august g blume Posted 13 November , 2007 Share Posted 13 November , 2007 I'm wondering if anyone has done research on the operations of British warships in the Black Sea in support of the Whites in 1918-1920. I would like to compile a list of such vessels, their dates of service in that theatre, any losses and general details of their operations. Would appreciate any leads to sources that would answer such questions. Thank you. Best regards, agblume Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 15 November , 2007 Share Posted 15 November , 2007 August, Vol IX No.3 (August 1921) of 'The Naval Review' has, on pages 467-474, an article which might help 'OPERATIONS IN THE CRIMEA, 1919. available in pdf format from here http://www.naval-review.org/ It may also be worth trawling through the index of 'The Naval Review' for more best regards Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august g blume Posted 15 November , 2007 Author Share Posted 15 November , 2007 Hello Michael, Many thanks for the help in finding material on the Royal Navy in The the Black Sea. I have downloaded the pdf file and will read it with great interest. I was also able to find an article on HMS Cochrane on the Murman coast, which is right up my alley. I will have to explore the indexes for other issues of The Naval Review for pertinent material. Thanks again. Best regards, agblume Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cclayton Posted 19 December , 2007 Share Posted 19 December , 2007 Hi, I've only just seen this thread. Are you interested in RN operations in the Caspian Sea? Its been described as "one of the least likely gathering of ships for the application of sea power there has ever been". I have some information on this. Reference The Royal Navy on the Caspian, 1918-1919. Naval Review, 7/8 1919-20. pp87-99 and 218-240 and other articles in same issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian turner Posted 19 December , 2007 Share Posted 19 December , 2007 August, This ship was there: http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/hms_benbow.htm Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august g blume Posted 19 December , 2007 Author Share Posted 19 December , 2007 Hello Carl, Yes thank you, I've seen the material in Naval Review on the Caspian Flotilla. It was quite helpful. Hello Ian, Thank you for interesting photos of HMS Benbow. I knew she was in the Black Sea but have no details on her operations. Am still digging. Best regards, August Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horatio2 Posted 19 December , 2007 Share Posted 19 December , 2007 After going to Constantinople (after the Turkish Armistice) HMS TEMERAIRE and HMS SUPERB (SNO) were sent to Sebastopol arriving there on 26 November 1918, in company with FS JUSTICE and FS DEMOCRATIE. HMS AGAMEMNON arrived there on 1 December. HMAS BRISBANE arrived on 10 December. HMS CANTERBURY was also in the Black Sea at this time. SUPERB left for Constantinople on 14 December and TEMERAIRE became SNO. HMHS ST MARGARET OF SCOTLAND was present to provide hospital facilities. On 7 January 1919 FS MIRABEAU relieved DEMOCRATIE. HMS CANTERBURY arrived at Sebastopol on 29 January to relieve TEMERAIRE. Hope this is useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James A Pratt III Posted 22 December , 2007 Share Posted 22 December , 2007 Augie I have the following that might be usefull"British Battleships of World War One" R.A. Burt has some info on the RN dreadnoughts that went there. I believe there is a USNIP artical on the USN ops there which may have a little on the RN. WW II RN Admiral Bruce Fraiser served there . I believe this is discussed in a bio of him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august g blume Posted 22 December , 2007 Author Share Posted 22 December , 2007 Hello horatio2 and James, Many thanks for additional details. I'm especially interested in RN seaplane carriers and seaplane operations in the Black Sea 1919-1920. Best regards, agblume Augie I have the following that might be usefull"British Battleships of World War One" R.A. Burt has some info on the RN dreadnoughts that went there. I believe there is a USNIP artical on the USN ops there which may have a little on the RN. WW II RN Admiral Bruce Fraiser served there . I believe this is discussed in a bio of him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Geoff Clarkson Posted 21 August , 2014 Share Posted 21 August , 2014 I am posting this in case anyone is still interested in this thread after such a long time since the last post. My interest follows my watching a programme on the Yesterday channel which mentioned the rescue of Russian Royal family members by the Royal Navy following the