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Catalogue number 141070 A close shave! This Grumman Avenger is just saved by getting hooked up on the catwalk with the port undercarriage caught in the superstructure. It looks like the pilot is just climbing out whilst others look on. 8.2cm x 14.7cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 143006 A Hellcat (1F.7) of the French Aeronavale has missed the arrestor wires and gone into the aircraft parked forward on the flight deck. With the acquisition of Arromanches, ex-H.M.S. Colossus, in 1946 the Aeronavale was able to retrain on modern American fighters and torpedo bombers, the squadron 1F being equipped with the Grumman F6F Hellcat. It was inevitable that prangs and bangs would occur. This and the next six photographs are from the same series. 8cm x 5.4cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 143008 A Corsair in the catwalk This Corsair has caught the arrestor wire (see center left, just above the deck and the black and white striped extended tail hook) but went over to port and landed in the catwalk. Verso:"Missed landing on, a "bath (une baignoire in French) in French and in fine black ink. 8.1cm x 5.5cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 143002 Damaged Hellcat This Grumman Hellcat seems to have hit the island when landing on and the starboard wing is smashed up. The crew are in trousers and shorts with no top so maybe the Arromanches is in Indochina. 7.7cm x 5.1cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 143004 Numerous damaged aircraft This photograph show another view of the damage provoked by an aircraft missing the wire (see aircraft "26" and 1F.7 in catalogue number 143006). The position on deck of the aircraft is not the same in the two views. Were these aircraft involved in two separate incidents or have they been moved to clear the deck and assess the degree of damage? Verso:"A barrier" in French and in light pencil 8cm x 5.4cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 143005 Damaged wing tip This shows a close-up of the damage to 1F.7. 8cm x 5.4cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 143003 Grumman TBF Avenger hits the island The Avenger has swerved to starboard and hit the island damaging the wing tip. Verso:""Napoleon's barrier" in French and in thick blue ink 7.7cm x 5.3cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 143007 Grumman TBF Avenger hits the barrier The undercarriage has collapsed maybe after a heavy landing and the qircraft skided into the barrier. A propellor blade has snapped off and lies on the deck to the right of the fire-fighting trailor. Verso:"Missed landing on: a barrier" in French and in fine black ink 8.2cm x 5.4cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 136038 Douglas SBD Dauntless crash Although the Dauntless caught the arrester wire, the landing-on was heavy and the starboard undercarriage has collapsed. 21.3cm x 14.8cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 135020 French Corsair going over the side The port undercarriage seems to have broken up (see object center left and further back is what looks like a wing tip with roundel) and the aircraft has veered to port before reaching the barrier. 10.5cm x 7.7cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 135019 French Corsair into the barrier This Corsair has missed the arrestor wires and is on its way into the barrier. Note the cockpit canopy is drawn back should the pilot need to get out quickly. 11.8cm x 9cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 145049 Another Grumman Avenger in the catwalk Luckily this chap hasn't gone over the side and into the drink! The mobile crane has been brought up and crew are assessing the damage to aircraft and ship, the Avenger has just missed a machine gun mounting. Note the crewman out on the tip of the starboard wing to counterbalance the aircraft. cm x cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 135117 Lafayette carrier, landing off the French south coast This Grumman Avenger has caught the wire but swerved into the catwalk. 8.9cm x 5.8cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 44211 Bloch M.B. 161 of the Aeronavale The port undercarriage has given away and the aircraft has dropped onto the port wing. Emergency vehicules are in attendance suggesting the accident has occurred on a military runway, note hangar-like buildings in the background. cm x cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 157072 French Farman Goliath F-168 salvaged 1 The following three photographs show the recovery from the sea of a heavily-damaged Farman Goliath F-167. A floating crane with sheer legs has come out to lift the wreck and take it inshore. This may be taking place off the Aeronavale base on the etang de Berre near Marseille. 16.6cm x 11.1cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 157073 French Farman Goliath F-168 salvaged 2 As the aircraft comes out of the water, we can see that the fuselage has broken off, note the numbered float "F-38". A motor launch is standing off. 16.7cm x 11.2cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 157074 French Farman Goliath F-168 salvaged 3 View forward showing the state of the two Gnome-Rhone 9Akx engines. Nothing is left of the fuselage forward of the wings although we can see some of the controls. Center and between the two propellors is the number "F-168" vertically on part of the cockpit. 22.3cm x 17.2cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 156064 Another French seaplane salvaged The remains of a seaplane are brought to the shore, note the bow of the tug left of the floating crane. 15.7cm x 11.3cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 150005 German floatplane salvaged This may be a Friedrichshaven twin-engined torpedo bomber after coming down in the sea. As for the Farman Goliath above, nothing is left of the fuselage and no floats are visible. The aircraft is being salvaged by what looks like a specially-adapted torpedo boat, note the crutches aft ready to take the wreck and the sturdy lifting derrick. Recto:"Crashed torpedo plane is recovered by torpedo boat" in German 13.3cm x 8cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 140011 Downed German aircraft and rescue launch This First World War German aircraft has come down in the sea and a steam launch is alongside. Not much is showing to identify the aircraft, it may be upside down and perhaps there are wheels showing by the bows of the launch, note the machine gun amidships on the launch. Verso:"Recovery of a German aircraft" in French and in black ink Credit: Imperial War Museum 13.9cm x 9cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 116072 The remains of a crashed CAMS 37 This CAMS 37 has gone into the sea and smashed up the starboard wing, note the pusher propeller. Again, this looks like an accident near the etang de Berre aeronaval base. 8.5cm x 5.1cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 135006 Nasty prang on H.M.S. Eagle Verso:"H.M.S. Eagle A Swordfish missed the arresting wires and went over the side and got stuck. The pilot was saved and was pulled on board. The plane was cut free and then sank in the Indian Ocean. 1938-39. Credit: S. Slack 13.7cm x 8.3cm Printed image |
