H.M.S. Birmingham (1913)
| H.M.S. Birmingham (1913) | |
|---|---|
| Pendant Number: | 45 (1914) 16 (Jan 1918) 28 (Apr 1918)[1] |
| Builder: | Armstrong, Whitworth & Company[2] |
| Ordered: | 1912 Programme[3] |
| Laid down: | 10 Jun, 1912[4] |
| Launched: | 7 May, 1913[5] |
| Commissioned: | Feb, 1914[6] |
| Sold: | 5 Feb, 1931[7] |
Service
It was planned that the 7 May christening of the ship was to be performed by Mrs. Austen Chamberlain, but this was changed to the Lady Mayoress of Birmingham, owing to the illness of Mrs. Joseph Chamberlain.[8]
Birmingham commissioned at Portsmouth on 3 February, 1914 under the command of Captain Arthur A. M. Duff, who'd been helping oversee her completion since mid-1913.[9] At the outset of the war, she found herself a part of the First Light Cruiser Squadron.
On 9 August, 1914, Birmingham rammed and sank U 15 off Fair Island. This was the first U-boat loss to enemy action in the Great War..[10]
She fought at the Battle of Heligoland Bight on the 28 August as one of six light cruisers of the 1 L.C.S. present.
On 24 January, 1915, Birmingham was one of four light cruisers from the First Light Cruiser Squadron at the Battle of Dogger Bank. The following month, she moved over to join the Second Light Cruiser Squadron.
At the Battle of Jutland, she was part of the Second Light Cruiser Squadron, screening the battlecruisers under Captain Arthur A. M. Duff.[11]
She recommissioned at Portsmouth on 19 June, 1919 to bear, by early 1921, Commander-in-Chief of the Africa Station.[12]
Birmingham re-commissioned at Chatham on 15 November, 1923.[13]
Re-commissioned at Chatham on 31 December, 1928.[14]
Alterations
In October 1914, the ship was to be given 4 Pattern 1582 Electric Radiators to warm cabins whose stoves could not be used for heating them.[15]
Birmingham was fitted with a director in February, 1917. This alteration required her pole mast to be replaced with a tripod mast for greater rigidity.[16]
Distinguishing Signs
In March 1914, the ship was to carry a single red band on first and third funnel.[17]
Captains
Dates of appointment are provided when known.
- Captain Arthur A. M. Duff, 5 July, 1913[18] – 29 November, 1916[19] (in command at Battle of Jutland)
- Acting Captain Halton S. Lecky, 16 February, 1917[20] – 14 March, 1917[21]
- Captain Ernest A. Taylor, 14 March, 1917[22] – 13 January, 1919 (and as Flag Captain)
- Captain Alan J. Mackenzie-Grieve, 13 January, 1919[23] – c. June, 1919[24][25]
- Captain Arthur G. Craufurd, June, 1919[26]
- Captain Henry E. F. Aylmer, 26 May, 1920 – 2 August, 1921 (some interpretation here)
- Captain Niel O'Neill, 21 May, 1920[27] – c. May, 1921 (left on transfer of flag)
- Commander Frederick V. Williamson, May, 1921 – 1 September, 1921
- Captain George P. England, 1 September, 1921[28] – 30 May, 1922[29] (and for command of Group "B" of the Nore Reserve)
- Commander Francis H. Brabant, 30 May, 1922[30] – 9 January, 1923
- Captain Edward C. Boyle, 9 January, 1923[31] – 21 April, 1923[32]
- Captain Bernard Buxton, 4 May, 1923[33] – 15 November, 1923[34]
- Captain George H. Knowles, November, 1923[35] – late November, 1923 (in command for passage out, guessing as to his place in this sequence)
- Captain Henry J. S. Brownrigg, November, 1923[36] – January, 1925[37] (and as Flag Captain and Chief of Staff to R/A Bentinck)
- Captain Richard H. L. Bevan, 23 December, 1924[38][39] – 9 February, 1927[40]
- Captain Alfred E. Evans, 7 January, 1927[41] – 18 September, 1928[42] (as Flag Captain and Chief of Staff of R/A Anderson)
- Commander Philip Hordern, 18 September, 1928 – early 1929
- Captain Leonard S. Holbrook, 31 December, 1928[43] – 15 February, 1929[44] (and as Senior Officer, Reserve Fleet, the Nore)
- Captain Edmond J. G. Mackinnon, 15 February, 1929[45] – 14 May, 1929[46] (and as Senior Officer, Reserve Fleet, Nore)
See Also
- Transcribed Ship Logs at naval-history.net
- Wikipedia
- Second L.C.S. (Royal Navy) at the Battle of Jutland
Footnotes
- ↑ Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 46.
