alantwo Posted 24 January , 2018 Share Posted 24 January , 2018 I would be grateful if anyone can help with where HMS Conqueror was during January to July 1918. At sea, in port? Where? My thanks in advance Regards Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wightspirit Posted 24 January , 2018 Share Posted 24 January , 2018 Unless someone comes up with the answer in the meantime - Conqueror's logs at TNA will tell exactly what you want to know. They're here: http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_aq=conqueror&_cr=adm&_dss=range&_sd=1918&_ed=1918&_ro=any&_st=adv Dave W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alantwo Posted 24 January , 2018 Author Share Posted 24 January , 2018 (edited) Dave Many thanks for your quick reply it's appreciated. It looks as though they are exactly what I need, unfortunately the logs are not downloadable and it will probably be a while before I get a chance to get to Kew. A brief summary of comings and goings between January and July 1918 would suffice in the meantime if anyone can help. Regards Alan Edited 24 January , 2018 by alantwo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 24 January , 2018 Share Posted 24 January , 2018 The "subsequent [to Jutland] activity" section in her Wikipedia entry suggests that she was probably in harbour with the rest of the Home Fleet in Rosyth, owing to the Admiralty's stipulation that "the Grand Fleet would not sortie unless the German fleet was attempting an invasion of Britain or there was a strong possibility it could be forced into an engagement under suitable conditions". One such sortie was made in April 1918, and she was present in Rosyth in November 1918. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Conqueror_(1911) Whether patrolling counted as a sortie I don't know. sJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alantwo Posted 24 January , 2018 Author Share Posted 24 January , 2018 Sea Jane Thanks for taking the time to reply. I had seen the Wiki article, it implies that Beatty ordered the Grand Fleet to intercept a German sortie but the Fleet did not enage the High Seas Fleet which had returned to Germany. One of the questions I have is whether Conqueror participated in the intended interception and was it in April or perhaps later. Thanks again. Regards Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 25 January , 2018 Share Posted 25 January , 2018 Okay, after a bit more digging I discover that the Grand Fleet moved from Scapa Flow to Rosyth on 20 April 1918, returning a squadron at a time to Scapa Flow for gunnery practice. CONQUEROR was in 2 Battle Squadron, and probably not her turn on the rota for gunnery practice only four days later? (see below). You will have picked up from Wiki that SMS MOLTKE suffered machinery failure on the 24th and had to break radio silence, thus alerting the British to the German presence. It looks to me as if everything in Rosyth went out: "Beatty was proud that the Grand Fleet and its 31 battleships (4 of them American), 4 battle cruisers, 2 cruisers, 25 light cruisers and 85 destroyers were able to get out of what he termed the "cul-de-sac" at Rosyth at top speed through dense fog within three hours." [Paul Halpern, Naval History of World War 1] * *Google Books sJ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alantwo Posted 25 January , 2018 Author Share Posted 25 January , 2018 Sea Jane My thanks again. From the quoted reference it suggests everything went out. Presumbably after not making contact with the German Fleet, Conqueror returned to Rosyth after 10 or 14 days which at least puts the ship at sea late April early May. I think I'm going to have to take a trip to Kew to look at the archives suggested by Dave. It'll be mid-February before I get a chance, so if you (or anyone else) finds out where the ship was before and after the dates discussed I would be grateful if you could let me know. Kind regards Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeCeeCee Posted 25 January , 2018 Share Posted 25 January , 2018 Burts "British Battleships of WW1" may have a general outline of her whereabouts after Jutland? But for accuracy, as she may have gone into dock for Hull cleaning, repairs, or out for gunnery practice, etc, you'll have to go read the logs yourself unless a pal will pull the 1918 out for you while there? Some links: http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/H.M.S._Conqueror_(1911) http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/Second_Battle_Squadron_(Royal_Navy)#cite_ref-21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alantwo Posted 25 January , 2018 Author Share Posted 25 January , 2018 Thanks TCC and thanks for the links, I think a trip to Kew is going to be needed to look at the logs. Can anyone tell me the likely information I will find in the logs. Will they for example include detailed items such as crew/officer lists, maintenence carried out or general daily or weekly reports etc., presumbably it will include where the ship was at sea and in which port. Regards Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 25 January , 2018 Share Posted 25 January , 2018 Muster lists will be in a different file iirc. Logs - activity, activity of other ship, expenditure of ammo or how long firing. I know of a log of a VC action (1898) that begins "1130. Hands to paint ship. 1200. Firing. 1230. Cease firing." or something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alantwo Posted 25 January , 2018 Author Share Posted 25 January , 2018 Thanks Sea Jane, I think the logs will clearly be of help. However you've opened another potential line to follow. You indicate that muster lists are in a different file, are they held at Kew? If so do you know where I might find them, do you have a reference number? My thanks in advance. Regards Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 26 January , 2018 Share Posted 26 January , 2018 I fear I may have been carried away by my own enthusiasm and by having seen earlier muster lists (ADM 38, 39, 41) - none are post-1899 unless I have missed the correct search term. Sorry! Conqueror's 1918 logs are at ADM 53/38497 - 38508 - one per month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeCeeCee Posted 26 January , 2018 Share Posted 26 January , 2018 Alan, there are period log books hosted online at the following link. Choose 1 or 2 battleships or battlecruisers and look through a few days/weeks and get a sense of what was recorded. http://www.naval-history.net/OWShips-LogBooksWW1.htm Good luck. P. S. I wouldn't listen to 'Seajane' if I was you... she gets carried away due to her enthusiasm and her accuracy falters. Thank the lord she isn't in an exacting job such as in medicine or in a role organising and cataloging items! 