HMScleopatra

First World War Service

HMS Cleopatra

Harold George Vincent served on this ship between 26.10.1915 to 02.05.1918. The HMS Cleopatra was a Cruiser Class Ship.

TAKEN FROM THIS FORUM http://www.mathison.freeserve.co.uk/sswk/archive98.html DURING THIS PERIOD HAROLD GEORGE VINCENT WAS SERVING ON THE SHIP.

Subject: Keith Hall
Posted By: Bob Baird, bob.baird@sol.co.uk
Date: 24/9/98
From "The Real Price of Fish" by George F Ritchie ISBN 1 872167 19 5 Page 31:
27 November 1921 KEITH HALL A636 152Tons/1896
The Keith Hall was formerly the German trawler Darmstadt, which had been captured by HMS Cleopatra on 30 September 1915. Taken over by the navy in October 1915, she was renamed Carbosin and served in the Navy until October 1920, when she was sold to Aberdeen owners (Ellis & Meff), who used her as a steam line-fishing vessel. On her way home after a fishing trip to Faroe, she ran ashore in fog at Birsay, Orkney, at 5.20pm on a Sunday evening. Locals at Birsay sent a telegram to Stromness requesting the lifeboat and rocket apparatus to proceed to the scene. When the telegram arrived, the men were at a service in the parish church and some time was lost in getting the crew together. Several of the lifeboatmen ran from the church direct to their boat, while the rocket men got vehicles to transport their gear to the scene. The rocket company were the first to arrive, only to find that the crew had left in their own boat, and were keeping some distance off the land. The lifeboat crew, when they arrived, spotted a light to seaward of the wreck, and this proved to be the boat with the crew on board, all except one man, George Neilson of 114 Walker Road, who had been washed overboard while assisting in the launch of the smallboat. The crew, under Skipper William King, were picked up by the lifeboat and taken to Stromness.

Bob Baird

TAKEN FROM THE Order of Battle Jutland / Skagerrak 31 May to 1 June 1916 AT http://www.warships1.com/W-OOB/OOB_WWI/OOB_WWI_Jutland.htm AND IT CAN BE SEEN THAT THE HMS CLEOPATRA SERVED IN THE CONFLICT WHILE HAROLD GEORGE VINCENT WAS PRESENT.

3. Harwich Force:

5LCS
HMS Carysfoot, flag, Commodore R. Tyrwhitt
HMS Arethusa
HMS Cleopoatra
HMS Conquest
HMS Penelope

9th DF
HMS Undaunted

1 destroyer leader (Marksman class)
HMS Lightfoot,

L class destroyers:
HMS Lark
HMS Laverock
HMS Linnet
HMS Laertes
HMS Laforey
HMS Lance
HMS Lawford
HMS Legion
HMS Lennox
HMS Leonidas
HMS Llewellyn
HMS Lookout
HMS Loyal
HMS Lucifer
HMS Lysander
HMS Lassoo
HMS Lochinar

10th DF
HMS Aurora

1 destroyer leader
HMS Nimrod

Admiralty M class destroyers
HMS Manly
HMS Mansfield
HMS Matchless
HMS Mentor
HMS Meteor
HMS Milne
HMS Minos
HMS Miranda
HMS Murray
HMS Myngs

Actions of the Harwich Force:

1. A letter of 14th November 1914 from the Admiralty to C-in-C GF promised the C-in-C that the Harwich Force would join him if a fleet action was imminent. This was overlooked or forgotten by the Admiralty on 30th May
2. Admiralty informed the C-in-C at 1755, 30th May, that the Harwich force, 3BS and 3CS would not be sent to sea until more was known of the German objectives
3. The Harwich Force was ordered at 1820, 30th May, to be ready to sail at daylight if required.
4. At 2235, 30th May, the orders were modified to hold the Force at one hour’s notice.
5. The Harwich force would have had to have sailed by 2000, 30th May, to have reached Beatty’s rendezvous point, sailing at 18 knots.
6. At 0435, 31st May, Tyrwhitt sent an urgent telegram to the Admiralty, reminding them that he had received no further orders. The reply was to remain at one hour’ s notice, as no further indication of the enemy’s objectives had been received.
7. Tyrwhitt would have had to have sailed at 0500 on the 31st to have reached Jellicoe before dark.
8. The Harwich Force sailed without orders at 1645 on 31st May with 5 light cruisers, 2 destroyer leaders and 16 destroyers
9. The Harwich Force was ordered back to Harwich to await further orders by the Admiralty at 1712 on 31st May, when at the Cork light vessel of the mouth of the River Orwell.
10. The Harwich Force was finally ordered to join the Grand Fleet at 0252 on 1st June, and sailed at 0350, when all fear of a combined raid by a detachment of the HSF and the German destroyers in Belgian ports on the Channel had passed.
11. I am unsure as to which 16 destroyers sailed.