HMT ''Aragon'', originally RMS ''Aragon'', was a
[ transatlantic ]Royal Mail Ship
Royal Mail Ship (sometimes Steam-ship or Steamer), usually seen in its abbreviated form RMS, is the ship prefix used for seagoing vessels that carry mail under contract to the British Royal Mail. The designation dates back to 1840. Any vessel de ...
that served as a troop ship in the First World War. She was built in Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
, Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
in 1905 and was the first of the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company
The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company was a British shipping company founded in London in 1839 by a Scot, James MacQueen. The line's motto was ''Per Mare Ubique'' (everywhere by sea). After a troubled start, it became the largest shipping group ...
's fleet of "A-liners" that worked regular routes between Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
and South American ports including Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
.[
In 1913 ''Aragon'' became Britain's first defensively armed merchant ship ("DAMS") of modern times. 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 ...
she served as a troop ship, taking part in the Gallipoli Campaign in 1915. In 1917, a German submarine sank her in the Mediterranean, killing 610 of the personnel aboard.
Building
Owen Philipps became chairman of RMSP in 1903 and quickly addressed the company's need for larger ships on its South America route. RMSP ordered ''Aragon'' from Harland and Wolff
Harland & Wolff is a British shipbuilding company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It specialises in ship repair, shipbuilding and offshore construction. Harland & Wolff is famous for having built the majority of the ocean liners for the W ...
, who built her on slip number 7 of its South Yard in Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
. The Countess Fitzwilliam[ launched her on 23 February 1905.][ Harland and Wolff completed the ship on 22 June.]
Philipps had discussed with Charles Parsons the possibility of steam turbine
A steam turbine is a machine that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam and uses it to do mechanical work on a rotating output shaft. Its modern manifestation was invented by Charles Parsons in 1884. Fabrication of a modern steam turbin ...
propulsion, which had been demonstrated by the steam launch ''Turbinia
''Turbinia'' was the first steam turbine-powered steamship. Built as an experimental vessel in 1894, and easily the fastest ship in the world at that time, ''Turbinia'' was demonstrated dramatically at the Spithead Navy Review in 1897 and set ...
'' in 1894. The first turbine-powered passenger ship, , had entered service on the Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde is the mouth of the River Clyde. It is located on the west coast of Scotland and constitutes the deepest coastal waters in the British Isles (it is 164 metres deep at its deepest). The firth is sheltered from the Atlantic ...
in 1901 but Philipps decided that another year of evaluation was needed to establish if and how to apply the new form of steam power to commercial ships.
Accordingly, ''Aragon'' was built with a pair of conventional quadruple-expansion steam engines.[ Their combined power is variously quoted as 762,][ 827][ or 875][ ]NHP
Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are the ...
. They drove twin screws[ that gave her a speed of .][
''Aragon'' had a single large funnel amidships.][ She had 12 ]lifeboats
Lifeboat may refer to:
Rescue vessels
* Lifeboat (shipboard), a small craft aboard a ship to allow for emergency escape
* Lifeboat (rescue), a boat designed for sea rescues
* Airborne lifeboat, an air-dropped boat used to save downed airmen
A ...
on her boat deck plus a dinghy
A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or towed by a larger vessel for use as a tender. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor. Some are rigged for sailing but they differ from sailing dinghies, which ...
and a gig
Gig or GIG may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Gig'' (Circle Jerks album) (1992)
* ''Gig'' (Northern Pikes album) (1993)
* ''The Gig'', a 1985 film written and directed by Frank D. Gilroy
* GIG, a character in ''Hot Wheels AcceleRacers'' ...
aft. Her first class dining saloon had a panelled ceiling inlaid with paintings of Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
* lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo
* es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón
* pt, Cristóvão Colombo
* ca, Cristòfor (or )
* la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
discovering the Americas.
''Aragon'' had five cargo holds, some of which were refrigerated to carry meat and fruit from South America. Number 5 hold and the lower levels of numbers 1 and 2 holds were for frozen cargos. The 'tween decks of numbers 1 and 2 holds and upper 'tween deck of number 5 hold were for chilled cargos. A steam-powered refrigerating plant used "carbonic anhydride Carbonic anhydride may refer to:
* Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide ( chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at roo ...
