the accident she had been launched to the aid of vessels in distress on 81 occasions and saved 146 lives; while the total number of lives which the lifeboats at Caister have saved during the past forty-three years is 1281, a 'record' as regards the lifeboat stations of the United Kingdom. The RNLI closed the lifeboat station in October 1969 after the Great Yarmouth and Gorleston lifeboat station received a fast 44 ft (13 m) Waveney-class lifeboat. The Caister Lifeboat station re-opened as an independently run lifeboat station, and continues to save lives today.





https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1901_Caister_lifeboat_disaster
http://www.caisterlifeboat.org.uk/

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
13 November 1941 – World War II: The aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal is torpedoed by U-81, sinking the following day.


HMS Ark Royal (pennant number 91) was an aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy that served during the Second World War.

Designed in 1934 to fit the restrictions of the Washington Naval Treaty, Ark Royal was built by Cammell Laird and Company Ltd. at Birkenhead, England, and completed in November 1938. Her design differed from previous aircraft carriers. Ark Royalwas the first ship on which the hangars and flight deck were an integral part of the hull, instead of an add-on or part of the superstructure. Designed to carry a large number of aircraft, she had two hangar deck levels. She served during a period that first saw the extensive use of naval air power; several carrier tactics were developed and refined aboard Ark Royal.


HMS Ark Royal in 1939, with Swordfish of 820 Naval Air Squadron passing overhead

Ark Royal served in some of the most active naval theatres of the Second World War. She was involved in the first aerial and U-boat kills of the war, operations off Norway, the search for the German battleship Bismarck, and the Malta Convoys. Ark Royal survived several near misses and gained a reputation as a 'lucky ship'. She was torpedoed on 13 November 1941 by the German submarine U-81 and sank the following day; one of her 1,488 crew members was killed. Her sinking was the subject of several inquiries; investigators were keen to know how the carrier was lost, in spite of efforts to save the ship and tow her to the naval base at Gibraltar. They found that several design flaws contributed to the loss, which were rectified in new British carriers.

The wreck was discovered in December 2002 by an American underwater survey company using sonar mounted on an autonomous underwater vehicle, under contract from the BBC for the filming of a documentary about the ship, at a depth of about 1000 metres and approximately 30 nautical miles (35 mi; 56 km) from Gibraltar.

Final voyage and sinking
On 10 November 1941, Ark Royal ferried more aircraft to Malta before returning to Gibraltar. Admiral Somerville had been warned of U-boats off the Spanish coast, and reminded Force H to be vigilant.[94] Also at sea was Friedrich Guggenberger's U-81, which had received a report that Force H was returning to Gibraltar.

On 13 November, at 15:40, the sonar operator aboard the destroyer Legion detected an unidentified sound, but assumed it was the propellers of a nearby destroyer. One minute later, Ark Royal was struck amidships by a torpedo, between the fuel bunkers and bomb store, and directly below the bridge island.[96] The explosion caused Ark Royal to shake, hurled loaded torpedo-bombers into the air, and killed Able Seaman Edward Mitchell. A 130-by-30-foot (39.6 m × 9.1 m) hole was created on the ship's bottom and on the starboard side below the water-line by the torpedo, which was judged to have run deep, striking the bilge keel where it detonated, inboard of the side protection system. The hit caused flooding of the starboard boiler room, main switchboard, oil tanks, and over 106 feet (32 m) of the ship's starboard bilge. The starboard power train was knocked out, causing the rear half of the ship to lose power, while communications were severed shipwide.


Legion moving alongside the damaged and listing Ark Royal to take off survivors

Immediately after the torpedo strike, Captain Maund ordered the engines to full stop, but discovered that communications were down and had to send a runner to the engine room.[99] The ship's continued motion enlarged the hole in the hull, and by the time Ark Royal stopped she had taken on a great deal of water and begun to list to starboard, reaching 18° from centre within 20 minutes. Considering the list of the carrier, and the fact that other carriers, including Courageous and Glorious, had sunk rapidly with heavy loss of life, Maund gave the order to abandon ship. The crew were assembled on the flight deck to determine who would remain on board to try to save the ship while Legion came alongside to take off the rest. As a result, comprehensive damage control measures were not initiated until 49 minutes after the attack. The flooding spread unchecked, exacerbated by covers and hatches left open during evacuation of the lower decks.

Water spread to the centreline boiler room, which started to flood from below, and power was lost shipwide when the boiler uptakes became choked; Ark Royal had no backup diesel generators. About half an hour after the explosion, the carrier appeared to stabilise. Admiral Somerville, determined to save Ark Royal, ordered damage control parties back to the carrier before taking the battleship Malaya to Gibraltar to organise salvage efforts. The damage control parties re-lit a boiler, restoring power to the bilge pumps. The destroyer Laforey came alongside to provide power and additional pumps, while Swordfish aircraft from Gibraltar flew overhead to supplement anti-submarine patrols. The tug Thames arrived from Gibraltar at 20:00 and attached a tow line to Ark Royal, but the flooding had caused the ship to list more severely. Rising water reached the boiler room fan flat, an uninterrupted compartment running the width of the ship. This forced the shutdown of the restored boiler.


Another photograph showing the degree of the list

The list reached 20° between 02:05 and 02:30, and when 'abandon ship' was declared again at 04:00, had reached 27°. Ark Royal's complement had been evacuated to Legion by 04:30; with the exception of Mitchell, there were no fatalities. The 1,487 officers and crew were transported to Gibraltar. The list reached 45° before Ark Royal capsized and sank at 06:19 on 14 November. Witnesses reported the carrier rolling to 90°, where she remained for three minutes before inverting. Ark Royal then broke in two, the aft sinking within a couple of minutes, followed by the bow.

Investigation
Following the sinking, a Board of Inquiry was established to investigate the loss. Based on its findings, Captain Loben Maund was court-martialled in February 1942 for negligence. He was found guilty on two counts of negligence: one of failing to ensure that properly constituted damage control parties had remained on board after the general evacuation, and one of failing to ensure the ship was in a sufficient state of readiness to deal with possible damage.[108] The board tempered their judgement with an acknowledgement that a high standard was being expected of Maund, and that he was primarily concerned with the welfare of his crew.

The Bucknill Committee, which had been set up to investigate the loss of major warships, also produced a report. This report said that the lack of backup power sources was a major design failure, which contributed to the loss: Ark Royal depended on electricity for much of her operation, and once the boilers and steam-driven dynamos were knocked out, the loss of power made damage control difficult. The committee recommended the design of the bulkheads and boiler intakes be improved to decrease the risk of widespread flooding in boiler rooms and machine spaces, while the uninterrupted boiler room flat was criticised. The design flaws were rectified in the Illustrious- and Implacable-class carriers, under construction at the time.

The Board of Inquiry closed its report with the observation that Ark Royal had sunk 22 nautical miles (25 mi; 41 km) east of Europa Point, the southernmost tip of Gibraltar. This was accepted as the wreck location for 60 years.

Rediscovery
The location of the wreck was undetermined until mid-December 2002, when the wreck was discovered by an underwater survey company, C & C Technologies, Inc, using a sonar-equipped autonomous underwater vehicle, 30 nautical miles (35 mi; 56 km) from Gibraltar, at about 1000 metres depth. The company had been contracted by the BBC as part of a documentary on maritime archaeology related to major battles of the Royal Navy. The Ark Royal wreck lies scattered across the seafloor; 20 metres (66 ft) of the bow is separate from the rest of the ship's hull. A large debris field, which includes the remains of the funnel and bridge island, parts of the ship that came loose as the carrier sank, and aircraft from the hangars, lay between the two hull sections. Analysis revealed that the port side of the ship hit the seabed first.

The wreck was found further east than expected. Researchers originally thought the wreck had been carried by currents farther into the Mediterranean as she sank – that the ship had travelled eastwards underwater before reaching the seabed. The presence near the hull pieces of other debris, including a Swordfish bomber that was tipped off the flight deck before the ship rolled, proved this false. If the current had pushed the hull pieces any significant distance sideways as they sank, debris would have been spread over a much wider area. It seems though that eastward currents had affected her progress towards Gibraltar during the time she was under tow.

