HMS Laburnum (1915)

Last updated

1917 HMS Laburnum.jpg
HMS Laburnum in a photo taken in 1917 by Eric Murray from HMS Poppy
History
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameHMS Laburnum
Namesake Laburnum
Builder Charles Connell and Company, Scotstoun
Laid downFebruary 1915
Launched10 June 1915
CompletedAugust 1915
Identification Pennant number: T49 (January 1918), later T48
FateTransferred to New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy, 11 March 1922
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgNew Zealand
NameHMS Laburnum
Acquired11 March 1922
FateTransferred to Straits Settlement Naval Volunteer Reserve, 11 February 1935
Flag of the British Straits Settlements (1925-1946).svg Straits Settlements
NameHMS Laburnum
Acquired11 February 1935
FateScuttled, 15 February 1942
General characteristics
Class and type Acacia-class sloop
Displacement1,200 long tons (1,219 t)
Length
  • 250 ft (76 m) p/p
  • 262 ft 6 in (80.01 m) o/a
Beam33 ft (10 m)
Draught12 ft (3.7 m)
Propulsion
  • 1 × 4-cylinder triple expansion engine
  • 2 × cylindrical boilers
  • 1 screw
Range2,000 nmi (3,700 km) at 15 kn (28 km/h) with max. 250 tons of coal
Complement77
Armament

HMS Laburnum was a Royal Navy Acacia-class sloop built by Charles Connell and Company, Scotstoun. She was scuttled during the fall of Singapore in 1942.

Contents

Construction

She was laid down at the Scotstoun yard of Charles Connell and Company in February 1915, launched on 10 June 1915 and completed in August 1915. [1] The Acacia-class fleet sweeping sloops were adapted for escort work, minesweeping and as decoy warships.

Service history

First World War

Laburnum joined the First Sloop Flotilla on commissioning. [2] On 4 September 1915, the passenger liner Hesperian was torpedoed without warning by the German submarine U-20 southwest of Queenstown (now called Cobh) in the south of Ireland with the loss of 32 lives. Laburnum was one of several ships, also including the seaplane carrier Empress and the sloops Marigold and Veronica, to go to Hesperian's aid. Attempts to tow Hesperian to port failed, with the stricken liner sinking on 6 September. [3] [4] [5] The sinking of the Hesperian, which occurred despite an assurance to US President Woodrow Wilson from the German Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg that no passenger liners would be sunk without warning, provoked protests from America that resulted in the submarine campaign against merchant shipping in British waters being suspended for several months. [6] [7]

On 24 April 1916, the Easter Rising, an armed rebellion by Irish republicans against British rule, began. Laburnum was ordered to Galway to defend the port on 25 April, arriving there on 26 April. On hearing reports that a group of rebels were advancing on the port, the Captain of Laburnum ordered her to open fire, with 10 shells being fired in the direction of the rebels and at a road on the outskirts of the city. On 28 April, Laburnum escorted a transport carrying troops to Galway. [8]

On 8 February 1917, the German submarine U-81 torpedoed the passenger steamship Mantola 143 miles (230 km) WSW of Fastnet Rock, causing Mantola's crew to abandon ship. U-81 remained in the vicinity until chased away by Laburnum when she arrived on the scene 2+1⁄2 hours later. Laburnum rescued 176 survivors of Mantola's passengers and crew (seven crewmen had been killed by a capsizing lifeboat) and tried to tow the steamship by the stern, but was unable to make headway. Mantola sank on 9 February. [9] [10] [11] On 17 February 1917, the Q-ship Farnborough was torpedoed by the German submarine U-83, but after a "panic party" faked abandoning ship, U-83 surfaced near Farnborough and was sunk by shellfire from the Q-ship. Farnborough herself was badly damaged by the torpedo, and was taken into tow by Laburnum and the sloop Buttercup after the destroyer Narwhal had taken off most of Farnborough's crew. Farnborough was beached at Mill Cove. [12] [13] On 25 February 1917 Laburnum was patrolling to the west of the Blasket Islands, off the west coast of Ireland, when she was ordered to meet up with and escort the liner Laconia which was Liverpool-bound from the United States. Uncertainty about Laconia's location delayed the rendezvous between the ships, with the result that Laconia was torpedoed by the German submarine U-50 before Laburnum could arrive on the scene. While Laburnum could not prevent Laconia sinking, she did manage to rescue 292 passengers and crew. Twelve passengers and crew were killed. [14]

Far East service

She was in the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy from 11 March 1922 to 11 February 1935, where she exercised with cruisers, toured New Zealand ports, took part in ceremonial occasions, and went on annual Pacific Island cruises. This was in conjunction with her sister ship Veronica which was similar, but with small differences as they came from different commercial shipyards.

