THE LAST PHASE
One of the effects of the British blockade on Germany was to prevent
such valuable war material as iron reaching Germany from Spain. Now
Spanish ores, being of great purity, were in pre-war days imported in
large quantities for the manufacture of the best qualities of steel,
and it was a serious matter for Germany that these importations were
cut off. But luckily for her she had been accustomed to obtain, even
prior to the war, supplies of magnetic ore from Sweden, and it was of
the utmost importance that this should be continued now that the war
would last much longer than she had ever expected.
If you look at a map of Scandinavia inside the Arctic Circle you will
notice the West Fjord, which is between the Lofoten Isles and the
Norwegian mainland. Follow this up and you come to the Ofoten Fjord, at
the head of which is the Norwegian port of Narvik. From here there ran
across the Swedish border to Lulea what was the most northerly railway
in Europe, and Narvik was a great harbour for the export of magnetic
iron ore. Hither German ships came, loaded, and then, by keeping within
the three-mile limit of territorial waters, going inside islands, and
taking every possible advantage of night, managed to get their valuable
cargoes back home for the Teutonic munition makers.
Now it was obviously one of the duties of our Tenth Cruiser Squadron,
entrusted with the interception of shipping in the north, to see that
Germany did not receive this ore. But having regard to the delicacy of
not violating the waters of a neutral nation, and bearing in mind the
pilotage difficulties off a coast studded with islands and half-tide
rocks, this was no easy matter. It was here that the small ships came
in so useful. We can go back to June, 1915, and find the armed trawler
_Tenby Castle_ (Lieutenant J. T. Randell, R.N.R.) attached nominally
to the Tenth Cruiser Squadron, but sent to work single-handed, as it
were, off the Norwegian coast intercepting shipping. As a distinguished
admiral remarked, here she lay in a very gallant manner for twenty
days, during which time she sank one enemy ship, very nearly secured
a second, and was able to hand over to the Tenth Cruiser Squadron
a neutral ship with iron ore. It was a most difficult situation
to handle, for it required not merely a quick decision and bold
initiative, but very accurate cross bearings had to be made, as these
offending steamers were on the border-line of territorial waters. That
great enemy of all seamen irrespective of nationality, fog, was in this
case actually to be a very real friend to our trawler; for in thick
weather and the vicinity of a rock-bound coast full of hidden dangers,
skippers of the ore ships would naturally be inclined to play for
safety and stand so far out from the shore as to be in non-territorial
waters. A further consideration was that owing to the effect of the
magnetic ore on their compasses they could not afford to take undue
navigational risks in thick weather. What they preferred was nice clear
weather, so that they could hug the land.
The success of _Tenby Castle_ was such that half a dozen other
trawlers were selected and stationed off that coast except in the wild
wintry months, and this idea, as we shall presently see, was developed
still further, but it will assist our interest if we appreciate first
the difficulties as exemplified in the case of the _Tenby Castle_. On
the last day of June, 1915, this trawler was about five miles N.E.
of the Kya Islet, and it was not quite midday, when she sighted a
steamer coming down from Nero Sound; so she closed her and read her
name, _Pallas_. Inasmuch as the latter was showing no colours, _Tenby
Castle_ now hoisted the White Ensign and the international signal to
stop immediately. This was ignored, so the trawler came round and saw
she was a German ship belonging to Flensburg, and fired a shot across
the enemy’s bow. The German then stopped her engines, ported her helm,
and headed in the direction of the coast, having a certain amount of
way on. The trawler closed and ordered her to show her colours, but the
German declined; so the latter was then told to steer to the westward,
which he also refused to do. Lieutenant Randell, informing him now that
he would give him five minutes in which to make up his mind either to
come with him or be sunk, sent a wireless signal informing H.M. ships
of the Tenth Cruiser Squadron, then went alongside the German and
put an armed guard aboard; but the captain of _Pallas_ rang down for
full speed ahead and starboarded his helm, whereupon _Tenby Castle_
fired a couple of shots at the steamer’s steering gear on the poop,
damaging it. The German stopped his engines once more, but the ship was
gradually drawing towards the shore, so that when _Victorian_ arrived
_Pallas_ was about two and a half miles from the land, thus being just
within territorial waters, and had to be released. There had been no
casualties.
The next incident occurred a week later. At ten minutes to six on the
morning of July 7 _Tenby Castle_ was lying off the western entrance
of the West Fjord, the weather being thick and rainy, when a large
steamer was seen to the N.N.W., so _Tenby Castle_ put on full speed
and ordered her to stop. This was the Swedish S.S. _Malmland_, with
about 7,000 tons of magnetic ore. After being ordered to follow the
trawler, Malmland put on full speed and drew ahead; so she was made to
keep right astern at reduced speed, and just before half-past eight
that morning was handed over to H.M.S. _India_ of the above-mentioned
cruiser squadron. The day passed, and it was a few minutes after
midnight when this trawler, again lying off the West Fjord, sighted a
steamer coming down from Narvik. A shot was fired across the steamer’s
bows, and on rounding-to under the steamship’s stern it was observed
that she was the German S.S. _Frederick Arp_, of Hamburg. She was
ordered to stop, then the trawler closed and ordered the steamer to
follow. The German refused to obey and steamed towards the land, so
the _Tenby Castle_ was compelled to fire a shot into his quarter, and
this caused him to stop. After he had several times refused to follow,
Lieutenant Randell gave him five minutes and informed him he would
either have to accompany the trawler or else be sunk. The five minutes
passed, the obstinate German still declined, and two minutes later put
his engines ahead and made towards the shore. It was now an hour since
the ship had first been sighted, so there was nothing for it but for
the trawler to sink her, and she was shelled at the water-line and sunk
four and a half miles away from the nearest land, her crew of thirteen
being handed over a few hours later to H.M.S. _India_. Thus a cargo of
4,000 tons of magnetic ore was prevented from reaching Germany.
