She was relieved of that duty by her half-sister Furious in May 1939. Courageous was the first British warship to be sunk by German forces. [16] Two German Brummer-class light cruisers managed to slip through the gaps between the British patrols and destroy a convoy bound for Norway during the morning of 17 October, but no word was received of the engagement until that afternoon. HMS Courageux, or Courageuse, was a 32-gun sailing frigate captured from the French in June 1799. The HMS Barham was torpedoed by U-331, a German c-class submarine captained by Freiherr Von Tiesenhausen, and sunk in the Eastern Mediterranean in November 1941. 01752 849 326 email Website HMS Coventry D118 Association. In the early 1930s, traverse arresting gear was installed and she received two hydraulic aircraft catapults on the upper flight deck before March 1934. [35] On the evening of 17 September 1939, she was on one such patrol off the coast of Ireland. [39] In the early days of the war, hunter-killer groups were formed around the fleet's aircraft carriers to find and destroy U-boats. )[42] The commander of the German submarine force, Commodore Karl Dönitz, regarded the sinking of Courageous as "a wonderful success" and it led to widespread jubilation in the Kriegsmarine (German navy). Address: 5 Shepherd Street, St Leonards. Photos courtesy of Michelle May, whose grandfather Fred Prowse was one of many killed during the sinking of HMS Courageous in 1939. Water had entered the submerged torpedo room and rivets had sheared in the angle irons securing the deck armour in place. Courageous fired 92 fifteen-inch shells and 180 four-inch shells during the battle,[19] and the only damage she received was from her own muzzle blast. Comunn Eachdraidh na Pairc is the local historical society for the Pairc/South Lochs area of Lewis. She participated in the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight in November 1917 and was present when the German High Seas Fleet surrendered a year later. [35], From 1933 to the end of 1938 Courageous carried No. On 31 August 1939 she went to her war station at Portland and embarked the two squadrons of Swordfish. The following account of the sinking of the carrier Courageous was written soon after the occasion by my father George Grandage, who was officer on watch at the time of the sinking. The British continued in pursuit, but lost track of most of the smaller ships in the smoke and concentrated fire on the light cruisers. HMS Courageous was sunk on September 17 1939 at 1940 hours at the Western Approaches (Southwest of Ireland), Grid BE3198, 150nm WSW of Mizen Head, Ireland. [11], Upon commissioning, Courageous was assigned to the 3rd Light Cruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet. [34] The ship was relieved from the Mediterranean by Glorious and refitted from June to August 1930. Courageous participated in the Portland Fleet Review on 9 August 1939. Her loss sent a shudder through the Admiralty and resulted in … After her conversion was completed in mid-1915 the ship spent her time conducting trials and exercises with the Grand Fleet. She displaced 19,180 long tons (19,490 t) at load and 22,560 long tons (22,922 t) at deep load. At 9:30 the 1st Cruiser Squadron broke off their pursuit so that they would not enter a minefield marked on their maps; the ships turned south, playing no further role in the battle. [2][3], Courageous had an overall length of 786 feet 9 inches (239.8 m), a beam of 81 feet (24.7 m), and a draught of 25 feet 10 inches (7.9 m) at deep load. [38], Courageous served with the Home Fleet at the start of World War II with 811 and 822 Squadrons aboard, each squadron equipped with a dozen Fairey Swordfish. By 1939 the ship could carry 34,500 imperial gallons (157,000 l; 41,400 US gal) of petrol for her aircraft. By the time a Devon newspaper reported that an empty lifeboat from the Alex van Opstal was found adrift 14 miles south of the Bill of Portland and towed into Brixham by her compatriot, the trawler Bolnes, another shipping loss was making headline news – the warship HMS Courageous. HMS Courageous started her wartime service with the Home Fleet, 811 and 822 Squadrons onboard (12 Fairey Swordfish). [30], Courageous received a dual-purpose armament of sixteen QF 4.7-inch Mk VIII guns in single HA Mark XII mounts. [7] A pair of QF 3-inch 20 cwt[Note 1] anti-aircraft guns were fitted abreast the mainmast on Courageous. M W Pitkeathly (Archivist and Sec), 28 Home Park Road, Saltash, Cornwall, PL12 6BH. The upper hangar level opened onto a short flying-off deck, below and forward of the main flight deck. The 