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05-14-15, 06:44 AM | #781 |
Chief of the Boat
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14th May 1915
Western Front Second Battle of Ypres: French and Belgians advance near Het Sas and Steenstraate. Eastern Front Battle of the San: Austro-Germans take Jaroslav. Russians take Kolomea. Political, etc. Article in the "Times" on the shortage of munitions. Internment of enemy aliens in Great Britain begins. Viscount Haldane, Lord High Chancellor, states in the House of Lords the gov’t will consider methods other than volunteers to raise troops. Pro-war mobs sweep Rome; troops are called in to protect the German and Austrian embassies and the Italian Chamber of Deputies. King of Italy refuses to accept the resignation of Prime Minister Salandra, as the country prepares to enter the war. The Shell Scandal Breaks
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05-14-15, 10:02 AM | #782 |
Eternal Patrol
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May 14:
London: On May 12th retired Colonel Charles Repington sent a dispatch from the front to The Times, citing lack of an adequate supply of artillery shells as the cause of the loss of the battle of Aubers Ridge on the 9th. This dispatch is published on the 14th, leading to disastrous consequenses for the current British government. http://extras.thetimes.co.uk/public/...telegrams.html Syria: The special train carrying Hellmuth von Mücke and his men arrives in Damascus.
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05-15-15, 07:45 AM | #783 |
Chief of the Boat
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15th May 1915
Western Front Battle of Festubert: Successful British attack. French occupy Het Sas. Eastern Front Russian left drives the Austrians on the Dniester. Austria-Hungary’s 10th Army Corp approaches the strategic town of Przemysl. Aviation Secretary of the Navy Daniels approves a $46,000 contract to build the first dirigible for the US Navy. Naval Lord Fisher, First Sea Lord, Great Britain tenders his resignation. North Channel BERKSHIRE, Admiralty trawler, 133/1897, North Lincolnshire Steam Fishing, Grimsby-reg GY398, hired 1915 (D - 12/14) as patrol vessel, 1-4in, Admiralty No.995, Skipper Herbert Percy Fleet RNR (wi - A Bland, Captain). In collision with armed yacht Valiant II (1,885grt), sank at 1900 off Cushendall, Red Bay, Co Antrim (He - 6 miles E of Tor Cor Point, in Red Bay; wi - in 55.05N, 06W); no lives lost, crew rescued by armed trawler Alsatian. Political, etc. British government begins interning thousands of enemy citizens of military age. Court of Inquiry into the Singapore Mutiny concludes; Britain executes 47 Indian troops for their part in the mutiny. Insurrection in Portugal. Military coup in Portugal overthrows Prime Minister Joaquim Pimenta de Castro’s government. President Wilson takes a vacation onboard the Presidential yacht Mayflower for the weekend. Ship Losses: HMT Berkshire ( Royal Navy): The naval trawler was lost on this date. Martha ( Denmark): The cargo ship was sunk in the North Sea 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) off Gregness, Aberdeenshire, United Kingdom by SM U-23 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. L'Illustration's cover shows a drawing of a Lusitania corpse.
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05-15-15, 01:15 PM | #784 |
Eternal Patrol
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May 15:
North Sea: Hans Schultheß, Commanding U-23, sinks the Danish freighter SS Martha, 1,182 tons, travelling from Arzew to Leith with a cargo of esparto grass, the fibers of which are used to make high-quality paper for books. Yemen: The monitors' convoy has left the Red Sea and is anchored off Aden, on the south coast of Yemen. The second engineer of the liner Trent and one of the Severn's crew, being transported on that same ship, die from heat exhaustion. Some men from the tugs are moved to Trent for treatment by the ship's doctor. German East Africa: HMS Chatham moves from Mafia Island to Zanzibar. Admiral King-Hall's flagship, HMS Hyacinth, which has been anchored at Zanzibar for several weeks, begins patrolling the area between Zanzibar and Mafia Island, returning that afternoon. HMS Kinfauns Castle is still at Durban. HMS Laconia and Weymouth are both patrolling the area around Niororo Island. No seaplane activity is recorded during this period.