" as the refrigerant, and the holds were insulated with " silicate cotton". Her bunkers held 2,000 tons of coal and she had water tanks with a capacity of about 2,000 tons.
RMSP registered ''Aragon'' at Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
. Her UK official number
Official numbers are ship identifier numbers assigned to merchant ships by their flag state, country of registration. Each country developed its own official numbering system, some on a national and some on a port-by-port basis, and the formats hav ...
was 120707 and her code letters
Code letters or ship's call sign (or callsign) Mtide Taurus - IMO 7626853"> SHIPSPOTTING.COM >> Mtide Taurus - IMO 7626853/ref> were a method of identifying ships before the introduction of modern navigation aids and today also. Later, with the i ...
were HCST.
A-series development
''Aragon'' was followed by series of generally similar but progressively larger and heavier liners.[ In 1906 Harland and Wolff built sister ships and ''Avon'', while another Belfast shipyard, ]Workman, Clark and Company
Workman, Clark and Company was a shipbuilding company based in Belfast.
History
The business was established by Frank Workman and George Clark in Belfast in 1879 and incorporated Workman, Clark and Company Limited in 1880. By 1895 it was the UK ...
, built ''Araguaya''. Harland and Wolff added a fifth sister ship, , in 1908. RMSP gave each of this series a name beginning with "A", with the result that colloquially they were dubbed the "A-series"[ or "A-liners".
A few years later the final four A-series ships followed from Harland and Wolff: ''Arlanza'' in 1912, ''Andes'' and in 1913 and ''Almanzora'' in 1915.][ Apart from being larger again, they differed from ''Aragon'' and her first four sisters by having three screws instead of two, and by making limited use of the turbine propulsion that Phillips and Parsons had discussed a few years earlier. Their two outer screws were driven by conventional triple-expansion steam engines. A low-pressure steam turbine drove the middle screw ''via'' reduction gearing.
]
Civilian service
From the 1850s RMSP passenger liners had served a regular route between Britain and the River Plate ports in South America. They sailed from Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
in southern England, called at the islands of Madeira
)
, anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira")
, song_type = Regional anthem
, image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg
, map_alt=Location of Madeira
, map_caption=Location of Madeira
, subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...
and Tenerife
Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...
off the West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...
n coast; at Pernambuco
Pernambuco () is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.6 million people as of 2020, making it seventh-most populous state of Brazil and with around 98,148 km², being the 19 ...
, Salvador de Bahia
Salvador (English: ''Savior'') is a Brazilian municipality and capital city of the state of Bahia. Situated in the Zona da Mata in the Northeast Region of Brazil, Salvador is recognized throughout the country and internationally for its cuisine ...
and Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
on the coast of Brazil; and then at Montevideo
Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
in Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
before completing their voyage at Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
in Argentina.[ ''Aragon'' and her sisters modernised RMSP's Southampton – River Plate service,][ replacing vessels such as RMS ''Atranto'' that had been in service from 1889 onwards.][
The A-series ships hugely increased the profitability of the route. In 1906 she made four voyages to and from South America and netted a total profit of £45,368. In 1908 she ran aground off the ]Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...
, but that aside her civilian service was generally uneventful.
By 1913 ''Aragon'' was equipped for wireless telegraphy
Wireless telegraphy or radiotelegraphy is transmission of text messages by radio waves, analogous to electrical telegraphy using cables. Before about 1910, the term ''wireless telegraphy'' was also used for other experimental technologies for ...
, operating on the 300 and 600 metre wavelengths. Her call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assigne ...
was MBN.
Defensively armed merchant ship
From the turn of the 20th century, growing tensions between Europe's Great Powers
A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power in ...
included an Anglo-German naval arms race
The arms race between Great Britain and Germany that occurred from the last decade of the nineteenth century until the advent of World War I in 1914 was one of the intertwined causes of that conflict. While based in a bilateral relationship that ...
that threatened the security of merchant shipping. From 1911 the British Intelligence became aware that the German Empire
The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
was secretly arming some of its passenger liners, and the UK Government and British Admiralty
The Admiralty was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy until 1964, historically under its titular head, the Lord High Admiral – one of the Great Officers of State. For much of it ...
discussed how to respond.
