Search for content in message boards

Sinking of USS Tampa

Sinking of USS Tampa

Posted: 28 Apr 2015 6:59PM GMT
Classification: Query
Surnames: Welch
I live in England, and have found a British relative, Stoker Harry Elvin Welch, who was lost when USS Tampa was sunk in 1918. His name is on a memorial in Chatham. But can anyone tell me why British seamen were aboard a US ship? According to Wikipedia, 11 British seamen went down with the ship. Was it anything to do with the ship being in British waters when sunk? Harry Welch was actually attached to HMS Pembroke. Many thanks for any info anyone can supply.

Re: Sinking of USS Tampa

Posted: 29 Apr 2015 3:22AM GMT
Classification: Query
Edited: 29 Apr 2015 4:24AM GMT
At that time H.M.S. Pembroke I wasn't an actual ship, it was a Royal Naval shore base, in this case a barracks and gunnery school, at Chatham in Kent.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drill_Hall_Library#History_of_H...

Apparently the Royal Navy men and five civilians were being carried as passengers, the USS Tampa was heading for port in Milford Haven when she was sunk.

She had just left an inbound convoy which she had been escorting to Britain, my guess is that the Royal navy sailors might have been signallers or D.A.M.S. gunners, i.e. they were manning the defensive guns on board the merchant ships and were no longer needed on board those ships once the voyage was complete.

D.A.M.S. gunners were administratively posted to i.e. were on the strength of a shore establishment which dealt with their admin and their postings to the various convoys and merchant ships that they were required to serve on.

Your relative was a stoker and he was attached to HMS Pembroke II which was the Royal Naval Air Station at Eastchurch, at Sheppey in Kent.
per page

Find a board about a specific topic