Now, it was quite obvious that the information of these incidents would
not be long in reaching Germany from an agent via Norway. The German
Captain Gayer has stated since the war that news reached Germany that
‘an English auxiliary cruiser was permanently stationed’ off West
Fjord, whose task, he says, was ‘to seize and sink the German steamers
coming with minerals from Narvik.’ Therefore, on August 3, Germany
despatched U 22 from Borkum to West Fjord, and this craft had scarcely
taken up her position when she saw the armed merchant cruiser _India_
enter West Fjord and torpedoed her at long range, so that _India_ was
sunk. Gayer, who occupied during the war a high administrative position
in the U-boat service, adds the following statement: ‘It was,’ he
remarks, ‘one of the few instances in which a submarine found with
such precision the object of attack really intended for it, when the
information had been given by an agent.’
We pass over the intervening years and come to February, 1918. On the
nineteenth of that month the Q-ship _Tay and Tyne_ had left Lerwick, in
the Shetlands, to perform similar work off the Norwegian coast, where
she arrived on the twenty-second. This was a little 557-ton steamer,
which had been requisitioned at the end of the previous July and fitted
out at Lowestoft with a 4-inch gun aft, suitably hidden, and a couple
of 12-pounders. She was a single-screw ship, built at Dundee in 1909,
having a funnel, two masts, and the usual derricks. In addition to her
guns she carried one torpedo tube and also smoke-making apparatus.
She was commanded by Lieutenant Mack, R.N., with whom Lieutenant G.
H. P. Muhlhauser, R.N.R., went as second in command, both of these
officers, as the reader will remember, having served together in the
Q-sailing-ship _Result_. Having commissioned the new ship, Lieutenant
Mack then took her from Lowestoft to the secluded area of the Wash in
order to practise gunnery and the ‘panic’ party arrangements. Months
passed, but on February 22 something of interest happened, for some
distance below the Vigten Islands a couple of steamers were sighted,
so course was then altered to cut off the one that was bound to the
southward. When 1,000 yards away the latter hoisted German colours,
so _Tay and Tyne_ (alias _Cheriton_ and _Dundreary_) hoisted the
international signal ‘M.N.’ to stop immediately. This ship was the
_Dusseldorf_, a nine-year-old, typical German flush-decked tramp
of 1,200 tons, with 1,700 tons of magnetic ore on board. As she
disregarded the signal, a shell was fired across her bows, and this
caused her to stop and hoist the answering pennant. Lieutenant Mack
then steamed round the stern, keeping her covered all the time with his
gun, and now took up station inshore of the German.
_Dusseldorf_ had been completely taken by surprise, and never supposed
that this little steamer could possibly be a trap-ship. _Tay and
Tyne_ lowered a boat containing several of the British crew, under
Lieutenant Muhlhauser, armed with revolvers and rifles, and this guard
then boarded the enemy, on board whom were found a couple of Norwegian
Customs House officials and two Norse pilots. Lieutenant Muhlhauser
then ordered the German captain to muster his crew, which he promptly
did, and now the terrified crew were given five minutes to collect
their clothes. The captain handed over the ship’s papers and protested
that the ship was in territorial waters. Eleven Germans and the four
Norwegians were then transferred to the Q-ship, who landed the four
Norwegians in the _Dusseldorf’s_ boat at Sves Fjord, and this boat
they were allowed to keep. The British boarding party had consisted of
a dozen men, but Lieutenant Muhlhauser sent three back to the Q-ship,
and retained three German stokers and the two German engineers in order
to get the prize back to England, these five men working under the
supervision of one of the _Tay and Tyne’s_ crew.
Having received orders to proceed, Lieutenant Muhlhauser then began to
take the _Dusseldorf_ across the North Sea. I am indebted to him for
having allowed me to see his private diary of this voyage, and I think
it well illustrates the unexpected and surprising difficulties with
which Q-ship officers so frequently found themselves confronted. Having
parted company with the _Tay and Tyne_, _Dusseldorf’s_ new captain
proceeded to look for navigational facilities, but in this respect she
was amazingly ill-found. The only chart available showed just a small
portion of the North Sea, and there was no sextant in the ship. This
was a delightful predicament, for with all her magnetic ore it could
be taken for certain that the compass would have serious deviation,
and, having regard to the number of minefields in the North Sea and the
physical dangers of the east coast of Scotland, it was a gloomy prelude
to crossing from one side to the other.
Having been round the ship, it was now possible to ascertain her
character. She was not a thing of beauty, there was no electric light,
the engine-room was in a neglected condition, and round it were the
engineers’ cabins, the skipper and mate being berthed in a deckhouse
under the bridge. However, as the prize dipped to the North Sea swell
it was a joy to realize that all the hundreds of tons of ore would
not reach Germany. At this late stage of the war she was very short
of this commodity, and the loss to her would be felt. The _Tay and
Tyne_ had certainly made a most useful capture. Fortunately there was
found plenty of food in _Dusseldorf_, and enough coal for about three
weeks, so if only a few days’ fine, clear weather could be ensured,
the ship would soon be across and anchored in a British harbour. That,
of course, was always supposing there was no encountering of mines or
torpedoes.
By dusk of the first day the Halten Lighthouse (Lat. 64.10 N., Long.
