This is only loosely related to Allied Warships but should interest fellow regulars on uboat.net. Project Vernon is a new and exciting campaign to erect a statue at Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth, UK to commemorate the Minewarfare and Diving heritage of HMS Vernon, the previous occupant of the site. In its time, HMS Vernon was visited by minesweepers and minehunters of many nations and the minewa
Forum: Warship forum

John, For a start, see entries for HMS Crocus and HMS Clarkia in the Allies section of this website, e.g.: "HMS Crocus 11 Aug, 1942 The British merchant Vimeira is torpedoed and sunk about 500 nautical miles south-west of the Cape Verde Islands in position 10º03'N, 28º55'W by the German submarine U-109. HMS Crocus (T/Lt. J.F. Holm, RNR) later picks up 5 survivors."
Forum: Warship forum

If it's any help, the recently published 'Royal Navy Submarines - 1901 to the Present Day' by Maurice Cocker (Pen & Sword) claims to contain "details of every submarine commissioned into the Royal Navy from the first Holland to the present day." However, it does not contain boats built specifically for other navies. Rob Hoole www.mcdoa.org.uk
Forum: Warship forum

The link for the online version of this article (which also suggests that the skeleton of a German sailor has been removed from a sunken U-boat) is: . Rob Hoole
Forum: Warship forum

Hello Fred, The RN Submariners' Association website (www.submarinersassociation.co.uk/html/home.html) lists only two ex-UTMOST ship's company among its 'Members' pages: AB Jim MURDOCH of West Riding and PO Telegraphist Ben SKEATES of Australia. However, the Chairman and Membership Secretary may be aware of more and their e-mail addresses are shown on the website's �
Forum: Warship forum

I have stumbled upon some further information. From pp 116-7 of 'Lilliput Fleet' (1957) by A. Cecil Hampshire (ISBN : "...But there were many grim days ahead. Japanese submarines were roaming the Indian Ocean. In addition to at least five well-armed surface raiders the Germans had some two hundred and fifty U-boats operating at sea. By the end of 1941 they were becoming acti
Forum: Warship forum

Hello Denis, I much enjoyed looking at the photos and reading the associated documents and news clippings. Thank you for drawing my attention to them. They tell a marvelous story and Lott appears to have been a real gentleman. Rob Hoole www.mcdoa.org.uk
Forum: General Discussions

Google is your friend (http://www.rcahms.gov.uk/pls/portal/newcanmore.newcandig_details_gis?inumlink=9668): "...Standing consciously apart from the village, and now absorbed with the glebe into the MOD base, are the kirk and manse by Robert Stevenson, 1826, the plain, two-bay church, with the schoolroom added to its north west in 1898, restored as they might have appeared in the 1920s. Fu
Forum: General Discussions

Received your PM about minesweeping but am unable to PM a reply. If you e-mail me at webmaster@mcdoa.org.uk, I will answer your question. Rob Hoole
Forum: Warship forum

Any forum members coming to the Portsmouth area on the UK south coast this summer should consider visiting the 'Explosion!' Museum of Naval Firepower in Gosport. It's about 1.5 miles up the road from the RN Submarine Museum (also a 'must see') and contains examples of naval guns, shells and missiles of all sizes plus mines, torpedoes, depth charges, depth charge throwers
Forum: Technology and Operations

Thanks Spatz, I am a regular contributor to the Harry Tate's Navy (RNPS) website and an appeal has already been posted for survivors and/or their descendants in its forums. I don't think it has as wide a circulation as uboat.net though so I thought I'd spread the net a bit further afield. Best wishes, Rob Hoole
Forum: Warship forum

One name that sprang out at me from the bottom of the list provided by Hubertus was KpLt Ernst von Witzendorff who appears in uboat.net's list of U-boat Commanders at : "Ernst von Witzendorff Born on 26 Jun, 1916 in Neustrelitz. Crew 37a. Kapitänleutnant (1 Jan, 1945) Commands: U-121, U-46, U-101, U-650, U-267, U-650, U-2524, U-1007." I met Ernst von Witzendorff in 1971 w
Forum: Warship forum

I am relaying this request. Can anyone help please? "I am carrying out some research for a BBC documentary about the River Thames. During this show, we will be featuring several known wreck sites that are due to be investigated by the PLA this summer. Of these, four are ships known to have been sunk by mine or German bombing during the war, and we are exploring avenues for telling the st
Forum: Warship forum

Hello Adam, I obviously misunderstood your question. My answer referred to RN officers. Good luck. Rob
Forum: General Discussions

