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Remembered Today:

What are these ships or stations?


ChrisC

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I've just downloaded the RN record for a GG uncle from the NA. He was recalled in 1914 after serving from 1881 to 1903. On the record there are the following - excuse errors.

Victory (T or 1) 31 July 14 to 19 Feb 15

Victory (VM or VII) 20 Feb 15 to 26 Feb 15

Excellent 27 Feb 15 to 15 Mar 15

Victory II 16 Mar 15 to 20 Mar 15

Hex (or Flex) (Clementine) 21 Mar 15 to 30 june 15

Boadicea 1 July 15 to 31 July 15

Amethyst 1 Aug 15 to 28 Jan 17

Mase (or Merse) 29 Jan 17 to 22 May 17

Vanessa II 23 May 17 to 17 Feb 19

I appears he was demobbed on 21st July 1919

There's lots of other entries I can't decipher but they are outside the WW1 period.

Help appreciated.

Chris C

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HMS Victory and Excellent are bases in the Portsmouth area.

HMS Boadicea was a Boadicea class Scout cruiser.

HMS Amethyst was a Topaze (Gem) Class protected cruiser

HMS Vanessa was a V Class destroyer that saw action in WW2 built in 1918 so the dates don't fit properly with your relative (there is a discussion on this ship on on the old version of the forum at http://www.1914-1918.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=7437)

Not sure about Mase/Merse but there was an HMS Mersey, an ex-Brazilian river monitor

No idea about the Hx/Flex/Clementine

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Thanks Bill! What a service! How can I discover where these ships served?

Thank God the Navy records are intact! It was paradise after trawling through the Army lot!

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Boadicea and Amethyst were light cruisers.

Victory and Excellent shore establishments.

Vanessa II was a yacht used as a patrol vessesl. Involved in an ASW action on July 27, 1918 that is often erroneously credited with sinking UB 107.

Best wishes,

Michael

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Hi Chris,

As near as I can get it Victory T was training section of Portsmouth Naval Barracks, Victory II could be The Accomodation part of the Barracks for those persons awaiting Draft to ships, at the time HMS Victory(Ship) was the Flagship, HMS Excellent was and still is to my knowledge the Navy's Gunnery School at Whale Island Portsmouth , the others I would presume are ships he served in.

Len

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Boadicea was attached to a Grand Fleet Battle Squadron throughout the war.

Amethyst wasin the Med in 1915 and then attached to the South American station

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How can I discover where these ships served?

Thank God the Navy records are intact! It was paradise after trawling through the Army lot!

Boadicea Grand Fleet, including Jutland. From December 1917 converted to a high speed minelayer.

Amethyst went to the Med in 1915 and saw service at the Dardanelles, but from sometime in 1916 on was on the South America station.

Best wishes,

Michael

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A bit more info Chris, Aethyst was the first cruiser fitted with turbines.

Armament 12 x 4", 8 x 3pdr, 2 x 18" Torp tubes above the waterline

3000 tons displacement, engine 12000HP, speed 22.5 knots.

Hms Boadicea:- 3300 tons displacement, 4 shaft parsons turbines, 18,000Hp-25 knots. First CLASS to have all Turbines

Armament:- 6 x 4", 4 x 3pdr, 2 x 18" torps above waterline.

Complement 317

Converted for minelaying 1917.

Additional guns added during war

Have Fun

Len

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Further to the various Victories, these surfaced in a thread on my Submariner rellie. Unfortunately I cannot find the thing! It seems that Victory was used as a name for various shore establishments and training courses in the Portsmouth area - bear in mind that I believe HMS Victory is still technically a commisioned warship and in 1914-1918 was, I believe, still afloat as opposed to in a dry dock with her masts through the bottom of the hull. These establishments would be numbered Victory I, II, etc, and the numbers went quite high.

Adrian

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Thanks guys for all the info.