😉 😈 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 26 January , 2018 Share Posted 26 January , 2018 At least, not being a p*l*t*c*an, I'm prepared to admit to my mistakes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikB Posted 26 January , 2018 Share Posted 26 January , 2018 10 hours ago, TeeCeeCee said: ... P. S. I wouldn't listen to 'Seajane' if I was you... she gets carried away due to her enthusiasm and her accuracy falters. Thank the lord she isn't in an exacting job such as in medicine or in a role organising and cataloging items! 😉 😈 Maybe you two know each other, but I wouldn't want to disrespect another poster in public like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alantwo Posted 26 January , 2018 Author Share Posted 26 January , 2018 (edited) Now, now TCC and Sea Jane TCC - The naval history web-site is excellent, packed with information, unfortunately no logs for Conqueror, but at least I have an idea of what I'm going to find at Kew, thanks for pointing it out. Sea Jane - Thanks for clarifying the muster records and although I've heard rumours about accuracy, I won't have a word said against you. Just off to check everything you've helped me with in the past! T*a*ks a*a*n. Kind regards to you both Alan Edited 26 January , 2018 by alantwo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 27 January , 2018 Share Posted 27 January , 2018 11 hours ago, MikB said: Maybe you two know each other, but I wouldn't want to disrespect another poster in public like that. No worries, MikB, though thanks for your concern; I saw no disrespect and am sure TCC intended none (we've never met, unless I am doing him the injustice of forgetting that we have). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikB Posted 27 January , 2018 Share Posted 27 January , 2018 8 hours ago, seaJane said: No worries, MikB ... OK, ta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alantwo Posted 16 February , 2018 Author Share Posted 16 February , 2018 Just for completeness, the ship's logs indicate that it was essentially based in Rosyth and Scapa Flow during the whole period I was interested in. A few sea days with time mostly spent training and, on at least a couple of occasions, landing the ship's football team albeit the results don't appear to have been recorded. Thanks for everyone's help and advice. Regards Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrenPen Posted 16 February , 2018 Share Posted 16 February , 2018 If you wanted to know the names of the officers on HMS Conqueror, the monthly Navy Lists would tell you that. They can be accessed at Kew without the need for a research ticket. Several men from HMS Conqueror made up the Zeebrugge Raid party of about 450 volunteers from the Grand Fleet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 17 February , 2018 Share Posted 17 February , 2018 A selection of wartime Navy Lists is also available online from the National Library of Scotland: http://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/archive/97490295 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrenPen Posted 17 February , 2018 Share Posted 17 February , 2018 If you are after specific months, you are better off going to a place that has a substantial and comprehensive collection of Navy Lists, and physically going through these books. If the NLS isn't able to deliver the goods - which is usually the case for my research projects, one other limited source of information is the several Navy Lists that have been digitised by Ancestry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alantwo Posted 18 February , 2018 Author Share Posted 18 February , 2018 Sea Jane and GrenPen Thanks for your input. I was merely seeking the detailed movements of the ship during a period as it would help to place a rating I know was on board. There are several mentions of landing 'Libertymen', which I assume refers to shore leave, though understandably in the logs the men are not mentioned or how long each was given. I would like to be able to pin down where the rating I'm looking for was and for how long he was ashore, but I'm not sure whether I will get a great deal further. Regards Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrenPen Posted 18 February , 2018 Share Posted 18 February , 2018 Given that the "service record" is more of a pay record, my experience with ratings' records is that they record days in the cells, but do not record "paid time off". I have likewise seen ratings on shore leave on the 1911 Census, but there is no hint of their taking paid time off, albeit continuing to be paid by the capital ship or similar to which they are attached. I found myself perplexed with researching a rating who was based at Chatham - and being paid by the accounting code - but was in fact on detached duty, in a radio hut near Stranraer, which is where he died whilst on active service. The double whammy of ratings being associated with a large ship, both for the purposes of the Naval Discipline Act 1866 and for payroll accounting codes, does make it challenging when researching a rating, especially if you know they were on a smaller vessel such as a destroyer or a minesweeper. It is different for soldiers, as their periods of leave are documented, and any periods AWOL or similar are likewise documented. I am sure a more experienced and better informed member of the forum, such as SeaJane or Horatio2, could advise as to some further reading, to give a better picture as to the life of a sailor, periods of leave etc. The only book I know is "Jack Tar" by Roy and Lesley Adkins, but this relates to Nelson's navy rather than the Royal Navy of WW1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horatio2 Posted 18 February , 2018 Share Posted 18 February , 2018 You have little or no chance of pinning down precisely when an individual was granted short or long leave. The rules for the granting of leave were laid down in Kings Regulations & Admiralty Instructions - 1913:- http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/KR&AI/Leave.html#SHIP'S COMPANY N.B. the opening statement, "Leave of absence to officers and men is to be granted or withheld, as the circumstances of the Service may render expedient." Wartime service would make this particularly applicable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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