Had a spring clean and found this

[Kapitan]

Well like many people we tend to hoard normally junk that we don't need any more or broken, well i was doing some cleaning around the house and came across this.



I had the sense to look inside before throwing it out and thank god i did (my dad would never have forgiven me otherwise)

Inside lay pictures and items from my Great Great uncle who went down with HMS K13 on January 29th 1917 in the Gereloch during a training dive that went wrong, sadly he was one of the 30 killed in the incident.


HMS K13 at her Launch one of very few known pictures of her as K13

HMS K13 was a K class steam powered submarine, a large submarine of the day displacing 2,000ton surfaced, the idea behind steam powered submarines was to allow them to keep up with a battle fleet, great idea in principle terrible in practice as many would find out.

Given Aircraft at the time were well in their infancy meant that the air threat wasn't an issue during world war I and so a quick diving time was not really required, that said reasonably quick would have been nice but the K class took a staggering 5 minuets to dive!

The K class would be caught up in a lot of tragerdies not just because of the war but because of design problems and the fact steam power was not the best source of propulsion on a submarine, in fact nearly all 300 victims of the entire K class submarines died not as a result of enemy action but because of blunder and accidents probably the best known incident was the battle of may island.

This training exercise would see the deployment of 9 K class submarines including the now raised and recommissioned K13 (now called K22), the exercise was a disaster, HMS K4 & K17 had collided and sunk (K4 a year earlier ran aground on Walney island and also collided with HMS K1 the K1 had to be scuttled off the Danish coast).
In less than 90 minuets 2 K class submarines were sunk and a further 4 (including HMS K22) had been damaged along with the light cruiser HMS fearless who had been escorting them.

Moral among the crews of these class were at best sadistic often dubbing the class and the Kalamity K's or the Killers even the first sea lord Jackie Fisher stated "The most fatal error imaginable would be to put steam engines in submarines"


Leading Stoker Frederick James Howard my Great Great Uncle who died on HMS K13

HMS K13 was eventually raised repaired and put back in to service as HMS K22 and would see out the rest of the war being scrapped on December 16th 1926.

The box yielded other surprises this time from across the pond in Canada,


William James Howard who had previously served on HMS Blonde in the Royal navy had transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy and served on board HMCS Stadacona and also HMCS Niobe.


HMCS Niobe 1897 (formally HMS Niobe) transferred to Canada in 1910 she would survive the war being broken up in 1922

I do know that during William's career he spent time in Malta here he has a picture of HMS Barham 1890 which would be over shadowed by the later HMS Barham which exploded in spectacular fashion on camera after being torpedoes by U331 in the second world war.


A protected cruiser HMS Barham was launched in 1890 and sold for scrap in 1914 picture is from Malta



A christmas card from William to Mother from HMCS Niobe

In 1917 William would also disappear we believe in the Halifax explosion he was one of 3 brothers all of which lost their lives in the first world war, oddly despite repeated requests by our family the Canadian government has yet to release his service file to us, the only information we have is that it is extremely large for a serving sailor, this year if all goes well should mark the end for my time in the United Kingdom, i too will be heading to Canada to start a new life i also intend to find out why the Canadian government is holding onto his file over 100 years later.



At the top Frederick James Howards Death Penny
Below William James Howards Death Penny

[Sailor Steve]

Wow! That's a pretty amazing find. It's neat to have stuff like that, reminders not only that our ancestors (direct and collateral) were involved in some great and memorable deeds, but that they were real people with real lives.

I don't know you or your family, but this makes me feel badly for his family's loss (including, if I figured right, your great grandfather). Thanks so much for sharing this. Awesome stuff!

[Catfish]

Man, thanks for sharing! Good that you looked into it.

[Schroeder]

Top stories, thanks for sharing.

BTW the Wikipedia page about K13 has no pictures of the submarine. Maybe you can change that now.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_K13

[fireftr18]

Great find. It is truly a treasure. Thanks for sharing.