Study of the wreck also showed that restarting the engines to provide power increased the stresses placed on the hull, adding to the flooding. Once power was then lost, it was impossible to prevent the ship from sinking — her fate was more the result of design flaws than of the actions of her captain.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Ark_Royal_(91)

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
12 - 15 November 1942 – World War II: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal between Japanese and American forces near Guadalcanal - Day 2 (13th)


First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, 13 November
Prelude


Guadalcanal locator map and close up
Abe's warship force assembled 70 nmi (81 mi; 130 km) north of Indispensable Strait and proceeded towards Guadalcanal on 12 November with an estimated arrival time for the warships of early morning of 13 November. The convoy of slower transport ships and 12 escorting destroyers, under the command of Raizō Tanaka, began its run down "The Slot" (New Georgia Sound) from the Shortlands with an estimated arrival time at Guadalcanal during the night of 13 November. In addition to the battleships Hiei (Abe's flagship) and Kirishima, Abe's force included the light cruiser Nagara and 11 destroyers (Samidare, Murasame, Asagumo, Teruzuki, Amatsukaze, Yukikaze, Ikazuchi, Inazuma, Akatsuki, Harusame, and Yūdachi). Three more destroyers (Shigure, Shiratsuyu, and Yūgure) would provide a rear guard in the Russell Islands during Abe's foray into the waters of "Savo Sound" around and near Savo Island off the north coast of Guadalcanal that would soon be nicknamed "Ironbottom Sound" as a result of this succession of battles and skirmishes. U.S. reconnaissance aircraft spotted the approach of the Japanese ships and passed a warning to the Allied command. Thus warned, Turner detached all usable combat ships to protect the troops ashore from the expected Japanese naval attack and troop landing and ordered the supply ships at Guadalcanal to depart by the early evening of 12 November. Callaghan was a few days senior to the more experienced Scott, and therefore was placed in overall command.

Callaghan prepared his force to meet the Japanese that night in the sound. His force consisted of two heavy cruisers (San Francisco and Portland), three light cruisers (Helena, Juneau, and Atlanta), and eight destroyers: Cushing, Laffey, Sterett, O'Bannon, Aaron Ward, Barton, Monssen, and Fletcher. Admiral Callaghan commanded from San Francisco.

During their approach to Guadalcanal, the Japanese force passed through a large and intense rain squall which, along with a complex formation plus some confusing orders from Abe, split the formation into several groups. The U.S. force steamed in a single column in Ironbottom Sound, with destroyers in the lead and rear of the column, and the cruisers in the center. Five ships had the new, far-superior SG radar, but Callaghan's deployment put none of them in the forward part of the column, nor did he choose one for his flagship. Callaghan did not issue a battle plan to his ship commanders.

Action


Approximate routes of Japanese force under Abe (red line) and U.S. force under Callaghan (black line) as they head towards each other early on 13 November. The green area marks the location of Henderson Field.

At about 01:25 on 13 November, in near-complete darkness due to the bad weather and dark moon, the ships of the Imperial Japanese force entered the sound between Savo Island and Guadalcanal and prepared to bombard Henderson Field with the special ammunition loaded for the purpose. The ships arrived from an unexpected direction, coming not down the slot but from the west side of Savo Island, thus entering the sound from the northwest rather than the north. Unlike their American counterparts, the Japanese sailors had drilled and practiced night fighting extensively, conducting frequent live-fire night gunnery drills and exercises. This experience would be telling in not only the pending encounter, but in several other fleet actions off Guadalcanal in the months to come.

Several of the U.S. ships detected the approaching Japanese on radar, beginning at about 01:24, but had trouble communicating the information to Callaghan due to problems with radio equipment, lack of discipline regarding communications procedures, and general inexperience in operating as a cohesive naval unit. Messages were sent and received but did not reach the commander in time to be processed and used. With his limited understanding of the new technology, Admiral Callaghan wasted further time trying to reconcile the range and bearing information reported by radar with his limited sight picture, to no avail. Lacking a modern Combat Information Center (CIC), where incoming information could be quickly processed and co-ordinated, the radar operator was reporting on vessels that were not in sight, while Callaghan was trying to coordinate the battle visually, from the bridge.

Several minutes after initial radar contact the two forces sighted each other, at about the same time, but both Abe and Callaghan hesitated ordering their ships into action. Abe was apparently surprised by the proximity of the U.S. ships, and with decks stacked with high explosive (rather than armor penetrating) munitions, was momentarily uncertain if he should withdraw to give his battleships time to rearm, or continue onward. He decided to continue onward. Callaghan apparently intended to attempt to cross the T of the Japanese, as Scott had done at Cape Esperance, but—confused by the incomplete information he was receiving, plus the fact that the Japanese formation consisted of several scattered groups—he gave several confusing orders on ship movements, and delayed too long in acting.

The U.S. ship formation began to fall apart, apparently further delaying Callaghan's order to commence firing as he first tried to ascertain and align his ships' positions. Meanwhile, the two forces' formations began to overlap as individual ship commanders on both sides anxiously awaited permission to open fire.


Position of Japanese and U.S. ships at 01:45 on 13 November

At 01:48, Akatsuki and Hiei turned on large searchlights and illuminated Atlanta only 3,000 yd (2,700 m) away—almost point-blank range for the battleship's main guns. Several ships on both sides spontaneously began firing, and the formations of the two adversaries quickly disintegrated. Realizing that his force was almost surrounded by Japanese ships, Callaghan issued the confusing order, "Odd ships fire to starboard, even ships fire to port", though no pre-battle planning had assigned any such identity numbers to reference, and the ships were no longer in coherent formation. Most of the remaining U.S. ships then opened fire, although several had to quickly change their targets to attempt to comply with Callaghan's order. As the ships from the two sides intermingled, they battled each other in an utterly confused and chaotic short-range mêlée in which superior Japanese optic sights and well-practiced night battle drill proved deadly effective. An officer on Monssen likened it afterwards to "a barroom brawl after the lights had been shot out".

At least six of the U.S. ships—including Laffey, O'Bannon, Atlanta, San Francisco, Portland, and Helena—fired at Akatsuki, which drew attention to herself with her illuminated searchlight. The Japanese destroyer was hit repeatedly and blew up and sank within a few minutes.

Perhaps because it was the lead cruiser in the U.S. formation, Atlanta was the target of fire and torpedoes from several Japanese ships—probably including Nagara, Inazuma, and Ikazuchi—in addition to Akatsuki. The gunfire caused heavy damage to Atlanta, and a type 93 torpedo strike cut all of her engineering power. The disabled cruiser drifted into the line of fire of San Francisco, which accidentally fired on her, causing even greater damage. Admiral Scott and many of the bridge crew were killed. Without power and unable to fire her guns, Atlanta drifted out of control and out of the battle as the Japanese ships passed her by. The lead U.S. destroyer, Cushing, was also caught in a crossfire between several Japanese destroyers and perhaps Nagara. She too was hit heavily and stopped dead in the water.

Hiei, with her nine lit searchlights, huge size, and course taking her directly through the U.S. formation, became the focus of gunfire from many of the U.S. ships. USS Laffey (DD-459) passed so close to Hiei that they missed colliding by 20 ft (6 m). Hiei was unable to depress her main or secondary batteries low enough to hit Laffey, but Laffey was able to rake the Japanese battleship with 5 in (127.0 mm) shells and machine gun fire, causing heavy damage to the superstructure and bridge, wounding Admiral Abe and killing his chief of staff. Abe was thus limited in his ability to direct his ships for the rest of the battle. Sterett and O'Bannon likewise fired several salvos into Hiei's superstructure from close range, and perhaps one or two torpedoes into her hull, causing further damage before both destroyers escaped into the darkness.


