HMS Arctic Whale and sister (post-war in commercial use at Bermuda)

[aodhdubh]

Is there any documentation on the Arctic Whale class of whalers, and particularly on their disposal after the war. HMS Arctic Whale herself reputedly became the Furness Withy steamer "Bermudian", which is shown in photographs from 1931 fighting the fire aboard the liner "MS Bermuda" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Bermuda#First_fire). I have one photograph in my possession, taken in Bermuda in the 1920s or 1930s, of the "Bermudian" or her sister, operated commercially in Bermuda after the war as the "John S. Darrell", but I cannot be certain which (though the dark hull makes me lean towards John S. Darrell). I assume both must have been based at the Royal Naval Dockyard in Bermuda (home base of the North America and West Indies Station) at the end of the war and were disposed of locally. Can anyone confirm this? Can anyone confirm the original naval identity of the "John S. Darrell"? Both vessels appear to have been modified by removing armament and searchlight, and enclosing the bridge, and adding an upper deck for passengers.

Edited 14 October , 2023 by aodhdubh

[aodhdubh]

A model of the Arctic Whale in the Imperial War Museum's collection. https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30018233

[aodhdubh]

Former skipper of HMS Arctic Whale, John Thomas Warren, RNR, was buried curiously at Grimsby, Lincolnshire, a location familiar to the Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps's overseas contingents which joined the Lincolnshire Regiment there during the war. https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7664078

Edited 14 October , 2023 by aodhdubh

[horatio2]

Have you seen this? Scroll down to Section "30.1 - Admiralty Whalers"   -   https://www.naval-history.net/WW1NavyBritishShips-Dittmar4APb.htm#301

On 14/10/2023 at 11:39, aodhdubh said:

I assume both must have been based at the Royal Naval Dockyard in Bermuda (home base of the North America and West Indies Station) at the end of the war

Uk-based from 1915 to 1918, I can find no evidence that any of the Admiralty Whalers were based away from UK at the end of the war.However the December 1919 Navy List does place a number of the boats on Lake Nyasa, on the books of HMS AFRIKANDER at Cape Town.

As far as I can tell the boats were sold on the London market in early 1920. not locally in Bermuda.

Nor have I found a link between JOHN S. DARRELL and the Admiralty Whalers.

Others may have more in-depth knowledge.

Edited 15 October , 2023 by horatio2

[KizmeRD]

Icewhale was the longest serving of any of the Admiralty whalers, she continued in government service (based in Portland) right up until the beginning of the seventies, and attracted a certain amount of notoriety in her old age undertaking offshore biological weapon testing for Porton Down.

MB

 

Edited 14 October , 2023 by KizmeRD

[aodhdubh]

7 hours ago, aodhdubh said:

Former skipper of HMS Arctic Whale, John Thomas Warren, RNR, was buried curiously at Grimsby, Lincolnshire, a location familiar to the Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps's overseas contingents which joined the Lincolnshire Regiment there during the war. https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7664078

 

4 hours ago, KizmeRD said:

Icewhale was the longest serving of any of the Admiralty whalers, she continued in government service (based in Portland) right up until the beginning of the seventies, and attracted a certain amount of notoriety in her old age undertaking offshore biological weapon testing for Porton Down.

MB

 

Thank you both very much. I have not yet learnt how John S. Darrell came to be in Bermuda, but I've just found a 1923 article revealing HMS Arctic Whale was imported to Bermuda by Furness Withy before she was renamed "Bermudian", and another from 1958, which reveals that John S. Darrell was originally HMS Balaena, which became the Beechwin before being renamed John S. Darrell.

[horatio2]

22 hours ago, horatio2 said:

December 1919 Navy List does place a number of the boats on Lake Nyasa, on the books of HMS AFRIKANDER at Cape Town.

I have mis-read the "Whalers" listing and the above statement is incorrect. Please disregard. Whalers were UK-based.

Edited 15 October , 2023 by horatio2

[aodhdubh]

13 hours ago, horatio2 said:

I have mis-read the "Whalers" listing and the above statement is incorrect. Please disregard. Whalers were UK-based.

Thanks. I am curious about their employment during the war.

[horatio2]

5 hours ago, aodhdubh said:

Thanks. I am curious about their employment during the war.