9.25 E.) was made out, and then the night set in. For some time the
glass had been falling, and before the morning it was blowing a gale
of wind with a heavy sea. Loaded with such a cargo _Dusseldorf_ made
very heavy weather, and was like a half-tide rock most of the time,
and during the next day made only 30 miles in twenty-four hours!
Strictly speaking, this is not the North Sea but the Atlantic Ocean,
and February is as bad a month as you could choose to be off this
Norwegian coast in a ship that could make good only a mile an hour.
By the afternoon of the twenty-fourth the Romsdal Islands had been
sighted, and then, fearing lest the enemy might have received news of
the capture and sent out some of his light forces, the ship was kept
well out from the shore. The Germans should never get this ore, and
arrangements were made to sink her rather than give her up.
With no chart, a doubtful compass, and so few appliances, was there
ever an Atlantic voyage made under more casual circumstances? Bearings
were taken of the Pole Star and Sirius in order to get a check on the
compass, and the ship proceeded roughly on a W.S.W. course. During
the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth it blew a westerly gale, and the
seas crashed over her without mercy. Owing to the cargo being heavy
and stowed low, the _Dusseldorf_ displayed a quick, lively roll, and
already had broken down twice, when for a third time on the evening of
the twenty-sixth she again stopped. She was now four days out, and the
captain was a little anxious as to his position, but it was impossible
to ascertain it. A cast of the lead was taken and bottom was found at
thirty fathoms. From this it was assumed that they were now somewhere
near the Outer Skerries (East of the Shetlands); and inasmuch as it
was believed there was a German minefield, laid this year, not far
away, anxiety was in nowise lessened. As soon as the repairs had been
effected, course was altered to south-east for 16 miles, then south
for the same distance, and north-west in the hope of making the land.
This was done, but no land appeared, and it was blowing a gale from
the north-west. Whether the ship was now in the North Sea or whether
she had overshot the Shetlands and got the other side of Scotland, who
could say? Neither the error of the compass nor the error of the log
could be known. It was now the twenty-seventh, and they might be north,
south, east, or west of the Shetlands, but, on the whole, Lieutenant
Muhlhauser believed he was in the North Sea, so decided to run south
until well clear of the Moray Firth minefields, and then south-west
until the land was picked up.
The twenty-eighth of February passed without land being sighted,
and there was always the horrible possibility that suddenly the ship
might strike the shore in the darkness. It was a long-drawn-out period
of suspense, aggravated by bad weather and the presence of mines and
submarines. But as spring follows winter and dawn comes after night,
so at length there came relief. At six in the morning of the first of
March a light was picked up on the starboard bow, which, on consulting
a nautical almanack, was identified as the Bell Rock (east of the Tay).
Continuing further south, two trawlers and an armed yacht were sighted
off May Island, so a signal was sent through the yacht to Admiral
Startin at Granton reporting the arrival of a prize captured by _Tay
and Tyne_, and, in due course, having steamed up the Firth of Forth,
_Dusseldorf_ at last came to anchor and reported herself. It had been a
plucky voyage made under the worst conditions, and many an officer has
been decorated for an achievement less than this.
As for _Tay and Tyne_, she, too, had passed through a trying period.
After landing the Norwegian pilots and Customs House officials in Sves
Fjord she had steamed out to sea and made bad weather of the gale,
water even pouring into the engine-room; but she had been saved from
foundering by taking shelter in a Norwegian fjord, and next day cruised
about the coast looking for more ore ships, but had no further luck, so
on February 25 shaped a course for Lerwick, where she duly arrived, and
the German prisoners were taken out of the fo’c’sle and handed over to
the naval authorities.
In the following month _Tay and Tyne_, accompanied by another Q-ship
named the _Glendale_, was again off the Norwegian coast on the look-out
for ore ships, just as in Elizabethan days our ancestral seamen were
in a western sea looking out for the Spanish ships with their rich
cargoes. _Glendale_ (alias _Speedwell II._ and Q 23) was a disguised
trawler of 273 tons belonging to Granton, and armed with a couple of
12-pounders, a 6-pounder, and two torpedoes. On the twenty-first of
March, _Glendale_ was off the Oxnaes Lighthouse when she captured the
German S.S. _Valeria_ with 2,200 tons of ore. In vile weather these
three ships then started to cross to Lerwick, but, after they had got
part of the way across, _Valeria’s_ small supply of coal gave out,
so on the twenty-third she had to be abandoned and then sunk by the
shelling from the two Q-ships, the crew having been previously taken
off by boats, while both Q-ships poured oil on to the sea. Although
_Valeria_ never reached a British port this was most useful work; for
not only was the ore prevented from reaching Germany, but they were
deprived of a brand-new 1,000-ton ship. Her captain, who, together with
the rest of the crew, was brought into Lerwick, had only just left the
German Navy, and this was his first trip. Incidents such as these show
what excellent service can be rendered in naval warfare irrespective
of the size of ships and of adverse circumstances, provided only that
the officers have zeal and determination. The risks run by these two
small ships were very great when we consider the manner in which our
Scandinavian convoys had been cut up in spite of destroyer protection.
Conversely, seeing how necessary for the prosecution of the war these
supplies of ore were to Germany, is it not a little surprising that she
did not station a submarine off the Norwegian coast to act as escort,
submerged, and then torpedo the _Tay and Tyne_ as soon as she began to
close the ore ship? One of her smaller submarines could surely have
been spared for such an undertaking, and it would have been, from
their point of view, more than worth while.
Finally, we have to relate the fight of another small coasting steamer
transformed into a Q-ship. This was the _Stockforce_ (alias _Charyce_),
which had been requisitioned at Cardiff at the beginning of 1918, and
then armed with a couple of 4-inch guns, a 12-pounder, and a 3-pounder.