She left Auckland on 1 February 1935 for Singapore, where she was paid off to become a drill and training ship for the Straits Settlement Naval Volunteer Reserve.

Drill ship at Singapore

As drill ship, Laburnum was equipped with independent wireless equipment, and housed a number of naval offices including Captain, Auxiliary Vessels and Captain, Extended Defences Office. Laburnum had her engines removed shortly after her arrival in Singapore in order to augment her accommodation. Hence she could not be fully utilised when war broke out in the Far East. With the evacuation of Penang, Laburnum also played host to the RNVR Penang Division, headed by Commander C C Alexander.

Fate

Labernum was scuttled on 15 February 1942 when Singapore fell to Japanese forces. Her wreck was raised about 1946, and sunk off East Lagoon, Singapore, as part of an existing breakwater of old hulks, and finally removed and scrapped about 1967.

Related Research Articles

HMS Faulknor was a British destroyer of the First World War. She was purchased by the Royal Navy whilst still under construction in Britain for the Chilean Navy who had ordered her in 1912 as part of the Almirante Lynch class. She was renamed after the Faulknor family of British nineteenth century naval officers.

HMS E54 was a British E-class submarine built by William Beardmore, Dalmuir. She was laid down on 1 February 1915 and was commissioned in May 1916. She sank the German submarines UC-10 on 21 August 1916 and U-81 on 1 May 1917. E54 was sold for scrap on 14 December 1921.

HMS <i>Brilliant</i> (1891) Apollo-class cruiser of the British Royal Navy

HMS Brilliant was an Apollo-class cruiser of the British Royal Navy which served from 1893 to 1918 in various colonial posts and off the British Isles as a hastily converted minelayer during the First World War.

HMS Arabis was an Arabis-class sloop of the Royal Navy. She had a brief career, serving during the First World War.

HMS Snowdrop was an Azalea-class sloop of the Royal Navy. She served during the First World War. Snowdrop survived the war and was sold for scrap in 1923.

HMS <i>Rifleman</i> (1910) Destroyer of the Royal Navy

HMS Rifleman was an Acorn-class destroyer built by J. Samuel White & Company, Cowes, completed on 4 November 1910 and sold for breaking up on 9 May 1921.

SM U-81 was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-81 was engaged in naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic.

SS Mantola was a British India Steam Navigation Company (BI) steamship that was built in 1916 and sunk by a German U-boat in 1917. She belonged to BI's "M" class of cargo liners. She was carrying an estimated 600,000 ounces of silver bullion when she was sunk. In 2017, 526 bars of silver were salvaged from the wreck and taken to the United Kingdom, in circumstances that remain undisclosed.

HMS <i>Rob Roy</i> (1916) Destroyer of the Royal Navy

HMS Rob Roy was a Royal Navy R-class destroyer constructed and then operational in the First World War. The ship served in the Grand Fleet as part of the Fifteenth Destroyer Flotilla.

HMS TB 5 was a Cricket-class coastal destroyer or torpedo-boat of the British Royal Navy. TB 5 was built by the shipbuilder J S White from 1905 to 1907. She was used for local patrol duties in the First World War and survived the war. She was sold for scrap in 1920.

HMS <i>Manly</i> (1914) Destroyer of the Royal Navy

HMS Manly was a Yarrow M-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy. Built by the Scottish shipbuilder Yarrow between 1913 and 1914, Manly served during the First World War. She formed part of the Harwich Force in the early years of the war, and then later in the English Channel as part of the Dover Patrol taking part in the Zeebrugge Raid in 1918. She survived the war, and was sold for scrap in 1920.

HMS Mentor was a Hawthorn Leslie M-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy. Built by the Tyneside shipbuilder Hawthorn Leslie between 1913 and 1915, Mentor served during the First World War. She formed part of the Harwich Force in the early years of the war, taking part in the Battle of Dogger Bank and then later in the English Channel as part of the Dover Patrol. She survived the war, and was sold for scrap in 1921.

