HMS ''Titania'' (

pennant number In the Royal Navy and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth of Nations, ships are identified by pennant number (an internationalisation of ''pendant number'', which it was called before 1948). Historically, naval ships flew a flag that iden ...

F32) was a

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 ...

submarine depot ship. Most of those that saw service in the

First World War 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 ...

were scrapped in the 1930s. ''Titania'', however, saw service in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. She was scrapped at Faslane,

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, in September 1949.

History

Construction

''Titania'' was built in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Scotland, by the Clyde Shipbuilding Co. (Glasgow, Scotland) originally as a

merchant ship A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are u ...

ordered by Royal Hungarian Sea Navigation Company "Adria" as ''Károly Ferencz József''. She was launched in March 1915 and commissioned by the

as a submarine depot ship in November 1915.

1915–1919: 11th Submarine Flotilla, Blyth

When she was first commissioned, in November 1915, she was stationed at Blyth and under the command of Captain Stanley L. Willis. In December 1915, the Eleventh Flotilla became the first directly supporting the submarines of the

Grand Fleet The Grand Fleet was the main battlefleet of the Royal Navy during the First World War. It was established in August 1914 and disbanded in April 1919. Its main base was Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands. History Formed in August 1914 from the ...

. The flotilla was formed at first from submarines and taken from the Eighth Flotilla and HMS ''Titania'' as their depot ship. During the period in which ''Titania'' was the depot ship of the 11th Submarine Flotilla, other ships shared the role at various times, including , , , and . Other submarines of the G and J classes joined the flotilla and the D-class submarines were removed. An account of life on the ship is to be found in Hawthorne (1980). On 3 June 1916, following the

Battle of Jutland The Battle of Jutland (german: Skagerrakschlacht, the Battle of the Skagerrak) was a naval battle fought between Britain's Royal Navy Grand Fleet, under Admiral John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, Sir John Jellicoe, and the Imperial German Navy ...

, HMS ''Titania'' instructed submarine to locate and sink floating remains of the battlecruiser which had been abandoned during the battle to prevent the capture of materials. No remains were found. On 28 October 1918, Captain Frederick Avenel Sommerville was put in command of HMS ''Titania'' and made Commander (S) of the 11th Submarine Flotilla based at Blyth. The Eleventh Flotilla was disbanded in March 1919.

1919–1929: 4th Submarine Flotilla, China

Establishment of the 4th Flotilla

On 1 October 1919, HMS ''Titania'' and were the two ships commissioned at

Chatham Chatham may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Chatham Islands (British Columbia) * Chatham Sound, British Columbia * Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi * Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...

as depot ships for the 4th Submarine Flotilla, China. At that time, another depot ship was already in service at

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

, HMS ''Rosario''. ''Rosario'' had been converted to a depot ship in 1910 and was serving in Hong Kong as the depot ship for the Hong Kong Submarine Flotilla, which consisted of three C-class submarines, , and . These three submarines were built by

Vickers Vickers was a British engineering company that existed from 1828 until 1999. It was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by Edward Vickers and his father-in-law, and soon became famous for casting church bells. The company went public in 18 ...

, Barrow, commissioned on 1 February 1910 and sailed with HMS ''Rosario'' to Hong Kong in February 1911. They were all sold in Hong Kong on 25 June 1919. HMS ''Rosario'' was sold for scrap in Hong Kong on 11 December 1921.

Submarines of the 4th Flotilla

The submarines of the 4th Flotilla that accompanied HMS ''Titania'' and HMS ''Ambrose'' were all of the L class. Seven submarines accompanied HMS ''Titania'' on the voyage to Hong Kong. Submarines mentioned in the Ship's Log are , , , , , and . sank in Hong Kong harbour on 18 August 1923 during a typhoon. She was raised, refitted and put back into service. She was sold in Hong Kong on 30 June 1927, the first L-class boat to be sold.

Voyage to Hong Kong

HMS ''Ambrose'', under the command of

Cecil Ponsonby Talbot Vice Admiral Sir Cecil Ponsonby Talbot KCB KBE DSO & Bar (31 August 1884 – 17 March 1970) was a senior Royal Navy officer. Naval career Born on 31 August 1884 and educated at Bedford School, Talbot served in the Royal Navy during the Firs ...