Hello John, For a start, look at which contains this paragraph: "The end of 1941 saw the Americans losing many tankers and other shipping to the U-boats that were now active around the east coast of the United States. During March and April 1942 the U-boat problem had reached a crescendo. As the US navy had no real anti-submarine fleet the British Admiralty answered their desperate p
Forum: Warship forum

Hello Adam, Editions of 'The Navy List' for the relevant years will show officers designated as 'P' for Pilot and 'O' for Observer. You may be able to obtain help from the Naval Historical Branch or the RN Museum Library, both located in Portsmouth Naval Base. See for contact details. Best wishes and good luck, Rob Hoole
Forum: General Discussions

Force59 - I think you are being somewhat harsh on the British. At the time, they had their backs against the wall in theatres all over the world. Newly developed equipment such as radar, sonar, HF/DF, anti-submarine weapons, etc was in desperately short supply for everyone, including the RN. Bear in mind that the Brits were also supplying the other Commonwealth navies (and other Services) as w
Forum: Warship forum

Hello John, If you mean HMS Jaguar (F34), the 'J' Class destroyer sunk by U-652 off Sollum, North Africa on 26 March 1942, she wasn't commissioned until September 1939. It appears that Lt Cdr John Franklin William HINE RN was her first CO (See ). Rob Hoole
Forum: Warship forum

Thomas Horton Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- <snip> > What is still unanswered is why did Whitehead, > Bliss-Leavitt, and Schwartzkopff all decide around > 1920 to change to the 533mm/21” design in the > first place? > > There had to be a reason. Hello Thomas, For what it's worth, this extract is taken from pp 102-104 o
Forum: Technology and Operations

nj, It looks to me as if you are asking us to write your paper for you but I'm sure you don't really need to be spoon-fed. The answers to all your questions are readily available in books and on the internet. Google is your friend and even using the search facility on this website would reveal a wealth of information. You will gain far more respect if you do some research yoursel
Forum: General Discussions

HMS Thorough was a 'T' Class submarine. The logs of RN ships and submarines usually end up in the UK's National Archives at Kew. However, their website (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATLN=3&CATID=156&SearchInit=4&CATREF=ADM+53) contains this qualification for the Second World War: "Whilst all ships logs are continued
Forum: General Discussions

Of course, I actually meant U-653 in my previous post.
Forum: Warship forum

Simon, your question is likely to stimulate more answers in the 'General Discussions' forum. In the meantime, have you looked at the information about U-563 in 'The Boats' section at: ? Note that the World's Merchant Fleets by Roger Jordan (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis 1999, ISBN 155750959X) lists SS Peisander as a general cargo vessel belonging to the Ocean Steam
Forum: Warship forum

As most people in this forum already know, decompression sickness (the bends) is caused by nitrogen stored in the body manifesting as bubbles in the blood stream during rapid decompression (as when unsealing a bottle of fizzy lemonade). Breathing nitrogen under pressure can also cause nitrogen narcosis or 'rapture of the deep'. Apart from difficulties associated with storage and h
Forum: General Discussions

Hello Jukka, You speak of hypocrisy but I speak from the heart. Have you ever served in the Armed Forces? I can only represent the wishes of my fellow Naval seafarers who have laid down their lives for their country, and of their relatives and friends. These seafarers didn't choose where they were sent to fight but surely they deserve to be left in peace in their underwater tombs? Hav
Forum: General Discussions

Thanks Mike, It is also for consideration that warships (unless they were surrendered) remain the soverign territory and property of their original nation even after being sunk. While merchant ships do not have this distinction, I have equal respect for the remains of any seamen entombed within them. Rob
Forum: General Discussions

Sorry but I should have included 'Ladies' in the salutation at the top my previous post. I apologise unreservedly. Rob Hoole
Forum: Warship forum

Gentlemen, The only comprehensive crew lists for RN ships are likely to appear in unofficial 'Commissioning Books' (produced by ships when they first commissioned after build or were re-commissioned after a long refit) and 'Commission Books' describing particular ships' commissions (normally two and a half year periods between refits and crew turnovers). Sometimes, bo
Forum: Warship forum

Hello Jeff, Thank you for your supportive comments. The wrecks of HMS Repulse and her fellow victim HMS Prince of Wales, and the remains of the 840 crew members entombed inside them, are registered "Protected Places" under the UK's Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 found at: . Sub-section 2(2) of Chapter 35 of the Act makes penetrating or interfering with protected ve
Forum: General Discussions

Jukka Juutinen Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > In my opinion people should be able to dive to > such wrecks freely as long as they don´t remove > any personal objects of the deceased from the > wrecks (without permission from the deceased > person´s family). It is pure hypocrisy to > Westerners cry out loud "disturbing a grave"
Forum: General Discussions