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05-16-15, 07:51 AM | #785 |
Chief of the Boat
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16th May 1915
Western Front Battle of Festubert: British advance continued. German forces launch four counterattacks against French positions at Steenstrate, Belgium, but are repulsed. Zeppelin raid on Calais. British troops begin bombarding German positions south of Neuve Chapelle to assist the French offensive at Artois. Eastern Front Severe Austrian defeat between Kyeltsi and Ostrovyets (southern Poland). Aviation Two Royal Naval Air Service Avro 504s intercept the Imperial German Navy Zeppelins LZ 38 and LZ 39, badly damaging LZ39 with four 20-lb (9-kg) bombs dropped on its envelope from above. Political, etc. US entry into the war over the Lusitania sinking now seems unlikely, as President Wilson enjoys the weekend playing golf. German & Austrian nationals in the US rush to get naturalized, resulting in a 50% increase in applications. Italy: King Victor Emmanuel refuses to accept Signor Salandra's resignation. Baron Burian states the concessions offered by Austria to Italy. 40,000 men demonstrate in Milan in favor of war; similar demonstrations are held in Florence, Naples, Messina, Bologna, Palermo, & Catania. Street fighting engulfs Lisbon, Portugal, as troops attempt to consolidate their hold over the capital after yesterday’s coup. Ship Losses: SMS T78 ( Kaiserliche Marine): The S66-class torpedo boat struck a mine and sank in the North Sea with the loss of 26 of her crew. Sir John French Reports Success.
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05-16-15, 12:39 PM | #786 |
Eternal Patrol
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May 16:
Air War: Idflieg's Bavarian liason officer informs his superiors of firing trials to be held on the 19th or 20th. Lt. Harold Rosher is informed by the mechanics that they cannot fully repair his BE.2's engine. Rosher decides to take the plane to France despite this warning. Zanzibar: HMS Chatham departs the area, bound for Aden and eventually Gallipoli. HMS Hyacinth and Weymouth depart Zanzibar for Tirene. HMS Kinfauns Castle departs Durban for Simons Town, South Africa. HMS Laconia patrols the channel between Niororo and Mafia Islands. Syria: The train carrying Hellmuth von Mücke and his men arrives at Aleppo.
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05-17-15, 07:44 AM | #787 |
Chief of the Boat
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17th May 1915
Western Front Battle of Festubert: Ground consolidated. German aircraft conducts an early morning raid against England, dropping 40 bombs on Ramsgate. Aftermath of Ramsgate Zepellin raid (Newsreel footage). Eastern Front Austro-Germans cross the San. Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres Russians occupy Ardjiche on Lake Van (Armenia). Naval North Sea German minefield covering a large area S of 56N, E of 02.30E in the Dogger Bank area laid by old light cruiser Hamburg; two U-boats and a large destroyer took part, supported by High Seas Fleet battlecruisers. To prevent its early discovery, four trawlers on fishing grounds in NW Dogger Bank area were captured by torpedo boat(s) and their crews taken prisoner. SS Transylvania arrives at Greenock, Scotland; it is the 1st passenger liner since Lusitania to cross the Atlantic. Political, etc. Britain publishes the new casualty lists, which includes more than 2000 officers, the largest since the start of the war. US Marine Corps orders a 30% increase in the number of guards at gunpowder depots to protect against “miscreants, lunatics or cranks.” Signor Giolitti leaves Rome. Members of the Italian Chamber of Deputies rush to Rome to vote on the entry into the war. João Pinheiro Chagas is appointed Prime Minister of Portugal. He is then shot & wounded.
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05-17-15, 09:07 AM | #788 | |
Eternal Patrol
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May 17:
Quote:
Gulf of Aden: The monitors' convoy ships, now stocked with ice chests and Arab stokers, departs Aden eastward for the Arabian Sea. South Africa: HMS Kinfauns Castle reaches Simon's Town, and ceases to be part of the Königsberg operation. The train carrying Hellmuth von Mucke and his men passes from Syria into Turkey.
