When the Spanish Civil War broke out the following year, Hood was officially assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet until she had to return to Britain in 1939 for an overhaul. She formally transferred to the Mediterranean fleet on 20 October, shortly after the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. [8], The Admirals were powered by four Brown-Curtis geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft using steam provided by 24 Yarrow boilers. HMS Hood had a crew of 1,419 and was faster than the Bismarck with a maximum speed of 32 RN Northern Ireland - In Remembrance. -H.M.S. HMS Hood was avenged and it was a gallant end to the German warship. . The explosion was initiated by 4-inch ammunition stored outside the magazines. By early 1940, Hood's machinery was in dire shape and limited her best speed to 26.5 knots (49.1km/h; 30.5mph); she was refitted between 4 April and 12 June. Aboard HMS Lapwing (U 62) when hit on 20 Mar 1945 [3], The Admirals were significantly larger than their predecessors of the Renown class. To make room in the shipyard for merchant construction, Hood sailed for Rosyth to complete her fitting-out on 9 January 1920. At the Battle of Jutland in May 1916 HMS Queen Mary , HMS Indefatigable, and the unfortunately named HMS Invincible. Her 5-inch upper-armour strake would have been removed and her deck armour reinforced. The design was revised after the Battle of Jutland to incorporate heavier armour and all four ships were laid down. [32], Construction of Hood began at the John Brown & Company shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland, as yard number 460 on 1 September 1916. HMS Hood Walk-Around HMS Hood was something of a majestic design in terms of warships. Hood was nothing without the many men it took to design, built and operate her. Hood, Renown and Repulse were deployed to the Bay of Biscay on 5 November to prevent the "pocket battleship" Admiral Scheer from using French ports after she had attacked Convoy HX 84, but the German ship continued into the South Atlantic. Many men - particularly those who formed the crews of the late 1930s and early 1940s - fall outside the publicly available records. These were joined in early 1939 by four twin mounts for the QF 4-inch Mark XVI dual-purpose gun. The main waterline belt was 12 inches (305mm) thick between 'A' and 'Y' barbettes and thinned to 5 to 6 inches (127 to 152mm) towards the ship's ends, but did not reach either the bow or the stern. Hood was well known as a top sporting ship. Ted Briggs was the last survivor of the battle cruiser HMS Hood, sunk by the German warship Bismarck in the North Atlantic during the Second World War. . [87], In 2001, British broadcaster Channel 4 commissioned shipwreck hunter David Mearns and his company, Blue Water Recoveries, to locate the wreck of Hood, and if possible, produce underwater footage of both the battlecruiser and her attacker, Bismarck. The other theories listed above remain valid possibilities. But, even in the case of those for whom records are available, relatives often hold far more information about individuals than can be gleaned from the necessarily impersonal nature of their official records. A look at the often overlooked members of Hood's crew, Miscellaneous Crew Photos [36] To add to the confusion, Royal Navy documents of the period often describe any battleship with a maximum speed over 24 knots (44km/h; 28mph) as a battlecruiser, regardless of the amount of protective armour. The Nelson-Class Battleship Pennant number 29, HMS Rodney was one of only two Nelson -class battleships built for the Royal Navy in the 1920s. 24-03-2018. H.M.S. HMS Ledbury saved some of her crew out of the blazing sea. The first, held soon after the ship's loss, concluded that Hood's aft magazine had exploded after one of Bismarck's shells penetrated the ship's armour. It was introduced in Update "Danger Zone" . Beam: 104 ft. 2 in. HMS Hood (pennant number 51) was the last battlecruiser built for the Royal Navy. Propulsion: 4 shafts, Brown-Curtis geared steam turbines, 24 Yarrow water-tube boilers Speed: 31 knots (1920), 28 knots (1940) Range: 5,332 miles at 20 knots Complement: 1,169-1,418 men HMS Hood - Armament (1941): Guns [6] The persistent dampness, coupled with the ship's poor ventilation, was blamed for