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Catalogue number 92082 Crashed Fairey IIIF lifted out of the sea We can see "S125" on the tail of the damaged Fairey. Of the ten Fairey IIIF aircraft with the tail number "S125", four crashed into the sea: S1252 from H.M.S. Hermes crashed in fog in Chefoo harbour and was salvaged 1928; S1254 of H.M.S. Courageous bounced on landing 1928, the starboard wing hit the mast and the aircraft pancaked into the sea and broke up; S1256 with H.M.S. Furious crashed in the sea when landing on 1934; S1258 flew into H.M.S. Hermes and crashed into the sea in Hong Kong harbour 1928. 13.4cm x 8.2cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 97058 Remains of a Loire 130 A badly damaged Loire 130 French flying boat has been deposited on the quayside. Whilst the nose and observation cabin have been crushed, the open cockpit with windscreens can be seen just below and forward of the engine housing, the flight emblem can be see below the cockpit. 10.4cm x 5.8cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 157042 Recovery of downed American airmen A very poignant scene as crew from a PBY Catalina bring on board two or maybe three downed airmen. In the dingy, helped by a Catalina man, there are two downed crew, one lying over the inanimate body of his mate. The two other Catalina crew may be lifting a third downed airman into the aircraft, can we see a shoe by the right side of the waist on the man standing up or is it part of the fuselage? In the foreground is part of the antenna for the search radar but the cone-shaped object under the wing is unusual, is it a long-range fuel tank? The text in English on the verso of this photograph is probably wrong yet can be found on Internet with the same photograph. The Catalina crew do not have the same lifebelt nor flighing kit as the downed airmen. Note the Catalina man in the dingy has his sleeves rolled up so we can assume the recovery is taking place in warm water such as the Pacific. Verso:"Flying boat. rubber dingy recovery of pilots and mechanics to be identified" in French and "US sub rescues crew of downed PBY 1945" in English and in light pencil 20cm x 14.8cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 157041 Collision between H.M.S. Worcester and H.M.S. Active, 1937 During torpedo firing exercises off Hurd's Bank, Malta, the steering gear of H.M.S. Active failed when the ship was evolving at 24 knots and she hit H.M.S. Worcester at the level of the starboard foredeck with a heavy glancing blow. Both ships went into Malta to assess the damage. Here a motor launch is by the bows of H.M.S. Active, H.M.S. Worcester is to starboard. Verso:"16/02/1937 Collision between HMS Worcester and HMS Active off the Spanish (sic) coast" in French and in probably black ballpoint pen 8cm x 5.4cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 157039 Collision between H.M.S. Worcester and H.M.S. Active, 1937 H.M.S. Active, plating from the port hull back was ripped out, note rivet holes. The bow of Active is high out of the water, probably the trim has been adjusted to lift the damaged bow up. Verso:"16/02/1937 Collision between HMS Worcester and HMS Active off the Spanish (sic) coast" in French and in probably black ballpoint pen 8cm x 5.4cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 157040 Collision between H.M.S. Worcester and H.M.S. Active, 1937 Another view of the damage to H.M.S. Active. Verso:"16/02/1937 Collision between HMS Worcester and HMS Active off the Spanish (sic) coast" in French and in probably black ballpoint pen 8cm x 5.4cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 157037 Collision between H.M.S. Worcester and H.M.S. Active, 1937 The port side of the foredeck of Active was buckled and part of the port hull plating was ripped out over several metres. Verso:"16/02/1937 Collision between HMS Worcester and HMS Active off the Spanish (sic) coast" in French and in probably black ballpoint pen 8cm x 5.4cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 157038 Collision between H.M.S. Worcester and H.M.S. Active, 1937 H.M.S. Worcester, she was hit as H.M.S. Active as she came up from the stern starboard with hull plating and the foredeck taking the shock. Note men looking through the hole in the ship. Verso:"16/02/1937 Collision between HMS Worcester and HMS Active off the Spanish (sic) coast" in French and in probably black ballpoint pen 8cm x 5.4cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 155026 Grounding and loss of H.M.S. Montagugu, May 1906 H.M.S. Montagu was a Duncan class pre-dreadnough battleship commissioned in 1903. Caught in fog and off course despite being given the correct bearing from a pilot cutter, ignored the advice and steamed on to run aground on Shutter Rock in May 1906. After several attempts to float the ship off, damage was so severe that the Navy gave up and handed over the salvage operation to a private company. Verso: Franked 8th June 1906 13.8cm x 8.7cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 155029 Attempts to refloat Attempts were made to lift the bow off the rocks using floating camels or caissons. Recto:"Fixing camels on H.M.S. Montagu" 13.8cm x 8.7cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 155028 All camels in place All the camels are in place but Montagu remains steadfastly stuck on the rocks. The ship had a 28m gash on the starboard hull Recto:"H.M.S. Montagu. Now abandoned at Lundy Island; August 6th, 1906" 13.8cm x 8.8cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 155027 It looks as if the ship has been stripped of its armour plating in an attempt to lighten the ship. Note salvage vessels standing off and two battleships left and right background (H.M.S. Duncan, a sister ship to Montagu, ran aground also during the salavage operation but eventually was floated off). The numerous funnels about the deck are for steam pumps used to pump out the flooded compartments. Recto:"H.M.S. Montagu ashore at Lundy" and franked October 6th 1906 13.5cm x 8.6cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 129057 Salvaging H.M.S. Montagu Here preparations are underway to remove the main battery 12 inch guns.. Verso:"Taken on board H.M.S. Montagu" 8.7cm x 13.9cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 124080 Damaged bow of H.M.S. Ramillies, 1935 Following the collision with the German ship S.S. Eisenach in 1935, H.MS. Ramillies went into the port of Dover to assess the extent of damage to the bow. See also catalogue number 145001. Credit: Wright and Logan 8.4cm x 13.3cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 155031 Mooring vessel H.M.S. Moordale with divers down H.M.S. Moordale could not only be used to move buoys but also act as a heavy lift vessel using its bow gantry. Here she is in company with H.M.S. Resolution and divers are down inspecting the hull forward to the bows of the battleship after Resolution hit and sank the submarine H.M.S. L24. The battleship was unaware that she had sunk the surfacing submarine during a training exercise in the English Channel and it only became obvious that