Her captain was Lieutenant Harold Auten, D.S.C., R.N.R., who had had
a great deal of experience in Q-ships under Admiral Bayly, and had
recently commanded the Q-ship _Heather_. On the thirtieth of July,
1918, _Stockforce_ was about 25 miles south-west of the Start, steaming
along a westerly course at 7-1/2 knots, the time being just before five
in the afternoon, when the track of a torpedo was seen on the starboard
beam coming straight on for the ship. The crew were sent to their
stations, the helm was put hard aport and engines full speed astern,
in the hope of avoiding the torpedo; but it was too late. The ship
was struck on the starboard side abreast of No. 1. hatch, putting the
forward gun out of action, entirely wrecking the fore part of the ship,
including the bridge, and wounding three ratings and an officer.
As soon as the torpedo had exploded there came a tremendous shower
of timber, which had been packed in the hold for flotation purposes,
and besides these 12-pounder shells, hatches, and other debris came
falling on to the bridge and fore part of the ship, wounding the first
lieutenant, the navigating officer, two ratings, and adding to the
injuries of the forward gun. All this had happened as the result of one
torpedo. The enemy, perhaps, being homeward bound with a spare torpedo
in his tube, had _not_ hesitated to use such a weapon on a small
coaster instead of employing his guns. _Stockforce_ had been fairly
caught and was settling down by the head. The ‘abandon ship’ party then
cleared away their boat and went through their usual make-believe,
whilst the ship’s surgeon had the wounded taken down to the ’tween
deck, where their injuries could be attended to. Here it was none too
safe, for the bulkheads had been weakened by the explosion so that the
water flowed aft, flooding the magazine and ’tween decks to a depth of
three feet, and thereby rendering the work of the surgeon not merely
difficult but hazardous.
Whilst the ‘panic’ party were rowing ahead of the ship, the rest lay
at their stations on board, behaving with the greatest equanimity and
coolness, while Lieutenant Auten, as the fore-control and bridge were
out of action, exercised his command from the after gunhouse. Five
minutes later the submarine rose to the surface half a mile distant,
and, being very shy, remained there for a quarter of an hour carefully
watching _Stockforce_ for any suspicious move. In accordance with
the training, the ‘panic’ party then began to row down the port side
towards the port quarter so as to draw the enemy on, and this manœuvre
succeeded in fooling the German, who now came down the port side as
required, being only about three hundred yards away. As soon as the
enemy was full on the beam of _Stockforce_, the latter handed him the
surprise packet. It was now 5.40 p.m. as both 4-inch guns opened fire
from the Q-ship. The first round from the after gun passed over the
conning-tower, carrying away the wireless and one of the periscopes,
the second shell hitting the conning-tower in the centre and blowing it
away, sending high into the air a man who was in the conning-tower.
_Stockforce’s_ second 4-inch gun with her first shot hit the enemy on
the water-line at the base where the conning-tower had been, tearing
the submarine right open and blowing out many of the crew. A large
volume of blue smoke began to pour out of the U-boat, and shell after
shell was then poured into the German until she sank by the stern, by
which time twenty direct hits had been obtained. The enemy submerged,
leaving a quantity of debris on the water, and was never seen again.
But in the meantime _Stockforce_ was in a critical condition, and every
attempt now was made to save her from foundering. Having recalled the
‘panic’ party, the engines were put full speed ahead in the effort
to reach the nearest land and beach her, as she was rapidly listing
to starboard and going down by the head. At 6.30 p.m. two trawlers
were sighted who closed the ship, and as _Stockforce_ was already
practically awash forward and along most of the starboard side, all the
wounded and half the men were now transferred to one of these trawlers.
With a volunteer crew the Q-ship then went ahead again, but the
engine-room was leaking badly, and in the stokehold there were several
feet of water, and it was clear that the life of _Stockforce_ was a
matter of a very short while, for the water in both engine-room and
stokehold began now to rise rapidly and the ship was about to sink.
But two British torpedo-boats had now arrived, and at 5.15 p.m.,
when off Bolt Tail, with Plymouth Sound only a few miles off, the
_Stockforce’s_ captain had to send the rest of the ship’s company
from the sinking ship, while he remained on board with only the first
lieutenant. Five minutes later a dinghy from one of the torpedo-boats
fetched them also, and after only another five minutes _Stockforce_
sank. It had been a plucky fight and a fine endeavour to save the
ship, but this was not to be successful. Handsome awards were made in
respect of these efforts, the coveted Victoria Cross being conferred on
Lieutenant Auten, whilst the Distinguished Service Cross was bestowed
on Lieutenant H. F. Rainey, R.N.R., Lieutenant L. E. Workman, R.N.R.,
Lieutenant W. J. Grey, R.N.R., Sub-Lieutenant G. S. Anakin, R.N.R.,
Assistant-Paymaster A. D. Davis, R.N.R., and Surgeon-Probationer G. E.
Strahan, R.N.V.R.