From 1915-18, served as coastal anti-submarine escorts in squadrons, based at Stornoway, Shetlands, Peterhead or the Humber. 

[KizmeRD]

The Admiralty Whalers formed part of the Auxiliary Patrol  and were organised into three squadrons based at Stornaway, Lerwick, and Peterhead (and shifted to the Humber late in the war).

They were  built by Smith's Docks, Teeside in 1915 under the provisions of the Emergency War Programme. These vessels were 336 tons with a compliment of 26.

Blackwhale was mined off Fife Ness 3.1.18 whist engaged in convoy work.

MB

[Falloden]

A photo of Bermudian copied from "Queen of Bermuda and the Furness Bermuda Line" by Piers Plowman & Stephen J Card

 

 

[aodhdubh]

5 hours ago, horatio2 said:

From 1915-18, served as coastal anti-submarine escorts in squadrons, based at Stornoway, Shetlands, Peterhead or the Humber. 

 

4 hours ago, KizmeRD said:

The Admiralty Whalers formed part of the Auxiliary Patrol  and were organised into three squadrons based at Stornaway, Lerwick, and Peterhead (and shifted to the Humber late in the war).

They were  built by Smith's Docks, Teeside in 1915 under the provisions of the Emergency War Programme. These vessels were 336 tons with a compliment of 26.

Blackwhale was mined off Fife Ness 3.1.18 whist engaged in convoy work.

MB

 

54 minutes ago, Falloden said:

A photo of Bermudian copied from "Queen of Bermuda and the Furness Bermuda Line" by Piers Plowman & Stephen J Card

 

 

Thank you all very much. I actually have that book in the attic. I'll drag it out. Bermudian/Arctic Whale's naval career did not end in 1919 as she was reportedly used during the Second World War by the naval Examination Service at Bermuda as a relief examination vessel to the Furness-Withy steamer Castle Harbour (which operated before that war as a tender delivering passengers from the company's liners to the Castle Harbour Hotel), with both vessels remaining on the civil register at first (Castle Harbour was later commissioned).

[horatio2]

The Admiralty Whalers frequently shifted base during WW1. The movements of ARCTIC WHALE are fairly typical:

She was first based on HMS STEPHEN FURNESS (parenting Invergordon, Peterhead and Cromarty boats) from 9/11/15. She was one of nine whalers based there straight out of Smith’s build in late 1915. All but one were then transferred from 9/3/16 to HMS  THALIA, who had relieved STEPHEN FURNESS. 

Inexplicably, HMS LUPIN, a newly built sloop, is recorded as ARCTIC WHALE’s parent from 6/7/16. 

Her next base was at Longhope, Scapa Flow, Orkney, where her depot ships were HMS VICTORIOUS II from17/8/16 and HMS ZARIA from 1/1/17.

After nine months operating out of Longhope, ARCTIC WHALE (with BULLWHALE and BLACKWHALE) was moved south to the Humber, based on HMS WALLINGTON at Immingham from15/5/17 and finally on HMS PEKIN at Grimsby from 10/12/18. 18 months of her wartime service was spent based on the Humber.

[KizmeRD]

On 14/10/2023 at 15:48, KizmeRD said:

Icewhale was the longest serving of any of the Admiralty whalers, she continued in government service (based in Portland) right up until the beginning of the seventies, and attracted a certain amount of notoriety in her old age undertaking offshore biological weapon testing for Porton Down.

MB

 

Having done some further checking, the above comment turns out to be false. After the war the Admiralty Whaler Icewhale (Z.12) was based at Portland supporting early ASDIC development trials, she was renamed OSPREY sometime around 1924 and was eventually disposed of in 1928 (passing on the name to the RN shore base). Subsequently there was a newer replacement vessel which was also given the name Icewhale.

MB

Edited 17 October , 2023 by KizmeRD

[aodhdubh]

6 hours ago, horatio2 said:

The Admiralty Whalers frequently shifted base during WW1. The movements of ARCTIC WHALE are fairly typical:

She was first based on HMS STEPHEN FURNESS (parenting Invergordon, Peterhead and Cromarty boats) from 9/11/15. She was one of nine whalers based there straight out of Smith’s build in late 1915. All but one were then transferred from 9/3/16 to HMS  THALIA, who had relieved STEPHEN FURNESS. 