Battleship Hiei in 1942

Unable to fire her main or secondary batteries at the three destroyers causing her so much trouble, Hiei instead concentrated on San Francisco, which was passing by only 2,500 yd (2,300 m) away. Along with Kirishima, Inazuma, and Ikazuchi, the four ships made repeated hits on San Francisco, disabling her steering control and killing Admiral Callaghan, Captain Cassin Young, and most of the bridge staff. The first few salvos from Hiei and Kirishima consisted of the special fragmentation bombardment shells, which reduced damage to the interior of San Francisco and may have saved her from being sunk outright. Not expecting a ship-to-ship confrontation, it took the crews of the two enemy battleships several minutes to switch to armor-piercing ammunition, and San Francisco, almost helpless to defend herself, managed to momentarily sail clear of the melee. She had landed at least one shell in Hiei's steering gear room during the exchange, flooding it with water, shorting out her power steering generators, and severely inhibiting Hiei's steering capability. Helena followed San Francisco to try to protect her from further harm.

Two of the U.S. destroyers met a sudden demise. Either Nagara or the destroyers Teruzuki and Yukikaze came upon the drifting Cushing and pounded her with gunfire, knocking out all of her systems. Unable to fight back, Cushing's crew abandoned ship. Cushing sank several hours later. Laffey, having escaped from her engagement with Hiei, encountered Asagumo, Murasame, Samidare, and, perhaps, Teruzuki. The Japanese destroyers pounded Laffey with gunfire and then hit her with a torpedo which broke her keel. A few minutes later fires reached her ammunition magazines and she blew up and sank.
Portland—after helping sink Akatsuki—was hit by a torpedo from Inazuma or Ikazuchi, causing heavy damage to her stern and forcing her to steer in a circle. After completing her first loop, she was able to fire four salvos at Hiei but otherwise took little further part in the battle.

Yūdachi and Amatsukaze independently charged the rear five ships of the U.S. formation. Two torpedoes from Amatsukaze hit Barton, immediately sinking her with heavy loss of life. Amatsukaze turned back north and later also hit Juneau with a torpedo while the cruiser was exchanging fire with Yūdachi, stopping her dead in the water, breaking her keel, and knocking out most of her systems. Juneau then turned east and slowly crept out of the battle area.

Monssen avoided the wreck of Barton and steamed onward looking for targets. She was noticed by Asagumo, Murasame, and Samidare who had just finished blasting Laffey. They smothered Monssen with gunfire, damaging her severely and forcing the crew to abandon ship. The ship sank some time later.


Ironbottom Sound. The majority of the warship surface battle of 13 November took place in the area between Savo Island (center) and Guadalcanal (left).

Amatsukaze approached San Francisco with the intention of finishing her off. While concentrating on San Francisco, Amatsukaze did not notice the approach of Helena, which fired several full broadsides at Amatsukaze from close range and knocked her out of the action. The heavily damaged Amatsukaze escaped under cover of a smoke screen while Helena was distracted by an attack by Asagumo, Murasame, and Samidare.

Aaron Ward and Sterett, independently searching for targets, both sighted Yūdachi, which appeared unaware of the approach of the two U.S. destroyers. Both U.S. ships hit Yūdachi simultaneously with gunfire and torpedoes, heavily damaging the destroyer and forcing her crew to abandon ship. The ship did not sink right away, however. Continuing on her way, Sterett was suddenly ambushed by Teruzuki, heavily damaged, and forced to withdraw from the battle area to the east. Aaron Ward wound up in a one-on-one duel with Kirishima, which the destroyer lost with heavy damage. She also tried to retire from the battle area to the east but soon stopped dead in the water because the engines were damaged.

After nearly 40 minutes of brutal, close-quarters fighting, the two sides broke contact and ceased fire at 02:26, after Abe and Captain Gilbert Hoover (the captain of Helena and senior surviving U.S. officer) ordered their respective forces to disengage. Admiral Abe had one battleship (Kirishima), one light cruiser (Nagara), and four destroyers with only light damage and four destroyers with moderate damage. The U.S. had only one light cruiser (Helena) and one destroyer (Fletcher) that were still capable of effective resistance. Although perhaps unclear to Abe, the way was now clear for him to bombard Henderson Field and finish off the U.S. naval forces in the area, thus allowing the troops and supplies to be landed safely on Guadalcanal.

At this crucial juncture, Abe chose to abandon the mission and depart the area. Several reasons are conjectured as to why he made this decision. Much of the special bombardment ammunition had been expended in the battle. If the bombardment failed to destroy the airfield, then his warships would be vulnerable to CAF air attack at dawn. His own injuries and the deaths of some of his staff from battle action may have affected Abe's judgement. Perhaps he was also unsure as to how many of his or the U.S. ships were still combat-capable because of communication problems with the damaged Hiei. Furthermore, his own ships were scattered and would have taken some time to reassemble for a coordinated resumption of the mission to attack Henderson Field and the remnants of the U.S. warship force. For whatever reason, Abe called for a disengagement and general retreat of his warships, although Yukikaze and Teruzuki remained behind to assist Hiei. Samidare picked up survivors from Yūdachi at 03:00 before joining the other Japanese ships in the retirement northwards.


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

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
12 - 15 November 1942 – World War II: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal between Japanese and American forces near Guadalcanal - Day 2 (13th) - Part II


First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, 13 November

Aftermath


Hiei, trailing oil, is bombed by U.S. B-17 bombers from high altitude north of Savo Island on 13 November 1942.


Portland undergoing repairs in dry dock in Sydney, Australia, a month after the battle

At 03:00 on 13 November, Admiral Yamamoto postponed the planned landings of the transports, which returned to the Shortlands to await further orders.[66] Dawn revealed three crippled Japanese (Hiei, Yūdachi, and Amatsukaze), and three crippled U.S. ships (Portland, Atlanta, and Aaron Ward) in the general vicinity of Savo Island.[67] Amatsukaze was attacked by U.S. dive bombers but escaped further damage as she headed to Truk, and eventually returned to action several months later. The abandoned hulk of Yūdachi was sunk by Portland, whose guns were still functioning despite other damage to the ship. The tugboat Bobolink motored around Ironbottom Sound throughout the day of 13 November, assisting the damaged U.S. ships and rescuing U.S. survivors from the water.

Hiei was attacked repeatedly by Marine Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo planes from Henderson Field, Navy TBFs and Douglas SBD Dauntless dive-bombers from Enterprise, which had departed Nouméa on 11 November, and Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers of the United States Army Air Forces' 11th Bombardment Group from Espiritu Santo. Abe and his staff transferred to Yukikaze at 08:15. Kirishima was ordered by Abe to take Hiei under tow, escorted by Nagara and its destroyers, but the attempt was cancelled because of the threat of submarine attack and Hiei's increasing unseaworthiness. After sustaining more damage from air attacks, Hiei sank northwest of Savo Island, perhaps after being scuttled by her remaining crew, in the late evening of 13 November.

Portland, San Francisco, Aaron Ward, and Sterett were eventually able to make their way to rear-area ports for repairs. Atlanta, however, sank near Guadalcanal at 20:00 on 13 November. Departing from the Solomon Islands area with San Francisco, Helena, Sterett, and O'Bannon later that day, Juneau was torpedoed and sunk by Japanese submarine I-26 (9°11′10″S 159°53′42″ECoordinates:

9°11′10″S 159°53′42″E). Juneau's 100+ survivors (out of a total complement of 697) were left to fend for themselves in the open ocean for eight days before rescue aircraft belatedly arrived. While awaiting rescue, all but ten of Juneau's crew had died from their injuries, the elements, or shark attacks. The dead included the five Sullivan brothers.

