Q Ships and Their Story 30

Q Ships and Their Story 30

22nd August, 1917.

 

Dear Captain Campbell

 

It is with very great pleasure that I convey to you, by the

directions of the War Cabinet, an __EXPRESSION__ of their high

appreciation of the gallantry, skill, and devotion to duty, which

have been displayed through many months of arduous service by

yourself and the officers and men of His Majesty’s ship under your

command.

 

In conveying to you this message of the War Cabinet, which expresses

the high esteem with which the conduct of your officers and men is

regarded by His Majesty’s Government, I wish to add on behalf of the

Board of Admiralty, that they warmly endorse this commendation.

 

Will you please convey this message to all ranks and ratings under

your command?

 

closing and signature [see Transcriber’s Note]

 

FIG. 16.—LETTER OF APPRECIATION FROM THE FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY

TO CAPTAIN GORDON CAMPBELL AFTER THE HISTORIC ACTION FOUGHT BY Q-SHIP

‘DUNRAVEN.’]

 

At half-past two the submarine came to the surface directly astern

(where _Dunraven’s_ guns would not bear) and resumed shelling the

steamer at short range, and used her Maxim gun on the men in the boats.

This went on for twenty minutes, and then she dived once more. Captain

Campbell next decided to use his torpedoes, so five minutes later one

was fired which passed just ahead of the submarine’s periscope as the

enemy was motoring 150 yards off on the port side; and seven minutes

afterwards _Dunraven_ fired a second torpedo which passed just astern

of the periscope. The enemy had failed to see the first torpedo, but

evidently he noticed the second. It was obvious that by now it was

useless to continue the contest any further, for the submarine would

go on torpedoing and shelling _Dunraven_ until she sank: so Captain

Campbell signalled for urgent assistance,[8] and almost immediately

the U.S.S. _Noma_ arrived and fired at a periscope seen a few hundred

yards astern of _Dunraven_. Then came the two British destroyers

_Attack_ and _Christopher_. _Dunraven_ then recalled her boats and

the fire was extinguished, but it was found that the poop had been

completely gutted and that all depth charges and ammunition had been

exploded. From _Noma_ and _Christopher_ doctors came over and assisted

in tending the wounded, a couple of the most dangerously injured being

taken on board _Noma_ to be operated on and then landed at Brest.

 

At 6.45 p.m. _Christopher_ began towing _Dunraven_, but this was no

easy matter, for there was a nasty sea running, the damaged ship would

not steer; her stern went down, the sea broke over it and worked its

way forward. In this way the night passed, and at 10.15 the next

morning _Christopher_ was able to report that she was now only 60 miles

west of Ushant and bringing _Dunraven_ towards Plymouth at 4 knots.

By six that evening the ship was in so bad a condition that she might

sink any moment, so Captain Campbell transferred sixty of his crew

to the trawler _Foss_. About 9 p.m. two tugs arrived, took over the

towing, and carried on during the night until 1.30 a.m. of August 10.

It was time then for the last handful of men to abandon her in all

true earnestness, so the _Christopher_ came alongside, in spite of the

heavy sea running, and the last man was taken off. It was only just

in time, for almost immediately she capsized, and was finally sunk by

_Christopher_ dropping a depth charge and shelling her as a dangerous

derelict soon after 3 a.m. Thus the life of _Dunraven_ as a man-of-war

had been both brief and distinguished.

 

As to the officers and men, it is difficult to imagine greater and

more persistent bravery under such adverse circumstances, and the King

made the following awards: Captain Gordon Campbell, V.C., D.S.O.,

received a second bar to his D.S.O.; Lieutenant C. G. Bonner, D.S.C.,

R.N.R., received a V.C., as also did Petty Officer E. Pitcher. To

Assistant-Paymaster R. A. Nunn, D.S.C., R.N.R., was awarded a D.S.O.

Three other officers received a D.S.C., whilst Lieutenant P. R.

Hereford, D.S.O., D.S.C., and two engineer officers, all received a bar

to their D.S.C.

 

Such is the story of Captain Campbell’s last and greatest Q-ship

fight, for after this he was appointed to command a light cruiser

at Queenstown. In these duels we reach the high-water mark of sea

gallantry, and the incidents themselves are so impressive that no

further words are necessary. Let us leave it at that.

 

[Illustration: Q-SHIP “DUNRAVEN”

 

This photograph was taken shortly before she finally sank. Already the

stern is awash.

 

To face p. 212]

 

 

[Footnote 5: Twelve officers and men were selected from a host of

volunteers to try and get the ship in tow. These were placed in a

motor-boat, whilst the Captain boarded the escort to arrange for towage

if possible.]