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05-18-15, 07:50 AM | #789 |
Chief of the Boat
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18th May 1915
Western Front Battle of Festubert: British advance to La Quinque Rue-Bethune road. Eastern Front Austrians drive Russians from Sieniawa (San). German and Austrian troops begin bombarding Przemysl forts. Austria claims they have captured 174,000 Russian prisoners. Southern Front Dardanelles: Turks attack at Gaba Tepe. Major General Sir William Bridges is killed in action at Gallipoli while he was inspecting the front lines. Naval Political, etc. Lord Kitchener in the House of Lords insists on the importance of an adequate supply of munitions. According to official lists from the German government, German dead and wounded now number 1.8 million men. President Wilson conducts a fleet review at New York Harbor. Fleet is led by Admiral F.F. Fletcher. Ship Losses: Drumcree ( United Kingdom): The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 11 nautical miles (20 km) north by east of Trevose Head, Cornwall (50°41′N 5°00′W) by SM U-27 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. SMS V150 ( Kaiserliche Marine): The S138-class destroyer collided with SMS V157 and sank in the Jade Bight with the loss of 60 of her crew.
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05-18-15, 09:52 AM | #790 |
Eternal Patrol
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May 18:
Celtic Sea, just west of Cornwall: Bernd Wegener, commanding U-27, sinks SS Drumcree, 4052 tons, travelling in ballast from Barry to Port Arthur. His score is now 4 ships and 16,112 tons. As the monitors' convoy proceeds slowly to the coast of British Somaliland, Captain Fullerton once again sends Kendal Castle ahead to a an area of Italian Somaliland called Cloch, to find a safe refuge where the tugs can recoal on the fly.
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05-19-15, 07:16 AM | #791 |
Chief of the Boat
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19th May 1915
Eastern Front Germans take Lutkow (Galicia). Russian forces are defeated at the crossing of the River San and lose the town of Sieniawa; Austria-Hungary captures 7000 men. Southern Front Dardanelles: Turks repulsed at Gaba Tepe. 42,000 Ottoman forces launch an attack against ANZAC forces at their beachhead in Gallipoli. Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres Russians take Van. Naval Victoria Cross - Lt-Cdr Martin Eric Nasmith (CO, HM S/M E.11) ordered to 'Go and run amuck in the Marmara', reached the Sea of Marmara on the 19th at the start of successful patrol through to early June, followed by two more. Awarded VC for his exploits. He was 32 years old, and a Lieutenant-Commander in the Royal Navy during World War I, when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC. During the period 20 May–8 June 1915 in the Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles, Turkey, Lieutenant-Commander Nasmith, in command of H.M. Submarine E.11, destroyed one large Turkish gunboat, two transports, one ammunition ship, three store ships and four other vessels. When he had safely passed the most difficult part of his homeward journey he received information that a cargo of coal was heading towards Istanbul from the Black Sea. Realising that coal was essential for the morale of the besieged city, Nasmith turned back. When the coal-carrying ship came into sight of the docks, a welcoming committee of municipal grandees soon formed, along with a happy crowd – water, electricity and rail transport had all suffered due to a lack of coal. Hardly had the ship berthed than it mysteriously blew up before the eyes of the astounded crowd. Nasmith successfully slipped out again. Nasmith conducted combat operations in the Sea of Marmara for a three-month period. When his torpedoes ran low, he set them to float at the end of their run, so that he could recover them should they fail to hit a target. At one point, he captured a sailing dhow, and lashed it to the conning tower of E11 as camouflage, and went on to capture an ammunition ship using small arms. His penetration of the Golden Horn was the first time an enemy ship had done so in over 500 years. He also attacked a railway viaduct. Nasmith's First Lieutenant, Guy D'Oyly-Hughes, and Second Lieutenant, Robert Brown, were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, and all the rest of the crew were awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. Nasmith was promoted to Commander immediately and to Captain a year later. Political, etc. Winston Churchill resigns as First Lord of the Admiralty. Premier Asquith announces a non-partisan Cabinet will be created. Age limit for recruits fixed at 40. British government announces that all passports entering the country must now have a photograph attached. German and Austrian embassies in Rome begin moving sensitive documents back to their home countries. Ship Losses: Chrysolite ( United Kingdom): The trawler was scuttled in the North Sea 25 nautical