Most historians appear to agree that Abe's decision to retreat represented a strategic victory for the United States. Henderson Field remained operational with attack aircraft ready to deter the slow Imperial transports from approaching Guadalcanal with their precious cargoes. Plus, the Japanese had lost an opportunity to eliminate the U.S. naval forces in the area, a result which would have taken even the comparatively resource-rich U.S. some time to recover from. Reportedly furious, Admiral Yamamoto relieved Abe of command and later directed his forced retirement from the military. However, it appears that Yamamoto may have been more angry over the loss of one of his battleships (Hiei) than he was over the abandonment of the supply mission and failure to completely destroy the U.S. force.[76] Shortly before noon, Yamamoto ordered Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondō, commanding the Second Fleet at Truk, to form a new bombardment unit around Kirishima and attack Henderson Field on the night of 14–15 November.

Including the sinking of Juneau, total U.S. losses in the battle were 1,439 dead. The Japanese suffered between 550 and 800 dead. Analyzing the impact of this engagement, historian Richard B. Frank states:

This action stands without peer for furious, close-range, and confused fighting during the war. But the result was not decisive. The self-sacrifice of Callaghan and his task force had purchased one night's respite for Henderson Field. It had postponed, not stopped, the landing of major Japanese reinforcements, nor had the greater portion of the (Japanese) Combined Fleet yet been heard from."​

Other actions, 13–14 November


Japanese heavy cruiser Kinugasa

Although the reinforcement effort to Guadalcanal was delayed, the Japanese did not give up trying to complete the original mission, albeit a day later than originally planned. On the afternoon of 13 November, Tanaka and the 11 transports resumed their journey toward Guadalcanal. A Japanese force of cruisers and destroyers from the 8th Fleet (based primarily at Rabaul and originally assigned to cover the unloading of the transports on the evening of 13 November) was given the mission that Abe's force had failed to carry out—the bombardment of Henderson Field. The battleship Kirishima, after abandoning its rescue effort of Hiei on the morning of 13 November, steamed north between Santa Isabel and Malaita Islands with her accompanying warships to rendezvous with Kondo's Second Fleet, inbound from Truk, to form the new bombardment unit.

The 8th Fleet cruiser force, under the command of Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa, included the heavy cruisers Chōkai, Kinugasa, Maya, and Suzuya, the light cruisers Isuzu and Tenryū, and six destroyers. Mikawa's force was able to slip into the Guadalcanal area uncontested, the battered U.S. naval force having withdrawn. Suzuya and Maya, under the command of Shōji Nishimura, bombarded Henderson Field while the rest of Mikawa's force cruised around Savo Island, guarding against any U.S. surface attack (which in the event did not occur). The 35-minute bombardment caused some damage to various aircraft and facilities on the airfield but did not put it out of operation. The cruiser force ended the bombardment around 02:30 on 14 November and cleared the area to head towards Rabaul on a course south of the New Georgia island group.


Kondo's bombardment force heads towards Guadalcanal during the day on 14 November. Photographed from the heavy cruiser Atago, the heavy cruiser Takao is followed by the battleship Kirishima.

At daybreak, aircraft from Henderson Field, Espiritu Santo, and Enterprise—stationed 200 nmi (230 mi; 370 km) south of Guadalcanal—began their attacks, first on Mikawa's force heading away from Guadalcanal, and then on the transport force heading towards the island. The attacks on Mikawa's force sank Kinugasa, killing 511 of her crew, and damaged Maya, forcing her to return to Japan for repairs.[85] Repeated air attacks on the transport force overwhelmed the escorting Japanese fighter aircraft, sank six of the transports, and forced one more to turn back with heavy damage (it later sank). Survivors from the transports were rescued by the convoy's escorting destroyers and returned to the Shortlands. A total of 450 army troops were reported to have perished. The remaining four transports and four destroyers continued towards Guadalcanal after nightfall of 14 November, but stopped west of Guadalcanal to await the outcome of a warship surface action developing nearby (see below) before continuing.

Kondo's ad hoc force rendezvoused at Ontong Java on the evening of 13 November, then reversed course and refueled out of range of Henderson Field's bombers on the morning of 14 November. The U.S. submarine Trout stalked but was unable to attack Kirishima during refueling. The bombardment force continued south and came under air attack late in the afternoon of 14 November, during which they were also attacked by the submarine Flying Fish, which launched five torpedoes (but scored no hits) before reporting its contact by radio.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Battle_of_Guadalcanal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_cruiser_Kinugasa
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Atlanta_(CL-51)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Juneau_(CL-52)

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
13 November 1942 – Death of Daniel J. Callaghan, American admiral (b. 1890)


Daniel Judson Callaghan (July 26, 1890 – November 13, 1942) was a United States Navy officer who received the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. In a career spanning just over 30 years, he served his country in two wars. He served on several ships during his first 20 years of service, including escort duties during World War I, and also filled some shore-based administrative roles. He later came to the attention of US President Franklin Roosevelt, who appointed Callaghan as his Naval Aide in 1938. A few years later, he returned to command duties during the early stages of World War II. Callaghan was killed by an enemy shell on the bridge of his flagship, USS San Francisco, during a surface action against a larger Japanese force off Savo Island. The battle ended in a strategic victory for the Allied side.



Early life
Callaghan was born on July 26, 1890, in San Francisco, California, the son of businessman Charles William Callaghan and Rose Wheeler Callaghan. The family was devout Roman Catholic. One of his younger brothers, William Callaghan(1897–1991), would later go on to a career in the US Navy as well. Both brothers studied at Saint Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco, the elder graduating in the class of 1907. He then graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1911. His first assignment was on board the armored cruiser USS California, in command of a turret with twin 8-inch (203 mm) guns. He was promoted to the rank of ensign on May 21, 1912.


USS Truxtun was Callaghan's second posting, and later became his first command


USS San Francisco off the Korean coast in 1945

His second assignment was on the destroyer USS Truxtun in mid-1913. He was promoted to lieutenant (junior grade) in May 1915. In his first few years of service, he developed a reputation as a conscientious sailor, noted for avoiding heavy alcohol consumption and regularly attending Mass. His dedication to naval gunnery also became apparent. Some years later, one of his captains, Joel Pringle, would write: "[Callaghan's] devotion to duty, sound judgment and ability to inspire loyalty in his subordinates have resulted in a constant and steady increase in the efficiency of the above mentioned batteries. At the recent battle practice of the Pacific Fleet in 5-inch guns, he made the largest percentage of hits of any ship of the Fleet."

During his first few years of naval service, Callaghan had been courting Mary Tormey of Oakland, California; the two married on July 23, 1914. Their son, Daniel Judson Callaghan Jr., was born in Alameda, California, on October 16, 1915.

In July 1915, Truxtun was on its way to Alaska when it broke down and was unable to continue its mission. Initially, the blame fell on Callaghan, who had apparently ordered incorrect parts for the condenser. He was suspended from duty and ordered to appear before a court-martial.[4] Subsequent investigation, however, found that another man was responsible for the error and Callaghan received a full acquittal and was reinstated. A few months later, he was appointed as commanding officer of Truxtun, but the stress of his trial appeared to have left its mark—at the age of 25 years, his hair had already turned gray.

World War I
Callaghan's next posting was to the cruiser USS New Orleans in November 1916. Following the entry of the United States into World War I, in April 1917, New Orleans escorted cargo ships crossing the Atlantic Ocean. It was at this time that he first met Ross McIntire, a surgeon, who would later have a significant impact on his career. According to biographer Francis Murphy, Callaghan played a pivotal role in the rescue of a disabled British ocean liner off the coast of Ireland: "Four times a hawser was hauled aboard the cruiser from the liner, that was about three times the cruiser's size, and four times the cable parted. The Captain was for abandoning the job. But not Dan. With superhuman strength and the full cooperation of his men, he finally secured the cable. For forty-eight hours the New Orleans stayed with the stricken vessel hauling it out of danger [and] finally handing it on to tugs from a North Ireland base."


