Gallipoli X Lighters or Beetles...Have you seen any please share location where seen.

[howie8865]

..Have you seen any please share location where seen.

[Eceabat]

Hi Howie,

just saw your posting. There are three X Lighters that are easily accessed in and around the peninsula. One is at West Beach at Suvla, another is in the sand on the beach of Suvla Bay just north of the Cut and a third lies in the shallows a few metres off Gully Beach at the mouth of Gully Ravine in the Helles sector.

 

I have images of all three should you be interested.

 

Bill Sellars

 

 

 

[michaeldr]

"X Lighters or Beetles"

Interestingly, during the Dardanelles/Gallipoli campaign these vessels were known as 'K lighters' - see  (Mitchell Report p.399) "With regard to the supply of a special type of boat for landing troops, the despatch of the motor lighters, commonly known as the K lighters, was a direct result of the experience gained from the Helles and Anzac landings." 

The best example of the remains of one, is that which can been seen very close to the shore at Gully Beach

This is motor lighter K.51 -  see the 'Mitchell Report' (1919) p.376 quoting “REPORT ON THE EVACUATION BY GENERAL OFFICER COMMANDING 
8th Army Corps, January, 1916. REPORT ON EVACUATION OF CAPE HELLES POSITION.” 
“Final Report. 
At 11 o'clock on the 9th instant the following message from Captain Staveley was received, showing that the whole operation had been successfully concluded 
'All motor lighters have arrived with the exception of K.5I, which is known to have been stranded and abandoned al Gully Beach. Troops from this lighter have arrived safely.'”

The K Lighters were motor driven, however their motor was small and was principally used for manoeuvring close to shore, to piers or to troop carriers. Over greater distances they were towed – see Mitchell p.357
“Allotment of Troop Carriers to Beaches, and Lighter Loads to Troop Carriers. Final Night
Off Gully Beach, H.M.S. Talbot tows 2 K (lighters) + 2 steamboats from Kephalo to Cape Tekke Burnu - where she drops them; and she then goes away as if on patrol. The steamboats then tow the Ks along the coast to Gully pier to arrive at 1.30 a.m. Silence being the main consideration, motor lighters should not use their own engines until leaving Gully pier.” 

This last part of the order was the root of the problem for K.51: see Mitchell p.345 "The two motor lighters destined to embark the 700 troops detailed for Gully beach arrived about 1 a.m. in tow of picket boats. The first one was slipped off the beach before she had started up her engine, and in consequence, went ashore and could not be got off. The other one got to the beach safely and embarked about 500 men. By this time the wind and sea had risen to such an extent that it was not feasible to embark the remaining 200 men at Gully beach, and they were ordered to “ W ” beach, where they arrived before 3 a.m., and were embarked with the last parties" 

K.51 was not expecting to have to use her motor on the approach and so it had not been started when she was slipped off. The storm's swell however was unforgiving and took control of the un-powered lighter and drove her ashore.

Edited 10 December , 2023 by michaeldr
spelling

[butler]

I think the lights mentioned above are just barges.

From the following link:

WEAPONS OF WAR: X-Lighter Motor Landing Craft (keymilitary.com)

According to National Historic Ships UK, three X-Lighters survive in Britain. Each was built in Sunderland by the Sunderland Shipbuilding Company or by Osbourne, Graham & Co. Today moored in Barking Creek, East London, Peter P was originally the X57, which saw service at Gallipoli and is thought to have lifted men from Dunkirk. Post-war, she was operated as a sand carrier by an aggregates company, before being purchased privately in 1999 and converted into a houseboat. 

