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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

shipping losses 14-18 39-45


barkalotloudly

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Just purchased the complete lists covering both wars {printed 1947} interestingly the 14-18 war includes all those ships attacked and damaged but survived

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Could I be really cheeky and ask if it mentions S.S. Horn? There is a PO Harrison, T listed on our town memorial with S.S. Horn as his unit. I'm assuming PO stands for Petty Officer, but there doesn't seem to be any trace of him or his ship on CWGC. From the position on the memorial it is possible that he was a later addition.

Thanks

Dave

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Dave,

The Horn was a 641 grt steamer built in 1901 by R. Williamson & Sons, Workington for D.P.H. Fuhrmann, Hamburg. The vessel becomes British-owned with the same name in 1913 with E. Johnson & Co., Goole as the owners. It survived the war. I'm presuming the book barkalotloudly bought is British Vessels Lost at Sea 1914-18, which is the official loss list for the merchant shipping during the war to enemy causes. It includes a damaged and attacked vessel section which does not mention the Horn.

Best guess is that your man wasn't killed by a war related cause.

Best wishes,

Michael

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No mention of the Horn,



regards


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Thanks to you both. A Goole based ship fits the bill, since we are not far from the Humber. The memorial contains the names of others whose death was not directly war-related, but this does make it a bit of a harder puzzle. Now, at least I have a pointer in the right direction.

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Could I trouble you for any details about the loss of HMS Thrush in 1917? I have found the basics - apparently she ran aground and was wrecked off the coast of Antrim in a snowstorm, and some of the crew were rescued using a breeches buoy. One of the youngest casualties on our memorial was Assistant Steward William Bridgewater who died in this incident aged 17. Is there a likelihood that an inquiry was held to discover why the ship ran aground?

Thanks

Dave

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You do mention that the ships listed also include those damaged but survived.

I was wondering if anything is listed for the hospital ship HMT/HMHS Bramaer Castle damaged by a mine in 1916?

See my post #13 here:

 

I'd be interested to know what if anything might be listed for the official death toll.

Thanks

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Dave,


Just a short reply (don’t want to hi-jack the thread), HMS (RFA) Thrush along with the trawler Prince Victor (Requisitioned Grimsby Trawler), were escorting the oil tanker Ricardo A. Mestres. All three ran aground on the Antrim coast, N. Ireland in atrocious weather on 11 April 1917. The tanker and trawler were recovered but the Thrush couldn’t be saved and was abandoned as a wreck. Eight lives lost, all MMR

Ref: ADM. 137/1920


Terry

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I've looked at The National Archives (it hasn't been called PRO for some years now) catalogue for HMS THRUSH and only two 1915 logbooks have been indexed under her name.

I think that the ADM 137/1920 reference which Terry gives must cover the enquiry as it is "Secret packs of the Commander in Chief Grand Fleet".

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Braemar Castle come under the section "ships molested" 23/11/1916 Mykoni Channe,l mine ? ship was beached. 4 lives lost

best regards John

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Thrush? only ship listed is sunk in 1915

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Ah, so the logbooks in TNA may refer in that case; was there a typo of 1917 in post #8?

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Thanks for looking. I think Thrush was wrecked on April 11th 1917; that is the date on CWGC for William Bridgewater and it also appears on a website I found listing wrecks around the UK. I don't know when he joined the ship, but he was only 17 when he died so might not have been old enough to have been on board in 1915.

CWGC lists his last address as the Angel Hotel in Brigg, which was run by his parents. It has since been converted to a library and heritage centre, and will be the site of the Brigg war centenary exhibition. Visitors will be able to read about him and see the ship he died on while standing in the very rooms where the family lived 100 years ago.

edit: I searched this forum earlier and found more details for the Thrush, including the names of the other men killed, but nothing about the circumstances of the loss. The appalling weather, reference to a breeches buoy and some of the crew surviving build quite a dramatic picture, with a lot of gaps.

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Hi Dave

It does indeed look as if 1917 is the date. Sceptic as I sometimes am about Wiki, this page seems fairly informative

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Thrush_(1889)

and there is this

http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?30561

and this

http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/viewship.asp?id=18917

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