1st Cruiser Squadron was ordered to intercept, but was unsuccessful as the German cruisers were faster than expected. [32], The reconstruction was completed on 21 February 1928, and the ship spent the next several months on trials and training before she was assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet to be based at Malta, in which she served from May 1928 to June 1930. HMS Courageous was a Glorious-class aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy.She was built as a "large light cruiser" during World War I and was converted to a carrier at Devonport starting in 1924, and she was re-commissioned in May 1928.Courageous was stalked for over two hours by the U-29, commanded by Kapitanleutnant Otto Schuhart.Which then fired three torpedoes.She capsized … Ship: HMS Courageous. No-one has seen this part of … HMS Courageous sinking after being torpedoed by U-29 17 September 1939. The remains of H.M.S. WW1 destroyer wreck found after 103 years 09 March 2020. Based on intelligence reports, the Admiralty allocated the 1st Cruiser Squadron on 17 November 1917, with cover provided by the reinforced 1st Battlecruiser Squadron and distant cover by the battleships of the 1st Battle Squadron, to destroy the minesweepers and their light cruiser escorts. You can click on any of the names for possible additional information. Admiral Beatty, the commander of the Grand Fleet, ordered most of his light cruisers and destroyers to sea in an effort to locate the enemy ships. The treaty allowed the conversion of existing ships totalling up to 66,000 long tons (67,059 t) into aircraft carriers, and the Courageous class's combination of a large hull and high speed made these ships ideal candidates. HMS Courageous (50) sinking. 518 men were lost, as were all Fairey Swordfish aircraft of 811 and 822 Naval Air Squadrons. K E Bragger, 34, Warren Drive, Mundesley-on-Sea, Norfolk NR11 8AS. [23] Captain Sidney Meyrick became her Flag Captain in 1920. The Courageous class, sometimes called the Glorious class, was the first multi-ship class of aircraft carriers to serve with the Royal Navy. Courageous served with the Home Fleet at the start of World War II with 811 and 822 Squadrons aboard, each squadron equipped with a dozen Fairey Swordfish. Two of the torpedoes struck the ship on her port side before any aircraft took off, knocking out all electrical power, and she capsized and sank in 20 minutes with the loss of 519 of her crew, including her captain. [37] As a deck landing training carrier, in early 1939 Courageous embarked the Blackburn Skua and Gloster Sea Gladiator fighters of 801 Squadron and the Swordfish torpedo bombers of 811 Squadron, although both of these squadrons were disembarked when the ship was relieved of her training duties in May. The Dart was followed by the Fairey Flycatchers of 404 and 407 Flights, the Fairey IIIFs of 445 and 446 Flights and the Darts of 463 and 464 Flight. She could carry 48 aircraft compared to the 36 carried by her half-sister Furious on approximately the same displacement. HMS Glatton. [24] He was relieved by Capt John Casement in August 1921. After recommissioning she spent most of her career operating off Great Britain and Ireland. Best viewed, with settings at 1080p HD Full Screen.© Images and Video are courtesy of, Northern Diving Group, Mine Clearance Divers. [22] The ship was present at the surrender of the German High Seas fleet on 21 November 1918. In 1918, short take-off platforms were fitted for a Sopwith Camel and a Sopwith 1½ Strutter on both 15-inch (380 mm) turrets. Mother: Mrs Hambly. The conversion of Courageous began on 29 June 1924 at Devonport. This is a listing of people associated with this ship. 197, 200, 243, 247, 250, 252, "Meyrick, Sir Sidney Julius (1879–1973), Admiral", IWM Interview with survivor Gordon Smerdon, IWM Interview with survivor Patrick Cannon, List of aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy, Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in September 1939, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=HMS_Courageous_(50)&oldid=995525577, Ships sunk by German submarines in World War II, World War I battlecruisers of the United Kingdom, World War II aircraft carriers of the United Kingdom, World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Converted to aircraft carrier, June 1924 – February 1928, 5,860 nautical miles (10,850 km; 6,740 mi) at 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph), This page was last edited on 21 December 2020, at 14:48. [25], The Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 severely limited capital ship