This last fight represents Q-ship warfare at its highest point of
development. We have here the experienced officers of each nation,
knowing all the tricks of their highly specialized profession, fighting
each other in the most cunningly devised craft. Each of these vessels
represented all that could be done by a combination of intellect and
engineering skill, so that when the two should meet in the sea arena
the fight could not fail to be interesting. After the preliminary
moves had been made how would matters stand? The answer is that in
the final appeal it was largely a matter of luck. Now, in the duel we
have just witnessed the first round of the match was undoubtedly won
by the submarine, whose torpedo got home and wrought such damage that
the ship was doomed from the first. Round number two, when the ‘panic’
party succeeded in luring the enemy on to the requisite range and
bearing, was distinctly in favour of _Stockforce_. So also was round
three, in which she managed to shell him so thoroughly. But here the
element of luck enters and characterizes the rest of the day. To all
intents and purposes the submarine was destroyed and sunk; whereas,
in point of fact, notwithstanding her grievous wounds, she managed
to get back home. It was touch-and-go with her, as it had been with
von Spiegel’s submarine after being shelled by the _Prize_, but good
fortune just weighed the scales and prevented a loss. On the other
hand, _Stockforce_ might have had the luck just to keep afloat a few
more miles and get into Plymouth Sound, but as it was she sank a little
too soon, and thus the actual result of the encounter might by some be
called indecisive, or even in favour of the enemy. This is not so. To
us the loss of a small coaster turned temporarily into a man-of-war was
of little consequence. A similar ship, the _Suffolk Coast_, would soon
be picked up and then turned over to the dockyard experts to be fitted
out; but in the case of a submarine there were only limited numbers.
That particular U-boat would now have a long list of defects and be a
non-combatant for a long time, and her crew would morally be seriously
affected by their miraculous escape, and they would not forget to pass
on their impressions to their opposite numbers in other submarines.
It was rather the cumulative effect of Q-ships, destroyers, mines,
auxiliary patrol craft, depth charges, hydrophones, convoys, and good
staff work which broke the spirit of the German submarine menace, so
that if the war had continued much longer U-boats would have been
thwarted except within certain limits of the North Sea. Every weapon
has its rise and fall in the sphere of usefulness; the shell is
repelled by armour-plate, the Zeppelin is destroyed by the aircraft,
and so on. So it was with the Q-ship. It came into being at a time when
no other method seemed likely to deal with submarines adequately. It
became successful, it rose into popularity to its logical peak, and
then began to wane in usefulness as the submarine re-adapted herself
to these new conditions. Afterwards came the period when the mine
barrages in the Heligoland Bight, in the Dover Strait, and across the
northern end of the North Sea, and the hydrophones, in swiftly moving
light craft, made the life of any submarine precarious in his going and
coming. The hydrophone has made such wonderful developments since the
war that in the future within the narrow seas a submarine would find
life a little too thrilling to be pleasant.
But for a long period the Q-ship did wonders, and to the officers and
men of this service for their bravery and endurance we owe much. They
were taking enormous risks, and they turned these risks into successes
of great magnitude as long as ever the game was possible. Most, though
not all, of the ships and officers and men came from the Mercantile
Marine, and in this special force we see the perfect co-operation
between the two branches of our national sea service for the good of
the Empire. The Royal Navy could teach them all that was to be known
about the technicalities of fighting, could provide them with guns and
expert gunners, could give them all the facilities of His Majesty’s
