HMS Locust - three crew members drowned

[peter4447]

Trying to find details regarding the circumstance that led to the deaths of 310834 Leading Stoker Michael Riordan, K21679 Stoker 1st Class Alfred Moore and K31890 Stoker 1st Class Martin Perry.

All are listed as drowned by the CWGC on the 21st January 1918 when serving in the destroyer HMS Locust.

Any assistance greatly appreciated

Peter4447

[Malcolm]

I don't know how they died except by accident as they are listed in the casualty report as ' drowned' see http://www.naval-history.net/#WW1

However this is the date for the loss ofthe destroyers OPAL and NARBOROUGH off Scapa Flow during a violent storm so the storm may be the cause.

Locust was an old B Class destroyer, launched 8th December 1896 at Laird, and was in the Scapa Flow LDF. It looks like an accident of some sort. Locust survived the War and was sold June 1919 for scrap.

Aye

Malcolm

[peter4447]

Many thanks Malcolm.

I have been doing some more 'digging' and now have the service record of L/Stkr Riordan to hand. This states that he lost his life when HMS Locust was in a collision, so I now need to track down more information on the collision itself.

Kind regards and thanks again

Peter4447

[Malcolm]

Some sources for OPAL etc give 12th January some 21st. I don't think it was the 21st sorry.

Aye

Malcolm

[Guest]

I have been doing some research into my family and Leading Stoker Michael Riordan was my great Grandfather.  My grandmother had told me that she thought that he had been killed by a torpedo hitting the ship and that the stokers were the only persons killed.  My young cousin had done a bit of research lately and said that it was a collision.  I am keen to know if you have any other details.  Many thanks,  Hoppet

[rustyredhead]

 

Hello Peter Malcolm & Hoppet

 

I'm not much help with exact stuff, but on the Ships Nostalgia site a Santos linked this a picture of the crew

 

https://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/earnest_class.htm#HMS Locust

 

 On this site which gives a brief history which states it went to the Firth of Forth January 1918 but no exact date

 

https://www.revolvy.com/main/index.php?s=HMS Locust (1896)

 

I looked on the  Genealogist site, & for all 3 it states HMS Leander for Locust  (which I didn't understand)

 

Then on Ancestry for all 3 men it states

 

Cause of Death:	Killed or died by means other than disease, accident or enemy action

 

However for Stoker 1st class Martin Perry,  it has a further written record which say his last ship was  HMS Leander & that he Lost his life when in collision with Locust, there is more information which I don't understand,  a completely uneducated guess, perhaps changing ships, or changing and heading to Firth of Forth,  but it says not by disease, accident or enemy action, so maybe a Naval expert can help,  and your young cousin must be right

 

Hope this at least helps a bit

 

Regards Rusty

 

 

 

[hmsk212]

I know that this is an old thread but I came across this reference on the Service Sheet of a man who had served aboard HMS Locust.

Steve