USS Idaho during battle practice around 1930

Following the war, he settled in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. for two years with his wife and young son. During this time, he worked on reassignment of warrant and chief petty officers from the navy. Callaghan next served aboard the newly commissioned battleship USS Idaho, commencing in October 1920.[5] While his family moved back to Oakland, he began serving as a fire control officer on Idaho. He left Idaho in June 1923, returning to shore duties for two years before taking up the position of first lieutenant on the battleship USS Colorado in May 1925. Colorado transported a shipment of gold to Australia before returning to the United States in 1926. His next assignment was the position of gunnery officer, on board the battleship USS Mississippi. Captain Thomas Hart wrote of Callaghan: "I can scarcely report too favorably on this officer. He is excellent generally and particularly; and he looks and acts the part. As gunnery officer, he is being highly successful and I unhesitatingly recommend him for almost any detail."

Callaghan left Mississippi in July 1928 and worked in naval inspections for the next two years. He served as Aide to the Commander in Chief, US Fleet, and was promoted to the rank of commander in June 1931. He then served as executive officer of the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of California, Berkeley, before working on the cruiser USS Portland. In 1938, US President Franklin Roosevelt asked his physician, Ross McIntire, to recommend someone for the position of Naval Aide. McIntire recommended Callaghan, who was appointed to the role in July 1938 and would fill it for the next three years. He was promoted to the rank of captain in October 1938.

World War II
In May 1941, during the early stages of World War II, Roosevelt released Callaghan to take command of the cruiser USS San Francisco. Roosevelt wrote: "It is with great regret that I am letting Captain Callaghan leave as my Naval Aide. He has given every satisfaction and has performed duties of many varieties with tact and real efficiency. He has shown a real understanding of the many problems of the service within itself and in relationship to the rest of Government."

In April 1942, he was promoted to the rank of rear admiral and was appointed as chief of staff to the Commander, South Pacific Area and South Pacific Force Vice Admiral Robert L. Ghormley. In November, as commander of Task Group 67.4, he led US forces in an engagement off Savo Island during the Guadalcanal Campaign. During this battle, he was on the bridge of USS San Francisco when incoming enemy fire killed him and most of his command staff on November 13, 1942. At that time, he became the third US Navy admiral killed in action during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor posthumously for his efforts in this battle.

Following the explosion, Lieutenant Commander Bruce McCandless assumed operational command of San Francisco. Earlier in the battle, Rear Admiral Norman Scott had been killed, so two US commanders had now been lost, as well as several of their staff. Despite the deaths of so many senior officers, the battle ended in a strategic victory for the Allied side.

In hindsight, Callaghan was criticized for not putting his five ships that had the superior SG radar systems at the ends of his column, for not using one of them as his flagship, for directing the battle from his flagship's bridge instead of the radar plot, for not issuing his battle plans to his captains, and for issuing confusing orders during the battle. Analysis of the battle led to a rapid improvement in USN techniques for fighting in poor visibility, particularly in the adoption of combat information centers.

Callaghan was buried at sea. He was survived by his wife, Mary Tormey Callaghan, and son, Daniel Judson Callaghan Jr. (1915–2006). His brother William Callaghan would later become the first captain of the battleship USS Missouri, a vice admiral, and the first commander of the Military Sea Transportation Service.

By order of President Roosevelt, both Rear Admirals Callaghan and Scott were posthumously awarded the Navy version of the Medal of Honor.

Honors and awards
His decorations include: Prior to receiving the Medal of Honor, Callaghan had been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. Other awards to Admiral Callaghan include the World War I Victory Medal, the American Defense Service Medal and posthumous awards of the Purple Heart, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal and World War II Victory Medal.

Legacy
The US Navy has named two ships after Callaghan: USS Callaghan (DD-792) and USS Callaghan (DDG-994). The first ship was commissioned on November 27, 1943, and was sponsored by Callaghan's widow. It sank in late July, 1945, as the result of a kamikaze attack. The second ship was commissioned on August 29, 1981, one of a class named for the four American admirals killed in World War II, and sold to Taiwan just over 20 years later.

Callaghan's name is listed on Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines. Callaghan Hall at Officer Training Command, Newport, Rhode Island, is named in his honor. The Callaghan Fitness Center at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth Virginia is also named for him. A street, Admiral Callaghan Lane in Vallejo, California, is also named after him, and a monument in Lands End, San Francisco (including part of the bridge of USS San Francisco, where he died), honors him and his comrades.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_J._Callaghan

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
13 November 1942 - All five Sullivan brothers are lost when the USS Juneau (CL 52) is destroyed during the naval Battle of Guadalcanal.


The five Sullivan brothers were World War II sailors who, serving together on the light cruiser USS Juneau, were all killed in action on its sinking around November 13, 1942.

The five brothers, the sons of Thomas (1883–1965) and Alleta Sullivan (1895–1972) of Waterloo, Iowa, were:

• George Thomas Sullivan, 27 (born December 14, 1914), Gunner's Mate Second Class (George had been previously discharged in May 1941 as Gunner's Mate Third Class.)
• Francis Henry "Frank" Sullivan, 26 (born February 18, 1916), Coxswain (Frank had been previously discharged in May 1941 as Seaman First Class.)
• Joseph Eugene "Joe" Sullivan, 24 (born August 28, 1918), Seaman Second Class
• Madison Abel "Matt" Sullivan, 23 (born November 8, 1919), Seaman Second Class
• Albert Leo "Al" Sullivan, 20 (born July 8, 1922), Seaman Second Class

The Sullivan brothers on board USS Juneau; from left to right: Joe, Frank, Al, Matt, and George.


History

Wartime poster featuring the Sullivan brothers

The Sullivans enlisted in the US Navy on January 3, 1942, with the stipulation that they serve together. The Navy had a policy of separating siblings, but this was not strictly enforced. George and Frank had served in the Navy before, but their brothers had not. All five were assigned to the light cruiser USS Juneau.

Juneau participated in a number of naval engagements during the months-long Guadalcanal Campaign beginning in August 1942. Early in the morning of November 13, 1942, during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, Juneau was struck by a Japanese torpedo and forced to withdraw. Later that day, as it was leaving the Solomon Islands' area for the Allied rear-area base at Espiritu Santo with other surviving US warships from battle, the Juneau was struck again, this time by a torpedo from the Japanese submarine I-26. The torpedo likely hit the thinly armored light cruiser at or near the ammunition magazines and the ship exploded and quickly sank.

Captain Gilbert C. Hoover, commanding officer of the light cruiser USS Helena, and the senior officer present afloat (SOPA) , the battle-damaged US task force, was skeptical that anyone had survived the sinking of Juneau and believed it would be reckless to look for survivors, thereby exposing his wounded ships to a still-lurking Japanese submarine. Therefore, he ordered his ships to continue on towards Espiritu Santo. Helena signaled a nearby US B-17 bomber on patrol to notify Allied headquarters to send aircraft or ships to search for survivors.

But in fact, approximately 100 of Juneau's crew had survived the torpedo attack and the sinking of their ship and were left in the water. The B-17 bomber crew, under orders not to break radio silence, did not pass the message about searching for survivors to their headquarters until they had landed several hours later. The crew's report of the location of possible survivors was mixed in with other pending paperwork actions and went unnoticed for several days. It was not until days later that headquarters staff realized that a search had never been mounted and belatedly ordered aircraft to begin searching the area. In the meantime, Juneau's survivors, many of whom were seriously wounded, were exposed to the elements, hunger, thirst, and repeated shark attacks.

Eight days after the sinking, ten survivors were found by a PBY Catalina search aircraft and retrieved from the water. The survivors reported that Frank, Joe and Matt died instantly, Al drowned the next day, and George survived for four or five days,[1] before suffering from delirium as a result of hypernatremia (though some sources describe him being "driven insane with grief" at the loss of his brothers); he went over the side of the raft he occupied. He was never seen or heard from again.

Security required that the Navy not reveal the loss of Juneau or the other ships so as not to provide information to the enemy. Letters from the Sullivan sons stopped arriving at the home and the parents grew worried, which prompted Alleta Sullivan to write to the Bureau of Naval Personnel in January 1943, citing rumors that survivors of the task force claimed that all five brothers were killed in action.