the high incidence of tuberculosis aboard. Armed Merchant Cruisers such as HMS Jervis Bay, were made up of various naval forces, and although she was a British ship, her crew were not all British, with some from the Commonwealth countries around the world. Colin Kitchen. The original attempt, sponsored by Paul Allen and using his yacht Octopus, was abandoned after ten days in September 2012 due to unfavourable weather conditions. King George V and Smaller Vessels of RDF279", "Memorials in Southsea Portsmouth Naval Memorial", "The July 2001 Channel 4 Expedition to Locate and Film the Wrecks of, "Statutory Instrument 2006 No. H.M.S. Though mighty, the battle cruiser H.M.S. We are particularly grateful to Barry Roberts who has dedicated many hours undertaking this task and has identified several thousand "Hood men" thereby. Hood Crew Information- Unsuccessful, she was ordered to patrol the Bay of Biscay against any breakout attempt by the German ships from Brest, France. All the 5.5-inch guns were removed during another refit in 1940. [78], An extensive review of these theories (excepting that of Preston) is given in Jurens's 1987 article. It is estimated that as many as 15,000 men may have served in her from 19201941. The Admiral-class battlecruisers were designed in response to the German Mackensen-class battlecruisers, which were reported to be more heavily armed and armoured than the latest British battlecruisers of the Renown and the Courageous classes. [55] The ship's near-constant active service, resulting from her status as the Royal Navy's most battle-worthy fast capital ship, meant that her material condition gradually deteriorated, and by the mid-1930s, she was in need of a lengthy overhaul. . CCY (TCI) Served from 1942 - 1971 Served in HMS Duke Of York. [16], The ship's main battery was controlled by two fire-control directors. Crew Lost During the Sinking of Hood, 24th May 1941 Out of the of 1,418 sailors onboard, only three including Midshipman . It was, in fact, the culmination of the German effort to use capital ships like battlecruiser . Hood reported an accuracy of 3 degrees with her 279M set. Navy Artwork. -H.M.S. We therefore welcome and encourage anyone with information on the men who served in Hood to contact us to submit new or supplementary information or photos. Below are just some of our members who have served at HMS Royal Arthur. [11], During the 19291931 refit, a high-angle control system (HACS) Mark I director was added on the rear searchlight platform and two positions for 2-pounder "pom-pom" antiaircraft directors were added at the rear of the spotting top, although only one director was initially fitted. [90] The eastern field includes the small piece of the stern that survived the magazine explosion, as well as the surviving section of the bow and some smaller remains such as the propellers. Captain Harold Reinold relieved Captain im Thurn on 30 April 1925 and was relieved in turn by Captain Wilfred French on 21 May 1927. . [96], In 2012, the British government gave permission for Mearns to return to the site of Hood's final resting place to retrieve one of her two ship's bells which were lying in a small open debris field some way from the wreck herself. A second inquiry was held after complaints that the first board had failed to consider alternative explanations, such as an explosion of the ship's torpedoes. But, three survivedWilliam Dundass, Bob Tilburn, and Ted Briggs. Crew & Dockyard Workers Lost Prior to the Sinking (Sept 1916 - May 1941) HMS Barham Crew List; . Kenneth Ellison. AB Served from 1946 - 1955 Served in HMS Duke Of York. To these were added five unrotated projectile (UP) launchers in 1940, each launcher carrying 20 seven-inch (178mm) rockets. