Summer Visit to HMS Wellington – Saturday 15 June
Rob White has organised a BNRA visit to this historic Grimsby class* anti-submarine sloop, the only surviving British warship out of the hundreds that took part in the Battle of the Atlantic in which Wellington served throughout.
The ship’s Commodore, Angus Menzies, and Deputy Chair of Trustees, Jenny Moseley, will welcome us on board the ship for a special tour at 12.00 noon on Saturday 15 June. Guided by Angus, former Clerk to the Honourable Company of Master Mariners, which has moved to another location, we will be shown parts of the ship most visitors never see. On the bridge, you will be able to pit your wits against a virtual reality U-boat attack, using Hedgehog, and with the VR linked to the ship’s wheel and engine room telegraph.
Coffee will be provided on arrival, and a sandwich lunch laid on at a cost of £24 (including VAT). Please put your name down as early as possible, and before Friday 24 May, to assist Jenny with the catering and ensure a place. Contact Rob: rob@maritimefilmsuk.tv mobile: 07771 837423.
Wellington is berthed on the Thames Embankment at Temple Stairs, directly opposite the Temple Underground station on the Circle and District Lines. As has been suggested, we could then move on, severally or separately, to visit HMS Belfast or the Golden Hind, both close on the south side of the river.
* Forerunner to the Black Swan class.
German U-Boats in New Zealand Waters
Brendan O’Farrell gave a most interesting talk to the March meeting at Sturdy’s Castle. His main subject was the last patrol of U-862 and especially her movements in Australian and New Zealand waters in 1944. You can read the full story in Gerald Shone’s book U-Boat in New Zealand Waters.
There is a review at this link: https://tairawhitimuseum.org.nz/product/u-boat-in-new-zealand-waters-by-gerald-shone/ and more information here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_submarine_U-862.
Research Project
Perhaps Brendan or another BNRA member might continue research in this area and follow up on the fate of U-196 see these links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_submarine_U-196
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/11147/german-u-boat-found-in-northland-waters,-group-claims
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU1209/S00555/the-mystery-of-the-nazi-submarine-in-nz-solved.htm
Spectre from the Deep
Brendan also spoke about the tragedy of the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake, also known as the Napier earthquake, which occurred on 3 February, killing 256 and injuring thousands. The death toll might have been much higher had the sloop HMS Veronica not been in port at the time. Within minutes of the shock the Veronica had sent radio messages asking for help. The sailors joined survivors to fight the fires, rescue trapped people and help give them medical treatment. The crew from two cargo ships anchored in the harbour, the Northumberland and Taranaki, also joined the rescue works, while two Royal Navy cruisers, HMS Diomede (D92) and HMS Dunedin (D93) were dispatched from Auckland loaded with food, tents, medicine, blankets, and a team of doctors and nurses.
https://navymuseum.co.nz/explore/by-themes/inter-war-years/rnzn-1931-hawkes-bay-earthquake/
During a terrible gale on 11 May 1887, this earlier Northumberland had parted her cables and drifted on to a bank about two miles west of the port. The ship eventually broke up. This incredibly spooky tale made me shiver as Brendan conjured the phantom of Northumberland within the meeting room at Sturdy’s Castle.
More information here: https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~sooty/genealogy/1887boojum.html
Brain Teaser – Answer to last month’s question
Andy Field was quick to supply the answer. In 1924, 24,000 cubic feet of timber, both oak and teak, from HMS Impregnable (originally Lord Howe 1860, a sister ship to the screw-ship HMS Victoria) and HMS Hindustan (for many years one of the “wooden walls” forming the Britannia at Dartmouth) was used in the construction of Arthur Lasenby Liberty’s new Tudor revivalist style building at Argyll Place off Regent Street.
Andy Field has since provided additional information on the more recent salvaging and repurposing of wooden furniture, staircases and other timber from Liberty’s by the architectural salvage firm Salvo. Just possible that some will be timber from Hindustan and Impregnable that will enjoy yet another lease of life in a new setting. See Antiques Trade Gazette August 2023 and these links:
https://www.salvoweb.com/37582-liberty-1920s-staircases-panelled-entrance-hall-and-column-casings
https://www.salvoweb.com/salvonews/37633-a-rare-chance-to-own-a-piece-of-libertys-iconic-architectural-history
https://www.antiquestradegazette.com/print-edition/2023/august/2604/dealers-diary/the-web-shop-window-woodwork-from-the-original-liberty-shop/