Hi All,

Does anyone have any further info on the loss of the trawler "Miura" which was mined off Yarmouth on 23/08/1915.
I have just received a Victory Medal to 7147DA John Hennison and his service record has him serving on Miura, prior to the sinking, and other trawlers/drifters.

Any info would great- crew list/losses/survivors/builder/photo etc. Also which fishing port does 'CF' stand for.

Thanks in advance,
Donny

Donny

H.M.T Miura
Official No. 132855
Launched 1911
Built Smith's Dock, South Bank
Armament 1x12pdr, 1x6pdr
Admiralty No. 979
Port Reg. CF36 (Cardiff)
Requisitioned 1915
Loss by mine 23.8.15

Hope this helps
Regards John

Hello Donny,
Here are some details for Miura,
Admiralty No. 979.
Port No. CF.36 [CF denotes Cardiff].
Tons Gross 257.
Built 1911.
Armament 1 x 3 pounder.
In Admiralty service from Feb 1915 to 23/8/1915.
In "SWEPT CHANNELS" by Capt. Taprell Dorling, he states that her loss was due to mines laid by UC boats.
There is also another trawler named Miura.
Admiralty No. 3302.
Port No. CF 45.
Tons Gross 275.
Built 1916.
Armament 1 x 12 pounder, 1 x 6 pounder.
She was a mine sweeper & was equipped with hydrophones. In Admiralty service from August 1916 to 1919.
Hope this helps,
David.

David/John,

Thanks very much for that. I must step up the search for a copy of 'Swept Channels'

Donny

German sources credit the small torpedo attack submarine UB 2 with sinking Miura.

Best wishes,
Michael

Hello Donny, there were 9 casualties when the Miura was sunk off North Shipwash Buoy, Thames Estuary, England:

BECKETT, WALTER G., TRIMMER, RNR, T S 3698
BENSLEY, ALFRED J., DECK HAND, RNR, D A 4397
BURGESS, BENJAMIN, DECK HAND, RNR, D A 4642
EASTERBROOK, HERBERT E., L/SEAMAN (RFR B 3617), 158406 (Dev)
GIBSON, GEORGE E., ENGINEROOM, RNR, E S 3578
GOSSE, WALTER, SEAMAN, Newfoundland RNR, X 1400
GOWEN, HOWARD F., 2nd HAND, RNR, D A 7350
HALL, GEORGE B.B., DECK HAND, RNR, D A 1479
MILEHAM, HERBERT G., ENGINEMAN, RNR, E S 1960
SPRINGALL, JAMES W., DECK HAND, RNR, D A 7337
STORER, WILLIAM, TRIMMER, RNR, T S 2435
Best wishes
David

David/Micheal

Thank you very much, my man is not in the list of casualties but he may have left the ship before she was sunk.

Thanks once again.

Donny

Donny,
I have found a small account of an action Miura was involved in earlier in 1915.
On May Day 1915 Miura [Sub-Lt. L. W. Kersley R.N.R.] along with Barbados, Columbia & Chirsit were off the Thornton Ridge near the North Hinder Lightship looking for a U-boat that had tried to torpedo Columbia when two small torpedo boats from Zeebrugge attacked. One of them fired a torpedo at Columbia & sunk her [1 survivor]. There then followed a twenty minute exchange of gunfire between the 3 remaining trawlers & the 2 torpedo boats with Barbados taking hits until the 2 torpedo boats broke off when one of them was damaged.
David.

David,

Thank you very much.
Is there any way of knowing if my man was on board the Miura that day or on the day of her sinking?

Donny

Donny,
Compare the dates on his service record for when he started & finished his service on Miura with the dates of the action & of the sinking. If the start & finish dates include May Day 1915 & 23/8/15 then he was there for them unless he was in hospital, in cells or on a course in a depot ship or a shore establishment. If applicable, then these would also be noted with the dates somewhere on his service record.
Good luck,
David.

The one survivor (you mention above) from the Columbia was my Great Grandfather "Thomas Gale". Do you (or anyone else) have a crew list for the Columbia, or any information on Thomas Gale. I have been told that he was given a medal for this battle and would be interested in finding out which ones. Any information would help. Would like to track the boats he was also on as he later mineswept with the Russian navy (?)