This letter was answered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 13, 1943, who acknowledged that the Sullivans were missing in action, but by then the parents were already informed of their fate, having learned of their deaths on January 12. That morning, the boys' father, Tom, was preparing for work when three men in uniform – a lieutenant commander, a doctor and a chief petty officer – approached his door. "I have some news for you about your boys," the naval officer said. "Which one?" asked Tom. "I'm sorry," the officer replied. "All five."

The brothers left a sister, Genevieve (1917–1975). Al was survived by his wife Katherine Mary and son Jimmy. Joe left a fiancée named Margaret Jaros, while Matt left behind a fiancée named Beatrice Imperato. The "Fighting Sullivan Brothers" became national heroes. President Roosevelt sent a letter of condolence to their parents. Pope Pius XII sent a silver religious medal and rosary with his message of regret. The Iowa Senate and House adopted a formal resolution of tribute to the Sullivan brothers.

Tom and Alleta Sullivan made speaking appearances at war plants and shipyards on behalf of the war effort. Later, Alleta participated in the launching of a destroyer USS The Sullivans, named after her sons.

On Saturday, March 17, 2018 the wreckage of the USS Juneau was discovered by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen off the coast of the Solomon Islands.

Legacy

USS The Sullivans (DD-537) in 1962


USS The Sullivans (DDG-68), an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer.


A memorial placed on the cruise ship docks of Juneau, Alaska, to the crew of USS Juneau, including the five Sullivan brothers


Manila American Cemetery and Memorial listing the five Sullivan brothers

• As a direct result of the Sullivans' deaths (and the deaths of four of the Borgstrom brothers within a few months of each other two years later), the U.S. War Department adopted the Sole Survivor Policy.
• A museum wing has been built in honor of their service in World War II. The museum is located in downtown Waterloo, Iowa, their hometown. It was completed in 2008. The grand opening occurred on November 15, 2008. The $11.5 million, state-of-the-art facility aims to play a role in preserving the history and service of Iowa veterans and serve as a facility for research and genealogy studies.
• The Navy named two destroyers The Sullivans to honor the brothers: The Sullivans (DD-537) and The Sullivans (DDG-68). DD-537 was the first American Navy ship ever named after more than one person. The motto for both ships was/is "We stick together."
• Al Sullivan's son served on board the first USS The Sullivans. His grandmother christened the first ship. The second USS The Sullivans was christened by Al's granddaughter Kelly Ann Sullivan Loughren.
• Thomas and Alleta Sullivan toured the country promoting war bonds and asked that none of their sons died in vain.
• Genevieve, their only sister, served in the WAVES. She was the girlfriend of Bill Ball, whose death at Pearl Harbor prompted her brothers to join the Navy to avenge him.
• The brothers' story was filmed as the 1944 movie The Sullivans (later renamed The Fighting Sullivans) and inspired, at least in part, the 1998 film Saving Private Ryan. The Sullivans were also briefly mentioned in Saving Private Ryan.
• The brothers' hometown of Waterloo, Iowa, renamed its convention center in 1988 as "The Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center". In June 2017, the city was considering a proposal to sell the center to a developer who would renovate the facility and change its name. The proposal met with some community opposition. The town also named a street and a public park in their honor. The park is the location of their childhood home.
• The Sullivans were not the only brother sailors on board the ship. There were at least thirty sets of brothers, including the four Rogers brothers from New Haven, Connecticut. Before the ill-fated Savo Island operation, two of the Rogers brothers were transferred to other commands. According to those who survived, had the ship returned to port safely, at least two Sullivans would have also transferred.
• The Sullivan Brothers have a Department of Defense Dependents Schools elementary school in Yokosuka, Japan, named in their honor.
• The song "Sullivan" by the alternative rock band Caroline's Spine tells the story of the Sullivans.
• The Sullivans Association, an organization of veterans who served on both US Navy ships named after the brothers, conducted a reunion on September 25, 2011, in Waterloo, Iowa. The attendees gathered at Sullivans Park, visited Calvary Cemetery and laid flowers at the graves of the Sullivan brothers' parents and sister, and visited the neighborhood where the family had lived.

The first USS Juneau (CL-52) was a United States Navy Atlanta-class light cruiser sunk at the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal 13 November 1942. In total, 687 men, including the five Sullivan brothers, were killed in action as a result of its sinking. She was laid down by Federal Shipbuilding Company, Kearny, New Jersey, on 27 May 1940, launched on 25 October 1941, sponsored by Mrs. Harry I. Lucas, wife of the mayor of the city of Juneau, Alaska, and commissioned on 14 February 1942, Captain Lyman K. Swenson in command.

On 17 March 2018, the wreck of Juneau was located by Paul Allen's research crew onboard the RV Petrel at a depth of about 4,200 m (about 2.6 mi) off the coast of the Solomon Islands.


USS Juneau (CL-52), in New York Harbor, 11 February 1942




https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sullivan_brothers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sole_Survivor_Policy

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
Other Events on 13 November

1776 - Cptn. John Paul Jones in Alfred with brig Providence captures British transport Mellish, carrying winter uniforms later used by Washington's troops.

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


1776 - The Continental Navy ship Alfred, commanded by John Paul Jones, along with Continental sloop Providence, commanded by Hoysted Hacker, capture the British transport Mellish, carrying winter uniforms later used by Gen. George Washingtons troops. Three days later, Alfred captures the British brig Hetty off the New England coast.

Alfred was the merchant vessel Black Prince, named for Edward, the Black Prince, and launched in 1774. The Continental Navy of what would become the United States acquired her in 1775, renamed her Alfred, and commissioned her as a warship. She participated in two major actions, the battle of Nassau, and the action of 6 April 1776. The Royal Navy captured her in 1778, took her into service as HMS Alfred, and sold her in 1782. She then became the merchantman Alfred, and sailed between London and Jamaica.


Alfred flying the Grand Union Flag

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Alfred_(1774)


1797 - Boats of HMS Fairy (1778 - 16), Cptn. Joshua Sydney Horton, captured privateer Epervier (2), a lugger, in Whitesand Bay.

HMS Fairy (1778), a 16-gun Swan-class ship sloop, built in 1778 at Sheerness, and broken up in 1811.


1807 - HMS Carrier (1805 - 10), Lt. Robert Ramsey, captured privateer cutter Actif (2), Norbet Corenwinder.

HMS Carrier was a cutter of 10 guns, the ex-mercantile Frisk, which the Royal Navy purchased in 1805. She captured two privateers, with one action earning her crew a Naval General Service Medal. She grounded in 1808, which enabled the French to capture her. She became a French privateer that the Royal Navy recaptured in 1811, but apparently did not take back into service.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Carrier_(1805)


1809 - HMS Chiffonne (36), Commodore John Wainwright, HMS Caroline (36), Cptn. Charles Gordon, HEICS Mornington (22), HEICS Ternate (16), HEICS Aurora (14), HEICS Mercury (14), HEICS Nautilus (14), HEICS Prince of Wales (14), HEICS Vestal (10), HEICS Ariel (10), HEICS Fury (8) and HEICS Stromboli bomb-ketch destroyed more than fifty Joasmi pirate vessels at Ras-al-Khaimah in the Persian Gulf.

Chiffonne was a 38-gun Heureuse-class frigate of the French Navy. She was built at Nantes and launched in 1799. The British Royal Navy captured her in 1801. In 1809 she participated in a campaign against pirates in the Persian Gulf. She was sold for breaking up in 1814.

Then in November, she and Caroline, together with a number of East Indiamen, participated in the campaign to eradicate piracy in the Persian Gulf, centered on Ras al-Khaimah. In an attack the British began with a cannonade of the town and followed with a ground attack. The destroyed about some vessels, 30 of them very large dhows, together with much in the way of naval stores. Chiffonne's casualties amounted to two men wounded.[14] She and Caroline destroyed the Persian towns of Linga and Laft on Qeshm Island. Chiffone also destroyed 20 vessels, nine of them large dhows at Linga and eleven, nine of them large dhows, at Laft. This time the resistance on shore was more intense and Chiffone lost one man killed and 17 wounded out of total British casualties (including men from the East India Company's vessels), of two killed and 27 wounded.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_frigate_Chiffone_(1799)


1811 - Launch of French Illyrienne, a Consolante class frigate carried a main battery consisting of 18-pounder long guns.

