A common question is "why is my great-great grandfather shown as serving in HMS Victory - wasn't she obsolete in WW1??". Yes, that famous sailing ship was obsolete, and she certainly wasn't expected to see combat against the Kaiser's dreadnoughts! However, she (at least her name) did play an important role: as the name of a Shore Establishment.
John Guard (jguard@tesco.net) notes that "The definitive work on the subject is Shore Establishments of the Royal Navy published by Maritime Books.
Fred Rowe (fredgr@ENGINEER.COM) posted the following on MARHST-L in January 2000 (it appears here by permission):
RN Shore Establishments usually had a small vessel to carry their name . The reason for this and it continued untill 1st Jan.1959 was that the 1866 Naval Discipline Act stated 'Ships of War' in its general text.The stone Frigate did not quite fit the description so to ensure that the Act could be applied for Shore Bases in general a vessel had to have the parent ship name as well.
Fred Rowe (fredgr@ENGINEER.COM) has kindly contributed the following (with some updates courtesty of John Guard):
Royal Navy Shore Bases U.K. And Overseas Stations
World War One 1914-18
With the march of time and advanced technology in the Royal Navy from circa 1860 the ships were becoming increasingly complex. Sailing vessels were crewed by seamen and a trained officer core. The weaponry had been in existence for at least a century and did not need highly skilled operators to use it effectively. All of this began to change with the advent of Steam propulsion. From the steam supply electricity could be generated onboard as well.
Running parallel to the ship technology the weapon technology was making giant strides with the rifled barrel and turret sited cannons. Projectiles and propulsion explosives also with refined ignition methods required warships to be armoured for self protection. Another fearsome weapon of war the 'Torpedo' was another addition to the armoury. ALL of these required skilled artisans to operate and maintain . The spare gear and general stores of Machinery and Weapon Parts was complex to say the least [especially to the Seaman Officers] so the decision to form a Technical Branch of the Royal Navy was taken in 1868. The Engineroom Artificer was born!!!!!! Shortly afterwards an Engineer officer was envisaged and in 1877 a Training College [Marlborough] started to take on students .
The Seaman had to keep up with the weapons and types used so they began training facilities too. The recognised training which was the norm was held in Harbour Hulks moored in the harbour and
usually had a sea going training vessel for practical lessons. The problem being restrictions of space
and siting the training aides!They were sited ashore .Thus the Shore Establishment was started. They retained the original ex-warship hulk for accommodation and had to use the same name so as to comply with the Naval Discipline Act .This was to ensure the local orders could be legally enforced.
By 1914 the U.K had the following 'establishments':
DEVONPORT/PLYMOUTH
Defiance---------------Torpedo School.
Vivid --------------------- RN Barracks (Depot), later renamed Drake
Cambridge-----------Gunnery School
(John Guard notes
that CAMBRIDGE had a separate
existence at that time. The Devonport gunnery school moved into RNB when it
was built and the new CAMBRIDGE was not commissioned until soon after WW2.)
PORTSMOUTH AREA
Victory ---------------Depot
Vernon----------------Torpedo School.
Dolphin{1912]-------Submarine Base & Training
Dryad{1919]----------Navigation School.
Excellent------------Gunnery School
Temeraire-------------P.T. School.
Fisgard------------------ Boy Artificers Training Establishment.
Lee-on- Solent
Daedalus--------------R.N. Air Service
Portland
Research--------------------
CHATHAM
Pembroke ------------Depot
Wildfire-------------- Training[1916] at Sheerness.
LONDON [Admiralty]
President----------------
HARWICH
Ganges-------------------Base & Training Depot.
NORTH SHIELDS
Satellite---------------
NEWCASTLE
Calliope -----------------
DUNDEE
Unicorn-------------------
ROSYTH
Cochrane-------------------
Hopetoun[ LOCHINVAR}--------
CROMARTY
Thalia-----------------------
SCAPA FLOW
Indus[akbar]-----------------
.
