jemm Posted 7 January , 2012 Share Posted 7 January , 2012 Hi all, I am looking for information on HMS P52. A ancestor of mine was serving on this ship/unit when he was killed on 17th March 1918. I know from other records that he had been involved in the battle of Jutland, and am intrested to know what battle occured at the time of his death, location etc. Thanks for any help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotonmate Posted 7 January , 2012 Share Posted 7 January , 2012 jemm A Patrol Vessel built by J Samuel White of Cowes, Isle of Wight in 1916. It was not lost in WW1 according to Warship Losses 1914-1918. I found another of the vessel's crew who died on 20 Mar 1918 and who is remembered in St Luke's Church Portsmouth,he was WJ Spurling. Are you sure that your man was killed and not died,as there was a 'flu pandemic at the time. There may well have been contact with such as a U boat,busy around our coast at this time. Perhaps an exchange of shells ? I fear that anything more substantial (torpedo) would have sunk the vessel. Sotonmate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonharley Posted 7 January , 2012 Share Posted 7 January , 2012 Nothing mentioned as occurring on the 17th in the relevant Naval Weekly Appreciation (No. 44), and no anti-submarine incidents involving patrol boats that week either. Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jemm Posted 7 January , 2012 Author Share Posted 7 January , 2012 jemm A Patrol Vessel built by J Samuel White of Cowes, Isle of Wight in 1916. It was not lost in WW1 according to Warship Losses 1914-1918. I found another of the vessel's crew who died on 20 Mar 1918 and who is remembered in St Luke's Church Portsmouth,he was WJ Spurling. Are you sure that your man was killed and not died,as there was a 'flu pandemic at the time. There may well have been contact with such as a U boat,busy around our coast at this time. Perhaps an exchange of shells ? I fear that anything more substantial (torpedo) would have sunk the vessel. Sotonmate Hi Sotonmate, I did wonder myself if he had died due to the flu. The date etc was taken from the CWGC. I know he served on the HMS New Zealand but thats all I know really about his service history if he was discharged etc at the time of his death etc, or still serving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotonmate Posted 7 January , 2012 Share Posted 7 January , 2012 Jemm If you have his details you can get his record from the NA,in the ADM188 series and I think it is in documentsonline,though I don't go there myself. It may well say the reason for his death. Sotonmate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jemm Posted 7 January , 2012 Author Share Posted 7 January , 2012 Jemm If you have his details you can get his record from the NA,in the ADM188 series and I think it is in documentsonline,though I don't go there myself. It may well say the reason for his death. Sotonmate Thanks, downloaded his record he was in the RN Hospital Chattham with a gunshot wound to the chest and arm, died from pneumonia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 7 January , 2012 Share Posted 7 January , 2012 Accidents were not unknown in small vessels patrolling the Narrow Seas. One should not automatically assume enemy action. P52 appears to have been involved in experimental work (with kites) at some time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jemm Posted 8 January , 2012 Author Share Posted 8 January , 2012 Whilst the CWGC describes his ship/unit as PS52, there is another name before this on the National Archive service record for him both for the ship he was serving on at the time of his death and the one previous to this, unfortunately they are quite unreadable to me so I cant be sure where he was when he recived the gunshot wound that led to his death. Am I correct in assuming then that PS52 is class of ship rather than the name? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotonmate Posted 8 January , 2012 Share Posted 8 January , 2012 Jemm You may find that the name in front of P52 is it's admin base,viz.some patrol craft out of the Irish base at Buncrana in WW1 were looked after by HMS Hecla II. Patrol craft would be attached to a "mother base" where the staff looked after her needs. As far as I can see P52 was her title. There are others with numbers around that,in fact,they would have started at P1. Sotonmate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lizziew41 Posted 29 March , 2017 Share Posted 29 March , 2017 I know this topic is a few years old but, hopefully, the OP will get a notification. I am transcribing records at the moment and have just transcribed the service records of the man mentioned by sotonmate as being remembered at St Luke's Church, Portsmouth, William James Spurling. He died on 20 March 1918 being seriously injured on board HMS P52 as the result of an explosion on 13 March 1918. Although it is difficult to read, the other name in front of P52 is Attentive II. So neither man died of flu. If Spurling died following an explosion and your relative died of a gun shot wound, that might suggest the vessel was attacked by the enemy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotonmate Posted 29 March , 2017 Share Posted 29 March , 2017 (edited) Lizzie Welcome to the Forum ! jemm hasn't been here since Feb 2016, so I will try to awaken her by sending a private message here (click on her name to the left of post #8 and an invite to send a message displays), which should advise her that she has traffic here. HMS Attentive II was the parent base for the Dover Patrol in WW1. Edited 29 March , 2017 by sotonmate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jemm Posted 29 March , 2017 Author Share Posted 29 March , 2017 Thank you very kindly for getting in touch ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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