12 replies to this topic

[TcM59]

Hello,
Able Seaman Joseph Hill is remembered on Waltham, (Lincolnshire), War Memorial. He was one of H.M.S. 'Sparrowhawk’s' six casualties during the Battle of Jutland. Can anyone advise me on the official or recognised sequence of events leading to Sparrowhawk’s loss or point me to a source?
Of all the accounts I’ve read it is not clear to me if her steering gear loss was due to the collision with Brock or through enemy action. Nor is it clear how the six casualties lost their lives, was it through enemy action, collision, or when abandoning ship?
Any help to clarify this would be much appreciated.

Cheers Terry

[horatio2]

In his "The War at Sea 1914-1918" Julian Thompson says: SPARROWHAWK and others "...ran into the same [German] cruiser squadron. BROKE, SPARROWHAWK, UNITY and CHRISTOPHER nearly had the same fate as the TIPPERARY - surprised by a sudden burst of firing.  BROKE was badly damaged, her upper deck covered with dead and wounded.  The SPARROWHAWK rammed her in the confusion, and CONTEST ran into SPARROWHAWK who sank at once...BROKE saved nearly all the SPARROWHAWK's crew."
He is quoting Lt King-Harman of HMS MIDGE.

[spithead]

Hi Terry

From 'Dictionary of Disasters At Sea During the Age of Steam'

SPARROWHAWK
British Navy, destroyer; 1912; Swan Hunter; 950 tons; 266 X
27x9; 25,000 i.h.p.; 32 knots; turbine engines; Yarrow boilers;
three 4 in. guns, 4 T.T.

The destroyer Sparrowhawk, Lt. Cdr. S. Hopkins, was a unit of the
4th Flotilla at the battle of Jutland. Just after 11.30 on the night of
May 31st the flotilla was steaming line ahead when it encountered a
force of enemy battleships. The flotilla leader Broke swung to port to
enable her torpedo tubes to bear, Sparrowhawk conforming to this
movement, but at that moment the flotilla leader was struck by an
enemy salvo and had her steering gear put out of control. As a result
she continued to circle to port till she crashed into Sparrowhawk just
forward of the bridge. The Garland, next in line, narrowly avoided a
collision, but Contest, having no warning of the mishap, tore off
Sparrowhawk''s stern.
The Sparrowhawk managed to keep afloat until 8.45 on the next
morning, when her crew were taken off by the destroyer Marksman,
and Admiral Burney gave orders to sink her by gunfire. Six ratings
were killed.

Regards John

[TcM59]

Thanks horatio2 and John - getting there but still not a consensus!

Cheers Terry

[ionia]

Hello,
Able Seaman Joseph Hill is remembered on Waltham, (Lincolnshire), War Memorial. He was one of H.M.S. 'Sparrowhawk’s' six casualties during the Battle of Jutland. Can anyone advise me on the official or recognised sequence of events leading to Sparrowhawk’s loss or point me to a source?
Of all the accounts I’ve read it is not clear to me if her steering gear loss was due to the collision with Brock or through enemy action. Nor is it clear how the six casualties lost their lives, was it through enemy action, collision, or when abandoning ship?
Any help to clarify this would be much appreciated.

Cheers Terry

At about 0040 on 1st June the 4th Flotilla, led by the BROKE, came under fire from the battleships WESTFALEN and RHEINLAND and the light cruiser ROSTOCK. After the BROKE had been damaged and executed an involuntary turn to port striking SPARROWHAWK, the latter was then rammed by the CONTEST, losing  her stern and jamming her rudder at hard-a-port. BROKE managed to extricate herself and SPARROWHAWK drifted away to the north-west. Efforts were made to steer the ship with her engines but failed due to the jammed rudder. At about 0430 she came accross a raft carrying survivors of the TIPPERARY. These were taken on board. The bows of the ship then broke off (a result of the collision damage with the BROKE). Shortly afterwards the light cruiser DUBLIN and the destroyers MARKSMAN and others hove in sight. The MARKSMAN took off most of the crew and tried to take the wreck of the SPARROWHAWK in tow but the attempt had to be abandoned after several hours because of a rising sea. At 0945 Admiral Burney arrived in the REVENGE with his division of battleships and ordered that SPARROWHAWK be sunk by gunfire.

