HMS Topaze (1903)

Last updated

HMS Topaze (1903) IWM Q 021861.jpg
HMS Topaze in wartime service
History
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameHMS Topaze
Namesake Topaz
Builder Laird Brothers, Birkenhead
Laid down14 August 1902
Launched23 July 1903
Commissioned6 December 1904
Decommissioned7 October 1919
Out of service22 September 1921
FateSold to be broken up
General characteristics
Class and type Topaze-class protected cruiser
Displacement3,000 long tons (3,048 t) (deep load)
Length373  ft 9  in (113.9  m) (o.a.)
Beam40 ft (12 m)
Draught14 ft 6 in (4.42 m)
Installed power
Propulsion2 4-cylinder triple expansion engines
Speed21.75 knots (40.3 km/h; 25.0 mph)
Range7,000  nmi (13,000 km; 8,100 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement296
Armament
Armour

HMS Topaze was a Topaze-class protected or third-class cruiser which served in the Royal Navy during the First World War. The vessel was the lead ship of the class, also known as the Gem class, which had a more powerful armament and were faster than preceding protected cruisers. Launched on 23 June 1904, Topaze joined the Channel Fleet and often acted as a flotilla leader for the destroyers of the Navy. At the beginning of the First World War, the cruiser operated with the Fifth Battle Squadron, but was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet in 1915. There, the cruiser operated with ships of the Italian Regia Marina to enforce the blockade on Albania and to escort ships carrying Italian troops and supplies across the Adriatic Sea. Topaze escorted shipping in the Indian Ocean and captured the Ottoman Army garrison on the island of Kamaran in 1917, but returned to the Mediterranean before the end of the year. After the Armistice in 1918, the cruiser returned to the United Kingdom and was decommissioned on 7 October 1919.

Contents

Design and development

Topaze was the first of two Topaze-class protected cruisers, or Gem-class third-class cruisers ordered by the British Admiralty under the 1902/1903 Programme. The design followed the same philosophy as the preceding Pelorus class, but had more armour, mounted more guns, was faster and had improved seakeeping. The cruiser had an overall length of 373 feet 9 inches (113.92 m) and a length of 360 ft (110 m) between perpendiculars, with a beam of 40 feet (12.19 m) and a draught of 14 feet 6 inches (4.42 m). Displacement was 3,000 long tons (3,048  t ) at deep load. [1]

Power was provided by ten Normand boilers venting through three funnels which fed two 4-cylinder triple-expansion steam engines rated at 98,000 shaft horsepower (73,000 kW) and drove two propeller shafts to provide a design speed of 21.75 knots (40.28 km/h; 25.03 mph). On trials, the engines peaked at more than 10,000 shaft horsepower (7,500 kW) to give a maximum speed exceeding 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph). A total of 450 long tons (457 t) of coal was carried to give a design range of 7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km; 8,100 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) and 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 km; 2,300 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph). The ship had a complement of 296 officers and ratings. [1]

Armament consisted of twelve QF 4 in (102 mm) Mark III guns, one mounted fore and another aft, the remainder lining the sides to give a broadside of seven guns. Each mount had a gun shield with 1 in (25 mm) of armour. A secondary armament of eight QF 3-pdr (47 mm) guns and four Vickers 0.303 in (8 mm) Maxim guns was carried for protection against torpedo boats and other light craft. The original design had no torpedo tubes. [2] However, two tubes for 18 in (457 mm) torpedoes were fitted before the ship was launched. Deck armour varied from 0.75 mm (0 in) to 2 in (51 mm). Fire control was undertaken from conning towers which were fitted with 3 in (76 mm) of armour. [1]

Construction and career

The sinking of HMS Formidable German U-Boat U-24 sinks the HMS Formidable New Year's Eve 1914-15.jpg
The sinking of HMS Formidable

