War service of HMS SNOWDROP & HMS ACACIA

[Malcolm12hl]

My grandfather, John Norman Cooper, was a career Merchant Navy officer who was commissioned in the R.N.R. in September 1915 and spent the war serving on two Flower Class sloops, HMS SNOWDROP (November 1915 to September 1918) and HMS ACACIA (September 1918 to June 1919).  Apart from his commission, only two pieces of photographic evidence survive in the family.  The first is a small snap showing him walking in front of the beached wreck of UC 44 which I assume was taken at or near Waterford in SE Ireland in September 1917 (the submarine was lost on one of its own mines in August and salvaged the following month).  The second is a picture of the ship's company of HMS Acacia which is simply dated "Malta 1918".

 

I would be very grateful to hear from anyone who has, or can point me towards, details of the deployment of the two ships during the time he was aboard.

[seaJane]

There's a small entry on SNOWDROP on Wikipedia.

 

ACACIA here: https://www.naval-history.net/OWShips-WW1-18-HMS_Acacia.htm - drat, just realised this doesn't cover your period, but at least there's a picture.

 

 

 

Edited 25 April , 2019 by seaJane
Correction

[DavidOwen]

Both ship's logs are at Kew, but I bet you already knew that?

 

Acacia is mentioned in these diaries ( not sure how much) https://ww1lettersblog.wordpress.com/2018/01/19/19-january-1918-sets-sail-from-bizerte-in-a-19-ship-convoy/

[ARABIS]

SNOWDROP was delivered 3/12/15 & was based at Queenstown.

Here are some events I have gathered from various sources:-

15/2/16, with ZINNIA minesweeping off Galley Head.

March 1916, with ZINNIA assisted torpedoed sloop BEGONIA into Queenstown.

Easter 1916, escorted the transport GREAT SOUTHERN bringing marines into Galway to quell rebellion.

8/4/16, assisted by the Hired Yacht SEA FAY, picked up some of the crew of S.S. ADAMTON after she was sunk by gunfire from U.22 just south of the Minch.

4/4/17, towed the torpedoed S.S. QUANTOCK into Berehaven.

15/10/17, with TAMARISK towed the torpedoed U.S.S. CASSIN into Haulbowline dockyard.

November 1917, with ZINNIA escorted U.S.S. CASSIN being towed by rescue tug FLYING FOAM from Queenstown to Newport, Monmouthshire for repairs.

November 1917, took the survivors of U.58 [which had been sunk by the U.S. destroyers FANNING & NICHOLSON] from Queenstown to Pembroke.

 

ACACIA was based at HMS EGMONT [MALTA] in the October 1918 Navy List.

 

ARABIS.

Edited 1 May , 2019 by ARABIS
Typing error on March 1916 & ADAMTON 8/4/16.

[Malcolm12hl]

Thank you Jane, David and Arabis for giving a good foundation for further enquiries.  Is anyone aware of the details of the salvage of UC 44? 

 

Malcolm

[DavidOwen]

Malcolm

 

TNA has third about UC 44 but nothing on the salvage that I can see.

 https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4115568

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4116481

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4116482

 

Found these too

http://trawlerphotos.co.uk/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=192102&title=salvage-of-uc44-at-dunmore-east&cat=506

https://www.shippingwondersoftheworld.com/salvage.html

https://www.shippingwondersoftheworld.com/submarine_minelayer.html

https://tidesandtales.ie/tag/uc-44/

https://tidesandtales.ie/uc44/

 

Regards

David

[Malcolm12hl]

Thank you David - what a tremendous series of photographs!

[DavidIsby]

SNOWDROP was flagship of the escort of Convoy HC 12, inbound for Liverpool, on 15 August 1918, with Commander George Sherston commanding the escort (14 ferchant ships escorted by HMS Roxburgh, two Flower class, five US Navy destroyers).

 

SNOWDROP was, I believe, then based at Queenstown 

[Tom Wales]

On 25/04/2019 at 12:47, ARABIS said:

SNOWDROP was delivered 3/12/15 & was based at Queenstown.

Here are some events I have gathered from various sources:-

15/2/16, with ZINNIA minesweeping off Galley Head.

March 1916, with ZINNIA assisted torpedoed sloop BEGONIA into Queenstown.

Easter 1916, escorted the transport GREAT SOUTHERN bringing marines into Galway to quell rebellion.

8/4/16, assisted by the Hired Yacht SEA FAY, picked up some of the crew of S.S. ADMONTON after she was sunk by gunfire from U.22 just south of the Minch.

4/4/17, towed the torpedoed S.S. QUANTOCK into Berehaven.

15/10/17, with TAMARISK towed the torpedoed U.S.S. CASSIN into Haulbowline dockyard.

November 1917, with ZINNIA escorted U.S.S. CASSIN being towed by rescue tug FLYING FOAM from Queenstown to Newport, Monmouthshire for repairs.

November 1917, took the survivors of U.58 [which had been sunk by the U.S. destroyers FANNING & NICHOLSON] from Queenstown to Pembroke.

 

ACACIA was based at HMS EGMONT [MALTA] in the October 1918 Navy List.

 

ARABIS.

My grandfather was aboard ss Adamton when she was attacked and sunk by gunfire by U22. The Master and some crew members made it by ship's lifeboat to Tiree from where they were taken to Oban by Sea Fay . The second lifeboat commanded by the acting 2nd officer with 6 crew was struck by the periscope of the submerging U22 and was damaged - they were rescued by HMS Snowdrop and taken to Oban.

I had a note that Snowdrop picked up passengers and crew of the torpedoed  RMS Carpathia (July 1917)  which in turn had gone to the aid of Titanic in 1912. Can't immediately find the source of that last point.