Consolante class, (40-gun design by François Pestel, with 28 x 18-pounder and 12 x 8-pounder guns).

Consolante, (launched 22 July 1800 at Saint-Malo).
Piémontaise, (launched 15 November 1804 at Saint-Servan).
Italienne, (launched 15 August 1806 at Saint-Servan).
Danaé, (launched 18 August 1807 at Genoa).
Bellone, (launched February 1808 at Saint-Servan).
Néréide, (launched December 1808 at Saint-Servan).
Illyrienne, (launched 13 November 1811 at Saint-Servan).
Galatée, (launched 5 May 1812 at Genoa).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consolante-class_frigate
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pallas-class_frigate_(1808)


1840 - HMS Fairy (10) wrecked on the Sussex coast.

HMS Fairy (1826), a 10-gun Cherokee-class brig-sloop, built in 1826 at Chatham, and lost in 1840.


1942 - the American 6-masted schooner STAR OF SCOTLAND, built in 1887, on voyage from Capetown to Paranagua, Brazil in ballast was sunk by gunfire from the German submarine U-159 (Helmut Witte), 900 miles west of Luderitz Bay. The crew of 17 were allowed for the boats, but one fell in the sea and drowned.



Read more at wrecksite: https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?199792


2002 – During the Prestige oil spill a storm burst a tank of the oil tanker MV Prestige which was not allowed to dock and sank on November 19, 2002 off the coast of Galicia, spilling 63,000 metric tons of heavy fuel oil, more than the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill.

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

 

[Jimsky]

Basically, I am speechless, Uwek! The amount of information you can absorb makes you a very polymathic person I've ever seen. Bravo! Where did get all of this information research, blueprints, etc? Knowing that you are running this website, where did you get the time for all this to happen at once? You most likely don't ever sleep! I am impressed with your knowledge and willingness to share. Thank you! Hat's off

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
14 November 1691 - The 44-gun third rate HMS Happy Return (1654 - 44 - ex-Winsby) was captured by french


The Winsby was a 44-gun fourth-rate frigate of the English Royal Navy, originally built for the navy of the Commonwealth of England at Yarmouth, and launched in February 1654. the Winsby was named for the Parliamentarian victory at the Battle of Winceby.

Class and type: Fourth-rate frigate
Tons burthen: 605
Length: 104 ft (31.7 m) (keel)
Beam: 33 ft 2 in (10.1 m)
Depth of hold: 13 ft 2 in (4.0 m)
Sail plan: Full rigged ship
Armament: 44 guns (1660); 54 guns (1677)




A portrait, viewed from slightly before the starboard beam, of the English fourth-rate ship ‘Happy Return’, which was built in 1654 as the ‘Winsby’, 54 guns, renamed in 1660, and captured by the French in 1691. It is freely and accurately drawn, without the assistance of an offset, showing wreathed ports on the upper deck and quarterdeck and a few figures slightly indicated. by Willem van de Velde the older
Read more at http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/158173.html#JvQA2pfxtUyIKeii.99


Portrait of the ‘Happy Return’, viewed from close under the port quarter, the side only lightly sketched. There are two rows of stern windows with a small royal arms between them. It is very freely but accurately drawn to show the decoration of the stern. This drawing is part of a series depicting the journey of William of Orange and Princess Mary to Holland, November [OS]/December 1677. Van de Velde made a series of at least 56 drawings of the various stages of the journey. Most of them are at the Boymans-van Beuningen Museum, Rotterdam. In the Boymans-van Beuningen Museum, Rotterdam, there are drawings of the ‘Happy Return’, viewed from before the port beam and from abaft the starboard beam. They probably show the ship before her rebuilding.
Read more at http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/136190.html#VqP6lzsfkMkWxmhe.99


The detail of the port quarter-gallery and a square port and two wreathed ports just before it. Bottom left, a port broadside view of the ship in the middle-distance, only her lowermasts stepped. It is inscribed ‘heeperiton’. This is an unsigned pencil drawing by the Younger.
Read more at http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/101801.html#5lQhzPLZHfFkwO1S.99


After the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, she was renamed HMS Happy Return, as her name was incompatible with the restored Stuart monarchy. By 1677 her armament had been increased to 54 guns.

She was present at the Battle of Santa Cruz (April 1657), Battle of Lowestoft (June 1665), Battle of Vagan (August 1665), the Four Days Battle (June 1666), the St James Day Battle (July 1666), the 1st Battle of Schveningen (May 1673), the 2nd Battle of Schveningen (June 1673) and the Battle of Texel (August 1673)

Happy Return was captured by the French in 1691, renamed Heureux Retour.

The ship was recaptured in May 1708 by HMS Burford but not re-added to English Navy.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Happy_Return_(1654)
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collec...el-317566;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=H
http://www.artefharte.co.uk/sailing-ships/the-happy-return-of-1654.html

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
14 November 1693 – Launch of French Foudroyant, 104 guns (designed and built by Blaise Pangalo) at Brest


The Foudroyant was a First Rank ship of the line of the French Royal Navy.

This ship was originally ordered built at Brest Dockyard on 20 January 1693, and Louis XIV ordered she should bear the name Soleil Royal to replace the previous ship bearing that name (destroyed at Cherbourg) in June 1692. The designer and builder was Blaise Pangalo.


This shows the only fleet action fought at sea during the War of the Spanish Succession, 1701-14 and it was inconclusive. Each fleet included 51 ships of the line and the action was fought in strict line order. The Anglo-Dutch commander-in-chief was Sir George Rooke and his Franco-Spanish opposite number was the Comte de Toulouse, a bastard son of Louis XIV. In the left foreground the French flagship, the 'Foudroyant', 104 guns, in starboard-quarter view, is closely engaged to starboard with Rooke in the 'Royal Katherine', 90 guns. In the extreme left foreground is the port quarter of a Spanish ship and to the right of the flagships and in the background are groups of ships in action. The Spanish coast is seen in the distance. French galleys are also shown towing the French ships in and out of the action. The artist has shown the battle from a high horizon, depicting a panoramic view and colourful emphasis on flags and ensigns. Although the battle itself was indecisive and neither side lost a ship, the casualties were heavy and it put an end to the Franco-Spanish attempt to capture Gibraltar. Sailmaker was born in Scheveningen in 1633 and emigrated to England when young. He was an early marine painter working in England prior to 1710, although he had not benefited from the typical marine artist's apprenticeship. He was, however, among the artistic followers of the van de Veldes, who left Holland for England in 1672 and established a flourishing school of marine painting in London.
Read more at http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/11832.html#d8E3I9mUWpe8z3OE.99



However, Étienne Hubac begged the King that that name should be given to the ship (Foudroyant) he had just build and was then completing instead, because the previous Soleil Royal had been built by his own father, Laurent Hubac, and - as he himself had rebuilt that ship from the keel up at Brest in 1689 - he still possessed the moulds for that ship. Moreover, he pointed out to the King that his own ship would be some 4 feet longer and some 200 tons larger than Pangalo's new ship, so would be more deserving of the name that honoured Louis XIV himself. On 1 March 1693, the King agreed to Hubac's proposal and the names of the two ships were exchanged. Pangalo's ship was thus laid down under the name Foudroyant in April 1693, launched on 14 November 1693 and completed in 1694.

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.

She was armed with 104 guns, comprising twenty-eight 36-pounders on the lower deck, thirty 18-pounders on the middle deck, twenty-eight 12-pounders on the upper deck, twelve 6-pounders on the quarterdeck and six 6-pounders on the forecastle. In 1706 two extra 12-pounders were added on the upper deck, and two 6-pounders were removed.

