HMS Sandhurst 27/2/1917

[grantowi]

Hi people,

Does anyone have any info on what happened to HMS Sandhurst in Scapa Flow on the 27 Feb 1917, resulting in 17 deaths ?

At the time I believe that she was pretending to be a battleship, with extra funnels and dummy guns.

 

Many thanks

[Polar Bear]

Specifically she was pretending to be HMS Indomitable and her Acting Captain was Oswald McDonough English. (A career naval officer he had originally retired in 1912 but was returned to duty during the war). I will however look further and see if I have anything specific about that incident.

[Polar Bear]

More on the Captain and HMS Sandhurst here https://www.navyhistory.org.au/not-the-boatyard/

 

[Relevant info starts after a few paragraphs]

 

Unfortunately does not specifically answer your question but gives an idea of what the ship was doing at the time.

 

Also this may be handy

Hope this helps some

Edited 9 February , 2020 by Polar Bear

[grantowi]

Thanks Polar Bear, I had seen that article.

I guess that the loss of 17 man was at the time, a pretty much "non event" :-(

Most of the dead are buried in Scapa, but one of mine has made it back to London

[Guest]

There was a boiler room explosion. Sandhurst was only a dummy battleship briefly before becoming a repair ship, stationed at Scapa Flow in 1917-19. Involved with the Dardanelles campaign, supporting the White Russians, the sinking of the German fleet at Scapa,  damaged in Dover, towed to Londonderry to support Polish-crewed vessels, scrapped 1947. My great-uncle was her captain 1912-14 as SS Manipur.