Inexplicably, HMS LUPIN, a newly built sloop, is recorded as ARCTIC WHALE’s parent from 6/7/16. 

Her next base was at Longhope, Scapa Flow, Orkney, where her depot ships were HMS VICTORIOUS II from17/8/16 and HMS ZARIA from 1/1/17.

After nine months operating out of Longhope, ARCTIC WHALE (with BULLWHALE and BLACKWHALE) was moved south to the Humber, based on HMS WALLINGTON at Immingham from15/5/17 and finally on HMS PEKIN at Grimsby from 10/12/18. 18 months of her wartime service was spent based on the Humber.

 

4 hours ago, KizmeRD said:

Having done some further checking, the above comment turns out to be false. After the war the Admiralty Whaler Icewhale (Z.12) was based at Portland assisting the Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment with early ASDIC development trials, she was renamed OSPREY sometime around 1924 and was eventually disposed of in 1928 (passing on the name to the RN shore base). Subsequently there was a newer replacement vessel which was also given the name Icewhale.

MB

Thanks, both of you. I've been trying to learn something about the death of Skipper John Thomas Warren, RNR, without success (https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/380527/j-t-warren).

 

I have found a notice in the 26th of January, 1920, "Aberdeen Daily Journal" (and other newspapers) of Arctic Whale and five sisters for sale.

1920-01-26 ADJ-6 Arctic Whale Class for sale.pdf

[KizmeRD]

Christian Salvesen & Co. purchased at least one of them, others ended up being owned by Olympic Whaling Co., and five of the class were bought by A/S Tønsberg  Hvalfangeri and had their engines stripped out and put into other hulls.

MB

[horatio2]

10 hours ago, aodhdubh said:

I've been trying to learn something about the death of Skipper John Thomas Warren, RNR, without success

John Thomas WARREN first enrolled in the RNR as a Second Hand (2679.SA) on 26 July 1916 and was appointed to HMS LUPIN for duty in ARCTIC WHALE. On 26 November 1917, when ARCTIC WHALE was based in the Humber on HMS WALLINGTON, he was promoted to Skipper. His record notes that he was transferred from WALLINGTON (for ARCTIC WHALE) to HMS PEKIN on promotion so may never have been her Skipper.

At best, he was Skipper of ARCTIC WHALE for only a month as he was appointed to HMS QUEEN at Taranto in January 1918 to become Skipper of HMS MORNING STAR II a hired Kirkcaldy drifter/net vessel. He was later Skipper of the hired drifter PAMELA and served post-Armistice at Constantinople, based on HMS CAESAR.

He returned to UK in Feb 1919 and was demobilised on 8 May from his last base at Falmouth (HMS DREEL CASTLE). It is not clear which boat (if any) he brought back from the Mediterranean.

It is unclear why Skipper WARREN’s death from disease on 23 Nov 1919, six months after demob, should be recorded as ARCTIC WHALE, which he had left in December 1917 after (at most) only one month as Skipper. He had later commanded at least two other boats. It is unlikely that, as a demobbed Skipper, he would have returned to ARCTIC WHALE in 1919. He was buried in Grimsby, his home town. His widow, Rebecca, claimed his two WW1 medals.

[aodhdubh]

5 hours ago, KizmeRD said:

Christian Salvesen & Co. purchased at least one of them, others ended up being owned by Olympic Whaling Co., and five of the class were bought by A/S Tønsberg  Hvalfangeri and had their engines stripped out and put into other hulls.

MB

 

1 hour ago, horatio2 said:

John Thomas WARREN first enrolled in the RNR as a Second Hand (2679.SA) on 26 July 1916 and was appointed to HMS LUPIN for duty in ARCTIC WHALE. On 26 November 1917, when ARCTIC WHALE was based in the Humber on HMS WALLINGTON, he was promoted to Skipper. His record notes that he was transferred from WALLINGTON (for ARCTIC WHALE) to HMS PEKIN on promotion so may never have been her Skipper.

At best, he was Skipper of ARCTIC WHALE for only a month as he was appointed to HMS QUEEN at Taranto in January 1918 to become Skipper of HMS MORNING STAR II a hired Kirkcaldy drifter/net vessel. He was later Skipper of the hired drifter PAMELA and served post-Armistice at Constantinople, based on HMS CAESAR.

