Q Ship, HMS Carron

[Jonathan Saunders]

I'd much appreciate any information on the Q-ship career of HMS Carron (eventually sunk as a blockship in Orkney in 1940).

I have had little luck so far online.

Thanks and regards,

Jonathan S

[Nepper]

I think there are two different ships here. The WW1 ship was a 3870 ton ship built in 1906 that was hired as an Armed Boarding Steamer (not a Q ship) between November 1914 and October 1919 and was armed with 2 x 4.7 in guns. The ship sunk as a block ship in Scapa Flow was an older (1896) and smaller (1017 tons) ship.

From a look at naval-history.net it looks like the war of ABS Carron was fairly quiet as all the casualties I can find among its crew are accidental or disease.

Nigel

[Jonathan Saunders]

I think there are two different ships here. The WW1 ship was a 3870 ton ship built in 1906 that was hired as an Armed Boarding Steamer (not a Q ship) between November 1914 and October 1919 and was armed with 2 x 4.7 in guns. The ship sunk as a block ship in Scapa Flow was an older (1896) and smaller (1017 tons) ship.

From a look at naval-history.net it looks like the war of ABS Carron was fairly quiet as all the casualties I can find among its crew are accidental or disease.

Nigel

Many thanks. My error on the ship sunk at Scapa Flow.

Regards,

Jonathan S

[sotonmate]

Jonathan

There are heaps of Ships Logs at Kew for this vessel from Dec 1914 to Jan 1919,each logbook varies between 2 and 6 weeks in length,so if you are really keen it's a day (or two) at Kew with ADM53/37190 (Dec 14) through in sequence to ADM53/37229 (Jan 1919).

How exciting that would be to see that it has Q ship info recorded,even if it was termed an Armed Boarding Steamer !

Sotonmate

[Malcolm]

Q4 was sometime under the name HMS Carrigan Head - mabe confused?

HMS Carron,Pendant No. M.09 renumbered M1.01 in January 1918, 2351 tons launched 1909, 15.5 knots, armed with 2 x 4.7 inch guns, served as an Armed Boarding Steamer 22/11/1914 - 9/10/1919. info in Dittmar and Colledge.

Aye

Malcolm

[Jonathan Saunders]

I am most grateful to for the further replies.

Many thanks,

Jonathan S

[Guest]

I have a distant cousin that served on HMS Carron during WW1 in the Royal Marines Light Infantry and his death occurred on 29/9/1917 and he was buried in Tower Hamlets London

.His name was William Charles Coleman..No.19350 and I have found he died of disease.Is it possible to discover what disease he died of ? Any information would be gratefully received...Francis Bray

[horatio2]

This is difficult. His ADM 159 ledger record at Kew shows that he was discharged from the Armed Boarding Steamer CARRON to be borne on the books of HQ RMLI Chatham on 25 Sep 1917 and died four days later in the hospital ship HMHS GARTH CASTLE. I have not located CARRON and GARTH CASTLE on that date but my guess is Orkney (Scapa) or Shetland. Cause of death not stated. In the normal course one would expect to find the cause of death in a man's Attestation Pack of papers. Most of these, for Chatham Division, are held in the archive of the Fleet Air Arm Musuem (National Museum of the Royal Navy), with some in ADM 157 at Kew. Unfortunately, his FAAM pack contains only a conduct sheet, the pack having been weeded at some time in the past, and there are no papers for him in ADM 157. Precise cause of death will probably remain elusive in RMLI records. Have you tried a death certificate?

[horatio2]

2 hours ago, horatio2 said:

I have not located CARRON and GARTH CASTLE on that date but my guess is Orkney (Scapa) or Shetland.

I now know that HMS CARRON was in the White Sea, based on Yukanski until at least 8 Sep 1917 (vide logs of HMS IPHIGENIA and HMS INREPID). Prior to this she had run aground in fog on 8 Aug 1917 and was refloated with ".. a hole torn in her bottom two and a half feet long and more than fifty rivets had been sheared from under number two hold..." ["Under the Black Ensign " Capt RS Gwatkin Williams]. She was sent back to UK for repairs after patching up by HMS INTREPID's divers. I suspect that Pte Coleman fell ill on passage home in late September and was off-loaded to HMHS Garth CASTLE at Scapa Flow. The June 1917 Pink List shows that GARTH CASTLE was one of five hospital ships at Scapa Flow on 30 June 1917.

[Guest]

I thank you for that information you have been very helpful,I haven't sent off for a death cert.yet but will probably do that....thanks again Francis