miles (46 km) south west by south of Lerwick, Shetland Islands by SM U-23 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. Crimond ( United Kingdom): The trawler was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 50 nautical miles (93 km) south west of Fair Isle by SM U-23 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. Dumfries ( United Kingdom): The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 13 nautical miles (24 km) north of Trevose Head, Cornwall by SM U-27 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of two of her crew. Lucerne ( United Kingdom): The trawler was scuttled in the North Sea 50 nautical miles (93 km) north east by east of Rattray Head, Aberdeenshire by SM U-23 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
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05-19-15, 09:50 AM | #792 | |
Eternal Patrol
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May 19:
Quote:
Celtic Sea: Bernd Wegener, commanding U-27, sinks the freighter SS Dumfries, 4,121 tons, carrying a cargo of coal from Cardiff to Livorno, Italy, bringing his score to 5 ships and 20,233 tons. North Sea: Hans Schultheß, in U-23, captures and sinks three more British trawlers - Chrysolite, 222 tons, Crimond, 173 tons, and Lucerne, 154 tons. His score is now 6 ships and 4,997 tons. Gulf of Aden: At 1345 hours HMS Chatham comes across the collier Kendal Castle in Cloch bay. At 1400 the cruiser stops to communicate with the collier, and at 1415 is on her way again. It's not in Chatham's log, but according to one source*, Chatham also encountered the monitor's convoy itself and Captain Drury-Lowe sent a wireless message to Captain Fullerton: "Wish you the best of luck and success. Left Zanzibar 9 p.m., 16th. Strong SSW winds to Cape Guardafui and strong northerly currents all the way." When the convoy reaches Cloch Bay they don't stop, but repeat the procedure used at Gibraltar, the tugs slipping their tow lines and recoaling in shifts as the convoy proceeds past the bay. *Severn's Saga, by E. Keble Chatterton, Hurst & Blackett, Ltd. London, 1938
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05-20-15, 06:53 AM | #793 |
Chief of the Boat
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20th May 1915
Western Front Battle of Festubert continues: slight British advance. Eastern Front Von Mackensen bombards Przemsyl. Southern Front John Simpson (born in my home town South Shields), known for his use of donkeys to carry first aid and wounded soldiers at Gallipoli, is killed in action. Political, etc. Extraordinary powers granted to Italian Government. Italian Green Book on negotiations with Austria published. Italian Chamber of Deputies votes 407 to 74 to give full powers to the government to carry out war against Austria-Hungary.
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05-20-15, 08:44 AM | #794 |
Eternal Patrol
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May 20:
Turkey: The train carrying Hellmuth von Mücke and his men arrives in Ankara. North Africa: The monitors' convoy rounds Cape Guardafui (Gwardafuy) and into the Arabian sea. Encountering the heavy winds and seas described by Captain Drury-Lowe of HMS Chatham, the daily average distance drops from 157 to 77 miles. Captain Fullerton takes the convoy close inshore in an attempt to avoid the hard going. German East Africa: HMS Laconia anchors in Tirene Bay at Mafia Island. At 1300 Short Folder 121 makes its first reconaissance flight in some time, returning at 1450. At 1618 Laconia is underway back to Niororo Island.
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05-21-15, 07:37 AM | #795 |
Chief of the Boat
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21st May 1915
Western Front French capture White Road near Souchez. Eastern Front Beginning of Russian counter-offensive to cover evacuation of Przemsyl. Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres Turks retreat on Bitlis (Kurdistan). Political, etc. Italian Senate votes 262 to 2 to also give full powers to the government to carry out war against Austria-Hungary. Austrian Note to Italy. U.S.A. publishes Note to Great Britain on the blockade. Ship Losses: Angelo ( United Kingdom): The trawler struck a mine and sank in the North Sea off the Dogger Bank. Glenholm ( United Kingdom): The full-rigged ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 16 nautical miles (30 km) west south west of the Fastnet Rock by SM U-27 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. Oceaan ( Netherlands): The schooner collided with Voltaire ( United Kingdom) in the Atlantic Ocean off the Longships Lighthouse and sank. Sabrina ( United Kingdom): The trawler struck a mine and sank in the North Sea 160 nautical miles (300 km) east nort east of the Spurn Lightship ( United Kingdom) with the loss of nine of her crew. Extract from letter from Churchill to Bonar Law (leader of the Conservative Party), 21 May 1915, justifying his role as First Lord of the Admiralty.
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