Laid down by Laird Brothers at Birkenhead on 14 August 1902 and launched on 23 July the following year, Topaze was completed in November 1904. [3] The vessel was the fourth of the name in Royal Navy service. [4] The first had been a frigate of the French Navy named after the topaz gemstone that had been captured in 1793 and the French spelling was continued in subsequent ships. [5] This incarnation was commissioned on 6 December into the Cruiser Squadron of the Channel Fleet. [6] On 4 December 1906, the cruiser was given a new commission and attached to support the battleships of the Channel Fleet Battle Squadron. [7] On 10 August 1909, the cruiser joined the newly formed Fourth Destroyer Flotilla based at Portsmouth as the flotilla leader. [8] On 1 April 1913, the cruiser was recommissioned at Chatham and reassigned back to Portsmouth as part of the Sixth Battle Squadron. [9] [10]

At the start of the First World War, Topaze was serving with the Fifth Battle Squadron under the battleship Prince of Wales. [11] The squadron was allocated to the Channel Fleet. [12] The cruiser remained with the squadron as it declined in size, warships being transferred to other postings. [13] On 2 November, the ship joined the remaining battleships as part of the Channel Fleet based at Portland. [14] On 28 December, the cruiser was escorting the battleship Formidable out on gunnery exercises. The small flotilla had no destroyer escort and was therefore vulnerable to submarine attack. [15] The German submarine U-24 took advantage of this vulnerability and torpedoed the battleship on 1 January 1915. Topaze saw the larger vessel list to starboard as the sailors starting to evacuate the stricken ship. Heavy sea hindered the rescue, but 43 were saved by the cruiser before the battleship finally sank. [16]

The escalating warfare in the Mediterranean in 1915 led to the gradual transfer of the Channel Fleet to the theatre. By 8 April, Topaze was the only vessel remaining, alongside the battleship Exmouth, in the command. [17] Initially, it was envisaged that the cruiser would join the newly formed Sixth Light Cruiser Squadron, but Topaze proved too slow to keep up with the more modern ships. [18] Instead, the cruiser left Dover to join the Mediterranean Fleet on 23 June. [19] There, British vessels operated with the Regia Marina against the forces of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. On 28 July, the cruiser joined three Italian destroyers in hunting a raiding force at Pelagosa. [20]

The allies then enforced a blockade in the Adriatic Sea from 6 October. [21] The importance of the blockade was such that even when more modern light cruisers arrived, Topaze remained on station. [22] After 27 November the arrangement was systematised so that a typical patrol would involve the cruiser and one or two destroyers spending 30 hours off the coast of Albania. [23] The cruiser was also used on occasion to monitor the line of drifters that the navy had deployed to monitor potential blockade runners. [24] In addition, the cruiser was involved in escorting Italian troops and supplies to serve in the Balkans theatre, including 20,000 soldiers carried to Vlorë. It was during one of these sailings, on 4 December, that the cruiser was attacked by a submarine along with the Italian destroyer Ardente. The submarine launched three torpedoes but neither ship was damaged. [25] Such action was rare and the cruiser spent the next year cruising far from the enemy. [26]

On 4 March 1917, Topaze was reposted to the East Indies Station. The cruiser was sent, along with protected cruiser Doris and Exmouth, to perform escort duties in the Indian Ocean in exchange for the Japanese sending the protected cruiser Akashi and eight destroyers to the Mediterranean. [27] Topaze was based at Aden. [28] The reinforcements proved invaluable in providing safety to shipping navigating crucial trade routes, from Freemantle to Colombo, the Red Sea and Cape Town, and between Mumbai and the Persian Gulf. [27] The cruiser also supported the South Arabian Campaign, helping with the blockade and participating in the attack on the Ottoman Army on the island of Kamaran. [29] On 10 June, Topaze left Aden to attack the Ottoman forces there. Two days later, the ship was stationed off the port of As-Salif, remaining so close to the coast that the defenders could not get the warship's range and their guns overshot. The cruiser then dispatched a landing party that captured the garrison there. [30] Soon after, the ship returned to the Mediterranean, joining the Egyptian Division of the Mediterranean Fleet based at Alexandria. [31] The need at the time was for escorts to protect convoys as the routes across the Mediterranean grew from seven in November 1917 to nineteen in June 1918. [32]