- ↑ Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 46.
- ↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. p. 54.
- ↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. p. 54.
- ↑ Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 46.
- ↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. p. 54.
- ↑ Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 46.
- ↑ "Naval And Military Intelligence." The Times (London, England), Tuesday, May 06, 1913; pg. 6; Issue 40204.
- ↑ The Navy List. (December, 1914). p. 282.
- ↑ Uboat.net page on WW1 losses.
- ↑ Battle of Jutland Official Despatches. pp. 33, 46.
- ↑ The Navy List. (January, 1921). pp. 733-4.
- ↑ The Navy List. (April, 1925). p. 218.
- ↑ The Navy List. (February, 1929). p. 219.
- ↑ Admiralty Weekly Order No. 512 of 16 Oct, 1914.
- ↑ The Technical History and Index, Vol. 3, Part 23. pp. 11-12.
- ↑ Admiralty Weekly Order No. 924 of 6 Mar, 1914.
- ↑ The Navy List. (December, 1916). p. 392l.
- ↑ Duff Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 390.
- ↑ Lecky Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/44/444. f. 513. In our PDF for Benjamin Wingate Barrow.
- ↑ Lecky Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/44/444. f. 513. In our PDF for Benjamin Wingate Barrow.
- ↑ The Navy List. (December, 1918). p. 741.
- ↑ The Navy List. (June, 1919). p. 741.
- ↑ The Navy List. (June, 1919). p. 741.
- ↑ The Navy List. (September, 1919). p. 741.
- ↑ The Navy List. (September, 1919). p. 741.
- ↑ The Navy List. (December, 1920). p. 733.
- ↑ England Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/44. f. 327.
- ↑ England Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/44. f. 327.
- ↑ The Navy List. (January, 1923). p. 728.
- ↑ Boyle Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/135. f. 138.
- ↑ Boyle Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/135. f. 138.
- ↑ Buxton Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47. f. 253.
- ↑ Buxton Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47. f. 253.
- ↑ Knowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/52. f. 257.
- ↑ Brownrigg Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47. f. 231.
- ↑ Brownrigg Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47. f. 231.
- ↑ The Navy List. (February, 1926). p. 218.
- ↑ Bevan Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/270. f. 136.
- ↑ Bevan Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/270. f. 136.
- ↑ Evans Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49. f. ?.
- ↑ Evans Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49. f. ?.
- ↑ The Navy List. (February, 1929). p. 219.
- ↑ Holbrook Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47. f. 219.
- ↑ Mackinnon Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/45/228. f. 232.
- ↑ Mackinnon Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/45/228. f. 232.
Bibliography
- Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J.J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. London: Ian Allan.
- Gray, Randal (editor) (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. (on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk).
- Admiralty, Technical History Section (1919). The Technical History and Index: Fire Control in H.M. Ships. Vol. 3, Part 23. C.B. 1515 (23) now O.U. 6171/14. At The National Archives. ADM 275/19.
- Admiralty, Gunnery Branch (1918). Handbook of Captain F. C. Dreyer's Fire Control Tables, 1918. C.B. 1456. Copy No. 10 at Admiralty Library, Portsmouth, United Kingdom.
| Birmingham Class Light Cruiser | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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