HMS <i>Landrail</i> (1914) Destroyer of the Royal Navy

HMS Landrail was a Laforey-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy. The Laforey class was the class of destroyers ordered under the Royal Navy's 1912–1913 construction programme, which were armed with three 4-inch (102 mm) guns and four torpedo tubes and were capable of 29 knots. The ship, which was originally to be named Hotspur but was renamed before launch, was built by the Scottish shipbuilder Yarrow between 1912 and 1914,

HMS Aubrietia was one of 12 Aubrietia-class sloops completed for the Royal Navy and was launched in 1916. During World War I, she functioned as a Q-Ship and served under the name Q.13, also taking the names Kai, Winton and Zebal. Aubrietia was part of the 1st Sloop flotilla, based in Queenstown and subsequently, the 3rd Sloop Flotilla in the North Sea.

HMS Milne was a Royal Navy Admiralty M-class destroyer. Milne was built by John Brown & Company from 1913 to 1914 and was completed in December that year. She served through the remainder of the First World War, at first with the Harwich Force with which she took part in the Battle of Dogger Bank in January 1915, and later with the Dover Patrol, sinking the German submarine UC-26 in May 1917. Milne was sold for scrap in 1921.

HMS Zinnia was an Azalea-class minesweeping sloop of the Royal Navy, built in 1915 at the Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson yard, at Wallsend in the United Kingdom.It was sold to Belgium on 19 April 1920 to join their new Corps of Destroyers and Sailors.

HMS <i>Narwhal</i> (1915) British M-Class destroyer, WW1

HMS Narwhal was a Admiralty M-class destroyer which served with the Royal Navy during the First World War. The M class were an improvement on the preceding L class, capable of higher speed. Launched on 30 December 1915, the vessel fought in the Battle of Jutland between 31 May and 1 June 1916 and subsequently served in anti-submarine and escort duties based at Cobh in Ireland. During February 1917, the destroyer rescued the crew of the Q-ship Farnborough, which had sunk and been sunk by the German submarine SM U-83, and rescued the armed merchantman Cameronia from SM U-50, The destroyer was transferred to Devonport during 1918 and, after the end of the war, was broken up there in 1920 after suffering a fatal collision the year before.

HMS <i>Mounsey</i> (1915) Royal Navy Yarrow M-class destroyer

HMS Mounsey was a Yarrow M-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy. Built by the Scottish shipbuilder Yarrow in 1914–1915, Mounsey served in the Grand Fleet during the First World War, and took part in the Battle of Jutland. The following year she saw combat against German submarines, and in 1918 she helped rescue crew and passengers aboard the damaged troopship Otranto. She was sold for scrap in 1921.

HMS <i>Rosemary</i> 1915 British ship

HMS Rosemary was an Arabis-class minesweeping sloop of the British Royal Navy. Built by the Teesside shipbuilder Richardson, Duck and Company from 1915–1916, Rosemary carried out minesweeping and anti submarine operations during the First World War. She was used for fishery protection duties during the 1930s, and served through the Second World War, finally being sold for scrap in 1947.

HMS Alyssum was an Arabis-class minesweeping sloop of the British Royal Navy which served during the First World War. Alyssum was built in 1915 by Earle's Shipbuilding, and was used for minesweeping, escort and patrol duties in the North and Irish Seas. The sloop sank after hitting a German mine on 18 March 1917.

References

  1. ↑ McDougall 1989 , pp. 18–19
  2. ↑ "Supplement to the Monthly Navy List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officers' Commands &c.: III.—Miscellaneous Ships in Home Waters or on Detached Service". The Navy List. September 1915. p. 14.
  3. ↑ Naval Staff Monograph No. 30 1926 , p. 175
  4. ↑ Hurd 1924 , pp. 34–37
  5. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during World War I: Hesperian". Uboat.net. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  6. ↑ Hurd 1924 , pp. 39–41
  7. ↑ Massie 2007 , pp. 542–544
  8. ↑ Naval Staff Monograph No. 31 1926 , pp. 127–128
  9. ↑ Naval Staff Monograph No. 34 1933 , p. 201
  10. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during World War I: Mantola". Uboat.net. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  11. ↑ "SS Mantola WWI shipwreck reveals silver haul". BBC News. 10 October 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  12. ↑ Naval Staff Monograph No. 34 1933 , pp. 204–205
  13. ↑ Grant 1964 , p. 64
  14. ↑ Naval Staff Monograph No. 34 1933 , pp. 210–211
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.