H.M.S. Cassandra and Beardmore WB.III --- Seeking Information

[Old Man]

I am a modeler whose principal interest is in the aircraft of the Great War, but this seems as much a 'ship[' question as an 'aeroplane' question, so I hjave taken the liberty of posting up in this forum as well.

In looking for information on the Beardmore WB.III, I came upon a small trove of pictures showing the first production example of this type of the H.M.S. Cassandra:

http://www.dockmuseum.org.uk/archive/browser.asp?deepcriteria=Cassandra&searchtype=1

I have not seen in the admittedly scanty aerial references on the Beardmore any reference to its operating from light cruisers.

Google has not been much help where H.M.S. Cassandra is concerned: I have been able to find out only that it was completed in June, 1917, intitially assigned to 6th Light Cruiser Squadron, was briefly aground in August that year, and was sunk off Estonia in December, 1918.

I would greatly appreciate any information anyone has to share on H.M.S. Cassandra's career and equipment, in particular whether the aeroplane was ever carried operationally, or if what is pictured was just an experimental trial.

[sotonmate]

OM

I note that there is no online Log for this ship,there are many others for vessels of the period. http://www.naval-history.net

You might like to note that there are ship's logs at Kew in ADM53 for this ship. For some reason there are two number series covering the period of it's service from Jun 1917 to Oct 1918.

ADM53/37278 to 37286 and ADM53/69546 to 69553. Dry reading as most of it is pertaining to the techicalities of running an RN ship,course,speed,position,berths,etc,but I would expect it to log aircraft launches !

[Old Man]

Thank you, Sir.

Is that accessible on-line? I live in the States, and so a visit to the archive is out of the question.

[sotonmate]

OM

Not online that I know of,certainly not by the NA.

[CULVERIN]

Old Man, your 1st # here re the W.B.III

Only 4 plane types operated from the assorted ramps and platforms fitted forward to British RN cruisers from 1915 to wars end.

Deperdussin HMS Aurora only 1915

Sopwith Pup from c7 cruisers 1917-18

Sopwith 2F.1 Camel extensively 1918

W.B. III, and as it is this you enquire about,it operated on fixed ramps or platforms only from

HMS Cassandra 1917

HMS Dublin 1917

HMS Yarmouth 1917

HMS Phaeton 1918

HMS Royalist 1918