4 March 2014
A contemporary newspaper engraving depicting the disaster
The first major naval tragedy of the Great War will be remembered 100 years on this autumn with three days of commemoration on both sides of the Channel.
More than 1,450 men were killed when the cruisers HMS Hogue, Aboukir and Cressy were torpedoed by a single German submarine in September 1914.
THREE days of commemoration on both sides of the Channel will mark the severest blow to the Royal Navy’s pride in 100 years this September as part of Great War centennial events.
Chatham’s Historic Dockyard will be the focal point of events in the UK with relatives of those who served in the ill-fated cruisers HMS Hogue, Aboukir and Cressy gathering for various events, including releasing 1,459 poppies – one for every man lost when the three ships were sunk by a German U-boat in September 1914.
The cruisers were on patrol 1914 roughly 40 miles west of Den Helder, providing a shield for the transport of men and material to the British Expeditionary Force on the fledgling Western Front.
All three ships were obsolete and heavily crewed by reservists and trainees – facts which earned them the tag ‘the live bait squadron’ within the rest of the Grand Fleet.
On September 22 1914 that label proved to be all too prophetic as Aboukir was torpedoed by Otto Weddigen in U9.
Hogue and Cressy moved in to pick up survivors, convinced their sister had struck a mine. Instead, the German U-boat picked off both cruisers.
The ill-fated and aged cruiser HMS Hogue. Picture: Imperial War Museum
The whole action lasted only 90 minutes, but cost the lives of 62 officers and 1,397 men. Just 837 sailors were rescued.
On Sunday September 21 this year, descendants of the three ships’ crews will meet in Chatham – home of the 7th Cruiser Squadron in 1914 – to remember their forebears and watch the premiere of a documentary about the tragedy.
The following day, there will be a drumhead service in the historic dockyard, the release of 1,459 poppies and music from the Band of HM Royal Marines followed by a Beat Retreat.
After a day’s travel to the Netherlands, Dutch historian and author Henk van der Linden – who has been instrumental in raising awareness of the disaster in his native land – will lead tributes in The Hague area.
Some of the dead from the Cressy were washed ashore on the Dutch coast in 1914 and subsequently interred in the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in the small town of ’s-Gravenzande, near the Hook of Holland.
Those who wish to attend any of the events or ceremonies should contact threecruisers1914@chdt.org.uk orh.van.der.linden@tip.nl.
More details about the disaster and the forthcoming documentary can be found at the Live Bait Squadron Society’s website, www.livebaitsqn-soc.info.