L24 was missing at the conclusion of the exercise, Resolution reporting that she had felt a heavy shock that morning whilst underway. Recto:""Moordale" & "H.M.S. Resolution" & Divers" Verso:"Oct 6th 1926" in black ink 13.2cm x 8.4cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 135031 French submarine Farfadet, July 1905 The submarine Farfadet sank suddenly whilst on patrol off the Tunisian coast with only two survivors who were on deck at the time. Once raised, the submarine was drydocked in Bizerte. Recto: Franked "Bizerte 1906" 13.8cm x 9cm Matt gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 135036 Crew of Farfadet prior to loss, June 1905 Fourteen of the crew from the submarine Farfadet in June 1905, a month later all but two of the crew were drowned when the submaine sank. 13.3cm x 8.8cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 122007 Loss of the French submarine Lutin, 1906 A year later, during a training exercise off the coast of Tunisia, the French submarine Lutin sank in 36m of water after a blocked valve provoked the rupture of a ballast. All the 16 crew died and the hull was taken to the drydock (in Sidi-Abdallah or Bizerte ?). Farfadet and Lutin were of the same class and submarines acquired a sinister reputation both at home and abroad! Verso:Sidi-Abdallah 14/11/06. I send you, dear Roger, the photo of the Lutin in the drydock. ....the cursed implosion of the ballast....) in French and in fine black ink 14cm x 9cm Matt gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 121082 German submarine U-118 aground at Hastings, U.K. At the end of the First World War, the warships and submarines of the defeated Imperial German Navy were divided up between the Allies. During its transfer from Harwich to France, the tow broke during a storm and U-118 ran aground on the pebble beach of Hastings. Unable to salvage the vessel, it became a tourist attraction but was closed down when two of the guides became seriously ill, one of whom subsequetly died probably due to poisoning by chlorine gas from the submarines batteries. 13.6cm x 8.7cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 143048 H.M.S. Undaunted collision H.M.S. Undaunted was a Arethusa class light cruiser commissioned in 1914. The ship was involved in two collisions, the first in 1915 when she collided with the destroyer Landrail, the bow of Landrail was badly damaged. Later in 1916, Undaunted collided with the light cruiser H.M.S. Cleopatra. When returning from a covering operation off the German coast, Cleopatra rammed and sank a German destroyer G194 but in doing so steamed into the path of Undaunted provoking a collision. The damage seen here to the bow of Undaunted is more in line with the damage that one would expect in the case of this second collision. 12.5cm x 7.3cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 134022 Dazzle-painted U.S.S. Jarvis with bow damage The bow has folded up on impact and rivets have split after this vessel was in collision with U.S.S. Benham, 1918. 13.2cm x 8.2cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 122067 U.S.S. Benham DD-49 after ramming Benham was on anti-submarine patrol off Ireland when rammed by either H.M.S. Zinnia (see www.navsource.net) or U.S.S. Jarvis (see www.history.navy.mil), both these ships are reported in the literature as having rammed Benham. Towed to Queenstown, Ireland, U.S.S. Benham, heavily down by the stern, is seen here held afloat by U.S.S. Melville (left) and U.S.S. Ericsson (right). 12.5cm x 7.8cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 117046 French submarine Junon S-648 In 1980, the conning tower of Junon wad damaged by an incident with a trawler. 16.2cm x 11.3cm Modern print |
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Catalogue number 155052 The damaged Le Lorrain, 1962 During the exercise Linois 1962 off the French coast designed to practice protection of a convoy, during a manoeuvre at high speed, the fast frigate Le Bearnais F775 hit the fast frigate Le Lorrain F768 at the level of the port quarter deck causing extensive damage. Both ships were running with lights out and radar off in the standard configuration to detect the "enemy". Note the collision mat in place. 14.7cm x 10.2cm Modern print |
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Catalogue number 155053 Le Lorrain in drydock, Toulon The shock of the collision knocked the X turrent off its mounting. 14cm x 10.2cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 155054 Le Lorrain in drydock, Toulon Both ships were able to reach Toulon where the extent of damage was assessed and they were subsequently repaired and returned to service. 13.8cm x 10.1cm Modern print |
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Catalogue number 143020 French destroyer D621 Surcouf collision, 1971 Early in the morning of 6th June 1971, the destroyer Surcouf was in collision with the Russian tanker General Bocharov of the coast of Carthàgene. 17.7cm x 23.8cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 143021 French destroyer D621 Surcouf collision, 1971 With its reinforced ice-breaker bow, the tanker almost cut the Surcouf in two from starboard. The forepart was held on essentially by the port hull plating. 17.7cm x 23.8cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 143022 French destroyer D621 Surcouf collision, 1971 The forepart was held on essentially by the port hull plating. After being taken in tow by the stern from the French destroyer Tartu, the forepart brocl off and sank. 17.7cm x 23.8cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 143023 French destroyer D621 Surcouf collision, 1971 The destroyer Tartu stands off as the Surcouf wallows in a moderate sea. Note crew members on the quarter deck, the director was knocked off its base and fell forward onto the bridge. 17.7cm x 23.8cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 143024 French destroyer D621 Surcouf collision, 1971 The point of impact was just forward of the first funnel and penetrated the forward boiler room. 17.7cm x 23.8cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 143025 French destroyer D621 Surcouf collision, 1971 An error on the bridge and ten men died, the fault was totally with the Surcouf. 