Hi Cally ! Would you happen to know anything about the SS Bray Head please ? - she was sunk by a German submarine in March 1917 ( The Bray Head formerly the Indralema - was part of the Head Line or Ulster Steamship Company ) Annie
Not a great deal annie - just the basics really. nationality: british type of wreck: cargo propulsion: steamer weight (tons): 3077 grt dimensions (m): 100,58x12,65x7,65 cause lost: gunfire date lost: 14/03/1917. date built: 1894 builder: C. S. Swan & Hunter Ltd. owner: Ulster Steamship Co. engine: Triple expansion power: 264 n.h.p. speed: 10.5 knots The British steamship Bray Head SS was intercepted by a German submarine U-44 when 375 miles N.W. by W. of Fastnet on March 14th, 1917. The submarine opened fire from the surface and sank the vessel with the loss of 21 persons, including the captain. The vessel was on route from St. Johns Nova Scotia for Belfast. I will hunt through all my ship pictures and see if i have a picture of her.
Hi I am a new member and just happened to notice the enquiries about the Bray Head. I have been rersearching what happened to this vessel as one of the crew who was lost was a relative of mine. There are some references in a couple of books for example, the following appears in a history of Islandmagee in Co Antrim (four of the crew including the master John Curry Hoy came from there): "The SS Bray Head was on voyage from St John's N.B. to the UK and was attacked on Wednesday evening of the date mentioned at 6 30 o'clock. The only gun carried by the ship was a three pounder in charge of two marines but Captain Hoy personally took charge and served the piece until the ammunition failed. The action lasted for two hours when it was found the ship was on fire and following a destructive explosion officers and crew numbering 38 took to the two life boats and stood by until the ship went down.Making a course for the Irish coast, the boats kept in touch with each other until on the second night, during a rising wind and sea, they became separated and the captain's with its complement of 19 men appears to have foundered as it never afterwards was heard of. Besides the master of the ship three others belonging to Islandmagee were lost in the ill fated boat. The other boat in charge of the chief officer was picked up by the light cruiser Adventure on the following Sunday morning after drifting for almost four days and landed at Galway. Two of the occupants of this boat had died from exposure" I also have a copy of the last crew list for the Bray Head which is in the National Archives which lists the crew and their fates. I have also seen the German report of the sinking (by Capitain Wagenfuhr of U44 later rammed and sunk with all hands the following August by HMS Oracle). It is only a few paragraphs but details torpedo (one bronze torpedo was fired which missed the ship) and number of rounds fired. Hope this is of interest. If anyone has any more info on the Bray Head please let me know. There are also some records including the Time Book in the Public Record Office in Belfast. Jim
Hi Cally Your offer about the pictures....would you have any of HMS Oracle and HMS Adventure both WW! ? Thanks. Jim
Hi Jim and welcome ! It looks like you've already had the best of the "experts " helping you ! You probably already have this information from the Irish 1911 census ... but this may help somebody else reading this ! 11 Earl Lane (Dock Ward (Belfast Clifton), Antrim) Reid Emma 44 Female Reid Thomas 20 Male Reid Kate 19 Female Reid Susan 17 Female Reid Margaret May 15 Female Reid Moses Alexander 11 Male Reid Andrew 9 Male Reid Robert 7 Male McCann Catherine 73 Female McCann Moses Alexander 38 Male http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai001393471/ Then I believe this is where your request came from !! ... I'll keep looking !! http://kerrscorner.blogspot.com/2005_12_01_archive.html Annie
Heres a couple of snippets about John Curry Hoy ...... http://hoykin.tripod.com/id53.html In Memory of Master JOHN C. HOY "Bray Head", Mercantile Marine who died age 41 on 15 March 1917 Son of the late Joseph and Mary Isabel Hoy, of Port Davey, Whitehead, Co. Antrim; husband of the late Margaret Brown Gibb (formerly Hoy). Remembered with honour TOWER HILL MEMORIAL
Hi Jim Here is a picture of the WW1 destroyer Oracle. When it come down to HMS Adventure which one are you after - I presume you are referring to the WW1 cruiser rather than an obscure gunboat that languished somewhere in Central Africa during the same period? Here are a couple of the cruiser for you! If you click on the second picture again when it has come up you will end up with a decent sized real photo postcard.
Re: Warship pictures : SS Glenorchy (1909) cally I would like to take up your kind offer. In Harry Klein’s Light Horse Cavalcade: The Imperial Light Horse 1899-1961 we have this “They sailed from Cape Town on the Gaika, the horses on another vessel, and disembarked at Lüderitzbucht in mid December [1914]” and now from the service cards kindly uploaded by Dave Hands we now know that RHM Hands and PAM Hands embarked on SS Glenorchy on 9th December 1914 with the Imperial Light Horse. From these links the SS Glenorchy (1909) was wrecked on the 1st March 1920 off Victoria Bar, Brazil, whilst on a voyage from New York to Victoria. http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/viewship.asp?id=19082 http://www.clydesite.co.uk/articles/1mar.asp I have however been unable to trace an image of this ship. Thank you
Hi all, My Grandfather was on the HMS Hogue, (Disaster) and survived, or I wouldn't be here. I have found only a couple of photo's on the net. Any photo's or information would be appreciated. Regards Golden Wattle
Thanks Cally. Wonderful photo (2), She was an ugly brute....but the is still a hint of beauty and power. The side guns are amazing to see. My Grandfather was a stoker, so he was lucky to gt out alive. Thanks again. Miles
Interested in finding photographs plans drawings etc of WW1 Submarines. All nations with a definite interest in the German SMS U-35 and the KUK U-14.
Do you have any pictures of the HMS Dreadnought in WW1 my great grandfather was a royal marine on her till his death in 1916
Long shot I know but am after a picture of Q Ship Stonecrop alias HMS Glenfoyle. Sunk September 1917 with my Great Great Uncle on board, Thomas John Osborne? many thanks for your time and effort, Ant
Hi Cally, Do you have any photo's of HMS Benbow and HMS Valiant in 1917 and 1918 that show their respective deflection scales. Thank you, Miles