Towards the end of 1912 the Admiralty decided to match the German policy by arming some British passenger liners, starting with RMS ''Aragon''. She was due to carry naval guns from December 1912, but within the British Government and Admiralty there was uncertainty as to how foreign countries and ports would react. In January 1913 Rear Admiral Henry Campbell recommended that the Admiralty should send a merchant ship to sea with naval guns, but without ammunition, to test foreign governments' reaction. A meeting chaired by Sir Francis Hopwood, Civil Lord of the Admiralty
The Civil Lord of the Admiralty formally known as the Office of the Civil Lord of Admiralty also referred to as the Department of the Civil Lord of the Admiralty was a member of the Board of Admiralty who was responsible for managing the Royal N ...
agreed, and Sir Eyre Crowe
Sir Eyre Alexander Barby Wichart Crowe (30 July 1864 – 28 April 1925) was a British diplomat, an expert on Germany in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He is best known for his vehement warning, in 1907, that Germany's expansionism was mot ...
recorded ''"If nothing happens, it may be possible and easy, after a time, to place ammunition on board."''
On 25 April 1913 ''Aragon'' left Southampton as Britain's first defensively armed merchant ship (DAMS), carrying two QF naval guns on her stern.[ Governments, newspapers and the public in South American countries that ''Aragon'' visited took little notice and expressed no concern.][ There was criticism from some serving and retired naval figures in Britain but the policy continued. ''Aragon''s sister ship RMS ''Amazon'' was made the next DAMS, and in the following months further RMSP "A-liners" were armed.][ They included the newly built , which in the First World War served as an ]armed merchant cruiser
An armed merchantman is a merchant ship equipped with guns, usually for defensive purposes, either by design or after the fact. In the days of sail, piracy and privateers, many merchantmen would be routinely armed, especially those engaging in lo ...
.
Gallipoli
During the First World War the ship was requisitioned as a troop ship
A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable land troops directly on shore, typicall ...
and became HMT ''Aragon''. She took part in the Gallipoli Campaign, in which one source states that she began by taking the 5th Battalion, the Hampshire Regiment
The Hampshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot and the 67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot. The regi ...
and Royal Army Medical Corps
The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...
units to the campaign in March 1915. As the landings were not until 25 April, this may refer to troops moving from the UK to the Eastern Mediterranean in preparation for the landings. Her duties included evacuating nearly 1,500 wounded personnel to Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
and Malta.[
On 8 April ''Aragon'' was in Alexandria where she embarked the 4th Battalion, the ]Worcestershire Regiment
The Worcestershire Regiment was a line infantry regiment in the British Army, formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot and the 36th (Herefordshire) Regiment of Foot. The regimen ...
and the 2nd Battalion, the Hampshire Regiment. Both battalions were units of the 88th Brigade, which as part of the 29th Division had been ordered to take part in the Gallipoli Landings.[
On 11 April she left Alexandria for the Aegean island of ]Lemnos
Lemnos or Limnos ( el, Λήμνος; grc, Λῆμνος) is a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Lemnos regional unit, which is part of the North Aegean region. The p ...
, where French and British ships were assembling in the large natural harbour of Moudros
Moudros ( el, Μούδρος) is a town and a former municipality on the island of Lemnos, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lemnos
Lemnos or Limnos ( el, Λήμνος; grc, Λῆμν ...
in final preparation for the landings.[ On 13 April 1915 ''Aragon''s troops transferred to the cargo steamer ][ in preparation for the ]landing at Cape Helles
The landing at Cape Helles ( tr, Seddülbahir Çıkarması) was part of the Gallipoli Campaign the amphibious landings on the Gallipoli peninsula by British and French forces on 25 April 1915 during the First World War. Helles, at the foot o ...
10 days later.
Later in the Gallipoli Campaign a British Forces Post Office
The British Forces Post Office (BFPO) provides a postal service to HM Forces, separate from that provided by Royal Mail in the United Kingdom. BFPO addresses are used for the delivery of mail in the UK and around the world. BFPO moved from its o ...
