HMS ANCHUSA - SUNK BY U-BOAT JULY 1918.

[Michelle Young]

Welcome to the forum. @dee souter hasn’t visited the forum since they made a handful of posts back in 2018. My tag may alert them to your post, depending on whether they are still using the same email address. 

[MAW]

There were 28 sloops in the Anchusa Class, ordered Jan-Feb 1917:

Anchusa

Arbutus

Auricula

Bergamot

Bryony

Candytuft

Ceanothus

Chrysanthemum

Convolvulus

Coreopsis

Cowslip

Dianthus

Eglantine

Gardenia

Gilia

Harebell

Ivy

Marjoram

Mistletoe

Pelargonium

Rhododendron

Saxifrage

Silene

Spiraea

Sweetbriar

Syringa

Tuberose

Windflower

[KizmeRD]

I must confess to having a soft spot for Anchusa Class Sloops (having spent a good deal of my young adult life on one, and even having my wedding reception onboard). However there appears to be a general pervasive and unquestioning assumption that every vessel of the class operated as a Q-ship during the Great War - and although many did, it was far from all of them.

At the time of her sinking HMS ANCHUSA was part of the newly formed Second Sloop Flotilla, operating off the coast of Ireland (based at Buncrana, Lough Swilly). The role of these Northern Division ships was anti-submarine patrolling/convoy escorting.

During 1917/18 there were indeed still a number of decoy ships continuing to operate, but only the most dull-witted U-boat commander would have been caught out by a Q-ship rouse by that late stage in the war.

Unfortunately there is no evidence I can find of ANCHUSA ever having been used as a Special Service Vessel since her commissioning one year earlier (but If anyone knows a primary reference source that proves to the contrary, then I’d be happy to revise my opinion).

MB

Edited 16 December , 2023 by KizmeRD

[MerchantOldSalt]

According to the  "Ships Employed on Special Service List" dated 31st May 1919 in the Caird library at Greenwich, which "supersedes previous lists", HMS ANCHUSA served from 30.5 1917 to 1.3.1918 under the names of CASHEL & WINSTREE,  I assume this is the same ANCHUSA.

Tony

[KizmeRD]

That’s really interesting, thank you. I knew of Q-ships operating from Queenstown, but it now appears that similar goings on may have been happening at some point in time out of Buncrana too.

ANCHUSA was involved in a collision with the destroyer HMS Mandate in December 1917

and according to War Cabinet Minutes WC44 (July 1918)…

“The Deputy First Sea Lord reported that HMS Anchusa (a sloop attached to the 2nd Sloop Flotilla) was torpedoed and sunk on the 16th July, 30 miles north of Malin Head. She had onboard 92 officers and men: 12 survivors have been brought in, but no officers had been saved”.

MB

Edited 16 December , 2023 by KizmeRD