 

[Footnote 6: Captain Campbell has been good enough to furnish me with

the following details of this heroic episode:

 

‘Lieutenant Bonner, having been blown out of his control by the first

explosion, crawled into the gun-hatch with the crew. They there

remained at their posts with a fire raging in the poop below and the

deck getting red-hot. One man tore up his shirt to give pieces to

the gun’s crew to stop the fumes getting into their throats, others

lifted the boxes of cordite off the deck to keep it from exploding, and

all the time they knew that they must be blown up, as the secondary

supply and magazine were immediately below. They told me afterwards

that communication with the bridge was cut off, and although they knew

they would be blown up, they also knew they would spoil the show if

they moved, so they remained until actually blown up with their gun.

Then, when as wounded men they were ordered to remain quiet in various

places during the second action, they had to lie there unattended and

bleeding, with explosions continually going on aboard and splinters

from the shell-fire penetrating their quarters. Lieutenant Bonner,

himself wounded, did what he could for two who were with him in the

wardroom. When I visited them after the action, they thought little of

their wounds, but only expressed their disgust that the enemy had not

been sunk. Surely such bravery is hard to equal. The strain for the men

who remained on board after the ship had been torpedoed, poop set on

fire, cordite and shells exploding, and then the enemy shell-fire, can

easily be imagined.’]

 

[Footnote 7: See illustration above.]

 

[Footnote 8: In the meantime he arranged for a further ‘abandon ship’

evolution, having only one gun’s crew on board.]

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER XV

 

LIFE ON BOARD A Q-SHIP

 

 

In history it is frequently the case that what seems to contemporaries

merely ordinary and commonplace is to posterity of the utmost value and

interest. How little, for example, do we know of the life and routine

in the various stages and development of the sailing ship! In a volume

entitled ‘Ships and Ways of Other Days,’ published before the war, I

endeavoured to collect and present the everyday existence at sea in

bygone years. Some day, in the centuries to come, it may be that the

historical student will require to know something of the organization

and mode of life on board one of the Q-steamships, and because it is

just one of those matters, which at the time seemed so obvious, I have

now thought it advisable here to set down a rough outline. As time goes

on the persons of the drama die, logs and diaries and correspondence

fall into unsympathetic hands and become destroyed; therefore, whilst

it is yet not too late, let us provide for posterity some facts on

which they can base their imagination of Q-ship life.

 

Elsewhere in the pages of this book the reader will find it possible

to gather some idea of the types, sizes, and appearances of the ships

employed. The following details are chiefly those of one of the most

distinguished Q-ships, the famous _Penshurst_, and as such they have

especial interest as showing the organization of a tiny little tramp

into a valiant and successful man-of-war that sank several powerful

enemy submarines; and it is through the courtesy of her gallant late

commanding officer, Captain F. H. Grenfell, D.S.O., R.N., that I am

able to present these facts.

 

[Illustration: Q-SHIP “DUNRAVEN”

 

Showing the damage done to her poop after the action with submarine.

The after-deck is already well awash and presently she foundered.

 

To face p. 214]

 

_Penshurst_ was a three-masted, single-funnelled, single-screw

steamer, owned by a London firm. She had been fitted out as a decoy at

the end of 1915 by Admiral Colville at Longhope. Her length between

perpendiculars was 225 feet, length over all 232 feet, beam 35 feet

2 inches, draught 14 feet 6 inches, depth of hold 13 feet 7 inches.

Her tonnage was 1,191 gross, 740 registered, displacement 2,035

tons. Fitted with four bulkheads, the ship had the maximum amount of

hold, the engines being placed right aft. The crew were berthed in

the forecastle, the engineers’ mess and cabins being aft, whilst the

captain’s and officers’ mess and cabins were adjacent to the bridge

just forward of midships. The engine-room pressure was 180 pounds, and

the maximum speed, with everything working well and a clean bottom, was

10 knots. Her armament consisted of five guns. A 12-pounder (18 cwt.)

was placed on the after hatch, but disguised in the most ingenious

manner by a ship’s boat, which had been purposely sawn through so that

the detached sections could immediately be removed, allowing the gun

to come into action. Originally there were mounted a 3-pounder and

6-pounder on each side of the lower bridge deck. These were hidden

behind wooden screens such as are often found built round the rails

in this kind of ship. These screens were specially hinged so that on

going into action they immediately fell down and revealed the guns.

Thus it was possible always to offer a broadside of three guns. In