Martin Antonenko
A Fixture
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2008
- Messages
- 8,994
A battleship literally goes up in smoke ...!
On November 25, 1914, the capital ships of the British 5th Battle Squadron were moored in front of Sheerness on Sea, a small English town on the Isle of Sheppey in the county of Kent ...:
The fleet consists of five ships of the line of the so-called "Formidable" class and includes HMS "Implacable", HMS "Formidable", HMS "Prince of Wales", HMS "Bulwark" and HMS "Agamemnon" and was sent to Sheerness on November 14th to fend off a feared landing of German troops there.
HMS "Bulwark" ...
... is by far the most well-known ship in the association to the British public: in 1908 its commander (the youngest British battleship commander of his time) was Robert Falcon Scott, who later became famous as a polar explorer (and who perished at the South Pole) - the picture shows him on board this ship (middle, with three "piston rings" on the sleeve) ...:
The court martial against Rear Admiral Sir Ernest Troubridge also took place on the "Bulwark", which was anchored off Portland from November 5th to 9th, 1914 ...
... because of his decisions in August 1914 in the pursuit of the German Mediterranean division (battle cruiser SMS "Goeben" and small cruiser SMS "Breslau") ...:
Troubridge had sighted the German unit with superior forces on the day the war broke out off the African coast but did not attack it because the war had not yet been officially declared.
The escape of the two German ships into the Ottoman Empire had drawn the Ottomans to war on the German side ...
Here are the two ships now in the Ottoman fleet in the port on the "Golden Horn" - in front "Breslau" (now Midilli "), behind" Goeben "(now" Yavuz Sultan Selim ") ...:
But back to November 26, 1914:
Shortly before 7:50 in the morning one observes by chance from "Agamemnon" and "Implacable" that a thin plume of smoke rises from the stern of "Bulwark".
Before they can send a warning to "Bulwark", the 15,000 ton battleship is almost torn apart by a huge explosion moments later, at exactly 7:50 am!
From one moment to the next nothing can be seen of the ship and its 750 men strong crew, except for masses of small and tiny debris floating on the surface of the water.
Only 14 men of the "Bulwark" were fished out of the water with more or less serious injuries - two died of their serious injuries after the rescue.
Among the missing is the commandant, Captain Guy Sclater ...:
On November 29th, divers investigate the remains of the "Bulwark".
They discover that the battleship's hull has been totally destroyed and smashed beyond recognition.
The only identifiable parts are the port wall of the bow, which is 15 m from the anchorage, up to the height of the hospital and about 10 m further on the starboard side of the bow.
What exactly happened on the "Bulwark" is never really found out! Only enemy influence by the Germans (through mines or torpedoes) can be excluded.
The most likely cause today is an explosion of cordite propellant charges for the heavy artillery as a result of overheating - the charges were stored in a magazine next to the boiler rooms!
In addition, the associated bullets were not stored in their own magazine, but in the connecting passages between the powder chambers.
Contrary to all safety regulations, the grenades are said to have stood next to each other and even touched one another.
In this way, the original detonation could set off a chain reaction that destroyed the entire ship.
Today a memorial stone in Sherness reminds of the "Bulwark" disaster ...:
Exactly at the same place on May 27, 1915, the steamer "Princess Irene", requisitioned by the Royal Navy as a mine-layer, will blown up after some of the inexperienced crew had ignited a few mines that were incorrectly positioned.
352 crew members will be killed ...
On November 25, 1914, the capital ships of the British 5th Battle Squadron were moored in front of Sheerness on Sea, a small English town on the Isle of Sheppey in the county of Kent ...:
The fleet consists of five ships of the line of the so-called "Formidable" class and includes HMS "Implacable", HMS "Formidable", HMS "Prince of Wales", HMS "Bulwark" and HMS "Agamemnon" and was sent to Sheerness on November 14th to fend off a feared landing of German troops there.
HMS "Bulwark" ...
... is by far the most well-known ship in the association to the British public: in 1908 its commander (the youngest British battleship commander of his time) was Robert Falcon Scott, who later became famous as a polar explorer (and who perished at the South Pole) - the picture shows him on board this ship (middle, with three "piston rings" on the sleeve) ...:
The court martial against Rear Admiral Sir Ernest Troubridge also took place on the "Bulwark", which was anchored off Portland from November 5th to 9th, 1914 ...
... because of his decisions in August 1914 in the pursuit of the German Mediterranean division (battle cruiser SMS "Goeben" and small cruiser SMS "Breslau") ...:
Troubridge had sighted the German unit with superior forces on the day the war broke out off the African coast but did not attack it because the war had not yet been officially declared.
The escape of the two German ships into the Ottoman Empire had drawn the Ottomans to war on the German side ...
Here are the two ships now in the Ottoman fleet in the port on the "Golden Horn" - in front "Breslau" (now Midilli "), behind" Goeben "(now" Yavuz Sultan Selim ") ...:
But back to November 26, 1914:
Shortly before 7:50 in the morning one observes by chance from "Agamemnon" and "Implacable" that a thin plume of smoke rises from the stern of "Bulwark".
Before they can send a warning to "Bulwark", the 15,000 ton battleship is almost torn apart by a huge explosion moments later, at exactly 7:50 am!
From one moment to the next nothing can be seen of the ship and its 750 men strong crew, except for masses of small and tiny debris floating on the surface of the water.
Only 14 men of the "Bulwark" were fished out of the water with more or less serious injuries - two died of their serious injuries after the rescue.
Among the missing is the commandant, Captain Guy Sclater ...:
On November 29th, divers investigate the remains of the "Bulwark".
They discover that the battleship's hull has been totally destroyed and smashed beyond recognition.
The only identifiable parts are the port wall of the bow, which is 15 m from the anchorage, up to the height of the hospital and about 10 m further on the starboard side of the bow.
What exactly happened on the "Bulwark" is never really found out! Only enemy influence by the Germans (through mines or torpedoes) can be excluded.
The most likely cause today is an explosion of cordite propellant charges for the heavy artillery as a result of overheating - the charges were stored in a magazine next to the boiler rooms!
In addition, the associated bullets were not stored in their own magazine, but in the connecting passages between the powder chambers.
Contrary to all safety regulations, the grenades are said to have stood next to each other and even touched one another.
In this way, the original detonation could set off a chain reaction that destroyed the entire ship.
Today a memorial stone in Sherness reminds of the "Bulwark" disaster ...:
Exactly at the same place on May 27, 1915, the steamer "Princess Irene", requisitioned by the Royal Navy as a mine-layer, will blown up after some of the inexperienced crew had ignited a few mines that were incorrectly positioned.
352 crew members will be killed ...