revolution. The programme and other sources mention HMS Marlborough. My father was serving on the Iron Duke at the time and it seems she also took some part in this. I was actually looking for some evidence of this online. The story that I recorded on audio tape concerns a baby bear which was presented as a gift to the ships company by one of the princesses. It is a very amusing account of how the bear was adopted by the ships company ( contrary to all regulations) and sailed with them back to Portsmouth, by which time it had grown considerably. I have a photo of Bruno. He liked to chew on electrical wires eat toothpaste and roll in the oil used for the guns. The most amusing incident concerns when he got lonely in Portsmouth Dockyard and made off into town to the consternation of the sergeant on the through the unicorn gate. The. I am sure there were embellishments over the years but the I think the main story is true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James A Pratt III Posted 23 August , 2014 Share Posted 23 August , 2014 There is a book out "America's Black Sea Fleet" Ray Shenk Warship International Magazine has an aritcal "British naval operations in the Black Sea 1918-1920" part 1 1/1989 and part II 4/1989 by David Snook at the alexanderpalace.org they do have have a number of posts and pictures of members of the Russian Imperial family and their evacuation from the Crimea in 1919. I think they mention a not very good book on this incident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darloboy Posted 21 April , 2020 Share Posted 21 April , 2020 HMS Marlborough was there as she carried the Dowager Empress into exile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 21 April , 2020 Share Posted 21 April , 2020 6 hours ago, Darloboy said: HMS Marlborough was there as she carried the Dowager Empress into exile. For which see Welch, Frances. The Russian Court at Sea: The voyageof HMS Marlborough, April 1919. Short Books, 2011. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaureenE Posted 22 April , 2020 Share Posted 22 April , 2020 There is an article "1920: British Fleet at Ismid" on the Mavi Boncuk website. Scroll down page 11 almost to the bottom Includes images of ships. The source of the article is The Mediterranean Fleet, 1919–1929 edited by Paul Halpern 2011. A publication of the Navy Records Society Volume 158 Cheers Maureen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Clarkson Posted 16 April , 2022 Share Posted 16 April , 2022 I have a audio recording of my late father recounting a story from when he was with the Royal Navy in the Black Sea in 1919. I’m pretty sure this was on the battleship Royal Sovereign which was dispatched to Batoum in Georgia to rescue a princesses and her retinue fleeing from the Bolsheviks. I can find plenty of references to the rescue of Romanovs from the Yalta around the same time but nothing of this particular mission. It is a very amusing story of how this Princess presented the captain with a baby bear as a thank you. The subsequent episodes concerning ‘Bruno’ on board ship are quite hilarious. I would love to be able to post the 15 min audio file of this here . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaureenE Posted 16 April , 2022 Share Posted 16 April , 2022 2 hours ago, Geoff Clarkson said: I have a audio recording of my late father recounting a story from when he was with the Royal Navy in the Black Sea in 1919. I would love to be able to post the 15 min audio file of this here . There is a Community Audio category available on the Internet Archive (archive.org). I've uploaded texts, but not audio https://archive.org/details/opensource_audio?tab=about https://help.archive.org/help/category/archive-org/uploading/ Uploading guide You could upload your audio file to the Internet Archive, then post a link (URL) to it here, which would enable members of GWF to listen to it. Maureen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KizmeRD Posted 16 April , 2022 Share Posted 16 April , 2022 (edited) 6 hours ago, Geoff Clarkson said: I have a audio recording of my late father recounting a story from when he was with the Royal Navy in the Black Sea in 1919. I’m pretty sure this was on the battleship Royal Sovereign which was dispatched to Batoum in Georgia to rescue a princesses and her retinue fleeing from the Bolsheviks. I can find plenty of references to the rescue of Romanovs from the Yalta around the same time but nothing of this particular mission. It is a very amusing story of how this Princess presented the captain with a baby bear as a thank you. The subsequent episodes concerning ‘Bruno’ on board ship are quite hilarious. I would love to be able to post the 15 min audio file of this