17.7cm x 23.8cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 145004 H.M.S. Warspite aground off Mounts Bay Was the most battle-honoured British warship with honours from 1916 to the end of World War Two. Under tow to the BISCO breakers yard at Faslane, the tow parted and she ran aground near Prussia Cove, Cornwall, 1947. After the initial grounding, high seas pushed the ship further inshore and she became a total wreck, the scrapping process took many years. Note guns had been removed at Portsmouth in anticipation of scrapping. Recto: " H.M.S. Warspite ashore in Mounts Bay" 13.3cm x 8.2cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 145001 Bow of H.M.S. Ramillies after collision, 1935 On 31th August 1935, Ramillies collided with the German cargo ship Eisenach during a gale in the Straits of Dover. Ramillies hit head-on the port bow of Eisenach, receiving little damage and went into Dover harbour.The North German Lloyd ship Eisenach was badly damaged and risked drifting onto the Goodwin Sands until taken under tow by the tugs Lady Duncannon and Simson and towed to Dover harbour. The crews quarters of Eisenach were in the bow and three men lost their life. Captain Tayor of Ramillies "incurred the Admiralty's displeasure" following the collision. Verso: "Collision of Ramillies with the Eisenach. A collision has occurred off Dover between the English cruiser(sic) "Ramillies" and the German steamer 'Eisenach". Three members of the German crew died. The bow of "Ramillies" after the collision." in French 13cm x 18.2cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 145008 U.S. Army transport Arrow aground and breaking up, 1947 Arrow had been decommissioned and was on her way under tow to the National Defense Reserve Fleet, at Astoria, Oregon when she went aground off Long Beach, Washington. She became a total loss. Recto: "U.S.A.T. "Arrow" wrecked Feb.1947- Long Beach Wash" 13.1cm x 8cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 134001 Crash on board La Fayette, pilot Ramon Josa 1962 The Corsair hanging off the edge of the flight deck. Verso:"La Fayette 18.01.62" in light pencil 12.3cm x 9.5cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 134002 Crash on board La Fayette, pilot Ramon Josa 1962 The first lift is to place the rear fuselage on the flight deck. Verso:"La Fayette 18.01.62" in light pencil 12.3cm x 9.5cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 134003 Crash on board La Fayette, pilot Ramon Josa 1962 We can now see that the hook has broken off the arrestor (black and white bar resting in the catwalk). Verso:"La Fayette 18.01.62" in light pencil 12.3cm x 9.5cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 131063 Crash on board La Fayette, pilot Ramon Josa 1962 This Corsair from 17F squadron went over into the catwalk when the hook broke after catching the wire. The pilot was the ace Ramon Josa and the squadron was doing a period of training on the La Fayette. Verso:"La Fayette 18.01.62" in light pencil Credit:Il Tempo 12.3cm x 9.5cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 131064 Crash on board La Fayette, Ramon Josa 1962 The Corsair in this photograph (Bu N° 129352) is the AU-1 specialised ground attack version. The aircraft were coming close to, and perhaps were over, the end of their service life, from 1964 they were scrapped at the naval base of Cuers. Verso:"La Fayette 18.01.62" in light pencil 12.3cm x 9.5cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 134047 Grumman Avenger strikes object on flight deck The island was a favourite "hit" for landing aircraft as they wandered too far to starboard. Here a French Grumman Avenger hit something on the starboard deck before nosing down just before the island, it has lost its propeller. 11.4cm x 9.1cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 131072 Grumman Avenger crashed nose down Note the damaged starboard wing. This photograph gives a good view of the doral gun turret and the .50 calibre, 12.7mm machine gun. The squadron 4F was equipped with Avengers from 1951 to 1960 and landed on all the French carriers. Here it looks like either La Fayette or Bois-Belleau judging by the island. 11.2cm x 8.7cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 128044 Levasseur PL14 ditched The Levasseur PL14 was in service from 1929 to 1940 both as a floatplane and then an undercarriage version to fly off the carrier Béarn. As shown here, a water-tight fuselage enabled the aircraft to remain afloat after ditching. In addition, there were airbags in the lower wing and the prop could be blocked for ditching. Whilst the destroyers Ouragan (T42 right) and Orage (T43, left) are bearing down to take off the crew - of the three crew, one man is on the tail, a second on the upper wing. 12.9cm x 8 cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 128011 Bad landing, French Navy Corsair During the Korean War, this Corsair from the French Navy Aeronavale came to grief when landing on. Verso:"Korean War, the pilot was not injured in the crash" in Italian and in black ink Credit:Il Tempo 18.2cm x 14.2cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 123098 Crashed Grumman Avenger This French Navy Avenger has nosed over on landing and ended up alongside one of the funnels of either the carrier Bois Belleau or Lafayette. Note the mobile crane behind the wreck. 11.3cm x 8.7cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 125097 Pile up on a French carrier The French Bois Belleau and Lafayette were flat top carriers in the days before the angled flight deck and aircraft were parked forward. As a consequence, any aircraft that missed the arrester wire and, if the saftey barrier wasn't raised quick enough, could crash into the parked aircraft. Here it looks like aircraft 22 has crashed into a parked, wings folded aircraft. Judging by the number of bombs painted on the fuselage, aircraft 22 seems to have been active during the Indochinese war. A crewman is mopping up oil that has leaked onto the flight deck. 11.4cm x 9cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 121117 A Corsair hard landing This Corsair caught the arrester wire but has slewn over to starboard and the undercarriage has gone into the walkway. The carrier is either Lafayette or Bois Belleau (note the four funnels starboard) and not Arromanches as noted on the photograph. Verso: ""Corsair"F.4.U.7. (Arromanche)(sic) Accident. Barriere." 23.2cm x 17.6cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 127017 Early FBA flying boat accident The bow of this F.B.A. flying boat has been stove-in on landing, maybe it was a floating object and it is being brought aboard a French First World War seaplane carrier, perhaps Foudre but more likely Campinas. The ship is in the bay of Salamis, Greece. Verso: Text in French to a friend telling about the seaplane accident off Salamis 11.8cm x 8.5cm Matt gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 127076 Shot-up Heinkel, 1941 The port wings of the Heinkel 53 have collapsed after the floatplane was attacked by the R.A.F. off Tunisia in 1941. Verso: "German Heinkel 53 floatplane attacked at sea 10nm off Ras Kapoudia (editor's note: a coastal town in Tunisia) by R.A.F. aircraft on 4.4.41 (6 crew aboard)." in French 16.8cm x 12cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 127028 Recovering downed aircrew by a U.S. Navy submarine. During the Pacific war, the U.S. Navy posted submarines at strategic points on the in and out routes of seaplane attacks with a view to recover any ditched aircraft. Credit: U.S. Navy 13.3cm x 8.5cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 124083 H.M.S. York and the blockade runner S.S.Arucas, 1940 S.S. Arucas was a German passenger ship that tried to get back to Germany after being trapped in Vigo, Portugal, 1940. Taking the North Atlantic route to Norway and hence Germany, she was caught by H.MS. York during a gale. To avoid capture, the Captain Möhring scuttled his ship whilst the crew took to the lifeboats. The Captain and 13 crew drowned whilst H.M.S. York saved the 39 survivors. This perhaps unique postcard of H.M.S. York is signed by the survivors. 