, left Devonport in October 1919 and sailed with six L-class submarines of the 4th Submarine Flotilla (''L1'', ''L3'', ''L4'', ''L7'', ''L9'' and ''L15'') to Hong Kong, where she remained until 28 March 1928. The exact timing of ''Ambrose'' voyage to

is not known. It appears that her arrival in Hong Kong was in January 1920. After commissioning HMS ''Titania'' sailed to

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. The Ship's Log shows that she left

on 9 October 1919 and sailed via

Sheerness Sheerness () is a town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 11,938, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby town ...

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

, arriving there on 14 October 1919. On 29 October she set sail for Malta, sailing via

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

, where she stayed from 3 to 8 November 1919, arriving in Malta on 12 November. On 18 February 1920 she and the remaining part of the 4th Submarine Flotilla, consisting of seven L-class submarines (''L2'', ''L5'', ''L6'', ''L8'', ''L19'', ''L20'' and ''L33''), under the command of Captain Frederick A. Sommerville, set sail for Hong Kong via

Port Said Port Said ( ar, بورسعيد, Būrsaʿīd, ; grc, Πηλούσιον, Pēlousion) is a city that lies in northeast Egypt extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal. With an approximate population of 6 ...

Suez Suez ( ar, السويس '; ) is a seaport city (population of about 750,000 ) in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez (a branch of the Red Sea), near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same boun ...

Ismailia Ismailia ( ar, الإسماعيلية ', ) is a city in north-eastern Egypt. Situated on the west bank of the Suez Canal, it is the capital of the Ismailia Governorate. The city has a population of 1,406,699 (or approximately 750,000, includi ...

Aden Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 people. ...

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...

and

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

. She arrived in Hong Kong on 14 April 1920. The ship's log records that HMS ''Titania'' weighed anchor and secured to Storm Signal Buoy at 10.17 a.m. on 14 April 1920. Gap Rock Light referred to in the Log is in the

Wanshan Archipelago Wanshan may refer to: *Wanshan Archipelago, in Guangdong, China *Wanshan District, in Guizhou, China * Wanshan Special Vehicle Wanshan Special Vehicle, officially Hubei Sanjiang Space Wanshan Special Vehicle Co., Ltd (Ch:湖北三江航天万山特 ...

, to the south of

Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island is an Islands and peninsulas of Hong Kong, island in the southern part of Hong Kong. Known colloquially and on road signs simply as Hong Kong, the island has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km ...

. The reference to Waglan Light shows that she entered Hong Kong Harbour from the east through

Tathong Channel Tathong Channel (), also known as Nam Tong Hoi Hap (, originally ), refers to the eastern sea waters in Hong Kong leading into Victoria Harbour through Lei Yue Mun Lei Yue Mun is a short channel in Hong Kong. It lies between Junk Bay and Vi ...

and passed by the fishing village of Lye Mun (Lei Yue Mun) in Kowloon before docking. The exact location of Storm Signal Buoy is uncertain. It is likely to have been in the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...

area of Hong Kong Island, at the shore station .

In Hong Kong

''Titania'' fielded a football team in the

Hong Kong Second Division League Hong Kong Second Division League () is the third level of football league in Hong Kong founded in 1909. The top two teams are promoted to the Hong Kong First Division. Competition format * Each team plays the other teams twice, one home and o ...

and the team won the championship in the 1921/22 and 1923/24 seasons.

Service in Hong Kong

In her service life she made a number of voyages in the Far East. Between 1920 and 1926 she sailed several times on voyages from Hong Kong to destinations around the Far East. She was recommissioned at Hong Kong in 1921, 9 February 1924 and 5 November 1926. The Ship's Log for the period 1919 to 1924 shows that ''Titania'' was based at Hong Kong on many occasions. When away from Hong Kong the destinations were mostly along the Chinese coast,

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

, Wei Hai Wei,

Tsingtau Qingdao (, also spelled Tsingtao; , Mandarin: ) is a major city in eastern Shandong Province. The city's name in Chinese characters literally means " azure island". Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, it is a major nodal city of the One Belt ...

