H.M.S. Britannia!

[cockney tone]

Ladies & Gents,

Pal's,

on a recent short stop at Gibraltar i declined the opportunity of being dragged around the duty free shopping and visted the Trafalgar Cemetery then had a stroll around the 'North Front' Cemetery. whilst there i saw the graves of 23 men from the H.M.S. Britannia which i believe was sunk by a submarine of Cape Trafalgar on the 9th November 1918!

Anybody know any more info on this sad incident just 2 days before the end of the Great War?

Thank you in advance,

cheers,

Scottie.

[spithead]

Scottie

From 'Dictionary of Disasters at Sea'

H.M.S. BRITANNIA 1st class battleship; 1904; Portsmouth Dockyard; 16,350 tons

The old battleship Britannia had the melancholy distinction of being the last British warship to be lost in the First World War. She was steaming toward Gibralter from westward in company with two destroyers when, on the morning of November 9th, 1918, at about a quarter-past seven she was attacked by a submarine. Two torpedoes were fired, both of which missed the target, but a third struck her amidships and exploded a quantity of cordite within the ship. She sank some three hours later, with a loss of 40 of her complement.

The submarine which sank the BRITANNIA, the UB-50, Cdr. Kukat, was escaping from the Mediterranean with other submarines which had been operating there since the Dardanelles campaaign.

Hope this is of interest

Regards John

[kin47]

Hello

Here are BRITANNIA's lost. These come on top of a number of men who earlier died at Freetown of the Spanish influenza.

ATKEY CECIL L. A.B. J 20155 BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

BAKER MATTHEW H. L/STOKER 309847 (Po) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

BEMROSE ARTHUR STOKER 1c K 44568 (Po) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

BIRCUMSHAW JOHN W. PRIVATE, RMLI 183391 (Po) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

BROWN ALBERT STOKER 1c K 25208 (Po) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

BURCH WILLIAM H. A.B. J 30208 (Dev) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

CARTER FREDERICK G. LANCE CORPORAL, RMLI 13096 (Po) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

DARNTON JOHN W. A.B. J 47427 (Po) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

DAVEY FREDERICK STOKER 1c SS 11262 BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

DAVISON WILLIAM T. A.B. J 34172 (Po) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

DREDGE FREDERICK C. STOKER 1c K 33161 (Po) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

HALL EDWARD C. PRIVATE, RMLI 18343 (Po) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

HEASMAN JOHN A. C.E.R.A 2c 270879 (Po) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

HEATH FRED PRIVATE, RMLI 17762 (Po) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

HOGGARTH WILLIAM J. A.B. J 57357 BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

JACKSON GEORGE A.B., RNVR TYNESIDE Z 9416 BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

LEA FREDERICK J. MASTER AT ARMS 196030 (Po) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

LEACH JAMES R. A.B. 220146 (Po) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

MACKNIGHT DUNDAS S. SURGEON LT BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

MARKHAM CHARLES STOKER P.O. 302885 (Po) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

MARSH GEORGE A.B. 216453 (Po) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

MATTHEW ERNEST G. STOKER 1c 290595 (Po) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

MAYBURY THOMAS STOKER 1c SS 116241 BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

MCDONALD FRANK E. PRIVATE, RMLI 16243 (Ch) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

POLLARD WILLIAM L. OFFICERS' COOK 2c L 9631 (Po) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

REDFERN CHARLES W. PRIVATE, RMLI 15354 (Po) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

RICKETT ARTHUR H. A.B. 190277 (Po) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

ROBINSON WILLIAM G. PRIVATE, RMLI 18333 (Ch) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

SOLES THOMAS G. STOKER 1c 211300 (Po) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

STRIDE WIILIAM C. PRIVATE, RMLI 14254 (Po) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

THICK FREDERICK C. OFFICERS' STEWARD 2c L 49 (Po) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

TRIMMER JESSE E. OFFICERS' STEWARD 2c L 759 (Po) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

TURNBULL WILLIAM A.B. J 70085 (Po) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

VASSALLO JOSEPH OFFICER'S COOK 1c L 5422 (Po) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

WARDLE JOHN W. STOKER 1c K 32134 BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

WEBSTER THOMAS W. STOKER 1c K 19790 (Po) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

WEIR FREDERICK S. ENGINEER LCDR (acting) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

WHEATON EDGAR N GUNNER, RMA RMA 12565 BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

WHEELER ALBERT E. OFFICERS' STEWARD 2c L 2737 (Po) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

WILKIN WILLIAM J. OFFICERS' STEWARD 3c L 5888 (Po) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

WINTER ARTHUR W. GUNNER, RMA RNA 10281 BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

WISDOM HENRY W. OFFICERS' STEWARD 1c 356860 (Po) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

WOODFORD WALTER H. L/SEAMAN 185716 (Po) BRITANNIA 09/11/18 SHIP LOSS

AUSTIN GEORGE H. A.B. J 3356 BRITANNIA 10/11/18 SHIP LOSS DIED OF WOUNDS

BROWN FREDERICK W. A.B. J 10218 BRITANNIA 10/11/18 SHIP LOSS DIED OF WOUNDS

WHITE LEVI G. MECHANICIAN 301759 (Po) BRITANNIA 10/11/18 SHIP LOSS DIED OF WOUNDS

WILSON THOMAS STOKER 1c SS 117286 BRITANNIA 10/11/18 SHIP LOSS DIED OF WOUNDS

JONES JOHN STOKER 1c K 32955 BRITANNIA 11/11/18 SHIP LOSS DIED OF WOUNDS

SKUSE DOUGLAS J. MUSICIAN, RMB RMB 983 BRITANNIA 11/11/18 SHIP LOSS DIED OF WOUNDS

STAINTHORPE JOHN A. A.B., RNVR SUSSEX Z 328 BRITANNIA 11/11/18 SHIP LOSS DIED OF WOUNDS

SEAMAN ERNEST ARTIFICER ENGINEER BRITANNIA 15/12/18 SHIP LOSS DIED OF WOUNDS in UK

[chaz]

as I understand it, the Submarine was ordered out of the med and back to Germany for surrender, it has been posted on the forum, with Karl Doenitz on. pot shot aparently

 

 

[cockney tone]

Chaz, kin47 & John,

thank you very much for the informative answers, the link with Doenitz is really interesting. And thank you for the link to the previous thread on Britannia which i missed due to my holiday.

Cheers,

Scottie.

[historydavid]

HMS Britannia, sunk 9th November 1918, built 1906, 16,350 tons, was torpedoed by UB 50 off Cape Trafalgar, W from Gibraltar, Atlantic Ocean. Loss of life was 51 (as detailed in Don's post).

Best wishes

David

[cockney tone]

David,

thank you for the info,

regards

Scottie.

[healdav]

Is Trafalgar still commeorated in Gib?

When I lived there my school was at first in a building on the cliff overlooking the cemetery. Every Trafalgar day we were taken down to the cemetery for a very formal memorial service complete with Royal marine band, RN wreath parties, etc.

I remember one chaplain in his addres saying something on the lines of, 'You lot (the RN) think you have it hard today. You should have been around in those days, weevils in the biscuits, years old meat, no leave - and that was in peacetime. Things got hard in war time'.

[cockney tone]

Not sure if they still commerate Trafalgar 'Day' but the cemetery was in good order with some landscaping (ok tree moving!) going on while I was there.

I found it a very moving and atmospheric place. We are returning on a cruise again next year and i will certainly visit it again after reading up on the Battle.

Regards, Scottie.