HMS ''Blackcock'' was a

tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, su ...

which was operated by the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. While on a mission it ran aground near Tsypnavolok,

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

, on 18 January 1918. It had to be abandoned and it was later thought to have been crushed by ice.

History

The ship was built in 1885 by famed shipbuilders Laird Brothers Ltd of

Birkenhead Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...

and delivered to the Liverpool company Liverpool Screw Towing & Lighterage Co Ltd. At the outbreak of World War I the ship was hired by the British Royal Navy on 11 August 1914 and was later purchased outright on 4 November 1915. In 1915 the ''Blackcock'' along with five other tugboats (Liverpool's ''Sarah Joliffe'' and ''T. A. Joliffe'', and ''Danube II'', ''Southampton'' and ''Revenger'' from the Thames fleet) were ordered to tow the naval

monitor Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, West ...

s and from the UK to the

Rufiji River The Rufiji River lies entirely within Tanzania. It is also the largest and longest river in the country. The river is formed by the confluence of the Kilombero and Luwegu rivers. It is approximately long, with its source in southwestern Tanzania ...

delta in

German East Africa German East Africa (GEA; german: Deutsch-Ostafrika) was a German colony in the African Great Lakes region, which included present-day Burundi, Rwanda, the Tanzania mainland, and the Kionga Triangle, a small region later incorporated into Mozam ...

. There the two warships assisted in the destruction of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

light cruiser A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to thi ...

. Though lightly armed, the tugs were ready to assist. They were not called upon, but according to Commander in Chief, Vice-Admiral Herbert King-Hall, the example the tugs "set was most praiseworthy." On 17 January 1918 the ship, commanded by Lieutenant Robert Weir, set off on a mission to deliver supplies and passengers from Vardø, Norway to

Murmansk Murmansk (Russian: ''Мурманск'' lit. "Norwegian coast"; Finnish: ''Murmansk'', sometimes ''Muurmanski'', previously ''Muurmanni''; Norwegian: ''Norskekysten;'' Northern Sámi: ''Murmánska;'' Kildin Sámi: ''Мурман ланнҍ'') i ...

, Russia. The next morning at 07:45 on 18 January 1918 the ship ran aground and started to take on water. Lifeboats were dropped and all the passengers and some of the crew were taken to the shore. They walked along the shore through very difficult weather until they reached the community of Tsypnavolok. At the town a rescue party made up of dog sleds returned to the tug and got the rest of the crew. There were no deaths but some of the crew and passengers suffered frostbite. The tug was abandoned and later believed to have been crushed in the ice and lost.

Annotations

Bibliography

Notes References * * * * * * - Total pages: 336 {{DEFAULTSORT:Blackcock Tugboats of the Royal Navy Ships built at Laird & Son Co, Birkenhead 1885 ships Tugboats of the United Kingdom World War I Tugboats of the United Kingdom Shipwrecks in the Barents Sea Royal Navy ship names Maritime incidents in 1918