13.6cm x 8.6cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 128052 German steamer Arucas, 1927 The German mixed passenger and cargo steamer was running on the Nord-deutscher Lloyd line between Bremen and the Canary Islands. She was interned in Vigo, Spain at the outbreak of WW2 and attempted to breakout and reach Germany in 1940. 13.8cm x 8.9cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 126081 Swamped whaler from H.M.S. Royal Sovereign On a lighter note, this whaler has been swamped out during a sailing race and is being recovered by H.M.S. Royal Sovereign with the help of the ship's motor launch. Note one of the whaler's crew in the sea hanging on to the stern of the launch. Boat races between ships were very intense and the crews would push their boats to the limit. 13.6cm x 8.6cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 125075 Collision between Bison and Georges Leygues, 1939 18 sailors on the French destroyer Bison were killed in a collision with the cruiser Georges Leygues during an exercise. 15cm x 11.7cm Photograph |
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Catalogue number 125082 Bison in drydock at Lorient The foredeck of Bison was sliced off as far back as the Y turret just before the bridge. 7.8cm x 5.4cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 125076 Damage to the Georges Leygues. Y turrent and the gonio poste ended up on the foredeck of the Georges Leygues. 16.9cm x 11.9cm Photograph |
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Catalogue number 125081 Georges Leygues bow on after the collision Whilst Bison was cut in two, the cruiser had no major damage, here we can see the gun of turret Y and the gonio room from Bison. Verso: "Georges Leygues having cut the "Bison" in two during manoeuvres (January 1939)" 9cm x 6.5cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 126027 Supermarine Walrus ditched This and the following photograph show a Royal Navy Walrus that has come down in the sea. A ship's whaler is alongside and the Walrus is still afloat in the calm sea so we may assume that a Royal Navy ship was nearby when the aircraft came down. Verso: ""Walrus" rescueing (sic) The Crew." in black ink. Stamped "Passed for transmission only (not for publication)" 12.6cm x 7.6cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 126026 Supermarine Walrus ditched We can see two men without caps and in light coloured clothing, one with an inflatable lifejacket, are they the crew from the Walrus? Verso: ""Walrus" in Water" in black ink. Stamped "Passed for transmission only (not for publication)" 12.6cm x 7.7cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 121119 Blackburn Rippon nose down on landing This Blackburn Rippon S1427 of 462 Flight hit the funnel of H.M.S. Glorious when landing 1932, we can see the damage to the lower starboard wing. The aircraft has tipped over onto its nose breaking off the engine from its mounting, note the two crew (pilot Lt Hooper) scrambling to get out. The meaning of the swastika on the wheel hub is unknown. Crown Copyright 15.6cm x 9.9cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 121118 Glorious in trouble again (detail) This Fairey FIII from H.M.S. Glorious has gone into the sea, maybe a take off gone wrong but the ship is around to pick them up. Note the three crew, two still on the fuselage and a third in the sea by the tail. 15.9cm x 9.9cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 117034 Fairey Barracuda runs into the safety barrier, 1944 Lots of activity around this Barracuda that has missed the arrester wires. The pilot is still in the cockpit, firefighters in asbestos suits are ready and the crash party are deploying foam hoses whilst others have standard fire extinguishers. Is it the ship's doctor with his first aid bag bottom left, just by the island? Verso: "The Fleet Air Arm strike Tirpitz. On board a Royal Navy aircraft carrier during another successful Fleet Air Arm operation against the German battleship Tirpitz and enemy shipping off Norway. A Barracuda on fire from enemy flack (sic) lands and the fire is put out by the crash party. Sept. 1944" 6.5cm x 4.8cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 94131 Vickers Supermarine Seafire in the barrier, 1949 This Seafire has floated over the wires and gone into the safety barrier on H.M.S. Illustrious. The pilot, Lt JS Toner, is being help out by the firefighter whilst others are approaching with foam hoses. Verso: "VS Seafire F.15 PR 497/MV-109 RNavy 767 Sq. on HMS Illustrious" 13.3cm x 8.3cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 117037 Prangs when working up on the French carrier Arromanches, October 1960 At the end of the war, France was loaned then, in 1951, bought H.M.S. Colossus. She played a major role in working up the French naval air arm l'Aeronavale. France entered the war with just the old carrier Béarn so few officers had experience in naval flying. Prangs and bangs were inevitable ! These three photographs show a Corsair (133836 of 12 Flotille) that has crashed on the Arromanche. In this photograph the starboard wing has gone and the tail is caught in the safety barrier. Note the arrester hook hanging down. 18.3cm x 12.9cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 117035 Damage to the island The aircraft had come out of the workshop but not been tested with the result that an oil leak obscured the vision of the pilot (Premier-Maitre pilote Gaëtan Inaud). On the third attempt to land on and with little visability for the pilot, the aircraft hit the crane. Verso: "Porte-Avions Arromanches Service-Photo" red stamped 18.3cm x 13cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 117036 Corsair 133836, 1960 It's back broken and a wing ripped off at the root, the aircraft was a write off. 18.2cm x 12.9cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 30022 Sully aground, bow on The French Gloire class cruiser Sully (completed 1904) ran aground on rocks in the baie d’Along, Indochina 1905. The Sully was in company with the Gueydon and the D’Assas. Note the ship’s boats working around the grounded ship. It is said that Commandant Guiberteau of the Sully had already risked running the ship aground on several occasions much to the consternation of the officers but here, the rock was not marked on the maps and so he was acquitted of any wrongdoing (see André Nédk, Le récit d’un marin rennais). Recto: "The "Sully" grounded in the bay of Along (Henriette Strait) in French 13.9cm x 9.1cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 90 F8 Leaving the sinking ship Initially, D’Assas had received a distress signal from Sully but considered it was a signals exercise and the wireless of Gueydon was being repaired. When the mistake was realised, the boilers were fired up and the ships got underway. As can be seen in this photograph, there is intense activity on the foredeck, Sully’s boats have got away and all the crew were saved. 