After the Armistice of 11 November 1918 and the end of the First World War, the Royal Navy no longer needed as many vessels in service. By the middle of the following year,Topaze was the only light cruiser remaining at the Royal Navy base in Egypt. [33] The ship sailed to Portsmouth and was decommissioned on 7 October 1919. [34] On 22 September 1921, the cruiser was sold to G Cohen to be broken up in Germany. [4]

Pennant numbers

Pennant Number Date
P291914 [35]
P2ASeptember 1915 [36]
P1CJanuary 1918 [37]

Related Research Articles

HMS <i>Cambrian</i> (1916) British C-class light cruiser

HMS Cambrian was a C-class light cruiser built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was the name ship of her sub-class of four ships. Assigned to the Grand Fleet upon completion in 1916, the ship played only a small role during the war. Cambrian was assigned to the Atlantic and Mediterranean Fleets during the 1920s and was sent to support British interests in Turkey during the Chanak Crisis of 1922–1923. The ship was placed in reserve in late 1929. She was sold for scrap in 1934.

HMS <i>Blonde</i> (1910) Blonde class cruiser

HMS Blonde was the lead ship of her class of scout cruisers built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. She led the Seventh Destroyer Flotilla in the Mediterranean Fleet from completion until 1912. The ship was temporarily assigned to the First Destroyer Flotilla before she joined the Fourth Battle Squadron in 1913. During the First World War, Blonde was assigned to various battleship squadrons of the Grand Fleet. The ship was converted into a minelayer in 1917, but never actually laid any mines. She was reduced to reserve in 1919 and sold for scrap in 1920.

HMS <i>Lawford</i> (1913) Destroyer of the Royal Navy

HMS Lawford 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 Ivanhoe but was renamed before launch, was built by the Scottish shipbuilder Fairfields between 1912 and 1914.

HMS <i>Obdurate</i> (1916) British M-Class destroyer, WW1

HMS Obdurate was an Admiralty M-class destroyer which served with the Royal Navy during the First World War. The M class were an improvement on the previous L-class, capable of higher speed. Launched on 21 January 1916 by Scotts of Greenock, the vessel served as part of the Grand Fleet in the Battle of Jutland in May 1916. The destroyer formed part of the cover for the British battlecruisers and was involved in attacks on German battleships and destroyers, but recorded no hits. The destroyer was also part of attack by Zeppelin L 43 on Sydney and the distant cover for the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight, but received only minor damage from the German airship. After the armistice, Obdurate was assigned to the Local Defence Force at Nore and sold to be broken up on 9 May 1921.

HMS <i>Peregrine</i> (1916) British M-Class destroyer, WW1

HMS Peregrine was a Admiralty M-class destroyer that 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 29 May 1916, the vessel served with the Grand Fleet, focusing on anti-submarine warfare. In 1917, the destroyer was involved in the search for UC-65 after the submarine had sunk the protected cruiser Ariadne. In 1918, the ship participated in one of the final sorties of the war, although this did not lead to a confrontation with the German High Seas Fleet. After the Armistice that ended the war, the destroyer was placed in reserve and subsequently sold to be broken up on 9 May 1921.

HMS <i>Penn</i> (1916) British M-Class destroyer, WW1

HMS Penn was a Repeat 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. The ship was named after William Penn, the father of the founder of Pennsylvania. Launched on 8 April 1916, the vessel served with the Grand Fleet forming part of the screen for the dreadnought battleships of the 1st Battle Squadron and escorting the aircraft carrier Furious in battle. The destroyer participated in the Actions of 19 August 1916 and 16 October 1917, as well as forming part of the distant support during the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight. Penn was also instrumental in rescuing the survivors from the light cruiser Nottingham, sunk by a German submarine. After the Armistice that ended the war, the destroyer was placed in reserve and subsequently sold to be broken up on 9 May 1921.