The new ship took part in the Battle of Vélez-Málaga on 24 August 1704, where she was the flagship of Amiral de France Louis-Alexandre de Bourbon, Comte de Toulouse. She was scuttled in Toulon on Louis's orders in July 1707 to avoid being set alight by the bombardment by the English fleet. She was later put back afloat, but in March 1713 she was condemned, and was taken to pieces during 1714.



A very interesting monographie from ancre showing in detail the Saint-Philippe -1693, a ship of the same time and size, designed and built in 1693 by Francois Coulomb at Toulon you can find here:
https://ancre.fr/en/monograph/93-le-saint-philippe-1693.html



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_ship_Foudroyant_(1693)

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
14 November 1766 – Launch of French Engageante, (one-off 32-gun design by Jean-Francois Estienne, with 26 x 12-pounder and 6 x 6-pounder guns, at Toulon


Engageante was a 26-gun frigate of the French Navy, only ship of her class, built to a design by Jean-François Etienne. The British captured her in 1794 and converted her to a hospital ship. She served as a hospital ship until she was broken up in 1811.

French service
Engageante was built in Toulon to a design by Jean-François Etienne. She was the sole ship of her class.

From 1781, she took part in the American Revolutionary War, including the Hudson Bay Expedition in 1782.


Hand-coloured.; Technique includes pen and ink style lithograph. The identity of the vessel on the extreme left of the image is unknown. The other vessels depicted are, from left to right, the Engageante (French), the Concorde (British) and the Resolve (French).
Read more at http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/128812.html#dHgID9u3KzaK1Ri7.99

Capture
She was captured, along with Pomone and Babet, off the Île de Batz during the Action of 23 April 1794. Her captor was HMS Concorde. On Engageante 30 to 40 men were killed or wounded. On Concorde one man was killed and 12 were wounded. In the evening after the action Engageante's masts fell overboard, and Concorde's masts were kept upright only with great difficulty.


Capture of La Pomone L' Engageante & La Babet April 23rd 1794 (PAD5471)
Read more at http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/109622.html#8eer5Jhga5TqXEEu.99

British service
She was subsequently recommissioned in the Royal Navy and registered as the hospital ship HMS Engageante on 27 July 1794.

She was commissioned at Cork in February 1805 under Lieutenant William Fry. She served for a while as Vice-Admiral Robert Kingsmill's flagship.

In 1796 Lieutenant Henry Parker replaced Fry, but drowned in January 1797. In 1798 Fry returned to command, but he died in 1801. In 1801 Lieutenant Barrington Mansfield assumed command, only to die within the year.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_frigate_Engageante_(1766)

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
14 November 1803 - Boats of HMS Blenheim (1761 - 90), Cptn. Thomas Graves, HMS Drake, Cptn. William Ferris, and HMS Swift hired cutter (12), Lt. Edward Hawker, stormed a fort, spiking the guns and blowing up the magazine, and captured French privateer L'Harmonie (8) at Marin St. Ann's Bay, Martinique.


HMS Blenheim (1761) was a 90-gun second rate launched in 1761, reduced to a third rate in 1800 and wrecked in 1807.


Scale 1:48. Plan showing the outboard profile of 'Blenheim' (1761), a 90-gun Second Rate, three-decker, illustrating her as cut down (razeed) to a 74-gun Third Rate, two-decker at Chatham Dockyard. This was approved by Admiralty Order dated 31 January 1801.
Read more at http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/80124.html#SmSdm806x4OwMTks.99


Scale 1:48. Plan showing the above waterline profile for altering the sheer of 'London' (1766), and later for 'Prince' (1788), 'Windsor Castle' (1790), 'Impregnable' (1786), all 90/98-gun Second Rate, three-deckers. The plan includes the 'as-built' outline of the 'Blenheim' (1761), a 90-gun Second Rate, three-decker, and alterations for forming the quarterdeck gun ports but not cutting them out on 'Prince', 'Windsor Castle' and 'Impregnable'.
Read more at http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/80095.html#rf6YOB2k3F0XcioM.99

On 14 November 1803 the French privateer Harmonie entered the harbour at Le Marin, together with a prize that she had taken. Captain Thomas Graves, in Blenheim, determined to cut her out. He beat around Diamond Rock but was not able to get into position until the 16th. He then decided to put 60 seamen in four boats, and 60 marines into another four. The seamen were to go into the harbour to cut out Harmonie, while the marines were to attack a battery of nine guns at Fort Dunkirk on the starboard side of the bay to block French reinforcements from massing there. Drake arrived on the scene and Graves had Captain William Ferris lead the seamen in the attack, together with 16 men from her. Drake towed the cutting out party, whilst the hired armed cutter Swift towed the marines. The two parties set out at 11p.m., and at 3a.m. the two attacks succeeded. The marines captured the fort, which was only guarded by 15 men, who they took prisoner. They spiked six 24-pounder guns and three 18-pounders, and blew up the magazine. The cutting out party met with resistance from Harmonie and suffered the only British casualties. Hermione, of eight guns, had had a crew of 66 men under the command of Citizen Noyer at the start of the British attack. Some 12 escaped overboard and some may have drowned. Two were killed and 14 wounded. Blenheim had one man killed and two wounded, and Drake had three wounded, one dangerously so. The inhabitants of Grenada purchased and donated Harmonie to the Royal Navy, which named her HMS Grenada.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Blenheim_(1761)
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collec...el-296542;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=B
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Grenada_(1804)

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
14 November 1824 – Launch of French Trocadéro, 118-guns Océan-class ships of the line at Toulon


The Trocadéro was a first-rate 118-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, of the Océan type, designed by Jacques-Noël Sané.



Ordered as Formidable, she was commissioned in Toulon as Trocadéro in 1824.

On 23 March 1836, as she was refitting in Toulon, she was accidentally set afire and burned down.


The Trocadéro explodes. Illustration from La Marine, by Pacini.

118-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 118") of the Restoration
Later Dauphin Royal class (continued) Later units of the 118-gun type, begun during the First Empire, were completed at various dates over the next few decades.


The Océan-class ships of the line were a series of 118-gun three-decker ships of the line of the French Navy, designed by engineer Jacques-Noël Sané. Fifteen were completed from 1788 on, with the last one entering service in 1854; a sixteenth was never completed, and four more were never laid down.

The first two of the series were Commerce de Marseille and États de Bourgogne in the late 1780s. Three ships to the same design followed during the 1790s (a further four ordered in 1793–94 were never built). A second group of eleven were ordered during the First Empire; sometimes described as the Austerlitz class after the first to be ordered, some of the later ships were not launched until after the end of the Napoleonic era, and one was not completed but broken up on the stocks. A 'reduced' (i.e. shortened) version of this design, called the Commerce de Paris class, with only 110 guns, was produced later, of which two examples were completed.

The 5,095-ton 118-gun type was the largest type of ship built up to then, besting the Spanish ship Santísima Trinidad. Up to 1790 Great Britain, the largest of the battle fleet nations, had not built especially large battleships because the need for large numbers of ships had influenced its battleship policy. The French initiated a new phase in battleship competition when they laid down a large number of three-deckers of over 5,000 tons.

Along with the 74-gun of the Téméraire type and the 80-gun of the Tonnant type, the Océan 120-gun type was to become one of the three French standard types of battleships during the war period 1793 to 1815.

These were the most powerful ships of the Napoleonic Wars and a total of ten served during that time. These ships, however, were quite expensive in terms of building materials, artillery and manpower and so were reserved for admirals as their fleet flagships.

Some of the ships spent 40 years on the stocks and were still in service in 1860, three of them having been equipped with auxiliary steam engines in the 1850s.



A ship of the first group built from the Icean-class was the Le Commerce de Marseille
A detailed planset was prepared by our SOS-member @G. DELACROIX

http://gerard.delacroix.pagesperso-orange.fr/118/plaquette-e.htm


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_ship_Trocadéro_(1824)
https://troisponts.net/2013/04/27/la-fin-du-trocadero-vaisseau-de-118-canons-1836/
https://troisponts.net/tag/118-canons/page/1/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Océan-class_ship_of_the_line