, Base Army Post Office Y, transferred from , another troop ship, to ''Aragon''. BAPO Y later redeployed from ''Aragon'' to a land base at Moudros.[
The invasion was a costly failure and in January 1916 French and British forces withdrew from the Gallipoli peninsula. On 13 February ''Aragon'' left Moudros for Malta, taking troops on leave including four officers and 270 men of the ]63rd (Royal Naval) Division
The 63rd (Royal Naval) Division was a United Kingdom infantry division of the First World War. It was originally formed as the Royal Naval Division at the outbreak of the war, from Royal Navy and Royal Marine reservists and volunteers, who wer ...
(RND).
On 14 May ''Aragon'' was again at Moudros to withdraw troops; this time including the 1st Battalion the Royal Marines
The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...
and elements of the 2nd (Royal Naval) Brigade
The 2nd (Royal Naval) Brigade was an infantry brigade of the Royal Navy. It was assigned to the 63rd (Royal Naval) Division and served on the Western Front during the First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often ab ...
.[ She reached ]Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
in southern France at 0630 hrs on 19 May.[
Later in 1916 ''Aragon'' served in the ]Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...
. In December 1916 she sailed from Kilindini Harbour
Kilindini Harbour is a large, natural deep-water inlet extending inland from Mombasa, Kenya. It is at its deepest center, although the controlling depth is the outer channel in the port approaches with a dredged depth of . It serves as the harbo ...
in the British East Africa Protectorate
East Africa Protectorate (also known as British East Africa) was an area in the African Great Lakes occupying roughly the same terrain as present-day Kenya from the Indian Ocean inland to the border with Uganda in the west. Controlled by Britai ...
, reaching Durban
Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
on Christmas Day.
Alexandria Roads
Late in 1917 ''Aragon'' spent two weeks at anchor off Marseille before receiving orders in December to sail for Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
.[ She took about 2,200 troops][ to reinforce the ]Egyptian Expeditionary Force
The Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) was a British Empire military formation, formed on 10 March 1916 under the command of General Archibald Murray from the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force and the Force in Egypt (1914–15), at the beginning of ...
in the Palestine Campaign against the Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
, plus about 150 military officers, 160 VADs and about 2,500 bags of Christmas mail.[ She and another transport, the ''Nile'', then sailed in ]convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...
with an escort of destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort
larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...
s[ for Egypt. On 23 December][ they reached Windy Bay, ]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 ...
, where the two transports stayed at anchor for four[ or five] days. There they celebrated Christmas, and according to one VAD those aboard ''Aragon'' had a "top hole" time.[
]
''Aragon'' and ''Nile'' then continued to Egypt with a fresh escort: the plus two Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...
destroyers.[ The convoy weathered a gale,] and off the Egyptian coast at daybreak on Sunday 30 December it divided.[ The two Japanese destroyers escorted ''Nile'' to ]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 ...
, while ''Attack'' escorted ''Aragon'' to Alexandria.[ On approach to the port ''Attack'' zig-zagged ahead to search the channel for mines while ''Aragon'' waited in Alexandria Roads.][
The ]armed trawler
Naval trawlers are vessels built along the lines of a fishing trawler but fitted out for naval purposes; they were widely used during the First and Second World Wars. Some—known in the Royal Navy as "Admiralty trawlers"— were purpose-built to ...
approached ''Aragon'' flying the international flag signal "Follow me". The troop ship did so, until ''Attack'' returned and signalled "You have no right to take orders from a trawler".[ The destroyer intercepted ''Points Castle'' and then ordered ''Aragon'' to return to sea.][ The troop ship obeyed and turned back to sea.][
The most senior of ''Aragon''s officers to survive what followed tried to make sense of the confusion:
]''"The only explanation that the writer can put forward is that the commander of the ''Attack'' had a warning of mines in the channel, causing him to order ''Aragon'' to disregard ''Points Castle''s "Follow me". Evidently the enemy laid mines at the appropriate time in the knowledge that the ship would be kept out and thus present a target for torpedo attack."''