dockyards, whilst at the same time the Mercantile Marine provided the
ships and the _personnel_ who knew what were the normal habits and
appearances of a tramp, a collier, or a coaster. Originally known as
special service ships, as decoys, then as Q-ships, these vessels during
1917 and 1918 were known as H.M.S. So-and-So, but it was under the
designation of Q-ships that they reached their pinnacle of fame, and
as such they will always be known, so it has been thought well thus to
describe them in these pages. But whether we think of them as mystery
ships or as properly commissioned vessels of His Majesty’s Navy, there
will ever remain for them a niche in our great sea story, and the
valour of all ranks and ratings in all kinds of these odd craft, amid
every possible condition of difficulty and danger, should be to those
who come after an immortal lesson and a standard of duty to the rising
race of British seamanhood. Otherwise these men toiled and endured and
died in vain.
INDEX
⁂ The names of Q-ships are in heavy-faced type.
=Acton=, 164
=Alcala.= See _Q 19
Alexander, C. J., Lieutenant, R.N.R., 164
_Alyssum, H.M.S._, 120, 122-3
_Amiral Ganteaume_, 7
Anakin, G. S., Sub-Lieutenant, R.N.R., 269
_Andalusian_, 9
_Anglo-Columbian_, 26
=Antwerp= (formerly _Vienna_), 8, 9, 24, 235
_Arabic_, 20, 32, 132
Armstrong, M., Lieutenant, R.N.R., 67
=Arvonian= (_Santee_, _Bendish_), 231-4
=Athos.= See _Glen_
_Attack, H.M.S._, 211
_Attentive, H.M.S._, 7
=Aubrietia.= See _Q 13_
_Aud_, 140
Auten, Harold, Lieutenant, R.N.R., 164, 266-9
_Bagdale, H.M.T._ 64-5
=Baralong= (_Wyandra_), 20-3, 25, 26-31, 41, 104, 109
_Baron Ardrossan_, 34
_Baron Napier_, 33-5
=Baron Rose=, 190
=Barranca=. See _Q 3_
Bartel, Leutnant Karl, 116
=Bayard=, 77
Bayly, Admiral Sir Lewis, 46, 104, 198, 203, 215, 233, 246, 247, 266
_Bayonne_, 123
Beaton, W. D., Lieutenant, R.N.R. 146
=Begonia=, 139, 163
=Bendish.= See _Arvonian_
_Berlin_, 161
Bernays, Leopold A., Commander R.N., 161-3
_Beryl, H.M.Y._ 160
Beswick, W., Lieutenant, R.N.R., 41, 43
=Betsy Jameson=, 77
_Bidart_, 247
Blackwood, M. B. R., Commander, R.N., 242, 245
Blair, A. D., Lieutenant, R.N.R., 61
=Blessing=, 57
_Bluebell, H.M.S._, 179, 233
Boggs, L. S., Lieut.-Commander, R.N.R., 246
=Bolham.= See _Sarah Colebrooke_
=Bombala= (_Willow Branch_), 235-6
Bonner, C. G., Lieutenant, R.N.R., 205, 207, 212
=Bracondale.= See _Chagford_
=Bradford City= (_Saros_), 31, 101
_Bremen_, 139
Brewer, Skipper, R.N.R., 145, 149
=Brig 10.= See _Q 17_
=Brig 11.= See _Q 22_
=Brown Mouse=, 77, 78
_Buttercup, H.M.S._, 197
_Camelia, H.M.S._, 160
Campbell, Captain Gordon, R.N., 24, 39-46, 109, 161, 192-208, 246
_Canadian_, 120
=Candytuft=, 174-6
Capelle, Admiral von, 134
=Carrigan Head=, 48-9
Casement, Sir R., 140
_Cedric, H.M.S._, 110
=Century.= See _Penhallow_
=Chagford= (_Bracondale_), 228-31
_Chancellor_, 26
Charles, F. W., Lieutenant, R.N.R., 238
=Charyce.= See _Stockforce_
=Cheero=, 55-6
=Cheriton.= See _Tay and Tyne_
_Christopher, H.M.S._, 167, 171, 174, 211
Cochrane, W. O’G., Captain, R.N., 174-5
Colville, Admiral Sir Stanley, 13, 214
=Commissioner=, 238
_Crocus, H.M.S._, 203
Crompton, Ober-Leutnant, 28, 30
=Cullist= ( _Westphalia_, _Jurassic_, _Hayling_, _Prim_), 164, 166-8
_Cummings, U.S.S._, 233
_Cushing, U.S.S._, 200, 203
=Cymric=, 189-90
_Daffodil, H.M.S._, 165
=Dag.= See _Result_
Dane, Commander, R.N., 234
=Dargle=, 77, 177, 190
Davis, A. D., Assistant-Paymaster, R.N.R., 269
_Deutschland_, 139, 234
=Donlevon= (_Ravenstone_), 159, 160
Doubleday, G. H. D., Sub-Lieutenant, R.N.R., 167
Douglas, S. C., Commander, R.N., 234
Dowie, J. M., Temporary Engineer, R.N.R., 30
_Drayton, U.S.S._, 165
_Dreadnought, H.M.S._, 9
Duff, Vice-Admiral Sir Alexander, 227
=Dunclutha=, 235
=Duncombe=, 17
=Dundreary.= See _Tay and Tyne_
_Dunois_, 107-8
=Dunraven=, 203-12
_Dusseldorf_, 260-4
_E 13, H.M. Submarine_, 23
=Echunga.= See _Q 3_
=Edith E. Cummins.= See _Fresh Hope_
Eigler, Ingenieur-Aspirant, 116
=Elixir.= See _Q 30_
=Elizabeth=, 189
=Else.= See _Q 21_
Errington, Lieutenant, R.N.R., 175-6
_Eudora_, 193
_Falaba_, 31
=Fame.= See _Revenge_
=First Prize.= See _Q 21_
_Flying Sportsman, H.M. Tug_, 198
_Flying Spray, H.M. Tug_, 160
=Fort George=, 239
_Foss_, 211