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. One of four Admiral-class battlecruisers ordered in mid-1916, Hood had serious design limitations, though her design was drastically revised after the Battle of Jutland and improved while she was under construction. The fact that the bow section separated just forward of 'A' turret is suggestive that a secondary explosion might have occurred in this area. [88], After footage of Bismarck was collected, Mearns and the search team began scanning a 600-square-nautical-mile (2,100km2) search box for Hood; completely covering the area was estimated to take six days. The main deck was 3 inches (76mm) thick over the magazines and 1 inch (25mm) elsewhere, except for the 2-inch-thick slope that met the bottom of the main belt. [4] The ship's secondary armament consisted of twelve BL 5.5-inch (140mm) Mk I guns, each with 200 rounds. CREWMAN Served from 1942 - 1941 Served in HMS Rodney. It is estimated that as many as 18,000 men, perhaps more, served aboard the "Mighty Hood" during the operational portion of her 21 year career. HMS Hood destroyer out at sea during World War II Loaded Progress 0:00 / 0:25 Video Quality 576p 540p 360p 270p more videos Watch video Moment hockey fan gets socked in the face at game after. Dunkerque's sister ship, Strasbourg, managed to escape from the harbour. Despite the appearance of newer and more modern ships, Hood remained the largest warship in the world for 20 years after her commissioning, and her prestige was reflected in her nickname, "The Mighty Hood". When the threat of an invasion diminished, the ship resumed her previous roles in convoy escort and patrolling against German commerce raiders. Originally laid down as an improved version of the Revenge -class battleship, her construction was suspended on the outbreak of war because she would not be ready in time. [4], The main battery of the Admiral-class ships consisted of eight BL 15-inch (381mm) Mk I guns in hydraulically powered twin gun turrets. -H.M.S. As a result, for the Midshipmen and junior officers who served in Hood in the later years of the 1930s little information in addition to the date on which they joined the ship is available without charge. 444 Flight of the Royal Air Force (RAF). [23], The armour scheme of the Admirals was originally based on that of the battlecruiser Tiger with an 8-inch (203mm) waterline belt. Whatever caused the explosion, it proved fatal for the ship and most of her crew. Furthermore, a section of the bow immediately forward of 'A' turret is missing, which has led historian and former Dartmouth lecturer Eric J. Grove and expedition leader David Mearns to believe that "either just before or just after leaving the surface, the bow suffered massive internal damage from an internal explosion",[85] possibly a partial detonation of the forward 15-inch magazines. As a battlecruiser, Hood was similar in size and had the offensive capability of. Issue 22 4 knots. [40] In addition, she was grossly overweight compared to her original design, making her a wet ship with a highly stressed structure. Men who died whilst serving in Hood before she was lost or who, Men who served in Hood who had been present at the major battles of World War 1, Men who served in Hood during the Empire Cruise of 1923/24, Acting Chief Electrical Artificer 2nd class, Acting Chief Engine Room Artificer 2nd Class, Shore Free Discharged (Joined Royal Fleet Reserve), Columbine (Coast of Scotland) Rnvr Headquarters Du, Portsmouth Division (A Company) (at Deal), Portsmouth Division (A Company) (at Deal), Portsmouth Division (A Company) (at Plymouth), President II (Coast of Scotland) Rnvr Headquarters, Promoted to Temporary Acting Warrant Writer, Re-engaged as Chief Mechanician (Pensioner), Re-engaged for 3 years no continuous service, Re-engaged K103815. [72] This investigation was "much more thorough than was the first, taking evidence from a total of 176 eyewitnesses to the disaster",[73] and examined both Goodall's theory and others (see below). To save construction time, this was accomplished by thickening the existing armour, rather than redesigning the entire ship. This theory was ultimately adopted by the board. She was scheduled to undergo a major rebuild in 1941 to correct these issues, but the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939 kept the ship in service without the upgrades. The Board came to a conclusion almost identical to that of the first board, expressed as follows: That the sinking of Hood was due to a hit from Bismarck's 15-inch shell in or adjacent to Hood's 4-inch or 15-inch magazines, causing them all to explode and wreck the after part of the ship. An excellent place to post guestbook greetings & share photos/information concerning the ship and crew. Additional information on the service of individual officers is contained in the ADM196 series of records which are available on