here . Hello Geoff, not all Russian Princesses fleeing from the Bolsheviks were Romanov’s, the most eminent refugee that ROYAL SOVEREIGN rescued during this period was Princess Galitzine, who embarked at the Port of Prinkipo on 31 July 1920 (not 1919). MB Edited 16 April , 2022 by KizmeRD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Clarkson Posted 24 April , 2022 Share Posted 24 April , 2022 Hello KizmeRD, thank you for your interest in this matter and that extra information. I have uploaded the audio recording to a website of my own the link is http://www.tangledbliss.com/GMC/Bruno.mp3 I am afraid the quality is rather poor as I only had a very cheap cassette recorder at the time. I made some recordings of my own to fill in some gaps in a series of recordings my father had made for the ImperialWarMuseum as part of a series called Lower Deck Life 1910-1922. The interviewer had concentrated on naval routines and conditions and had missed some of the humorous stories I had enjoyed hearing from him. I assumed that the ship involved was the Royal sovereign as I know he had served on her for a period and that it had been involved in Black Sea rescues around that time. Looking at his ( very faded ) record card I see he is listed a Joiner 2nd class on the Royal Sovereign from 7th Nov 1919 to 27th Jan 1921. Of course my father may well have his dates wrong. I have also made recording of another 6 humorous stories from his navy days. Geoffrey Clarkson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KizmeRD Posted 25 April , 2022 Share Posted 25 April , 2022 (edited) 13 hours ago, Geoff Clarkson said: I assumed that the ship involved was the Royal sovereign as I know he had served on her for a period and that it had been involved in Black Sea rescues around that time. Looking at his ( very faded ) record card I see he is listed a Joiner 2nd class on the Royal Sovereign from 7th Nov 1919 to 27th Jan 1921. Of course my father may well have his dates wrong. Hello Geoffrey, what was the name of your father? I’d like to take a look at his service record, which might help back fill some of the missing details in the oral history. MB Edited 25 April , 2022 by KizmeRD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaureenE Posted 25 April , 2022 Share Posted 25 April , 2022 The same audio as posted above seems to be on the IWM website, (reel 2of 4), together with a set of 48 reels.The catalogue gives details of some?all? of the ships Recollections of George Michael Clarkson, Royal Navy, no date, but perhaps c 1975, or possibly later. 4 reels. Imperial War Museums Sound Catalogue number 21283. Recollections of George Michael Clarkson recorded 1975 Royal Navy 1915-1937. 48 reels. Imperial War Museums Sound, Catalogue number 679. Maureen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Clarkson Posted 27 April , 2022 Share Posted 27 April , 2022 (edited) Hello Maureen, there are in fact two sets of recordings of my father’s experiences in the Navy. The more formal set recorded by Campbell McMurray from the Maritime Museum are in the oral history collection at the I.W.M and are accessible online. These run I think to something like 11 hours in all, covering everything from his childhood to leaving the Navy in 1936. The quality of these recordings is very good but they did all follow a question and answer format about prodecures, training, pay, conditions, relations between officers and ratings etc etc. An account of coaling ship was used by BBC in a series intitled 'The British Seafarer'. I then made a further 8 recordings to pick up the various amusing ‘after dinner’ stories which I heard at home but which the formal interviews had missed. These I am now in the process of putting these on my own website so that they can be accessed by younger members of my own family. These include my father being shipwrecked on his first night at sea when he was on a troopship which collided with a collier in the Bristol channel. Edited 27 April , 2022 by Geoff Clarkson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archer Posted 6 May , 2022 Share Posted 6 May , 2022 Many thanks to Geoff for sharing his recordings of his Dad's reminiscences. To have served in warm climes under Oldham and Ritchie, VC, both of whom had - ahem - health issues, must have been quite an experience. Great contribution, Geoff. :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Clarkson Posted 8 May , 2022 Share Posted 8 May , 2022 Hi, Here is another of my own low quality recordings of him talking about a certain mad captain http://www.tangledbliss.com/GMC/Mad%20Captain.mp3 There are more if you are interested Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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