''Aragon'' and ''Attack'' were in Alexandria Roads about [ or outside the port, awaiting permission to enter, when at about 1100 hrs][ the ]German Type UC II submarine
Type UC II minelaying submarines were used by the Imperial German Navy during World War I. They displaced 417 tons, carried guns, 7 torpedoes
A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-prope ...
torpedoed ''Aragon'',[ hitting her ]port
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
side aft[ and causing extensive damage in her almost empty number 4 ]hold
Hold may refer to:
Physical spaces
* Hold (ship), interior cargo space
* Baggage hold, cargo space on an airplane
* Stronghold, a castle or other fortified place
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Hold (musical term), a pause, also called a Fermat ...
.[ ''Aragon''s ]deck officer
The deck department is an organisational team on board naval and merchant ships. The department and its manning requirements, including the responsibilities of each rank are regulated within the STCW Convention, applicable only to the merchant ...
of the watch
A watch is a portable timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached by ...
, Lieut. J.F.A. Thompson, stated that she then listed to starboard
Port and starboard are nautical terms for watercraft and aircraft, referring respectively to the left and right sides of the vessel, when aboard and facing the bow (front).
Vessels with bilateral symmetry have left and right halves which are ...
.[
]
Rescue
''Attack'' and ''Points Castle'' came to the rescue.[ One account states that two trawlers were present.][ The VADs were ordered into the first lifeboats to be launched.] Two or three of the VADs protested at being given priority and one pleaded ''"Let us take our chance with the Tommies"'' before they all obeyed orders.[ The VADs' boats rescued some troops from the water][ and then transferred their survivors to one][ or two][ trawlers. ''Aragon'' released her life rafts][ but the explosion had smashed one of her lifeboats][ and her increasing list prevented her crew from launching some of the remainder.][ ''Aragon''s crew worked until they were waist deep in water to launch what boats they could.][
''Attack'' drew right alongside ''Aragon'' to take survivors aboard as quickly as possible,][ helped by lines cast between the two ships.][ The troop ship sank rapidly by the stern.][ More than one survivor stated that soldiers waiting on deck to be rescued started singing.][ One said ''"I have heard the chorus ' Keep the Home Fires Burning' on many occasions but I don't think that I have ever heard it given with so much power"''.][
By now there was an increasing number of men in the water, and trooper James Werner Magnusson of the New Zealand Mounted Rifles saw an injured soldier struggling in the very rough sea.] He dived overboard from the ship, rescued the man and placed him in a boat.[ Magnusson then returned aboard, rejoined his unit, and went down with the ship.][ He was posthumously awarded the Albert Medal.][
A draft of 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, Buffs (East Kent Regiment) sent to reinforce the 10th (Royal East Kent and West Kent Yeomanry) Battalion, Buffs, won high praise for its discipline. First, Lance-Sergeant Canfor (himself injured by the explosion) called the roll, then men were detailed to cut away the life rafts while the rest sang. When the rafts were launched Lance-Corporal Baker volunteered to jump into the water to secure a life raft that was drifting away, assuring the safety of about 20 men. The rest of the draft then entered the water and clung onto the rafts for two and a half hours, singing and cheering on the rescue efforts. Only one man of the draft was lost.
About 15 minutes][ after the torpedo struck ''Aragon'', her ]Master
Master or masters may refer to:
Ranks or titles
* Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans
*Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...
, Captain Bateman, gave the order from her bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
''"Every man for himself"''.[ Those remaining aboard rushed to get over her side,][ and her bow rose out of the sea as soldiers swarmed down her side into the water.][ One of the VADs who survived later recorded ''"We felt that all our friends were drowning before our eyes"''.][ About 17][ to 20 minutes after being hit ''Aragon'' went down, and she suffered a second explosion as the cold seawater reached her hot boilers.][ Some of her boats were left upturned in the water.][
]
''Attack'' was now crowded with 300 to 400 survivors:[ some naked, some wounded, many unconscious and dying.][ One soldier, Sergeant Harold Riddlesworth of the ]Cheshire Regiment
The Cheshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The 22nd Regiment of Foot was raised by the Duke of Norfolk in 1689 and was able to boast an independent existence of over 300 years. T ...