The other two can be found in Kent. Moored in Sandwich is the X44, now named Spithead. She was sold in 1921 to James Dredging & Towage and again in 1936 to F W Horlock Ocean Transport, where she moved aggregates along the east coast. In 1939/40, the craft was requisitioned and used as a tender at Scapa Flow until being returned post-war. In the 1980s she was converted into a houseboat. At Stoke, on the Medway, is the Brandram, once the X67. She was used as an oil barge before being sold. Requisitioned between 1940 and 1945, she was purchased by her current owner in 1968 and operated commercially until 1981. Today, Brandram is undergoing restoration

There is also one in the Grand Harbour, Malta, that had been converted into a fuel barge and was sunk during WW2. It is diveable and in near one of the former hospitals

 

 

 

[michaeldr]

1 hour ago, michaeldr said:

Interestingly, during the Dardanelles/Gallipoli campaign these vessels were known as 'K lighters' - see  (Mitchell Report p.399) "With regard to the supply of a special type of boat for landing troops, the despatch of the motor lighters, commonly known as the K lighters, was a direct result of the experience gained from the Helles and Anzac landings." 

There's a further explanation of the lettering & numbering here https://www.xlighter.org/

“In succession of arrival in the Aegean, the 14 Water Lighters were given an ‘L’ number. i.e. L1 = X182 — L14 = X96, and the lighters for troops, horses, field guns, stores etc were given a ‘K’ number i.e. K1 = X40 — K77 = X166, ... ...
Whilst serving at Gallipoli, 9 of the ‘K’ lighters were lost, all ‘L’s survived.

Edited 10 December , 2023 by michaeldr

[michaeldr]

1 hour ago, butler said:

I think the lights mentioned above are just barges.

The 'X' (or 'K') Lighters certainly owed something to the barge heritage - See https://www.xlighter.org/
“Hull construction was based on River Thames barge building, and was of a parallel bottom, over 60% of its length.” 

However, as is the Navy's way, these vessels were referred to as lighters. I have found that the only time that the word barge is used in the literature, then it is with specific reference to 'hospital barges'. For example, in the c.530 page Mitchell Report of 1919, the word barge occurs only four times, while the word 'lighter' is found over 250 times

[Eceabat]

The three wrecked vessels are definitely X-Lighters, or K-Lighters as they were also known and as Michael has pointed out. Post war photos of all three exist. Here for example is the one at Gully Beach, the photo taken in 1919. 

[Eceabat]

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[Eceabat]

The above photo is of the same lighter, filmed earlier this year using a drone. 

 

The photo attached here is again the Gully Beach lighter, the image taken in 1919.

[michaeldr]

First time I've seen all of K.51's remains from the air: thanks Bill 

[Eceabat]

You are welcome Michael, Serpil and I have filmed the others as well from the air and at sea level. 

[Eceabat]

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission had use of one  of the X-lighters in the years after the war, using it to carry stone and supplied for the construction of cemeteries across the Gallipoli Peninsula. 

As can be seen from this photo from my own collection, taken in abut 1922 at V Beach, the lighter in question was X-180. As can be seen, her drop ramp in the bow has been removed, with a crane installed instead.

[michaeldr]

It would be an enormous help if someone can turn-up a list reconciling the 'X' numbers with the Navy's 'K' & 'L' numbers; does such a list exist?

The database here https://www.clydemaritime.co.uk/x-lighters-database/?wpv_view_count=3183&wpv_paged=2  on pages 2-12 gives details of the c.200 which were built in 1915, but only with reference to their 'X' numbers  

[michaeldr]

One of the K Lighters seen in action here embarking troops from HMS Doris (acting as a troop carrier on this occasion)
https://content.invisioncic.com/r224821/monthly_03_2011/post-55873-0-12617800-1299460309.jpg 
https://content.invisioncic.com/r224821/monthly_03_2011/post-55873-0-51422800-1299460389.jpg
 

[Eceabat]

Just to keep this thread going, here is an image of the K-Lighter stranded on the beach near the Cut at Suvla Bay. This particular vessel had been used to evacuate wounded, there being a number of medical units stationed in the dunes above the beach area. The lighter was apparently lost after it caught fire, possibly as a result of Turkish shelling. 

[michaeldr]

2 hours ago, Eceabat said:

K-Lighter stranded on the beach near the Cut at Suvla Bay. This particular vessel had been used to evacuate wounded, there being a number of medical units stationed in the dunes above the beach area.

Taken from Medical Services General History, Vol. IV (HMSO 1924) - Gallipoli operations are covered in pages 1-61

 

[b3rn]

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/13215