It looks like Clementina now I look again. He must have had a fascinating career. From 1881 to 1903 his ships / postings were:

Impregnable, Implacable, Lion, Adelaide, Himilaya, Bellerophon, Duke of Wellington, Hercules, Northumberland, Cambridge, Excellent, Victory, Fearless, Sans Pareil, Beagle and Duke of Wessex.

Join the Navy and see the world!

Thanks again

Chris

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1881-1903 was the main time for the smaller colonial wars (Benin River and many others) as well as some biggies (Egypt/Sudan, Boer, ‘Boxer’ rebellion) for which medals were awarded. So if you want to know the other ships, maybe someone will answer an off topic enquiry.

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Merse Holyhead auxiliary patrol, trawler, sunk by mine off Bute 22 May 1917. Replaced by Vanessa II.
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1881-1903 was the main time for the smaller colonial wars (Benin River and many others) as well as some biggies (Egypt/Sudan, Boer, ‘Boxer’ rebellion) for which medals were awarded. So if you want to know the other ships, maybe someone will answer an off topic enquiry.

Thanks - I'll do that. Every time I find a new relative - brothers of my GGF at the moment, there's a new line of enquiry - all of them fascinating! Thank god for this Forum! :D

Chris

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  • 1 year later...
Guest green goddess
I've just downloaded the RN record for a GG uncle from the NA. He was recalled in 1914 after serving from 1881 to 1903. On the record there are the following - excuse errors.

Victory (T or 1) 31 July 14 to 19 Feb 15

Victory (VM or VII) 20 Feb 15 to 26 Feb 15

Excellent 27 Feb 15 to 15 Mar 15

Victory II 16 Mar 15 to 20 Mar 15

Hex (or Flex) (Clementine) 21 Mar 15 to 30 june 15

Boadicea 1 July 15 to 31 July 15

Amethyst 1 Aug 15 to 28 Jan 17

Mase (or Merse) 29 Jan 17 to 22 May 17

Vanessa II 23 May 17 to 17 Feb 19

I appears he was demobbed on 21st July 1919

There's lots of other entries I can't decipher but they are outside the WW1 period.

Help appreciated.

Chris C

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Guest green goddess
I've just downloaded the RN record for a GG uncle from the NA. He was recalled in 1914 after serving from 1881 to 1903. On the record there are the following - excuse errors.

Victory (T or 1) 31 July 14 to 19 Feb 15

Victory (VM or VII) 20 Feb 15 to 26 Feb 15

Excellent 27 Feb 15 to 15 Mar 15

Victory II 16 Mar 15 to 20 Mar 15

Hex (or Flex) (Clementine) 21 Mar 15 to 30 june 15

Boadicea 1 July 15 to 31 July 15

Amethyst 1 Aug 15 to 28 Jan 17

Mase (or Merse) 29 Jan 17 to 22 May 17

Vanessa II 23 May 17 to 17 Feb 19

I appears he was demobbed on 21st July 1919

There's lots of other entries I can't decipher but they are outside the WW1 period.

Help appreciated.

Chris C

Hi Chris C,

Vanessa 11

Although rather late I thought I would add the following comments.

In the book 'Ships of the Royal Navy, an historix Index, Vol 2, Navy -Trawlers, Drifters, Tugs and Requisitioned Ships' JJ Colledge 1970 it states. 'HMS Vanessa 11 was a yacht hired as an Auxillary Patrol Ship from 15 October 1914 - 5 March 1919. It was armed with 2 x 6 pdrs'.

My great uncle, Stoker 2nd Class Idris Lewis (aged 28 yrs) served on the Vanessa 11 and on 6th April 1918 was 'Lost overboard and accidentally drowned'.

He is remebered with honour on the Llanbradach War Memorial along with his brother Hubert Lewis, 1st Bn., Devonshire Regiment who was 'Killed in Action, France & Flanders' aged 27 yrs on 31 August 1918.

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