[Jimbuna]

~SALUTE~

[Onkel Neal]

Very cool, good enough for the front page. Thanks for sharing

[succerpunch]

Very nice read, Thank for not chucking the box in the trash.

[aanker]

What a nice collection of family heirlooms in that trunk. So many people (like my own sweet sisters) just toss things out without thinking that others would be interested.


Thanks for sharing!

[Kapitan]

Thanks guys and what a privilege to be on the front page too, i can always recall my father telling me the story many times about K13 and My Great Great Uncles but now finally i can put a face to them names.

[captcrane]

Amazing story thank you for sharing.

[Nickwkr]

thank you soooooooo much for sharing

[Aktungbby]

Originally Posted by Kapitan

In 1917 William would also disappear we believe in the Halifax explosion he was one of 3 brothers all of which lost their lives in the first world war, oddly despite repeated requests by our family the Canadian government has yet to release his service file to us, the only information we have is that it is extremely large for a serving sailor, this year if all goes well should mark the end for my time in the United Kingdom, i too will be heading to Canada to start a new life i also intend to find out why the Canadian government is holding onto his file over 100 years later.

Niobe was in terrible shape: her funnels were barely intact, her engines were worn out, and the bulkheads were of questionable integrity. Niobe was made a depot ship in Halifax, and remained there for the rest of the War. On 6 December, 1917, some of Niobe's crew were killed trying to scuttle the SS Mont Blanc when that ammunition ship caught fire. The resulting blast, now known as the Halifax Explosion, THe seven Niobe crewmwn who tried to scuttle the Mont Blanc and boarde just as it explode: For their heroism, Acting Boatswain Mattison and Stoker Petty Officer Ernest Edmund Beard were posthumously awarded the Albert Medal for Gallantry in Lifesaving at Sea. They were named and recognized in Parliament, along with the other five men:

Leading Seaman Charles McMillan
Ordinary Seaman Freeman Burnley Nickerson
Able Seaman Albert Saunders
Wireless Telegraph Operator George Veals
Stoker George Roley Yates Additionally, 7 crewmen still aboard the Niobe were killed as the explosion wreaked havoc on the already dilapidated vessel: but no names are available HCMS Niobe after the explosion> Before> Additionally, this site: http://www.forposterityssake.ca/Navy/HMCS_NIOBE.htm Does depict your forebear

HOWARD, William Miles, Able Seaman, 455, RCN, ] died - 17 Aug 1916, HMCS STADACONA - Son of George and Ellen Elizabeth Howard, of Wickford, Essex, England.
William Howard joined the Royal Navy in 1907, O.N. SS2897. In approx 1910 he transferred to the RCN, O.N. 455.
.The casualty lists for WW1 list AB William Howard as having died from an illness on 17 Aug 1916.

The picture is the same as the OP, but the middle name is different! There is a 4 month discrepancy in the death date; Niobe has it August, 1916; Stadicona has December, 1916. He didn't die in the Halifax Explosion. http://www.forposterityssake.ca/JPGs.../CTB014536.jpg Just off the top, none of the 1.355,000 Death pennies were issued till 1919 and there were a lot of Howards; so someone screwed up the individual ansate tablet on the plaqutte bearing the deceased's name cast in raised letters. A review of your birth record/baptismal info etc. may be in order. The 'mystery ' may simply be in asking the wrong name based on the dead man's penny. A bit like Saving Private Ryan where a secretary notices letters all going to Iowa with 3 KIA Ryans; and in your case, three Death Pennies all headed for Wickford's 3 deceased WWI Howards....and the overworked ansate tablet accuracy person ( if any) at the foundry in Acton or Woolwich screwed up a middle name!!?? My condolence to Ms. Ellen Elizabeth Howard; she gave up too much for King, Country, "Freedom and Honor!"

[Sean C]

Originally Posted by Kapitan

I had the sense to look inside before throwing it out and thank god i did ...

That is super cool! Congrats on the save!

[Dmitry Markov]

That's absolutely priceless find and sad but great story behind it!