8.4cm x 11.5cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 90 F8 Corsair 133836, 1960 First view of the Sully from the stern, the ship is down by the bows and has an important list to port. 8.5cm x 8.2cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 90 F8 Corsair 133836, 1960 Second view of the Sully from the stern, the ship is down by the bows and has an important list to port. 7.1cm x 7.1cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 28050 Sully down on the Canot recif Most of the crew have been taken off and the ship is well and truly stuck on the recif. 18.2cm x 12.9cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 29046 Sully, March 1905 Starboard view of the stranded Sully, March 1905. Recto: Postcard franked "Tonkin, 1905" 14cm x 9cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 123035 Attempt to salvage, pumps in action Pumps were used in an attempt to lighten the forward part of the ship and float the bows off the recif. 9cm x 9cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 90F8 Attemp to salvage Sully using a floating dock The French authorities contacted salvage companies whilst the ship was progressively lightened by disembarking the guns and ammunition but after the Danish Company of Hong Kong backed out of the contract and the Admiralty was left to deal with the salvage operation. A 5600-tonne floating dock belonging to a British company was brought over from Hong Kong but before any serious attempt of lifting the ship up by the bows and floating it off the recif, the weather deteriorated and cracks of the hull were opening up. In addition, there were two large holes forward and gashes in bottom of the hull. The idea was to lift the bow using buoyancy caissons then trim down the floating dock, pass it under the bows and float the ship off the recif. However, the dock was subsequently badly damaged and became unserviceable when a typhoon hit the bay. The ship continued break up and salvage attempts were abandoned. Recto: "Sully May 1905. The dock built in Hong Kong is brought to the bow of Sully" in French and fine black ink script 15.5cm x 11.3cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 94052 The wreck of Sully, May 1905 It would seem from this photograph dated May 1905 that Sully had broken in two before the typhoons of September and October. In 2002, the “Sailing Directions (Enroute), South China Sea and the Gulf of Thailand” mentions “le Canot, a 23m high islet lying 1.5 miles N of Ile Henriette….. A 4.6 m shoal, with a wreck on its S side, extends 0.1 mile SE of Le Canot.”. Is this the wreck of Sully, we have not found any information as to what became of the ship once salvaging was abandoned? Recto: “20th May 1905” in blue ink 14cm x 9cm Matt gelatin print |
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Catalogue number 90 F8 Officer from Sully Nobody was lost when Sully ran aground and her guns and most equipment were recovered although the ship became a total loss. This and several of the above photographs are on a single cardboard mount with the text "Photographs of "Sully" after running aground on the Canot recif in the Bay of Along 7th February 1905." in French and in fine black ink script. Recto: * and “M. le Commissaire of “Sully” who, when the vessel was lost, saved the ships' papers and had many tales to tell to his in-laws, living in Carpentras!” 4.3cm x 7cm Matt gelatin print |
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Catalogue number 118053 H.M.S. Raleigh aground, 1922 H.M.S. Raleigh ran aground at Point Amour/L’Anse Amour whilst sailing in very thick fog through the Straits of Belle Isle, Newfoundland on 8th August 1922. With a strong wind pushing her stern round she became firmly embedded on the rocks and eventually became a total loss. H.M.S. Raleigh had been in service for just over one year and had cost over 2 million pounds. Another Hawkins-class cruiser, H.M.S. Effingham came to a similar fate when she struck a charted rock during the 1940 Norwegian campaign - the navigator’s pencilled track went over and hid the marked rock on the navigation chart. Unable to be refloated , she was destroyed by gunfire and torpedoes. H.M.S. Vindictive was the third Hawkins -class cruiser to run aground - on a shoal in the Baltic Sea, 1919 - and was almost lost. After lightening the ship by removing fuel, ammunition and stores, the intervention of an favourable westerly wind raised the level of the sea just enough for Vindictive to be pulled off. Note the sounding boom still out off the starboard side. 8.2cm x 12.9cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 119013 H.M.S. H-41 leaving Blyth September 1919 H-41 was one of the numerous H-class submarines built during and just after the First World War. The design was strongly influenced by the H-class submarines of the U.S. Navy and engines, main motors and major fittings for several of the earlier boats came from the U.S.A. The second group of H-class submarines had four bow torpedo tubes and carried an outfit of six to eight 21-inch torpedoes. H-41 is shown here leaving the the submarine base in Blyth harbour late 1919. 13cm x 8cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 119012 Stern view of H.M.S. H-41 about to go into the open sea This and the preceding photograph were taken in September 1919 just prior to the accident in which H-41 sank. The officers are on the bridge and the casing crew are still on deck. Small submarines (52.4m oa), they could make 11.5 kts on the surface and 10.5 kts submerged. 12.8cm x 8cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 119011 H.M.S. Vulcan alongside at Blyth with two submarines The twin-screw submarine depot ship H.M.S. Vulcan was tied up alongside in the dock basin at Blyth following repairs to her main engines. Slow speed main engine trials were organized for the morning of 18th October and at the time, as is the case in this photograph for submarines H-26 and H-29, three submarines were on the aft trot with H-41 being on the inside. As the trial began, the aft part of H-41 was drawn by suction in the shallow water onto the port screw. The propeller blades cut through the casing and opened the pressure hull letting in the sea at the level of the main motors. 12.9cm x 7.8cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 119013 Salvaging of H-41 by a series of lifts The submarine sank by the stern but was held up forward by the mooring wires which eventually gave way and the remaining wire sling was eased off to let the submarine sink and rest upright on the bottom. With H.M.S. Vulcan moved out of the way, high tides over the next few days enabled the submarine to be lifted, in stages, and taken up river for pumping out and temporary repairs in shallow water. Here we can see H-41 after one of the lifts, probably on 8th November. 8.5cm x 6cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 119013 H-41 pumped out and refloated The hole in the hull has been temporarily plugged and the submarine pumped out. With a heavy tow from a tug and a light line from the stern of the harbour paddle tug, H-41 leaves Blyth. 12.3cm x 6.6cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 119013 H-41 under tow The paddle tug prepares to drop the tow as the tug and its tow go out into the open sea. H-41 was taken to the Tyne for repairs but was eventually sold off. 12.3cm x 7cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 119013 Damage to the conning tower The periscopes and radio mast were bent over when the submarine sank and perhaps we can see part of the damage to the pressure hull just aft of the conning tower. 