Frank, F. A., Lieut.-Commander, R.N.R., 105-6, 164
_Frederich Arp_, 258
=Fresh Hope= (_Edith E. Cummins_, _Iroquois_), 189-90
=Friswell.= See _Pargust_
=G and E=, 20
=G.L.M.= See _George L. Muir_
=G. L. Munro.= See _George L. Muir_
=Gaelic.= See _Q 22_
Gayer, Captain, 259
=George L. Muir= (_G. L. Munro_, _G.L.M._, _Padre_), 177
=Glen= (_Sidney_, _Athos_), 77-9, 180-4
=Glendale.= See _Q 23_
=Glenfoyle.= See _Stonecrop_
=Glen Isla=, 17
_Glitra_, 7
=Gobo.= See _Q 22_
Grenfell, F. H., Captain, R.N., 109-17, 124, 160, 214-6
Grey, W. J., Lieutenant, R.N.R., 269
=Gunner=, 11, 237
Guy, B. J. D., Lieut.-Commander, R.N., 35-6, 236
_Hadziaka_, 173
_Halcyon, H.M.S._, 90
Hallwright, W. W., Lieut.-Commander, R.N., 141
Hannaford, Skipper R. W., R.N.R., 64
Hannah, Lieutenant, R.N.V.R., 150
Hanrahan, D. C., Commander, U.S.N., 232-3
Hansen, Lieut.-Commander, 26, 29
_Harlech Castle, H.M. Trawler_, 186
Harvey, H. W., Lieutenant, R.N.V.R., 55
Hayes, J., Sub-Lieutenant, R.N.R., 57
=Hayling.= See _Cullist_
=Heather.= See _Q 16_
=Helgoland.= See _Q 17_
Herbert, Godfrey, Commander, R.N., 8, 48-9, 235
Hereford, P. R., Lieutenant, 212
_Hermes, H.M.S._, 7
_Hesione_, 26
Hick, Captain Allanson, 30-1
=Hobbyhawk.= See _Telesia_
Hodson, G. L., Lieut.-Commander, R.N., 33-4
=Horley.= See _Q 17_
Hudson, C. H., Lieutenant, R.N.R., 239-40
Hughes, E. L., Lieutenant, R.N.R., 57
Hughes, T., Lieutenant, R.N.R., 74-5
Hutchinson, E., Lieutenant, R.N.R., 130
=Imogene=, 189-90
_Ina Williams, H.M. Trawler_, 46
_India, H.M.S._, 258-9
=Intaba=, 139
_Invercauld_, 120
=Inverlyon=, 20
_Iolanda, H.M.Y._, 236
_Iolo_, 193
=Iroquois.= See _Fresh Hope_
Irvine, G., Lieutenant, R.N.R., 178
=Island Queen.= See _Q 19_
Jeffrey, D. G., Lieutenant, R.N.R., 228-31, 234
Jellicoe, Admiral Viscount, 10, 152, 157, 223
=Jurassic.= See _Cullist_
Kaye, A.B., R.N.R., 40
=Kermes=, 57
Kerr, J., Lieutenant, R.N.R., 74
Keyes, Adrian, Commander, R.N., 173
_Laburnum, H.M.S._, 197
=Lady Olive.= See _Q 18_
=Lady Patricia.= See _Paxton_
=Laggan= (_Pladda_), 104, 164
=Lammeroo.= See _Remembrance_
Lawrence, Skipper, J. H., R.N.R., 240
Lawrie, J., Lieutenant, R.N.R., 69-75
_Leonidas, H.M.S._, 128
_Linsdell_, 80
=Lisette=, 78
=Lodorer.= See _Q 5_
_Lodsen_, 49
_Louise_, 16
Loveless, Engineer-Lieutenant, 43
_Luneda, H.M. Trawler_, 198
_Lusitania_, 13, 31, 32, 132, 245
=Lyons=, 9, 25
McClure, Sub-Lieutenant, R.N.R., 33
Mack, P. J., Lieutenant, R.N., 80, 86, 260
McLeod, J. K., Lieut.-Commander, R.N., 164, 225
McLeod, W., Lieutenant, R.N.R., 141
_Malachite_, 7
_Malmland_, 258
=Manford.= See _Q 7_
=Maracaio.= See _Q 28_
=Margit=, 32-5
=Marshfort=, 234
Marx, Admiral, 101, 160
=Mary B. Mitchell.= See _Q 9_
_Mary Rose, H.M.S._, 13
Matheson, C. G., Lieut.-Commander, R.N.R., 170-1
=Mavis.= See _Q 26_
Maxwell, F. N., 13
Meade, Skipper, R.N.R., 146-7
Melville, Lord, 66
=Merops.= See _Q 28_
=Mitchell.= See _Q 9_
_Moewe_, 226, 235
Morris, K., Sub-Lieutenant, R.N.R., 79, 184
Muhlhauser, G. H. P., Lieutenant, R.N.R., 80-2, 86, 260-4
_Myosotis, H.M.S._, 160
Naylor, Cedric, Lieutenant, R.N.R., 124-5, 128, 130
_Nicosian_, 22-3
_Niger, H.M.S._, 7
Noake, Basil S., Lieut.-Commander, R.N., 163
_Noma, U.S.S._, 211
Noodt, Ober-Leutnant Erich, 116
Nunn, E. A., Assistant-Paymaster, R.N.R., 212
=Nyroca.= See _Q 26_
Olphert, W., Lieut.-Commander, R.N.R., 164
=Ooma=, 235
_Oracle, H.M.S._, 231
_Orestes, H.M.S._, 171
=Padre.= See _George L. Muir_
_Paladin, H.M. Tug_, 233
_Pallas_, 257
=Pangloss.= See _Pargust_
=Pargust= (_Vittoria_, _Snail_, _Friswell_, _Pangloss_), 161,
199-204, 231, 234
=Paxton= (_Lady Patricia_), 104
=Penhallow= (_Century_), 31
=Penshurst.= See _Q 7_
Périère, Arnauld de la, 93
=Pet=, 20
Phillips, Lieutenant, R.N.R., 175
Pitcher, E., Petty Officer, 212
=Pladda.= See _Laggan_
Powell, Commander Frank, 139
=Prevalent=, 78
=Prim.= See _Cullist_
_Primo_, 7
=Prince Charles=, 13-16
=Princess Ena=, 24
=Privet.= See _Q 19_
=Prize.= See _Q 21_
=Probus.= See _Q 30_
Purdy, James, Engineer Sub-Lieutenant, R.N.R., 49
=Q 3= (_Barranca_, _Echunga_), 221, 234
=Q 5= (_Lodorer_, _Farnborough_), 24, 40-7, 109, 192-9, 227
=Q 7= (_Penshurst_, _Manford_), 17, 47, 109-30, 161, 213-22
=Q 9= (_Mary B. Mitchell_, _Mary Y. Jose_, _Jeannette_, _Brine_,