HMS <i>Moorsom</i> (1914) British M-Class destroyer, WW1

HMS Moorsom was an Admiralty M-class destroyer which served in the Royal Navy during the First World War. The M class was an improvement on the preceding L class, capable of higher speed. Moorsom, the first ship to enter navy service to be named after Admiral Sir Robert Moorsom, was launched in December 1914, initially serving as part of the Grand Fleet before being transferred to the Harwich Force the following year. Briefly rejoining the Grand Fleet, the destroyer saw service in the Battle of Jutland in 1916 supporting the British battlecruisers and received hits from a battleship of the German High Seas Fleet. Moorsom also undertook other duties, including escorting the troop ship Mauretania in June 1915 and the minelayer Princess Margaret in August 1915 and November 1916. Placed within the Dover Patrol, the destroyer formed part of the cover for monitors including Erebus and Terror on attacks on Ostend and Zeebrugge in May and June 1917, and April and May 1918. After the Armistice, the destroyer was placed in reserve and subsequently sold to be broken up in November 1921.

HMS <i>Mystic</i> (1915) British M-Class destroyer

HMS Mystic was an Admiralty M-class destroyer which served with the Royal Navy during the First World War. The M class was an improvement on the previous L class, capable of higher speed. The vessel, originally named HMS Myrtle but renamed before being launched in 1915, joined the Grand Fleet as part of the Eleventh Destroyer Flotilla. The ship was assigned as part of a destroyer screen to protect the British battleships as they sought to destroy the German High Seas Fleet. During the Battle of Jutland in 1916, the destroyer saw action against German light cruisers and, as the evening fell, attacked the German battle line, but recorded no hits. During the following year, the vessel took part in a large anti-submarine patrol, but did not see any German submarines. Later in the war, the ship was transferred to the Coast of Ireland Station at Buncrana and escorted convoys at the start of their journey from ports on the Clyde and Mersey or at the end of their journey across the Atlantic Ocean. After the Armistice in 1918 that marked the end of the First World War, Mystic was placed in reserve before being decommissioned and subsequently sold to be broken up in 1921.

HMS <i>Morris</i> British M-Class destroyer

HMS Morris was an 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. The ship, the only vessel to be named Morris to serve with the Royal Navy, was launched on 19 November 1914. Joining the Grand Fleet as part of a new flotilla, the destroyer was soon in action, serving as part of a destroyer screen during the Battle of Dogger Bank in January 1915 and an escort to the minelayer Princess Margaret during a skirmish with German torpedo boats eight months later. At the Battle of Jutland in 1916, the destroyer was a crucial part of the flotilla that drove the German torpedo boats away from the British battlecruisers. Morris received no hits during these confrontations. The destroyer assisted in the rescue of survivors from the R-class destroyer Simoom and the recovery of the damaged flotilla leader Botha in 1917. The ship also undertook general duties including escorting merchant ships, minelayers, monitors, and the seaplane carrier Vindex. After the armistice that ended the war, the destroyer was considered superfluous to requirements, Initially placed in reserve, Morris was decommissioned and, on 8 November 1921, sold to be broken up.

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

HMS Marne was an Admiralty M-class destroyer which served with the Royal Navy during the First World War. The M class was an improvement on the preceding L class, capable of higher speed. The ship, the first Royal Navy vessel to be named after the River Marne, was launched in 1915. For much of the war, the destroyer escorted merchant ships in convoys and Royal Navy warships, but was also involved in the rescue of crew from the battleship HMS King Edward VII in 1916. The destroyer also took part in the Battle of Jutland as part of the shield for the British battleships and engaged with the German light cruiser force with torpedoes, although all missed. In 1918, the destroyer, along with sister ships Milbrook and Pigeon, sank the German submarine UB-124. After the armistice, Marne was placed in reserve before being decommissioned and, in 1921, sold to be broken up.