, and other destinations round the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...

and Malaya. * 15 April 1920 to 24 June 1920 – stationed in Hong Kong

Return to Britain

At the end of her service in Hong Kong, she returned to the UK via Malta. HMS ''Ambrose'' had already left Hong Kong on 28 March 1928 and returned to England. A report in the ''Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser'' on 27 July 1929 notes that HMS ''Medway'' is undergoing trials. A report in the ''Straits Times'' on 3 October 1929 mentions HMS ''Titania'' and . It appears that ''Marazion'' was serving with the 4th Flotilla, filling the void left by the departure of HMS ''Ambrose''. Note: submarines L23 and L27, mentioned in the article, were not present when ''Ambrose'' and ''Titania'' sailed to Hong Kong in 1920. It is not known when they arrived in Hong Kong. A newspaper report in the ''Straits Times'' on 11 February 1930 notes the arrival of ''Titania'' back in England. It read as follows: The submarines that sailed to

in 1920 were ''L1'' to ''L9'', ''L15'', ''L19'', ''L20'', and ''L33'', a total of 13 submarines. ''L9'' was sold for scrap in Hong Kong. HMS ''Ambrose'' returned to England with ''L1'', ''L2'', ''L4'', ''L5'', ''L7'' and ''L8''. HMS ''Titania'' returned to England with six submarines, four of them from the those that sailed with her in 1920 and two more, ''L23'' and ''L27''. The six that sailed in 1920 were ''L3'', ''L6'', ''L15'', ''L19'', ''L20'' and ''L33''. It is not clear which ones did not return to England with ''Titania''.

1930–1940: 6th Submarine Flotilla, Portland/Blyth

On 1 October 1930 she was commissioned at

for the 6th Submarine Flotilla based at Weymouth/Portland. In 1935 she was temporarily with the 3rd Flotilla, Atlantic Fleet. On 16 July 1935 she was the Flagship of the Flag Officer Commanding Submarines at the Silver Jubilee Review at Spithead. In 1936 she was attached to the 6th Flotilla, Portland. On 20 May 1937 she took part in the

Coronation Review A fleet review or naval review is an event where a gathering of ships from a particular navy is paraded and reviewed by an incumbent head of state and/or other official civilian and military dignitaries. A number of national navies continue to ...

at Spithead as the Flag Officer Submarines' Flagship. In 1939 she was based at Blyth with the 6th Flotilla.

1940–1945: Holy Loch

In 1940 HMS Titania was refitted on the Tyne and transferred to

Holy Loch The Holy Loch ( gd, An Loch Sianta/Seunta) is a sea loch, a part of the Cowal peninsula coast of the Firth of Clyde, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The "Holy Loch" name is believed to date from the 6th century, when Saint Munn landed there afte ...

for the remainder of the war. She was adopted by the people of

Dorking Dorking () is a market town in Surrey in South East England, about south of London. It is in Mole Valley District and the council headquarters are to the east of the centre. The High Street runs roughly east–west, parallel to the Pipp Br ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

during the March 1942

Warship Week Warship Weeks were British National savings campaigns during the Second World War, with the aim of a Royal Navy warship being adopted by a civil community. During the early parts of the war, the Royal Navy not only had lost many capital ships but ...

. On 6 May 1942, (Lt. R. E. Boddington), (Lt. J. Whitton, RN), and (Lt. Denis John Beckley conducted practice attacks on a convoy made up of the submarine tenders (Capt. Roderick Latimer Mackenzie Edwards)) HMS ''Titania'' (Cdr. Harold Robson Conway) and their escort (Capt. (Retd.) A. E. Johnston), (Lt. Cdr. George William Dobson, RNR) and HMS ''Boarhound'' (formerly HMS ''Terje'' 2 (FY315), renamed on 19 January 1941; Skr. Sidney George Jinks, RNR). In 1943 she served as a depot ship in sea trials of the

Welman The Welman submarine was a Second World War one-man British midget submarine developed by the Special Operations Executive. It only saw action once and was not particularly successful. Design Designed by the Commanding Officer of SOE's Inter S ...

mini-submarine.

1945–1949: 5th Submarine Flotilla, Portsmouth

In 1945 she was transferred to Portsmouth Naval Base to serve as a depot hulk for the 5th Flotilla.

Disposal

In June 1949 she was broken up at Faslane.

Personnel

Officers

* Cdr.

Bill King Wilbur "Bill" King (October 6, 1927 – October 18, 2005) was an American sports announcer. In 2016, the National Baseball Hall of Fame named King recipient of the 2017 Ford C. Frick Award, the highest honor for American baseball broadcasters. ...

spent a few months on HMS ''Titania'' in 1936 before he took command of the submarine HMS ''Snapper''.

References

External links

* {{Commons category-inline, HMS Titania (ship, 1915), HMS Titania
Naval-History.net - Photograph of HMS ''Titania'' with submarine alongside

Gwulo Hong Kong history website

Dreadnought Project website

Dreadnought Project website, China Submarine Flotilla

HMS ''Titania'' , Hebridean Connections

* Imperial War Museum Titania Titania Titania Titania Titania Titania