tonnage, and the Royal Navy was forced to scrap many of its older battleships and battlecruisers. During this time, Courageous was stalked for over two hours by U-29, commanded by Captain-Lieutenant Otto Schuhart. A seemingly ordinary ‘mound’ on the otherwise flat seabed in Orkney is actually the last resting place of 15 sailors. He became part of a U-Boat Hunter Killer Group and on the 17 th of September 1939 barely 2 weeks after the start of the war she was sunk by two torpedoes fired by the U-29 taking with her 518 of her crew including her Captain. She became flagship of the 1st Cruiser Squadron near the end of 1916 when that unit was re-formed after most of its ships had been sunk at the Battle of Jutland in May. A poppy is left for a member of the navy who died in 1939 when HMS Courageous sunk. (The submarine Oxley had been sunk a week earlier by friendly fire from the British submarine Triton. [6], Courageous carried four BL 15-inch Mk I guns in two hydraulically powered twin gun turrets, designated 'A' and 'Y' from front to rear. HMS Courageous Society. Name Age Rank Served on; Abbott, Kenneth Roy, RNVR: 20: Telegraphist: HMS Courageous … The remaining twelve mounts were distributed along the sides of the ship. Courageous was completed in late 1916 and spent the war patrolling the North Sea. The Sinking of HMS Courageous . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Courageous_(50), National Defense Reserve Fleet, Fort Eustis (James River Reserve Fleet). Each side of the flying-off deck had a mount, forward of the 4.7-inch guns, and one was behind the island on the flight deck. [5], The ship's normal design load was 750 long tons (762 t) of fuel oil, but she could carry a maximum of 3,160 long tons (3,211 t). As ASW hunter-killer groups were formed around aircraft carriers on 31 August 1939, HMS Courageous was pressed in Portland and departed Plymouth on the evening of 3 September 1939 for her first ASW patrol on the soon infamous … Merlin Burrows have found and pin-pointed the exact location of the wreck of HMS Barham – a Queen Elizabeth-class battleship built for the Royal Navy in February 1913. In mid-1917, she received half a dozen torpedo mounts, each with two tubes: one mount on each side of the mainmast on the upper deck and two mounts on each side of the rear turret on the quarterdeck. HMS Campania was a seaplane tender and aircraft carrier, converted from an elderly ocean liner by the Royal Navy early in the First World War. During the First World War, Admiral Fisher was prevented from ordering an improved version of the preceding Renown-class battlecruisers by a wartime restriction that banned construction of ships larger than light cruisers in 1915. As crowds gather around the cenotaph to mark the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, 99 years after peace was declared at the same time in 1918 marking the end of four years of world war in Leominster on November 11th 2017. Credit: Jim Wood/Alamy Live News Courageous was refitted again between October 1935 and June 1936 with her pom-pom mounts. [Note 2] Courageous and the light cruiser Cardiff opened fire with their forward guns seven minutes later. [40] The survivors were rescued by the Dutch ocean liner Veendam and the British freighter Collingworth. Rank: Wireless Telegraphist. [33], Courageous could carry up to 48 aircraft; following completion of her trials and embarking stores and personnel, she sailed for Spithead on 14 May 1928. The aircraft carrier HMS Glorious was returning to Scapa Flow from Norway separately from the other ships in the British Force, accompanied by only her destroyer escorts HMS Acasta and HMS Ardent. Glatton lie salvaged, beneath a car ferry terminal in Dover Harbour. To save design time, the installation used in the light cruiser Champion, the first cruiser in the navy with geared turbines, was simply replicated for four turbine sets. Her secondary armament consisted of eighteen BL 4-inch Mk IX guns mounted in six manually powered mounts. [15], On 16 October 1917, the Admiralty received word of German ship movements, possibly indicating a raid. After qualifying, he spent four years serving in aircraft carriers H.M.S. [31] During refits in the mid-1930s, Courageous received three quadruple Mk VII mounts for 40-millimetre (1.6 in) 2-pounder "pom-pom" anti-aircraft guns, two of which were transferred from the battleship Royal Sovereign. Courageous departed Plymouth on the evening of 3 September 1939 for an anti-sub… By George Grandage, R.N. She was the first British warship to be lost in the war. 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