The captain of the Columbia was a man named HAWTHORN I think.

regards,
jeff gale

Jeff.

You're correct. Here are casualties for the Columbia:

H.M. Trawler Columbia
01/05/1915

BOE, JAKOB OSCAR, Engineman, Royal Naval Reserve
CLARKSON, GEORGE, Warrant Telegraphist, Royal Naval Reserve
CLIVE, ROBERT, Signal Boy, Royal Naval Reserve
DIXON, HARRY, Deck Hand, Royal Naval Reserve
HAWTHORN, WALTER, Lieut-Commander, Royal Naval Reserve
LADDS, WILLIAM, Deck Hand, Royal Naval Reserve
LEDGETT, GEORGE, Seaman, Royal Naval Reserve
LOWNIE, ANDREW, Seaman, Royal Naval Reserve
McGUIRE, JAMES, Trimmer, Royal Naval Reserve
NOBLE, PETER, Seaman, Royal Naval Reserve
PORT, GEORGE ALBERT, Deck Hand, Royal Naval Reserve
SILVESTER, WILLIAM HENRY, Warrant Telegraphist, Royal Naval Reserve
SPENCER, GEORGE HERBERT, Trimmer, Royal Naval Reserve
STANNARD, ARTHUR GEORGE, Engineman, Royal Naval Reserve
TREVOR, ARTHUR LEONARD, Trimmer, Royal Naval Reserve
WAKEHAM, JOHN HENRY, Second Hand, Royal Naval Reserve


regards,
Martin

A couple of newspaper items:

TheTimes_13May1915_Sinking_of_German_Torpedo_Boats.png
TheTimes_18May1915_German_Charges_Against_British_Seamen.png

Martin

Hi Jeff,
Welcome to the Forum,
Here's a little more on the trawler Columbia:-
"Lieutenant-Commander W.H. Hawthorn, R.N.R., in the trawler Columbia, for instance, was told to go and find a German mine and bring it home, as the Admiralty wanted another to examine. He went and swept in a field off the east coast, soon got a mine in his sweep, towed it into shallow water without it going off and then lowered his boat. Having made fast the boat to the mine, he brought the latter alongside the trawler, hoisted the dangerous object on his derrick, and came into port with this terrible thing swinging about in triumph. Another officer, Lieutenant Sir James Domville, then came off, unscrewed the horns, removed the acid tubes, packed the thing up and sent it to the Admiralty".
The Auxiliary Patrol, by E. Keble Chatterton [1923].
To find out more information about your great-grandfather you need his service record. Unfortunately R.N.R. ratings service records are not available on-line, so the options are a visit to Kew to look for yourself, or employing a researcher to do this for you. Also, I believe they are avaliable from the Fleet Air Arm Museum if you contact them.
As for medals he would certainly have been entitled to three campaign medals, 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, & Victory Medal.
Hope this helps,
David.

I have a number from his discharge certificate RV2 3259 DA and discharge date was 8/9/1920.

Does this help? What can I do with this number, if anything, to find out more?


BTW Thanks for your input.

jeff

Is it possible to get other crew lists and names of ships that he was on. I know he was on the Thistle IV, Chemnitz, Riberia.

Thanks for your help.

jeff

Hello Donny, re MIURA - here an Award for `Services to' along with details of action ;

DOMVILLE James H Sir Bt. Lt. RN 85U012 Barbados
Captain Ellison N/E N/E
Action Trawlers Barbados, Columbia, Miura, Chirsit &2 Ger T.B's 01.05.15
Vellum letter
He remained at the wheel when the skipper was wounded, personally working the helm, and generally handled his ship in a seamanlike manner, under heavy fire to avoid being torpedoed. He also took effective measures to call the attention of Leonidas in order to convey to her the information which led to the subsequent destruction of the enemy vessels.
"This is not the first occasion of Sir J. Domville behaving with cool gallantry under fire, he is evidently a most valuable officer." - 4th Sea Lord - "Concur" - 1st Sea Lord.
He received Their Lordships' commendation on three occasions during the first 4 months of 1915.

Sadsac

Sadsac,

Many thanks for that.

Donny

Suggest you take a look at the Auxiliary Patrol 'Red Book' kept at the National Maritime Musuem Caird Library which contains detailed records, orders etc.