12.8cm x 6.3cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 119013 Pumps on board H-41 The suction pipes are still in place over the engine room hatch and it looks like there is a small pump on deck. 13cm x 6.8cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 119014 Lieutenant-Commander N.R. Peploe, commander H-41 Lieutenant-Commander N.R. Peploe was commanding H-41 when she came to grief. This photograph was taken at Blyth in 1919. As a Lieutenant on the submarine E-17, Peploe spent the war in internement in the Netherlands when E-17 went aground in Dutch waters. On E-17, Peploe was one of the two lieutenants, the other being Lt C.V. Groves RNR, with Lieutenant-Commander J. R. G. Moncrieffe as commander and 24 crew. The submarine was badly damaged on an uncharted bank off Texel on 6th January 1916. After signalling for assistance, the officers and men were taken off by the Dutch cruiser Noord Brabant and interned initially in Den Helder then at Groningen where they joined other Royal Navy internees. Recto: "N.R. PEPLOE." in white ink 7.5cm x 12.6cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 116078 U.S.S. Memphis aground, 1916. U.S.S. Memphis was at anchor in the harbour of Santo Domingo, August 1916 when she was hit and cast ashore by a 100-foot tsunami. She had a displacement of 14,500 tons and was probably the only ship of such a size to have been thrown ashore by a tsunami. She was a total loss. Verso: "Another view showing the crew leaving the ship after court of inquiry was over." in black ink. 12.8cm x 8.1cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 114008 H.M.S. Hawke in collision with R.M.S. Olympic, 1911. H.M.S. Hawke was an Edgar class cruiser launched in 1891 and on 20th September 1911 was involved in an accident with the recently launched White Star liner R.M.S. Olympic. Olympic was the largest liner in the world at the time displacing 52,067 tons. In the shallow waters of the Solent, it was suggested that during a turn to starboard, the large amount of water displaced forward by the liner had generated a phenomenon of suction behind. With Hawke overhauling Olympic whilst on a parallel course, this suction may have drawn H.M.S. Hawke on to Olympic causing it to ram the hull on the starboard quarter. Here we can see the flattened bow of Hawke with one of the Portsmouth naval paddle tugs alongside. 13.2cm x 8.3cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 103098 U.S.S. S51 rammed, 1925. This photograph shows the American submarine U.S.S. S51 after being raised and in the dry dock of the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Whilst running on the surface on the night of 25th September 1925 off the coast near Block Island, S51 was rammed by the merchant ship City of Rome just forward of the conning tower. The submarine sank quickly and only three men survived. The damage to the hull can be seen at the level of the deck gun and the large cylinders are the pontoons used to raise the vessel. The damage to the bow is probably from when the submarine hit the sea floor. 13.8cm x 8cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 114118 The H.M.S. Truculent disaster, 1950. H.M.S. Truculent was a T class submarine that survived a wartime service in the Pacific Far East but came to grief on the night of 12th January 1950 when hit by the Swedish oil tanker Divina. This photograph taken on 13th January shows the marker buoy released by the submarine when it sank. Behind the buoy is a launch with a diver preparing to go down to the wreck in the Thames estuary. Legend: "Truculent: “All hope abandoned,” say Admiralty. Sheerness: All hope of rescuing the 58 men trapped in the submarine Truculent, which sank after a collision with the Swedish tanker Davina, has been abandoned. This news was contained in an announcement made by the Admiralty, to-day (Friday). There are 15 survivors. Photo shows:- A close-up of the marker buoy sent up by the submarine and indicating where the wreck lies. In the background a diver is seen about to make a descent in an effort to reach the trapped men. January 13th, 1950" 11.9cm x 9.2cm Cellulose negative |
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Catalogue number 114117 The H.M.S. Truculent disaster, 1950. This photograph of 13th January shows another diver going down to the submarine whilst the pumps are manned. Immediately after the accident most of the crew escaped from the submarine using the escape trunk but they were swept away by the fast flowing tide and many bodies were found on the mud flats down river, there were only 15 survivors. Legend: “Truculent “No Hope”, says Admiralty. Sheerness, Eng; All hope of rescuing the 58 men trapped in the submarine Truculent which sank after collision with the Swedish tanker Divina, has been abandoned. This news was contained in an announcement made by the Admiralty to-day (Fri). There are 15 survivors. Photo shows:- The scene of the wreck, showing the pumps being manned aboard one of the rescue ships as a diver descends. Jan 13th, 1950” 11.9cm x 9.2cm Cellulose negative |
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Catalogue number 113005 Ditching in the Pacific Ocean, 1944. This Boeing B-29 Superfortress has ditched in the Pacific Ocean after a bombing raid over Nagoya. The crew have left the aircraft and are waving to a patrol plane that has found them. We can presume that the ditching is recent because the B-29 is still afloat. Bombing raids were accompanied by patrol aircraft both on the way out and on returning in case accidents occured (see the topic "Airborne Lifeboats"). Verso: “Crashed B-29 attackers of Japan wave to patrol plane from rafts. While their huge bomber remains precariously afloat nearby, crew members of a crashed B-29 Superfortress wave to a patrol plane from their life rafts in the Pacific. The patrol plane directed a Navy warship to the rescue of the American flyers, who landed in the sea while returning to their base on Saipan from an attack on airplane factories in Nagoya, Japan's third city. A B-29 attack on Nagoya industrial targets on December 22, 1944, was the third in nine days, indicating an intensification of the U.S. aerial campaign to knock Japan's indistries out of the war.” Credit: Official U.S. Navy photo 15.8cm x 11.8cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 113006 Awaiting rescue, 1944. The black streaks on the fuselage of this Douglas diver bomber suggests that the engine has been damaged and is leaking oil. The crew are preparing to ditch, note the bomb under the fuselage. Verso: “Palau Incident. Washington, D.C......Badly damaged by anti-aircraft fire during the Navy raid on the Jap base at Palau, on March 29, this Douglas dive bomber became unmanageable and crashed into the sea. At top, the plane is flying a level course as the gunner tosses his machine guns overboard while the pilot attempts to jettison the bombs to prevent their exploding or dragging down the ship. Left below, the plane in the water as gunner and pilot clamber out of their cockpits and head for the automatically-inflated life raft. Lower right, the two airmen snuggle in their rubber boat and await rescue by a surface craft of the task force. W.4.27.44” Credit: U.S. Navy photo 23.8cm x 17.6cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 114087 A Sea Fury in the crash barrier. The pilot is out and there is no longer a risk of fire as the deck crew weigh up the state of this Sea Fury that has gone into the crash barrier. Verso: “3/11/53 Sea Fury as asked write Barrow” in light pencil 12.8cm x 7.8cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 107037 Recovery of a Farman Goliath. A heavily damaged Farman Goliath has been brought over to the quay by a floating crane and it will be lifted onto the wharf. The insignia of the head of a Sioux indian – which first appeared in the 1920s - shows that the Goliath was part of the Commission d'Etudes Pratiques d'Aéronautique (C.E.P.A.) based at the naval base of Saint-Raphaël. 