Ancestry (subscription required) or The National Archives (free if registered). She was used for harbour service from 1872 and was sold in 1888. It is held by a private collector and stamped HMS HOOD v HMS RENOWN 23 1 35. Select the period (starting by the reporting year): precomm - 1971 | 1972 - 1973 | 1974 - 1976 | 1977 - 1979 | 1980 - 1981 | 1982 - 1983 | 1984 - 1986 | 1987 - 1988 | 1989 | 1990 - 1991 | 1992 | 1993 - 1994 | 1995 - 1997 | 1998 - now David Hunt. Hood Crew List -H.M.S. Temporary repairs were made at Gibraltar before the ship sailed to Portsmouth for permanent repairs between February and May 1935. [47] The battlecruiser squadron visited Lisbon in January 1925 to participate in the Vasco da Gama celebrations before continuing on to the Mediterranean for exercises. HMS Hood (pennant number 51) was the last battlecruiser built for the Royal Navy. The HMS Hood at Table Bay in Cape Town with the HMS Repulse behind, January 1924. It has also been supplemented with a great deal of in-depth information from other researchers, most notably Don Kindell, Mary Mckeown, Mary Mochan and the Director of Naval Personnel (Disclosure Cell), Navy Command HQ, to whom we are eternally grateful. As mentioned above, for officers, the main source, which is a complete listing of all officers who served in Hood, is the Navy Lists. The fleet was spotted by the Germans and attacked by aircraft from the KG 26 and KG 30 bomber wings. Retained after World War I, it moved between postings in . It is further supposed that the small debris fields are the fragments from the aft hull where the magazines and turrets were located, since that section of the hull was totally destroyed in the explosion. He joined HMS Copra on the 7th of November 1943 and was lent three times to HMS Dundonald. He then joined HMS Letchworth and was promoted to Wireman (LC) on 26/10/43. Hood Crew List -H.M.S. [58], Hood and the aircraft carrier Ark Royal were ordered to Gibraltar to join Force H on 18 June where Hood became the flagship. The process of identifying Hood men is, therefore, a time-consuming one which involves trawling all records looking for "Hood" as an entry in amongst the list of ships in each record. You can also click below to view a single list of all names As completed, Hood had an overall length of 860feet 7inches (262.3m), a maximum beam of 104feet 2inches (31.8m), and a draught of 32 feet (9.8m) at deep load. A meeting place for Association members and Hood enthusiasts. Such a shell could only have come from. [12], The Ascension Island guns saw action only once, on 9 December 1941, when they fired on the German submarineU-124,[105] as it approached Georgetown on the surface to shell the cable station or sink any ships at anchor. There are 757 crew members registered for the USS Mount Hood (AE 29). HMS Hood immediately entered a drydock. Updated 10-Apr-2022. The search team also planned to stream video from the remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) directly to Channel 4's website. [14] When they detonated, the rockets shot out lengths of cable that were kept aloft by parachutes; the cable was intended to snag aircraft and draw up the small aerial mine that would destroy the aircraft. When Briggs fought his way to the surface, he could see only two other . They were and are the very heart and soul of the ship. Also listed are the three survivors (coloured blue) - all of whom have now crossed the bar. PO. Unlike Tiger, the armour was angled outwards 12 from the waterline to increase its relative thickness in relation to flat-trajectory shells. The Special Service Squadron are on a tour around the world. The Bismarck took some beatings from the best battleships in the British navy. [91] Other researchers have claimed that the final salvo fired by Hood was not a salvo at all, but flame from the forward magazine explosion, which gave the illusion of Hood firing for the last time. Hood Crew List Updated 11-Apr-2022 Background It is estimated that as many as 18,000 men, perhaps more, served aboard the "Mighty Hood" during the operational portion of her 21 year career. Victor White trained at HMS Royal Arthur as an Ordinary Telegrapher from 20/07/1943 to 12/08/1943. It remains possible that a door or trunk could have been opened up by an enemy shell, admitting flames to the magazine.