Guest KevinEndon Posted 15 January , 2007 Share Posted 15 January , 2007 I recall a year or two ago when a friend of mine produced a beautiful carved box and inside were the gun sighting scopes from HMS Warspite. A huge telescope, heavy but in pristine condition. Asking him how he came about them the story goes that a chap at his work came up to him knowing he was into nautical stuff and he had something my friend would be interested in. When my friend saw the scopes he was open mouthed at the quality, the owner asked my friend if he would like to buy it. Thinking that little change from £500 would be had, he was about to say no when the bloke says, "you can have it for what I paid for it, £5" The bloke did indeed did pay £5 for it at auction in 1952 or there abouts and charged my mate exactly £5 in the late 90's. The scope is going to a museum when my friend goes to meet his maker, I wonder if this crazy story goes with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Saillard Posted 15 January , 2007 Share Posted 15 January , 2007 Hello Kevin ! It is a very interesting story and nice to hear that the item will find its way into a museum at a later date. I like the photo you included of H.M.S. WARSPITE just inside the breakwater of Grand Harbour (Malta) with Fort Ricasoli in the background. Over the last few years the fort was used as a set for the films GLADIATOR (Russell Crowe) and TROY (Brad Pitt). Regards Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KevinEndon Posted 15 January , 2007 Share Posted 15 January , 2007 the photo was taken from google images which I believe to have no copywrite if the mods know different feel free to delete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave6274 Posted 15 January , 2007 Share Posted 15 January , 2007 The remains of Warspite can be seen at low tide . boilers etc I am led to belive that the ships keel is still there. I Know it ran aground near to St micheals mount & was broke up by th mid fifties. Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kath Posted 15 January , 2007 Share Posted 15 January , 2007 See: http://www.helstonhistory.co.uk/ ENTER SITE & see under Local Shipwrecks. I have a little barrel made from her teak. I remember being on the cliff in Mousehole & the boys running up shouting, " Warspite's on the Rocks", Kath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ionia Posted 15 January , 2007 Share Posted 15 January , 2007 I recall a year or two ago when a friend of mine produced a beautiful carved box and inside were the gun sighting scopes from HMS Warspite. A huge telescope, heavy but in pristine condition. Asking him how he came about them the story goes that a chap at his work came up to him knowing he was into nautical stuff and he had something my friend would be interested in. When my friend saw the scopes he was open mouthed at the quality, the owner asked my friend if he would like to buy it. Thinking that little change from £500 would be had, he was about to say no when the bloke says, "you can have it for what I paid for it, £5" The bloke did indeed did pay £5 for it at auction in 1952 or there abouts and charged my mate exactly £5 in the late 90's. The scope is going to a museum when my friend goes to meet his maker, I wonder if this crazy story goes with them. Are the scopes marked as belonging to WARSPITE or is their some other provenance? The photograph seems to have been taken during the Spanish Civil War but what are the objects on top of "B" turret? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERITAGE PLUS Posted 15 January , 2007 Share Posted 15 January , 2007 There are some good photos here: http://www.maritimequest.com/warship_direc...ms_warspite.htm Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KevinEndon Posted 15 January , 2007 Share Posted 15 January , 2007 The wooden case says H.M.S. Warspite on as does the scope. Every ship carried spare gun sighting scopes within their stores, these were taken off before the ship took its last voyage to the scrap yard but didn’t reach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ionia Posted 15 January , 2007 Share Posted 15 January , 2007 There are some good photos here: http://www.maritimequest.com/warship_direc...ms_warspite.htm Dave Thanks, Dave. They seem to be multiple machine guns (with which she came out of refit in 1937) - the outline looked wrong in the Valletta photograph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave6274 Posted 15 January , 2007 Share Posted 15 January , 2007 As to her naval lore, Warspites rudder jammed before she ran aground, as it did on 31/5/16. Deffiant to the end ! Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
per ardua per mare per terram Posted 16 January , 2007 Share Posted 16 January , 2007 I'd like to get anything from Warspite for £5! Lucky bloke!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikB Posted 17 January , 2007 Share Posted 17 January , 2007 Those scopes might well have been instrumental in scoring Warspite's record hit on Giuglio Cesare at 26,400 yards at the Calabria action in 1940... Regards, MikB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Moretti Posted 18 January , 2007 Share Posted 18 January , 2007 Although perhaps radar might have had something more to do with that. Gawd, bet Jellicoe would have given his left family jewel and half his right for one, just ONE, radar set at Jutland (or a decent aircraft carrier that could steam with the fleet and fly off scouts - a pity they didn't convert HMS Furious a lot earlier...). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikB Posted 18 January , 2007 Share Posted 18 January , 2007 Although perhaps radar might have had something more to do with that. Dunno... I thought the KGVs had the best RN capital ship radar fit in that part of WW2, and they were often struggling to get accurate ranges in the Bismarck chase six months later. In the better light, and generally better weather of the Med, optical systems would most likely have reigned a while longer? Oh, and Jellicoe did pretty well at Jutland, considering how much he couldn't know at the time he made his deployments. If he'd had radar, he might not've needed Beatty to go in ahead with battlecruisers and suffer such losses, but I don't know if he'd've been able to stop him, him being what he was... Regards, MikB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
per ardua per mare per terram Posted 18 January , 2007 Share Posted 18 January , 2007 I understood that Duke of York vs Sharnhorst was the first major ship to ship radar gun control battle. As opposed to the help it gave in shadowing Bismarck. The Queen Elizabeth's did alright at Jutland without radar. They came on the scene after the battlecruisers and then scored more hits with fewer ships. In 1940 Warspite was still getting close to or over her design speed. In Beatty's hands the battlecruisers would have suffered in any encounter! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ionia Posted 18 January , 2007 Share Posted 18 January , 2007 Although perhaps radar might have had something more to do with that. (SNIP) WARSPITE had not yet been fitted with radar at the time of the engagement with GIUGLIO CESARE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERITAGE PLUS Posted 18 January , 2007 Share Posted 18 January , 2007 At Marazion there is alarge block of stone which records the running aground og HMS WARSPITE at Prussia Cove (a little to the South East) as she was being towed to the breaker's yard in 1947. At St.Michael's Mount there is a seat for visitors made from teak taken from her. This may also be of interest; http://www.pbase.com/image/23481957 Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kath Posted 18 January , 2007 Share Posted 18 January , 2007 "At Marazion there is alarge block of stone which records the running aground " Picture on Helston website above. "I'd like to get anything from Warspite for £5! Lucky bloke!!" Barrel only cost a quid! Kath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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