HMS <i>Orford</i> (1916)

HMS Orford was an Admiralty M-class destroyer which served in the Royal Navy during the First World War. The M class were an improvement on the previous L-class, capable of higher speed. The vessel was launched on 19 April 1916 and joined the Grand Fleet. Orford spent much of the war undertaking anti-submarine warfare patrols and escorting convoys across the Atlantic Ocean. Although based at Scapa Flow, the destroyer ranged far, often operating off the coast of Cornwall and even having a temporary transfer to Buncrana in Ireland in 1917. In 1918, the destroyer took part in one of the final sorties of the Grand Fleet, but saw no action. After the Armistice that marked the end of the First World War, Orford was placed in reserve, decommissioned and, on 31 October 1921, sold to be broken up.

HMS <i>Onslaught</i> (1915) British M-Class destroyer

HMS Onslaught 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 previous L-class, capable of higher speed. The vessel, launched in 1915, joined the Twelfth Destroyer Flotilla under the flotilla leader Faulknor. The ship saw action during the Battle of Jutland in May 1916, jointly sinking the German torpedo boat SMS V48 and launching the torpedo that sank the pre-dreadnought battleship Pommern, the only German battleship to be lost in the battle. Subsequently, the destroyer acted as an escort to other naval ships during the Action of 19 August 1916 and took part in anti-submarine operations. At the end of the war, Onslaught was withdrawn from service and, in 1921, sold to be broken up.

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

HMS Hope was the first warship constructed by Swan Hunter and one of 20 Acorn class destroyers built for the Royal Navy that served in the First World War. The Acorn class were smaller than the preceding Beagle class but oil-fired and better armed. Launched in 1910, Hope served with the Second Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet as an escort based at Devonport for most of the war, protecting ships like RMS Aquitania, until being transferred to Malta to serve with the Fifth Destroyer Flotilla as part of the Mediterranean Fleet in 1917. Hope collided with and sank the destroyer HMS Arno in 1918. After the Armistice, the destroyer continued to serve in Malta under being sold in 1920.

HMS <i>Sheldrake</i> (1911) Destroyer of the Royal Navy

HMS Sheldrake was one of 20 Acorn-class destroyers built for the Royal Navy. The destroyer served in the First World War. The Acorn class were smaller than the preceding Beagle class but oil-fired and better armed. Launched in 1910, Sheldrake served with the Second Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet as an escort, transferring to Malta to serve with the Fifth Destroyer Flotilla as part of the Mediterranean Fleet in 1916. The ship once again served as an escort, protecting ships from submarines and mines, including the troopship Ivernia, as well as unsuccessfully attempting to rescue the sloop Nasturtium. After the Armistice, the destroyer was reduced to reserve before being sold to be broken up in 1921.

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

HMS Brisk was one of 20 Acorn-class destroyers built for the Royal Navy that served in the First World War. The Acorn class were smaller than the preceding Beagle class but oil-fired and better armed. Launched in 1910, Brisk was the first destroyer equipped with two Brown-Curtis steam turbines and two shafts. At the start of the war, the ship served with the Second Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet. The destroyer spent most of the war in anti-submarine warfare and was upgraded for this purpose with increasing capacity for attack with depth charges. Despite being involved in many actions, the ship did not sink any enemy boats, although the ship did rescue many survivors of ships sunk, including the troop ship SS Mendi, as well as surviving a torpedo attack from the German submarine U-84 and hitting a mine, all in 1917. Having spent most of the war in the seas around the British Isles, Brisk ended the war as part of the Aegean Squadron of the Mediterranean Fleet. After the Armistice, Brisk was placed in reserve before being sold to be broken up in 1921.