After many years of trying still can't find photo of Snowdrop.

[CountryJohn]

On 29/04/2019 at 23:56, DavidIsby said:

with Commander George Sherston commanding the escort

I guess it's just a coincidence, but 'George Sherston' jumped off the page / screen at me as the name of the narrator if Sassoon's 'Memoirs of ...' books.

[ARABIS]

Tom,

 

Thanks for the extra information and for correcting me on the name of your grandfather's ship ADAMTON, I don't know where I got ADMONTON from. I don't have a photo of SNOWDROP either.

 

ARABIS.

[Talesofaseadog]

On 25/04/2019 at 16:25, Malcolm12hl said:

Thank you Jane, David and Arabis for giving a good foundation for further enquiries.  Is anyone aware of the details of the salvage of UC 44? 

 

Malcolm

I was the lead historian for the Friend or Foe celebration of the salvage of UC-44 at Dunmore East in 2017 and have all the salvage information.

My son's Great Grandfather was one of the Salvage Riggers on RFA Racer. I can provide more details if you would be good enough to private message me.

 

Tony

[Hyacinth1326]

Primary source material re career details, destruction, survivor account and recovery of UC-44 are comprehensively provided in the book Silent Warriors III by Armstrong and Young

Edited 26 October , 2019 by Hyacinth1326

[Talesofaseadog]

2 hours ago, Hyacinth1326 said:

Primary source material re career details, destruction, survivor account and recovery of UC-44 are comprehensively provided in the book Silent Warriors III by Armstrong and Young

My son's Great Grandfather was part of the salvage team for UC-44 and witnessed the salvage the Thetis so I have ordered the book. It will make an interesting read.

[Talesofaseadog]

On 26/10/2019 at 19:53, Talesofaseadog said:

My son's Great Grandfather was part of the salvage team for UC-44 and witnessed the salvage the Thetis so I have ordered the book. It will make an interesting read.

Silent Warriors Vol III does contain a little information about UC-44's salvage and is correct in believing that she was sunk by her own mine.

There is however much more to this story, the reference to papers is one clue, the urgent disposal of bodies is another, the disposal of the submarine is another.

Along with that, there is another story about the Captain of UC-44 finding a way of getting the information about the problem back to his base.

Add to that, the salvage operation itself was extremely difficult however the rewards were vitally important for the Admiralty.

Naval Salvage was vital in the war and does not get the credit it deserves.

Tony

[Hyacinth1326]

The only material regarding the salvage of UC-44 that I am familiar with is the report in ADM 137/645 and the code rates in ADM137/4248 -4251

How were the UC-44 bodies disposed of ?  There is no methodology in ADM 116/1513 and along with Grant in 'U-boat Hunters' I am inclined to be sceptical about  some of the claims made by Hall with regard to false mine clearance signals,

ref Hall File, 2/1, Churchill College Cambridge. Some of Hall's assertions cannot be squared with German records

My understanding is that the KDM was familiar with the soluble chemical plug problem long before the loss of UC-32 in February 1917 (see Spindler Band 4).

Edited 4 November , 2019 by Hyacinth1326

[Talesofaseadog]

The salvage record for UC-44 is in the Savage Record series in TNA, it took me a huge amount of effort to find it because each file holds a multitude of ships etc.

If you would like to know the actual number I am happy to provide information by private message.

I will also explain why I have to do this.

Many thanks Tony.

[Talesofaseadog]

This is a copy of part of the salvage report which details that 19 bodies were buried at sea.

It is likely that this is a typo and should be 29.

It also references HMS Snowdrop as assisting.

[Hyacinth1326]

Thanks for that.  Most interesting.

[Talesofaseadog]

33 minutes ago, Hyacinth1326 said:

Thanks for that.  Most interesting.

I suspect they were buried at sea for reasons of secrecy however the bodies must have been in an extremely poor condition.

 

The post originator has also contacted me by private message and is now in possession of the relevant file info.

 

Tony

[Michael Lowrey]

19 bodies recovered and buried at sea may well be correct — 29 can't be the correct answer. The German submarine's crew numbered 30; the single survivor was the commanding officer, Kplt. Kurt Tebbenjohanns. Tebbenjohanns' statement in German files, translated and republished in Dwight Messimer's book Verschollen, notes that two enlisted crew members escaped through the conning tower and reached the surface with Tebbenjohanns. The tide was running out and the three three soon became separated. The local lifeboat pulled the German officer out of the water an hour and a half later but didn't come across any other of UC 44's crew.

[Talesofaseadog]

As far as I can find out there were 2 extra crew onboard for this trip plus the standard 30 learning the ropes, this came from a U-Boat crew list website.

 

I have a picture of UC-44 which has written on the back of it that there were 30 bodies.

The man who wrote this was one of the Salvage Riggers John Foulkes who was present for the whole operation.

If there were 32 onboard and 3 escaped this would make 29.

 

That is why I think it is a typing error but we will never really know.

Tony

[Hyacinth1326]

This is the definitive UC-44 casualty list from Spindler Band 4

[Michael Lowrey]

For U-boat casualties, also take a look at denkmalprojekt.org. For UC 44, it's here: http://www.denkmalprojekt.org/u-boote/uboote_wk1/wk1_uc44.htm

 

Based upon other UCII class losses, 32 crew on a UCII minelayer was not a thing. 27 to 30 was typical; there were a few cases, usually in 1918, of 31 crew on a boat of the class lost with all hands.

[Talesofaseadog]

16 hours ago, Hyacinth1326 said:

This is the definitive UC-44 casualty list from Spindler Band 4

Silent Warriors Vol3 has a similar list.