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Trawler Okino in the Dardanelles


leanes-trench

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Hello,

Can anybody verify for me that the skipper of the trawler "Okino," which operated in the Dardanelles as a minesweeper in March 1915, was R. Hogbene? I cannot find this surname in any of the UK census records, and he should be somewhere.

Many thanks,

Pat

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Hello,

Lieutenant Geoffrey Thomas Whitehouse RNR was in command when Okino was mined 8th March 1915. He was one of the five survivors (the four others not named). None of the ten casualties had the rank of skipper.

Cheers, Terry

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Hello,

Lieutenant Geoffrey Thomas Whitehouse RNR was in command when Okino was mined 8th March 1915. He was one of the five survivors (the four others not named). None of the ten casualties had the rank of skipper.

Cheers, Terry

Boy, am I glad I asked! So I assume Hogben (I've just identified him as Richard Hogben - I had R. Hogbene) was relieved prior to the mining? He was the captain of the Okino initially, and was the subject of some research I did at the (then) PRO five years ago. Do you know when Whitehouse took command? I thought all of the trawlers had their original skippers in March 1915.

Regards,

Pat

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Pat, Hogben does not feature in the Admiralty casualty records before this date, so either he never commanded the OKINO as a warship, was relieved of command, or was ill/wounded at the time of the loss.

Best wishes

David

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Pat, Hogben does not feature in the Admiralty casualty records before this date, so either he never commanded the OKINO as a warship, was relieved of command, or was ill/wounded at the time of the loss.

Best wishes

David

Dear David,

He must have been relieved, because in 1914 he was definitely in command. He was a drunk, and in my book about Gallipoli (I am casting about for an agent), I write about the fact that his behaviour indicated a lack of punishment for the trawler crews and skippers who committed infractions. There was no punishment, so when Hogben's case was brought to the fore and a punishment was finally settled upon.

Do you have an interest in the trawlers that served in the Dardanelles? I've been trying to locate a list of them for sometime, but with no luck. I have been able to learn a bit about the Okino and her four sister ships, all with Japanese names beginning and ending in "O," but very little else.

Also, do you have information about trawler crew casualties at Gallipoli? I mean other than that contained in the CWGC records? I am in Eugene, Oregon, in the northwestern US, so I don't have access to many local newspapers from the UK. I know that a number of trawlers from Grimsby and Lowestoft were at Gallipoli, but have an incomplete list of the others.

You are welcome to use my e-mail. My name is Pat Gariepy, and my address is:

leanes-trench@comcast.net

Regards,

Pat

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Pat - He could have been one of the survivors assuming he was in Okino's wheelhouse with C.O.

The Minesweeper groups had Navy Officers assigned:

Quote from Taffrail's Swept Channels - Sweepers in the Dardanelles - page 48-"Somewhat tardily, orders were given that every minesweeping trawler should have a commissioned officer in command, and a junior officer, a petty officer and a signalman to stiffen up the crews

If you search the Ships and Navies section of the forum you will find a list of trawlers and a great amount of detail.

Cheers, Terry

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Acorrding to Chatterton in Dardanelles Dilemma; The Lieutenant in Command, Trawler Skipper and three other was saved.

On the question of punishment, the crews of the Trawlers were subject to naval discipline the same as a regular matelot as soon as he signed his T124 agreement. But trying to place the RN's strict discipline codes on fishermen became a problem because they had different sets of values and traditions. The navy as is its wont went the wrong way about it and tried to enforce discipline the hard way, it dosn't work on some of the hardest men in the world.

In December 1915 a punishment was devised to hit Trawler Skippers were it hurt and they could be Courts Martialed with forfieture of pay up to 30 days, this helped and the number of crew placed in cells lessened.

Regards Charles

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Hello Pat, re WHITEHOUSE (Seniority 010914), no award here but he later was awarded a MiD.

WHITEHOUSE Geoffrey T N/E S/Lt. RNR 81K005 Euryalus

Vice Admiral Sir R. Peirse N/E N/E

Off Smyrna March 1915 N/E

Sir R. Peirse testifies to the admirable conduct of the minesweepers on all occasions under

Leiutenant Whitehouse's leadership. They were twice exposed to a heavy and accurate fire.

Regards Sadsac

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