Event: 1908 Collision in North Sea.

[astraltrader]

On April 27th 1908 there was a collision in the North Sea involving three Royal Navy ships from the Eastern Destroyer Flotilla who were out engaged in practicing unlit night maneuvers.
During all of this confusion a destroyer HMS Gala was rammed and cut in half by the cruiser HMS Attentive which in turn was afterwards rammed by the destroyer HMS Ribble.
The aftermath of all this was quite fortunate from the point of view of casualties. The rear half of Gala stayed afloat long enough for all her crew to be rescued with the exception of her Engineer Lieutenant Frank.E.Fletcher who went down with the other half.
Both HMS Attentive and HMS Ribble both received considerable damage but both went on to serve for a further 12 years, seeing out the First World War safely - only to fall prey to the scrappers in 1920.

I recently bought this old postcard which provides an excellent cameo of the whole fracas...

[herakles]

Interesting Terry.Do you know why this happened?

And what was the result of the Board of Enquiry?

[hucks216]

Although it doesn't shed any further light on the matter, the publication The Royal Navy Day By Day does mention that HMS Attentive was also involved in another collision less then a year earlier!!!! Whatever else, it doesn't sound like a dull ship to be on!

[herakles]

HMS Attentive? Sounds to have been a somewhat inappropriate name!

[navalis]

The outcome of the incident was a Court Martial for Lieut. Commander Powell, late commanding officer of the Gala.

He was cleared of charges of negligence, but the court found that he was guilty of losing his ship 'by default'. He was reprimanded.

[kc]

Here is the text we had on the event:

On the afternoon of the 27th April 1908 , the eastern destroyer Flotilla, consisting of 15 vessels, in company with the scouts HMS Adventure and HMS Attentive, left Harwich for the purpose of firing exercise and night ,maneuvers. a little after midnight all the vessels having their lights masked, HMS Gala one of the destroyers came into collision with HMS Attentive being struck by the latter's ram in the after part of the engine room and cut in two. Fortunately in this case all the crew were saved, except Engineer Lieutenant F A Fletcher, who was drowned. HMS Attentive afterwards came into collision with another of the destroyers HMS Ribble which received damage sufficiently serious to oblige her to put back to sheerness. The fore part of HMS Gala sunk almost immediately, but the after part, with all the crew clinging to it remained afloat for some time, sinking while an attempt was being made to tow it into shallow water.

[astraltrader]

Kc - You will have to change the middle initials of the unfortunate Lieutenant Frank Fletcher! [according to the postcard]. I dont know if you noticed but I already linked my piece to the text that you referred to.

[stewart mcloughlin]

Terry
I have only just started collecting items appertaining to the various HMS Ribble's, seeing as my village in on the river in the Borough of South Ribble, Lancs.
Could I have your permission to copy it into my very small (so far) collecting of Ribble things. There are no commercial aspects.
Stewart

[Harley]

Powell was charged with losing "Gala" either by negligence or by default. The Court-martial found that he was by no means negligent and that charge was dismissed, and that losing "Gala" by default was only partially proved. Before reprimanding him on the partly proven charge of loss by default, the court took care to commend Powell for the discipline and well-being shown by his crew during the sinking.

Harley

[astraltrader]

Stewart - help yourself my friend...

[stewart mcloughlin]

Many thanks
Stewart