Hello

does anyone know what was the complement of accomodation ships and depot ships and where they manned by Royal naval personnel?

Thanks in advance

Bow

They were maned by RN personnel. Their complement varied according to their purpose and location. An old battleship being used as an accommodation ship at a British port might have her armament substantially reduced and the numbers of both her seamen and stokers much reduced. On the other hand, an elderly cruiser acting as a depot ship for destroyers in the Aegean might retain her full armament and ship’s company.

They were also manned by men of the Royal Naval Reserve, my great uncle, a Lieutenant, being one of them.

Regards

Rob

My statement that they were manned by RN personnel was not meant to exclude RNR - all ships of the RN had or could have RNR and other reservists in their ship's companies. My interpretation of the original question was whether the manning was by naval or civilian personnel.

Having recently gone through a lot of Depot ship items, RN, RNVR, RNR, & Marines as well. Petty Officers were on a different deck to ratings as well as per HMS Alecto. People tied to the name of a depot ship like Maidstone could be on submarines, destoryers like Firedrake, Lurcher & so on, or other tenders.

DB

As both accomodation and depot ships varied in size so could their compliments.

Thanks alot for the replies.Could someone please clarify what the difference was between the Royal naval reserve and the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve?Am I correct in thinking that the latter were mainly drawn from civilians where as the former had some seagoing experience either through being in the fishing fleet or in the merchant navy?

Bow