JEB Posted 9 June , 2005 Share Posted 9 June , 2005 My grandfather served aboard HMS Dartmouth between September 1913 and June 1916. I've been trawling the internet looking for information and apart from finding details of the ship itself, I've come up with the following information about its operations while he was a member of the crew: 1914 East Indies. October 1914 Captured German tug Adjutant. January 1915 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron Grand Fleet but operated in South Atlantic in search for SMS Karlsruhe. February 1915 Dardanelles. May 1915 8th Light Cruiser Squadron Brindisi. Can anyone add anything to this? Thanks for any help you can offer, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kin47 Posted 9 June , 2005 Share Posted 9 June , 2005 Hello John A few bits Her commanding officers were Captain Judge D'ARCY fom 10 Aug 13 Captain Albert P. Addison on 9 Sep 15 11 ratings were killed in a boiler explosion in DARTMOUTH on 15 Mar 15. CDR George D. JEPHSON, ship's commander, died of illness on 7 Feb 16. Later, 7 ratings were killed in a surface action on 15 May 17. don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Lowrey Posted 9 June , 2005 Share Posted 9 June , 2005 Don, Dartmouth was both in a surface action on May 15, 1917 and then was torpedoed while homebound by the German submarine UC 25. The damage from the torpedo hit was severe and the cruiser was abandoned for a time. I have just got a book on this action, but I would think it likely before I read it that the deaths may well have come from the torpedo hit. Best wishes, Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JEB Posted 9 June , 2005 Author Share Posted 9 June , 2005 Don, Thanks very much for the information. The boiler explosion in March 1915 is particularly interesting. From stories passed on by my father, I understand that at some point in his naval career my grandfather was involved in an explosion that resulted in him coming to in a morgue. I haven't found anything about this in the parts of his diary that survive, but they cover the later years after he'd left the Dartmouth. My father had assumed it was something to do with enemy action, but perhaps it was the boiler explosion? Michael, The information about the surface action and UC-25 are interesting even though they were after my grandfather had left the ship. Thank you also. Regards, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony P Posted 9 June , 2005 Share Posted 9 June , 2005 Hello John Have you seen this. h.m.s.dartmouth.rtf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kin47 Posted 9 June , 2005 Share Posted 9 June , 2005 Hello Michael When you get into your new book on the Otranto action, please let me know whether the casualties were due to surface action or the submarine damage. The torpedo hit was on the port bow and the report indicates the fore part of the ship was wrecked only with the armoured deck holding the ship together. Thank you. don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Posted 10 June , 2005 Share Posted 10 June , 2005 JOHN, HMS DARTMOUTH ONE OF FOUR SHIPS OF THE WEYMOUTH CLASS. TYPE LIGHT CRUISER SISTER SHIPS FALMOUTH; WEYMOUTH & YARMOUTH. BUILT BY VICKERS, BARROW LAID DOWN 19 FEB 1910 LAUNCHED 14 DEC 1910 COMPLETED OCT 1911 1911-13 HOME, ATTACHED TO THIRD BATTLESHIP SQUADRON 1913-14 EAST INDIES OCT 1914 CAPTURED GERMAN TUG ADJUTANT JAN 1915 SOUTH ATLANTICSEARCH FOR KARLSRUHE FEB-MAY 1915 DARDANELLES 1915-19 EIGTH LIGHT CRUISER SQUADRON [bASED AT BRINDISI] 15 MAY 1917 TORPEDOED BY UC25 1919-1921 SOUTH AMERICA, SEVENTH LIGHT CRUISER SQUADRON 1921-24 DEVONPORT RESERVE 1924-26 REFIT 1926-27 TROOPING 1927-28 PORTSMOUTH, FLAGSHIP *VAC RESERVES 1928-29 TROOPING TO THE MEDITERRANEAN & CHINA 1929 RESERVE 1930 TEMOPARY ATTACHED TO DEFIANCE SOLD ALLOA, ROSYTH. BATTLE HONOUR: DARDANELLES 1915 * SORRY, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT VAC? REPRESENTS. ARTHUR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kin47 Posted 10 June , 2005 Share Posted 10 June , 2005 Hello VAC: Vice Admiral Commanding don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Posted 10 June , 2005 Share Posted 10 June , 2005 Hello VAC: Vice Admiral Commanding don <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hi Don, Thanks for the decyphering the abbreviation. Regards Arthur Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Lowrey Posted 14 June , 2005 Share Posted 14 June , 2005 Hello Michael When you get into your new book on the Otranto action, please let me know whether the casualties were due to surface action or the submarine damage. The torpedo hit was on the port bow and the report indicates the fore part of the ship was wrecked only with the armoured deck holding the ship together. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Don, According to Paul Halpren’s The Battle of the Otranto Straits: Controlling the Gateway to the Adriatic in WWI, it was a mixture. Three ratings were killed by shellfire and four more by the torpedo hit. Halpren also lists Dartmouth's executive officer, Commander Fane, as missing from the torpedo hit. Best wishes, Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kin47 Posted 15 June , 2005 Share Posted 15 June , 2005 Hello Michael Many thanks for the information. CWG gives three of the ratings on the Memorials and listed as killed in action in raid in Adriatic. Fane and the other four buried ashore. Halpern doesn't list the casualties by name does he? All best don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Lowrey Posted 15 June , 2005 Share Posted 15 June , 2005 Don, Unfortunately not. The only casualties identified by name is Fane, Korvettenkapitän Robert Szuborits, executive officer of Norava, and a very few of the trawler crews. Best wishes, Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archer Posted 17 January Share Posted 17 January I have just seen this ancient thread... Three of Dartmouth’s ratings were killed by enemy shellfire during the battle on 15 May, while Commander Robert Gerald Fane, the ship’s executive officer, and four more ratings, died in the torpedo strike that followed. Commander Fane was buried in Brindisi on 23 May 1917. His grave was subsequently "concentrated" with others, and moved to the Bari War Cemetery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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