, repeatedly dived from the destroyer into the sea to rescue more survivors. He survived and was decorated with the Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include:
*Meritorious Civilian Service Award
*Meritorious Service Med ...
.[
]
Then a torpedo struck ''Attack'' amidships and blew her into two pieces,[ both of which sank with five to seven minutes.][ The explosion ruptured ''Attack''s bunkers, spilling tons of thick, black ]bunker fuel
Fuel oil is any of various fractions obtained from the distillation of petroleum (crude oil). Such oils include distillates (the lighter fractions) and residues (the heavier fractions). Fuel oils include heavy fuel oil, marine fuel oil (MFO), ...
oil into the sea as she sank.[ Hundreds of men were in the water, and many of them became covered in oil or overcome by its fumes.][
''Aragon''s surviving lifeboats now ferried hundreds of survivors to the trawlers, where the VADs ''"worked unceasingly and with great heroism"'' to tend the many wounded.][ Other trawlers came out to assist,][ and the first trawler or trawlers][ returned to harbour for safety.][
]
Deaths and survivors
Of those aboard ''Aragon'', 610 were killed[ including Captain Bateman, 19 of his crew,][ and six of the VADs.][ Hundreds of troops were killed. One was Ernest Horlock, a ]Royal Field Artillery
The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It came into being when created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of t ...
Battery Sergeant Major who had received the VC for "conspicuous gallantry" shown on the Western Front in 1914.[ ]Private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
Fred J. Barnes, a Essex Regiment
The Essex Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958. The regiment served in many conflicts such as the Second Boer War and both World War I and World War II, serving with distinction in all three. ...
soldier who had worked as a songwriter before the war, also died. Airman 2nd Class Alfred Moore who died age 22 from Lower Edmonton, London. Another 25 of those killed were new recruits to the 5th Battalion the Bedfordshire Regiment
The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment was the final title of a Line infantry, line infantry regiment of the British Army that was originally formed in 1688. After centuries of service in many conflicts and wars, including both the World War ...
. Soldiers killed in the sinking are among those commemorated by the Chatby Memorial in the Shatby
Shatby Beach
Shatby ( ar, الشاطبي ') is a neighborhood in Alexandria, Egypt.
Institutions
Many important institutes are located in Shatby, such as:
*Alexandria University
*Bibliotheca Alexandrina
*Collège Saint Marc
* El Nasr Boys' Schoo ...
district of eastern Alexandria.
''Aragon''s second officer was among the survivors. A month later he told the Master of an Australian troopship, the converted AUSNC liner HMAT ''Indarra'', that as ''Aragon'' sank Captain Bateman shouted from her bridge to ''Attack''s commander that he would demand an enquiry into his ship having been ordered out of port.[ Bateman then jumped overboard and was not seen again.][
Many of the survivors from ''Aragon''s crew were repatriated to England, reaching Southampton on 10 February 1918.][ Some voyaged all the way by steamship, but the majority travelled overland.][
]
Wreck
''Aragon'' remains a wreck off the Egyptian coast, lying in about of water.[
]
References
Sources and further reading
*
*
* Col R.S.H. Moody, ''Historical Records of The Buffs, East Kent Regiment, 1914–1919'', London: Medici Society, 1922/Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2002, ISBN 978-1-84342395-9.
*
*
*
External links
RMS ''Aragon'' Short video with numerous interior images of the ship
* — memorial to a Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...
sapper
A sapper, also called a pioneer (military), pioneer or combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefie ...
, illustrated with Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museums (IWM) is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, the museum was intended to record the civil and military ...
photographs of ''Aragon'' in service and sinking
* — catalogue of military documents dating from 9 July 1915 to 8 May 1916 about ''Aragon''s part in the Gallipoli Campaign.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Aragon, HMT
1905 ships
Maritime incidents in 1917
Maritime incidents in Egypt
Ships built by Harland and Wolff
Ships built in Belfast
Ships of the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company
Ships sunk by German submarines in World War I
World War I shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea
Steamships of the United Kingdom
World War I passenger ships of the United Kingdom