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

HMS Ruby was one of 20 Acorn-class destroyers built for the Royal Navy that served in the First World War. The Acorn class were smaller than the preceding Beagle class but oil-fired and better armed. Launched in 1910, the ship served with the Second Destroyer Flotilla, joining the Grand Fleet at the start of the war. The destroyer served in escort and patrol roles, protecting merchant ships against German submarines. Despite multiple sightings and attacks, no submarine was claimed destroyed. In 1915, escort service in the Irish Sea proved too much for the destroyer's hull, which leaked and needed to be repaired. In 1916, while escorting the ocean liner Calgarian, the destroyer was again damaged attacking what was thought to be a German submarine but transpired to be wreckage from a merchant ship sunk by U-49. In 1917, the vessel was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet, joining the Fifth Destroyer Flotilla. After the Armistice, the destroyer served in the Black Sea until being placed in reserve in 1919. Ruby was sold to be broken up in 1921.

HMS <i>Milbrook</i> (1915) British M-Class destroyer

HMS Milbrook was an Admiralty M-class destroyer which served in the Royal Navy during the First World War. The M class was an improvement on those of the preceding L class, capable of higher speed. The destroyer was launched in 1915 and joined the Eleventh Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet. In 1916, Milbrook responded with the Grand Fleet to the bombardment of Yarmouth and Lowestoft and fought in the Battle of Jutland. During the following year, the warship was transferred to Buncrana to operate under the Commander-in-Chief, Coast of Ireland and, for the remainder of the war, the destroyer escorted convoys that were arriving and departing ports on the Clyde and Mersey to cross the Atlantic. In 1918, the ship was jointly responsible for the destruction of the German submarine UB-124. After the Armistice, Milbrook was placed in reserve before being sold to be broken up in 1921.

HMS <i>Noble</i> (1915) British M-Class destroyer

HMS Noble was a Repeat Admiralty M-class destroyer that served in the Royal Navy during the First World War. The M class was an improvement on those of the preceding L class, capable of higher speed. Originally to be called Nisus, Noble was renamed before being launched in 1915. Joining the Twelfth Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet, the vessel took part in the Battle of Jutland in 1916, during which the warship unsuccessfully attacked the light cruisers of the German High Seas Fleet. In 1917, the destroyer formed part of the screen for the dreadnought battleships of the First Battle Squadron during the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight but again reported no hits. After the Armistice that ended the war, Noble was initially put in reserve and then sold in 1921 to be broken up.

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

HMS Nemesis was an Acorn-class destroyer that served with the Royal Navy and Imperial Japanese Navy in the First World War. The Acorn class ships were smaller than the preceding Beagle class but were oil-fired and better armed. Launched in 1910, Nemesis served with the Second Destroyer Flotilla based at Scapa Flow. The vessel served as part of the Grand Fleet, taking part in exercises, and as an escort deployed at Devonport protecting shipping against submarines. Nemesis was undamaged by enemy action, despite a near-miss from a torpedo launched by the German submarine U-9, but was damaged in a collision with sister ship Nymphe. After a period with the Mediterranean Fleet, in 1917, the destroyer was loaned to the Imperial Japanese Navy with the new name Kanran. Crewed by Japanese sailors, Kanran joined the 11th Japanese Destroyer Division and spent the remainder of the war escorting ships crossing the Mediterranean Sea. After the Armistice, the destroyer was returned to Royal Navy service in 1919 but was reduced to reserve before being sold to be broken up in 1921.