12.8cm x 7.9cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 116033 Crashed prototype Hanriot floatplane. This photograph may also have been taken at the Saint-Raphaël base – flat land to the left, steeply rising hills to the right – and it shows a Hanriot Hd17 after a difficult landing. The float tips have been ripped out and the propeller has been destroyed as if the aircraft tipped over on its nose during landing in shallow water – the float tips and the blade hitting the sea bed. The floatplane may have been an experimental aircraft but it has all the characteristics of a Hanriot – vent at the bottom of the engine cowling, round fuselage and the quarter round part of the high tail with “HaD17” written on it. Verso: “A plane that came down just a short time ago. It happens!! Note the stripes of the Petty officer, a man from Brittany!” in French and in black ink 14.1cm x 9cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 105044 A badly damaged Vought from U.S.S. Cincinnati, 1924. There is not much left of this Vought O2U-1 from U.S.S. Cincinnati. The aircraft came down off the coast of Valparaiso in Chile whilst U.S.S. Cincinnati was on a shakedown cruise off South America following commissioning in January 1924. Verso: “Valparaiso Chile 15 2 39” with black ink stamp written "14 Jun 1924 Caras y Caret Archivo" 13.6cm x 6cm gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 22024 Battleship Hoche, 1895 The French battleship Hoche was completed in 1890 with an elaborated superstructure such that she was nicknamed "Le Grand Hôtel". This photograph was taken after a refit during which the secondary armament was reduced to twelve guns and a lighter pole mast fitted aft. Nevertheless, top heavy and with two big 34cm guns fore and aft, even in a calm sea as in this photograph, the ship would pitch such that the foredeck became awash with the consequent flooding below decks. Verso: ""Hoche" at 15 kts (3rd May 1895) in French and in pencil 21.8cm x 14.2cm Photograph |
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Catalogue number 18043 Explosion on the French battleship Iéna, 1907 The battleship Iéna was destroyed by a magazine explosion whilst in dry dock at Toulon. Impure nitrocellulose propellant became unstable and spontaneous combustion in the magazines was the cause of two disasters - Iéna, 1907 and Liberté, 1911. In this photograph, Iéna can be seen on fire behind the battleship Suffren, with, in the foreground, stretcher parties evacuating the dead and injured. 14.1cm x 8.9cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 25048 The loss of the French cruiser Chanzy, 1907 Whilst navigating amongst the numerous islands of the Chusan archipel, South of Shanghai, the French armoured cruiser Chanzy (commissioned 1894)ran agound in fog. The German gunboat SMS Luchs went to assist but the help was declined. Unable to be refloated and with the crew taken off, the ship broke up. 7.5cm x 5.8cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 15019 Training ship Duguay-Trouin,ex-Tonkin, aground 1903 The French ship Duguay-Trouin, ex-Tonkin, had a chequered career. Launched as the hospital ship Tonkin, she was renamed Duguay-Trouin in 1900 and became a training ship, troopship and again a hospital ship. It was during a training cruise that she went aground off Saint Jean de Luz in 1905. We can see the barges port and starboard used to float the ship off the seabed. 8.9cm x 14.2cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 128009 Duguay-Trouin, Saint Jean de Luz Duguay-Trouin alongside at Saint Jean de Luz not far from where she ran aground. 8.8cm x 14cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 111001 A ditched Grumman Avenger, French Aeronavale This French Avenger from the 6F squadron has ditched not too far away from help because someone has had the time to take a photograph. The three crew members are out of the aircraft which is still afloat and one of them seems to be holding something - an inflatable dingy? This squadron was based at Oran and was equipped with Avengers from 1952 to 1959. 17cm x 12.4cm Gelatin silver print |
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Catalogue number 38141 H.M.S. Renown in dry dock, 1935. During a manoeuvre with H.M.S. Hood in January 1935, H.M.S. Renown hit Hood on the port quarter. The consequences of the collision went much further than repairing decking, hull plating and screws. It was a classic case of imprecise and unclear signals from Rear-Admiral Bailey with lack of initiative by Captain Tower on board Hood and ill judgement on behalf of Captain Sawbridge of Renown (sounds a lot like the Camperdown/Victoria collision of June 1893). Coming in the wake of the Invergordon mutiny of September 1931 (in which the crew of Hood took on a less enthusiastic attitude and were reproached for this by the more mutinous crews of the Battle Cruiser Squadron), ill-feeling between the two ships was rife. Following a court martial, Sawbridge was dismissed from the command of his ship but Bailey and Tower were acquitted. Three weeks later, the Admiralty changed the decisions of the court martial, attributing part of the blame to Bailey as he was responsible for the signals that led to the collision, Tower was blamed for not taking avoiding action soon enough and Sawbridge was still considered guilty but his sentence was reduced to a severe reprimand and he resumed command of his ship. The good relationship within the Battle Cruiser Squadron, so carefully built-up by Rear-Admiral James after the mutiny, was destroyed. Rear-Admiral James has suggested that Bailey did not like Sawbridge and the collision and ensuing attribution of blame enhanced this animosity which spread to the officers and men of the two ships. Verso: "A collision between the Renown and the Hood. H.M.S. Renown, which was heavily damaged in a collision with H.M.S. Hood, is in dry dock at Portsmouth where the necessary repairs will be made. Several officers were brought before a court martial." in French. 12.2cm x 16.2cm Gelatin silver print |
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| Catalogue number 107037 |