|
Posted by Sue on 16 April,
2000 at 07:06:40:
Can anyone give me information on HMS India
Was it a ship, if so what type and what year was
it operational. Also any information regarding
glass bottomed pewter tankards etched with the
Taj Mahal and HMS India on the bottom.
Thanks
Sue.
Posted by Michael Farrier on
08 January, 2001 at 16:22:01:
In Reply to: HMS
India posted by Sue on 16 April, 2000 at 07:06:40:
Dear Sue
This is very strange! I came on YAHOO hoping to find out a bit more about HMS
India myself, then came across your note asking for the same.
It turns out that I've got a fair bit of information about the ship, as my
Great Uncle went down on her when she was torpedoed on August 8th 1915, off
the island of Bodo, West Norway. Because she was an ex-cruiser of the P &
O Line operating on the England-Australia run, she was commandeered by the British
admiralty, fitted with guns, and was used as an Armed Merchant Cruiser (AMC).
She operated as such until the fated day when she was sunk by the German
U-Boat 'U-22" (captained by Kapitan Hoppe) only 2 1/2 miles off of the
Norwegian coast, as stated above. This was seen by the world at the time as an
act of German gross mis-conduct, as she was within Norwegian waters, and not
international. Out of a total number of 32 Officers and 269 crew, 10 Officers
and 150 men were lost. The survivors were picked up by HM Armed Trawler
'Saxon'.
Here are some technical details about the ship:
Length: 152.38 meters Top Speed: 16.6 knots
Breadth: 16.57 meters Year built:1896 by Caird & Co, Greenock, Scotland
Depth: 10.18 meters Could be used as a 2500 man Troopship
Captain: Commander Kennedy, RN
As stated above, my Great Uncle Walter James Farrier was serving on board at
the time, but was not unfortunately as a survivor, nor was his body ever retrieved.
his name, and the names of the other dead crew members, are listed on the
Merchant Navy memorial to the Missing, on Plymouth Ho, England.
I hope that this is of interest. I have two prints of the ship, many pages of
data (including a detailed report of her demise), and a delightful postcard
written from the ship by my Great Uncle during November 1914 with his picture
on the front. If you would like to see any of the above, please contact me by
all means.
If you have turned up any interesting data or photos yourself, please let me
know! I am always looking for more info about the ship and its inhabitants.
Regards
Mike Farrier
PS...If you found any info on the HMS India tankards, please let me know!!
Posted by Marie Kennedy on 17
February, 2001 at 03:56:10:
In Reply to: Re:
HMS India posted by Michael Farrier on 08 January, 2001 at 16:22:01:
Michael,
Just to make contact and to say that Commander William George Ainslie
Kennedy’s granddaughter Marie has a small book about the India
(somewhere). Kennedy was subsequently married to Alice Fedora Esther Mary
Lundh on 28th February 1916 in Christiania. He was 42 and she 25!
We will get in touch again when we have the information to hand.
Meanwhile any scanned images gladly received!
Marie Barltrop (née Kennedy)
Posted by Catherine Seigneret
on 03 May, 2000 at 10:30:38:
In Reply to: HMS
India posted by Sue on 16 April, 2000 at 07:06:40:
You may have a look at Port, the National Maritime Museum web site, the
"gateway to maritime information": http://www.port.nmm.ac.uk/search/.
(link updated 18.02.2000 by ken Barltrop - but nothing on HMS
India found)
|