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

HMS Racoon was a Beagle-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy. The Beagles were coal-fuelled ships, designed for a speed of 27 kn and armed with a 4 in (102 mm) gun and two torpedo tubes. Built by Harland & Wolff and launched in 1910, Racoon was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet in 1913. In the run up to the First World War, the destroyer was deployed to Durazzo to observe the situation in Albania, but was swiftly redeployed back to Malta. The vessel was sent to protect shipping in the Suez Canal and Red Sea. In 1915, the destroyer served in the Dardanelles Campaign, escorting pre-dreadnought battleships attacking Ottoman defences and minesweepers that were attempting to clear the Dardanelles straits. During these operations, Racoon was damaged while assisting the stricken battleship Irresistible, which subsequently sank. Racoon also supported the Battle of Gully Ravine and landing at Suvla Bay. In 1917, the destroyer was transferred to Buncrana in the north of Ireland and served as a convoy escort against German submarines. Racoon was sunk during a snowstorm off the Irish coast in 1918.

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 Chesneau & Kolesnik 1979, p. 84.
  2. ↑ Jane 1970, p. 85.
  3. ↑ Friedman 2012, p. 346.
  4. 1 2 Colledge & Warlow 2006, p. 354.
  5. ↑ Winfield 2005, p. 205.
  6. ↑ "496b TOPAZE 12. Twin Screw Protected Cruiser, 3rd Class.". The Navy List: 386. January 1905. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  7. ↑ "496b TOPAZE 12. Twin Screw Protected Cruiser, 3rd Class.". The Navy List: 386. January 1907. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  8. ↑ "496b TOPAZE 12. Twin Screw Protected Cruiser, 3rd Class.". The Navy List: 386. October 1909. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  9. ↑ "Fleets, &c , at Home and Abroad: Second Fleet". The Navy List: 269b. April 1913. Retrieved 22 February 2022– via National Library of Scotland.
  10. ↑ "497 TOPAZE Light Cruiser". The Navy List: 387. May 1913. Retrieved 25 February 2022– via National Library of Scotland.
  11. ↑ "Fleets, &c , at Home and Abroad: Second Fleet". The Navy List: 269b. July 1914. Retrieved 22 February 2022– via National Library of Scotland.
  12. ↑ Home Waters Part I 1924, p. 110.
  13. ↑ Home Waters Part I 1924, p. 71.
  14. ↑ Naval Staff Monograph No. 8 1921, p. 171.
  15. ↑ Corbett 1921, p. 57.
  16. ↑ Corbett 1921, p. 58.
  17. ↑ Naval Staff Monograph No. 29 1925, p. 149.
  18. ↑ Naval Staff Monograph No. 29 1925, p. 233.
  19. ↑ Naval Staff Monograph No. 21 1923, p. 153.
  20. ↑ Naval Staff Monograph No. 21 1923, p. 178.
  21. ↑ Naval Staff Monograph No. 21 1923, p. 207.
  22. ↑ Naval Staff Monograph No. 21 1923, p. 209.
  23. ↑ Naval Staff Monograph No. 21 1923, p. 210.
  24. ↑ Halpern 1987, p. 187.
  25. ↑ Newbolt 1928, p. 103.
  26. ↑ Halpern 2015, p. 281.
  27. 1 2 Newbolt 1928, p. 216.
  28. ↑ Newbolt 1928, p. 224.
  29. ↑ Cato 1919, pp. 287, 290–291.
  30. ↑ Cato 1919, pp. 292–294.
  31. ↑ "XI. MEDITERRANEAN FLEET". The Navy List: 21–22. July 1917. Retrieved 22 February 2022– via National Library of Scotland.
  32. ↑ Newbolt 1931, pp. 81, 298.
  33. ↑ "X. MEDITERRANEAN: Egyptian Division". The Navy List: 22. July 1919. Retrieved 22 February 2022– via National Library of Scotland.
  34. ↑ "887 TOPAZE". The Navy List: 876. January 1921. Retrieved 22 February 2022– via National Library of Scotland.
  35. ↑ Bush & Warlow 2021, p. 150.
  36. ↑ Bush & Warlow 2021, p. 157.
  37. ↑ Dittmar & Colledge 1972, p. 43.

Bibliography

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.