HMS Hogue

[Nick]

Can anyone tell me about the circumstances surrounding the sinking of HMS Hogue in 1914 ?

On the same note what was the first RN ship sunk during WW1.

Thanks

[John]

Sounds like the famous incident of 'Three Ships Before Breakfast', where a German U-boat sunk three ships, I believe the Hogue, the Cressy and the Aboukir.He torpedoed them one after the other after they went in turn to assist each other after their Captains believed the ships had hit mines. I'll have to dig up the history out of the books at a later date. I think Firefly will know more about this , though. wub.gif

[Firefly]

Aboukir was struck by a torpedo from U9 on 22 Sept 1914 whilst on North Sea patrol. Hogue went to her rescue, thinking she was on the 'safe' side of her having seen a preiscope. However, U9 had repositioned and hit her too. Cressy was the third ship to be hit. 1459 men lost their lives.

The ships were all Cressy-class cruisers. Very old and slow ships. They had meant to be patrolling a zig-zag course as protection against u-boats, but had not been doing so because of the lack of any percieved threat by their Captains.

Captain Otto Wessigen of U9 was killed aboard U29 in 1915, when she was rammed by Dreadnought

[John]

What a terrible waste of lives. Sounds very 'Kitchener'. Nearly 1500 lives, and in those days this was acceptable! Thank god for 2004.

[Nick]

Was there any inquiry with regards the actions of the Captains of the three Cruisers. It seems pretty bad that they were not zig zagging despite the U boat threat and this decision ultimatley cost the lives of nearly 1500 men !

Did the Captains survive the sinkings ?

[John]

I think someone did , because they held an inquiry for at least one of them , I think.
I noticed today that there is a 'City of London' policeman's medal, only a 1911 coronation medal, generating alot of interest, on Ebay, as he was a wartime casualty. He was on the 'Hogue' if I remember correctly.

[bigjarofwasps]

Hi,
I was lucky enough to buy the medal mentioned via ebay, from Nick, who is involved in this website. I`m really looking forward to starting to research the guy killed, if anyone has any information which maybe of interest, i`d really like to hear from you.
Gordon.

[John]

I have sniffed around a little bit and, I noted at DNW auction a group went for a CONSIDERABLE amount of money. If you're interested , I'll grab the catalogue from a friend of mine, for the write up. wub.gif

[bigjarofwasps]

Yes please that would be smashing, thank you. jumping

[John]

One for BJOW that I'd forgotten about...

Footnote: William Thomas Harland was born at Woolwich, Kent in September 1886 and entered the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class in June 1903. Three years later, however, he purchased his discharge, was enrolled in the R.F.R. and joined the Metropolitan Police, in which latter force he served as a P.C. in ?Y? and Thames Divisions until recalled by the Royal Navy in early August 1914.

Harland died on 22 September 1914, when his ship, the cruiser H.M.S. Aboukir, together with the Cressy and Hogue, was famously sunk by Lieutenant Otto Weddigen in the U-9, about 30 miles from Ymuiden - the total loss of life in this triple disaster was over 1400 officers and men. The Aboukir was the first to be hit:

?At 6.30 a.m. came the first intimation of danger when a torpedo exploded under the Aboukir?s starboard side, causing that ship to take a list of 20 degrees. The order to ?abandon ship? was given after a very short time, but only one boat, the cutter, was got away, and those in the water had to avail themselves of anything which would float. The first idea in the mind of Captain Drummond was that his ship had struck a mine as no submarine was visible. The Aboukir remained afloat for some 25 minutes, after which she capsized and lay for a time with her keel above water ...? (A Dictionary of Disasters at Sea refers).

Sold with original memorial scroll; Admiralty communications to the recipient?s mother regarding his death and a gratuity payment; an old photograph of H.M.S. Aboukir, together with more recent photographs of the Chatham Naval Memorial, on which Harland is commemorated; together with two metalled numbers from his Police uniform collar.

[taucher]

The first ship sunk during WWI whas HMS Amphion.

She run on a mine layed by the konigin Luise.

The konigin Luise whas sunk by firing.

Hms Amphion picked the survivers up but ran into a mine layed by the Konigin Luise.

[Odulf]

A bit late reply to this rather old topic, but perhaps of interest to researchers.

Many years ago I conducted a research in the archives of the Dutch General Staff, in search for information about interned British seamen during the Great War.

One of the files I noticed contained documents about the sinking of these three ships.

Of interest in this file were reports that many survivors were rescued from the sea by a Dutch ferry and some other Dutch vessel. When these vessels proceeded their voyage to Dutch ports they were stopped by RN torpedoboats or such luke vessels and boarded against the will of the ship's masters. All valid British seamen were taken on board of the RN ships and the Dutch vessels continued their course.

The wounded British sailors on board were interned in The Netherlands( and they were given proper medical treatment), but The Netherlands were a neutral party in the conflict (according to the International Agreements) thus the Dutch Government protested, because the sailors were "obducted" from a neutral vessel (from neutral territory). The protest was fruitless, and the Dutch did not proceed the claims for long. The British action would technically yeopardise the neutral position of the Dutch Nation.

Internment of British Naval personnel in The Netherlands has been my subject of research for a long time, but I've never endevoured into compiling a list of all internees and they're original units. (has anyone?).

I wonder how many of the compliment of these three old cruisers were interned?