Jump to content
Free downloads from TNA ×
The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

HMS Egmont


GavinH

Recommended Posts

I have recently obtained a copy of a sailor's service record. This shows that he served on 'Egmont (SSV)' between 10 Dec 1917 and 16 Oct 1918. Can anyone tell me what or where this was. I have tried searching the internet, but have not had much luck. The name appears to have been used both by a submarine and a base in Malta! Also, I'd be interested to know what SSV stands for. It's not very clear on my copy, and it could conceivable read SSO.

Thanks for any help.

Gavin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

HMS Egmont ( ex Achilles) launched 1863 was an accomodation ' hulk ' at Chatham from 1916. Name changed to HMS Egremont in June 1916 then to HMS Pembroke in 1919.

HMS Egmont ( ex Firefly) launched 1877 was Base ship at Malta from June 1916. Became a ' hulk' at Malta before being sold for scrap in 1931.

It is possible it was a Submarine base ship.

SSV stands for Special Service Vessel. The above are not listed as such in Dittmar & Colledge British Warships 1914-1919 but as Harbour Service ships.

Aye

Malcolm

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Northumberland

"HMS Achilles a Broadside ironclad built at Chatham Dockyard, HMS Achilles was a modified design of the Warrior. HMS Achilles was the largest Sail ship in the Royal navy at that time it was also the only four masted warship. laid down on the 1st August 1861, and launched on the 26th November 1863 and completed 26th November 1864. HMS Achilles seems to have been difficult to handle due to her size, but she maneuvered better than HMS warrior, in 1877 she became a barque rig and her sea going duties ended in1885, She became a base ship in 1902 and renamed HMS Hibernia, and her name changed again in 1904 to HMS Egmont, in 1918 she became HMS Egremont and her last change of name happened in 1919 as HMS Pembroke

Displacement: 9829 tons, Speed 14.32 knots. Compliment: 709 Armament: Twenty two 7-inch MLR and Four 8-inch MLR"

from: http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/achilles.htm which also has some photos of the vessel and her crews

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you very much for the additional info and for the link. The photos are of particular interest. As a result of Malcolm's reply, I ordered a copy of British Warships 1914-1919. This has now arrived, and has answered a number of questions I had, but if ever a book needed an index it's this one!

Cheers

Gavin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have just found a list of serving men from a September 1914 newspaper which mentions that my great uncle was with HMS Achilles in September 1914. I was therefore interested to learn from this thread that HMS Achilles was already known as HMS Egmont at that time. Does anyone know why HMS Achilles would have been mentioned ? Was HMS Egmont referred to as HMS Achilles even after the name change ?

I would appreciate some clarification on this one. <_<

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Myrtle,

Simple enough. The Royal Navy reuses names. Your great uncle served on the armoured cruiser HMS Achilles, a 13,550 ton vessel laid down in 1904 and completed in April 1907, not the earlier vessel that was renamed Egmont.

See also: http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/warr...#HMS%20Achilles

Best wishes,

Michael

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 years later...

I have a postcard-type picture of about 24 ratings (my father among them), one army man, and a couple of civvies. The sign in the front row says HMS Egremont. On the back, in my father's handwriting it says "Spring of 1917. Isolation camp on St. Mary's Island. Chatham, England". I'm puzzled: what was Egremont? why was he there? He had joined the RNCVR only in Jan 1917 - were colonials thought to be carrying bacteria into the homeland?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

HERITAGE PLUS said:
Ted

See this previous thread:

 

Dave

Dave

Thanks for your response. In the thread there are conflicting dates for the renamingfrom EGMONT to EGREMONT, however. One is June 1916, the other is 1918; the former now seems to be the correct one. I am still unaware of what my father was doing there and how Egremont was being used at the time of the picture, except for what he wrote on the back. Also the name Egremont does not appear on his service record. The mystery continues....

Ted

Link to comment
Share on other sites

St Marys Island was an ideal place to put an Isolation Camp, everyone from a foriegn country had to be isolated to some extent, never know what bugs are about??.... An outbreak of cerebro-spinal meningitis, (spotted fever) in mid 1917 caused the Drill Shed to be full of fit men when it was bombed causing the lose of 130 men.

Regards Charles

Link to comment
Share on other sites

St Marys Island was an ideal place to put an Isolation Camp, everyone from a foriegn country had to be isolated to some extent, never know what bugs are about??.... An outbreak of cerebro-spinal meningitis, (spotted fever) in mid 1917 caused the Drill Shed to be full of fit men when it was bombed causing the lose of 130 men.

Regards Charles

Greetings Charles

Your mention of an outbreak of meningitis/spotted fever may be a clue for me. Do you have any further info about that? Where was the Drill Shed you spoke of? The notation on the back of my picture said "Spring 1917" which would make it shortly after my father arrived in England, so what you say makes sense.

Cheers,

Ted

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ted,

St Marys Island was down in the dockyard on the medway side of the basins (docks) which crossed a bend forming an island (now a housing estate), the drill shed was up in the Barracks, it is a listed building and still there. The outbreak lasted most of the year.

Co-ordinates fopr Google Earth

St Marys Island

51*24'04 90"N

0*32'24 18"E

Drill Shed

51*23'24 36"N

0*32'23 18E

Regards Charles

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ted,

St Marys Island was down in the dockyard on the medway side of the basins (docks) which crossed a bend forming an island (now a housing estate), the drill shed was up in the Barracks, it is a listed building and still there. The outbreak lasted most of the year.

Co-ordinates fopr Google Earth

St Marys Island

51*24'04 90"N

0*32'24 18"E

Drill Shed

51*23'24 36"N

0*32'23 18E

Regards Charles

Good morning Charles

Appreciate the info. The lat and long are particularly helpful as it seems the topography has changed over the years. I'll have a look and include your info in my story. Thanks....

Ted

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 10 years later...

This post may have gone cold some years ago but trying to find records from HMS Egmont- which may list RAMC men who served on her - would anyone know where I could obtain these? TNA?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Trying to find out more about this man from Chambrecy Cemetery burial return T S Longbottom but I suspect it is this man Tom Longworth on Soissons Memorial- on the burial return HMS Egmont is mentioned- any help appreciated 

 

David

 

FC7C4326-EB66-49F5-87CC-A94922ED30B2.jpeg.f0725eaf3cccd120d767146434fe0095.jpegmetery 

5301998F-D99A-479A-92D7-73A2105E6B54.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This post may have gone cold some years ago but trying to find records from HMS Egmont- which may list RAMC men who served on her - would anyone know where I could obtain these? TNA?

Do you think it is possible to find a list of men from RAMC serving on HMS Britannic just before it was sunk in Nov 1916?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for list surprisingly no Thomas Longworth RAMC- mentioned in Blackburn newspaper as being there.

ECAA4515-824F-417C-A4A5-7BE68261B56F.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Just found out my late grandfather served as ordinary seaman on hms egmont in the greatwar. Is it possible to find out the where abouts of this ship during this period? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...

I know that HMS Egmont was a Malta base - my grandfather  served in RNVR and  sailed on HMT Hawk and correspondence was c/o Egmont.

 He was involved in rescue of passengers and crew of B I Mashobra torpedoed by UB 29 on 15 april 1917, by HMT Loch Huron 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...