_Neptun_, _Marie Thérèse_, _Eider_, _Arius_, _Cancalais_), 67-74
=Q 12= (_Tulip_), 138
=Q 13= (_Aubrietia_), 101, 139, 160, 237
=Q 15= (_Salvia_), 98-101, 139, 164
=Q 16= (_Heather_), 17, 139, 141, 164, 266
=Q 17= (_Helgoland_, _Horley_, _Brig 10_), 59-64, 78, 190
=Q 18= (_Lady Olive_), 104
=Q 19= (_Privet_, _Island Queen_, _Swisher_, _Alcala_), 170-1
=Q 21= (_Else_, _First Prize_, _Prize_) 77, 144
=Q 22= (_Gaelic_, _Gobo_, _Brig 11_), 65-6, 178-9, 183-4
=Q 23= (_Glendale_, _Speedwell II._), 264-5
=Q 25=, 104
=Q 26= (_Mavis_, _Nyroca_), 104, 172-4
=Q 28= (_Merops_, _Maracaio_), 77, 190
=Q 30= (_Thirza_, _Beady_, _Probus_, _Elixir_), 18, 185-9
=Quickly=, 11
Rainey, H. F., Lieutenant, R.N.R., 269
Randell, J. T., Lieutenant, R.N.R., 256-8
=Ravenstone.= See Donlevon
=Ready.= See _Q 30_
=Remembrance= (_Lammeroo_), 31
=Rentoul=, 189, 190
=Result= (_Dag_), 77, 79, 81-6, 260
=Revenge= (_Fame_), 56
_Rival II., H. M. Drifter_, 150
Rolfe, C. N., Lieut.-Commander, R.N., 164
=Rosskeen=, 238
=Salvia.= See _Q 15_
Sanders, W. E. L., Lieut.-Commander, R.N.R., 60, 61, 144, 157
=Santee.= See _Arvonian_
=Sarah Colebrooke= (_Bolham_), 77
_Sardinia_, 70-1
=Saros.= See _Bradford City_
_Saxon, H.M. Trawler_, 230-1
Scheer, Admiral von, 133
Schwieger, Lieut.-Commander, 244
Scott, W. F., Lieutenant, R.N.R., 55
=Sidney.= See _Glen_
Simpson, S. H., Commander, R.N., 164, 167, 168
Sims, Admiral, 231-2
Smart, R. C. C., Lieut.-Commander, R.N., 101
Smith, J. S., Temporary Engineer Sub-Lieutenant, R.N.R., 41, 44
Smith, Skipper W., R.N.R., 64
=Snail.= See _Pargust_
_Soerakarta_, 45
=Speedwell=, 238
=Speedwell II.= See _Q 23_
_Speedy, H.M.S._, 81
Spence, G., Lieutenant, R.N.R., 167
Spencer, J. G., Lieutenant, R.N.R., 14
Spiegel, Lieut.-Commander Freiherr von, 145-8
_Springwell_, 35-6
=Starmount=, 233
Startin, Admiral, 10
=Stockforce= (_Charyce_), 247, 266-70
=Stonecrop= (_Glenfoyle_), 242-5
Strahan, G. E., Surgeon-Probationer, R.N.V.R., 269
_Strathallan, H.M. Trawler_, 239
_Strathearn, H.M. Trawler_, 239
=Strumbles=, 57
Stuart, R. N., Lieutenant, R.N.R., 203
=Suffolk Coast=, 220, 247-9
_Sussex_, 132
=Swisher.= See _Q 19_
=Tamarisk=, 139, 164, 246
=Tay and Tyne= (_Cheriton_, _Dundreary_), 259-62, 264-5
=Telesia= (_Hobbyhawk_), 53-6
=Tenby Castle=, 256-8
=Thalia=, 57
=Thirza.= See _Q 30_
=Thornhill.= See _Werribee_
_Torrent, H.M.S._, 91
_Tremayne_, 175
=Tulip.= See _Q 12_
Turnbull, R. J., Lieutenant, R.N.R., 79, 180-1
Tweedie, Lieutenant, R.N.R., 33
_U 9_, 6;
_U 18_, 7;
_U 20_, 245;
_U 21_, 7;
_U 22_, 259;
_U 23_, 10;
_U 27_, 22, 26;
_U 29_, 9;
_U 34_, 172;
_U 36_, 16;
_U 40_, 10;
_U 41_, 26, 28-31, 40;
_U 43_, 145;
_U 44_, 231;
_U 62_, 138;
_U 68_, 42;
_U 83_, 194-6;
_U 84_, 120;
_U 88_, 242-4;
_U 93_, 145-52
_UB 4_, 20;
_UB 13_, 54;
_UB 19_, 116;
_UB 37_, 119;
_UB 39_, 180-1;
_UB 48_, 155-6;
_UB 63_, 240
_UC 3_, 56;
_UC 29_, 202;
_UC 45_, 81, 86
=Underwing=, 234
_Urbino_, 28, 30
=Vala=, 16, 17, 47, 161-2
_Valeria_, 265
=Vereker.= See _Viola_
_Victorian, H. M. S._, 257
=Vienna.= See _Antwerp_
_Vindictive, H.M.S._, 24
=Viola= (_Vereker_), 138, 164, 189-90, 233
=Vittoria=, 7
=Vittoria.= See _Pargust_
=W. S. Bailey=, 239-40
=Wadsworth=, 104
Wardlaw, Mark, Lieutenant, R.N., 14-16
_Warrington, U.S.S._, 165
Wegener, Lieut.-Commander, 23
=Wellholme.= See _Werribee_
=Werribee= (_Thornhill_, _Wellholme_, _Wonganella_), 31, 35-6, 236-7
Westmore, G. G., Lieutenant, R.N.R., 62, 64
_Westphalia._ See _Cullist_
=Wexford Coast=, 246
Wharton, W. S., Skipper, R.N.R, 53-4
_Whitefriars_, 174
_Wileyside_, 111
Williams, J. W., Lieutenant, R.N.R., 139, 164
Williams, Seaman W., R.N.R., 203
=Willow Branch.= See _Bombala_
Wilmot-Smith, A., Lieut.-Commander, R.N., 26, 29, 30
_Wolf_, 226
=Wonganella.= See _Werribee_
Workman, L. E., Lieutenant, R.N.R., 269
Wreford, 90
=Wyandra.= See _Baralong_
Ziegler, Sub-Lieutenant, 151-3
_Zinnia, H.M.S._, 203
=Zylpha=, 24, 47, 164-5
PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY BILLING AND SONS, LTD., GUILDFORD AND ESHER
* * * * * *
Transcriber’s note:
The spelling, punctuation and hyphenation from the original has been
retained except for apparent printer’s errors.
The signature in Chapter XIV., FIG. 16.—LETTER OF APPRECIATION is
probably that of Sir Eric Campbell Geddes.