[TcM59]

ionia - Thanks for your input I reckon I now have a clearer idea of the sequence of events from the replies posted.

Thanks again and,

Cheers Terry

[GrahamC]

Seaman William Henry Piggott was my great-uncle and survived the sinking of the Sparrowhawk. I am attaching his photo and also the account of the action he gave to 'The Derby Mercury' when home on leave.  This includes the loss of Rough the Dog.

Sorry to take so long to join the discussion but I only recently registered on the Forum.

Attached Files

•  HMS_Sparrowhawk.jpg   11.7K   1 downloads

[GrahamC]

SORRY - forget to attach the other 2 ....

Attached Files

•  derby_mercury.jpg   67.99K   3 downloads
•  w_h_piggott.jpg   20.29K   3 downloads

[sadsac]

TERRY,  perhaps these awards mau be of some help - have many more such for SPARROWHAWK / BROKE / UNITY / TIPPERARY / CONTEST / & King-Harman.

YOUNGHUSBAND   Frank C.R   N/E   Lt.   RN   85U073 Contest
C-in-C Plymouth 08.03.18 Gazetted
4th T.B. Destroyers - Awards to 31.12.17 Mentioned in Despatches
On the occasion of the loss of H.M.S. "Contest", showed exceptional ability and coolness under most trying circumstances.
The manner in which he got the wounded safely away from the ship in the heavy seas, and there after remained on board trying to save the ship until she sank, was a highly creditable performance.

GYLES   Donald A   N/E   MiD   RNR   79D021   Broke
Vice Admiral Dover Patrol 10.05.17 Gazetted
Swift & Broke & German Destroyers 20-21.04.17 DSC
He took charge on the forecastle, and although wounded in the eye, organised a gun's crew from the survivors of the crews which suffered heavy casualties and kept the guns on the forecastle going.
He repelled the German sailors who swarmed on board from the destroyer that was rammed, and remained at his post until after the action was finished.

Seems that Jerry actually got aboard Broke.

Regards  Sadsac

[TcM59]

Hello GrahamC,

Welcome to the forum - the newspaper cutting you posted is too small to read, any chance of you sending me a scan via email contact addresses in either one of the websites below my forum signature?

sadsac - Thanks for the extra info. Great resource you have, I enjoy reading the citations.

Cheers, Terry

[sadsac]

OK Terry,  from your reply I picked up the GRIMSBY site.  I have many awards for grimsby boats / bods - are you interested ??  You will agree I / we cannot keep contacting on this posting.  Could not find how to contact in G site - so where do we if you want further info ???  
Find award for service in GRIMSBY ;

HERMON-HODGE   Claude P   DSC   Lt.Cdr.   RN   84S121
Atherstone Vice Admiral Commanding East Coast England
20.09.18 Gazetted Auxiliary Patrol 01.01.18 - 30.06.18   Mentioned in Despatches
He has been in command of "Ascot", P.M.S. Unit at Grimsby under my orders for 12 months, and has brought it up to a high state of efficiency. Whilst in performance of minesweeping operations he has twice been subjected to submarine attack, viz., on the 5th Fenruary and 29th April, 1918.
He was also in charge of operations in clearing minefields off Kinlnsea 25th to the 28th May, 1918.

Sadsac

[TcM59]

sadsac - Thanks for the extra info. Great resource you have, I enjoy reading the citations.

Sadsac - I'm always interested in info. on all things Grimsby + Great War so if anything comes up from time to time.
this is where I can be contacted: Click Here

Cheers, Terry

[CULVERIN]

Grahamc and your photo attached to #7 is not this HMS Sparrowhawk.

If, as i suspect it may be, the previous Sparrowhawk, she was an 1894-95 30 knotter from Lairds, still a TBD. Her 3 sisters were Quail, Thrasher and Virago, which were later incorporated as part of the numerous C class, and those 3 all survived to be bu post war.
She was wrecked on the Yangtse 12 years before Jutland, 17 June 1904.

The Jutland Sparrowhawk was a K (Acasta) class, launched 12 Oct 1912.