He returned to UK in Feb 1919 and was demobilised on 8 May from his last base at Falmouth (HMS DREEL CASTLE). It is not clear which boat (if any) he brought back from the Mediterranean.

It is unclear why Skipper WARREN’s death from disease on 23 Nov 1919, six months after demob, should be recorded as ARCTIC WHALE, which he had left in December 1917 after (at most) only one month as Skipper. He had later commanded at least two other boats. It is unlikely that, as a demobbed Skipper, he would have returned to ARCTIC WHALE in 1919. He was buried in Grimsby, his home town. His widow, Rebecca, claimed his two WW1 medals.

Thank you both. It is curious that, doubtless with the leisure of time to confirm details, the CWGC made that apparent error on the memorial stone.

[aodhdubh]

This appears to be Arctic Whale, from the light hull, as Bermudian tied up at King's Square in St. George's town, Bermuda.

[aodhdubh]

A 1956 photograph in Hamilton Harbour, Bermuda...clearly an arctic Whale class...presumably "Arctic Whale" alias "Bermudian" operating as a tug.

[aodhdubh]

And a still from a film on the tour of two princes (including POW, I believe) to Bermuda between the wars...appears to be Arctic Whale/Bermudian.

[horatio2]

5 hours ago, horatio2 said:

he was appointed to HMS QUEEN at Taranto in January 1918 to become Skipper of HMS MORNING STAR II a hired Kirkcaldy drifter/net vessel. He was later Skipper of the hired drifter PAMELA and served post-Armistice at Constantinople, based on HMS CAESAR.

I have managed to further de-cipher his record ansd discovered that between MORNING STAR II and PAMELA he was also Skipper of the hired Lowestoft drifter BON ESPOIR. So, during the first ten months of 1918 he was Skipper of three net drifters operating out of Taranto on the Adriatic barrier. It is likely that he took BON ESPOIR to Constantinople (CAESAR).

Edited 17 October , 2023 by horatio2

[aodhdubh]

7 hours ago, horatio2 said:

I have managed to further de-cipher his record ansd discovered that between MORNING STAR II and PAMELA he was also Skipper of the hired Lowestoft drifter BON ESPOIR. So, during the first ten months of 1918 he was Skipper of three net drifters operating out of Taranto on the Adriatic barrier. It is likely that he took BON ESPOIR to Constantinople (CAESAR).

Thank you very much. Reminds me to look further into the hired trawler "Bermuda". This is the link to the above mentioned newsreel

 

[horatio2]

1 hour ago, aodhdubh said:

Reminds me to look further into the hired trawler "Bermuda".

The hired Grimsby trawler BERMUDA was brought into service as a minesweeper at the Lowestoft base (HMS HALCYON) on 12 November 1914, After fittting-out she was moved north to Scapa Flow where she was based, for one year,on HMS CYCLOPS and, later, HMS ZARIA between 9 December 14 and 12 December 15. She was then deployed to the Mediteranean, serving for three years at Port Said (on the books of HMS EGMONT II at Malta). She returned to UK in March/April 1919, based at Portland on HMS RESEARCH from 5 April 1919.  For later details see also   -   https://www.deepseatrawlers.co.uk/index.php/2020/06/23/bermuda-gy-56/

Other than her name, this Grimsby boat had no connection to Bermuda, or to the subject of this topic.

Edited 17 October , 2023 by horatio2

[aodhdubh]

14 hours ago, horatio2 said:

The hired Grimsby trawler BERMUDA was brought into service as a minesweeper at the Lowestoft base (HMS HALCYON) on 12 November 1914, After fittting-out she was moved north to Scapa Flow where she was based, for one year,on HMS CYCLOPS and, later, HMS ZARIA between 9 December 14 and 12 December 15. She was then deployed to the Mediteranean, serving for three years at Port Said (on the books of HMS EGMONT II at Malta). She returned to UK in March/April 1919, based at Portland on HMS RESEARCH from 5 April 1919.  For later details see also   -   https://www.deepseatrawlers.co.uk/index.php/2020/06/23/bermuda-gy-56/

Other than her name, this Grimsby boat had no connection to Bermuda, or to the subject of this topic.

No...just reminds me that's something else I mean to look into. Thanks.

Edited 18 October , 2023 by aodhdubh