LIVERPOOL
Calliope[Helicon 1915]---------
Eagle----------------------------------
All other UK Ports were serviced by Depot ships [including the above listed ] for the use of the
Destroyers, Minesweepers. Trawlers, Submarines etc. as and when operations required.
The 'Overseas Stations'
EAST ATLANTIC STATION [GIBRALTAR ]
Cormorant--------Base
Rapid----------------- Submarines
MEDITERANEAN
[MALTA] St.Angelo----------
[MALTA] Egmont------------
John Guard adds EGMONT was a depot ship (an old BB, I think) and mobile at least to a
degree. My father was in her in Malta 1919-20. He was a spare number for
reliefs and general lurks. The latter included time in the Caspian, very
little known operations.
[EGYPT] ??????------------
Caspian Sea
Baku------------ RN Barracks
WEST AFRICA [ ? ]
CAPE STATION [S.Africa/S.Atlantic]
Afrikander-----Base [Simonstown] S.A. [S. A. N]
EAST INDIES [India/Ceylon, Persian Gulf, Red Sea]
Alert------ Depot Ship Persian Gulf.
AUSTRALIA [ R.A.N ]
Cerberus---------- Williamstown N.S.W
Protector------------ " " "
Penguin----------------Sydney
Tingara----------------Sydney
CHINA STATION
Tamar----------------Hong Kong
Wivern --------------Hong Kong[Depot Ship ]
Alert was the name of succesive CINC yachts on the China Station. I suspect that the then ALERT was used as a depot/HQ ship in WW1. This was probably the one that years later was wrecked with CINC on board - not a way to make friends and influence people, particularly when CINC was Howard Kelly. SURPRISE was the Med yacht and ENCHANTRESS the Admiralty; the last did not survive WW2 but the other two continued to about 1965 (converted frigates).
NEW ZEALAND STATION
Philomel------New Zealand Division depot
PACIFIC STATION [N. East coast] [ R .C.N ]
Rainbow-----------Depot Ship Esquimalt.
SOUTH AMERICA [Pacific]
NORTH AMERICA & WEST INDIES
Niobe------------Depot Ship Halifax N.S. [ R.C.N ]
Terror[Malabar 1919]-----Bermuda
Calypso[Briton]----- St.Johns Nfld.
SOUTH EAST COAST STATION [S.America]
Pursuivant ------------ Falkland Islands
All the above were standing Naval defined areas around the world. The Warships that were on that station varied dependant on the local requirement for 'Showing the flag' or fighting ability. All vessels carried landing parties for shoreside support if requested .
Due to the Commonwealth Navies fairly recent formation and their own vessel requirement,
ROYAL CANADIAN NAVY
ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY
NEW ZEALAND Division of the ROYAL NAVY
ROYAL INDIAN MARINE
SOUTH AFRICAN NAVY
the Royal Navy was the major force in all areas . Commonwealth recruits to the R .N formed a large part of the
overall manning of the fleet . Also R.N. vessels were loaned to the 'new' navies for agreed periods. The R. N also
used the host nations Naval Port facilities as required.
The Overseas Stations during the 1914-1918 conflict were augmented by additional Depot Ships and various shore facilities for the large assortment of vessel types required in each theatre. The war was fought on many fronts including the Eastern Med., Arabia/ Mesopotamia .The convoy duties also needed lots of warship protection. The Naval requirement was so thin on the ground that the Admiralty formerly asked the Japanese Navy for assistance. They did respond and supplied fourteen Destroyers for use in the Mediteranean. The U.S. Navy also supplied a lot of ships that were actually manned by American Navy but seconded to Royal Navy control. From 1914 the Vessels on each station varied month to month due to ship acquisitions And the types of ship available or required for that area conflict participation.
The Base Ships names are by no means final for all stations during 1914 18 this is because as mentioned The 'ship' name could change and also in some cases may be relocated .However in the main the list Resembles the Shore Base structure as at 1914 and on. By 1939 the Shore Establishment listing had Grown threefold.
Any comments or additional information gratefully accepted, WW1 information is getting harder to confirm as the years go on!
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