 Engadine at anchor, 1915, with aShort Brothersseaplane on her stern | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | SSEngadine |
| Owner | South East and Chatham Railway |
| Builder | William Denny and Brothers,Dumbarton, Scotland |
| Launched | 23 September 1911 |
| Completed | 1911 |
| Fate | Leased to Royal Navy, 11 August 1914 |
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMSEngadine |
| Acquired |
|
| Commissioned | 1 September 1914 |
| Fate | Sold back to owners, December 1919 |
| United Kingdom | |
| Name | SSEngadine |
| Owner | South East and Chatham Railway/Southern Railway |
| Acquired | December 1919 |
| Fate | Sold, 1932 |
 United States | |
| Owner | Fernandez Hermanos, Inc. |
| Acquired | 1933 |
| Renamed | SSCorregidor |
| Fate | Sunk bymine, 17 December 1941 |
| General characteristics (as of 1918) | |
| Type | Seaplane carrier |
| Tonnage | 1,676 gross register tons (GRT) |
| Displacement | 2,550 long tons (2,590 t) (deep load) |
| Length | 323 ft (98.5 m) |
| Beam | 41 ft (12.5 m) |
| Draught | 13 ft 8 in (4.2 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 21.5knots (39.8 km/h; 24.7 mph) |
| Range | 1,250 nmi (2,320 km; 1,440 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Complement | 197 |
| Armament | |
| Aircraft carried | 4 ×seaplanes |
HMSEngadine was aseaplane tender which served in theRoyal Navy during the First World War. Converted from the cross-Channelpacket ship SSEngadine, she was initially fitted with temporaryhangars for threeseaplanes foraerial reconnaissance and bombing missions in theNorth Sea. She participated in theCuxhaven Raid in late 1914 before she began a more thorough conversion in 1915 that increased her capacity to four aircraft.Engadine was transferred to theBattle Cruiser Fleet in late 1915 and participated in theBattle of Jutland in 1916 when one of her aircraft flew the first heavier-than-air reconnaissance mission during a naval battle. She was transferred to theMediterranean in 1918.
She was sold back to her original owners in 1919 and resumed her prewar role.Engadine was sold in 1933 to a Philippine company and renamedSSCorregidor. She was sunk with heavy loss of life by amine in December 1941 during theinvasion of the Philippines at the beginning of thePacific War.
Engadine had anoverall length of 323 feet (98.5 m), abeam of 41 feet (12.5 m), and a meandraught of 13 feet 8 inches (4.2 m).[1] Shedisplaced 2,550 long tons (2,590 t) atdeep load[1] and was rated at 1,676 gross register tons (GRT). Each of the ship's three sets of direct-drivesteam turbines drove onepropeller shaft. The ship's sixboilers generated enough steam to produce 13,800shaft horsepower (10,300 kW) from the turbines,[2] enough for a designed speed of 21.5knots (39.8 km/h; 24.7 mph).[3]Engadine carried 400 tonnes (390 long tons) of coal,[2] enough to give her a range of 1,250nautical miles (2,320 km; 1,440 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).[4]
SSEngadine waslaid down byWilliam Denny and Brothers at theirDumbarton, Scotland shipyard as afast packet for theSouth East and Chatham Railway'sFolkestone-Boulogne run. The ship waslaunched on 23 September 1911 and completed later that year. She was requisitioned for service by theAdmiralty on 11 August 1914,[5] and wascommissioned on 1 September after she was modified to handleseaplanes byChatham Dockyard. Three canvashangars were installed, one forward and two aft, and there was no flight deck, the aircraft being lowered onto the sea for takeoff and recovered again from the sea after landing by newly installedderricks.[6] In 1918 her crew numbered 197 officers and ratings, including 53 aviation personnel.[2]
Upon completion of the modifications on 1 September,Engadine was assigned to theHarwich Force along with the seaplane tendersEmpress andRiviera.[7] On Christmas Day 1914, nine aircraft from all three ships took part in the Cuxhaven Raid on hangars housingZeppelin airships.[8] Seven of the nine seaplanes successfully took off for the attack, but they inflicted little damage. Only three of the aircraft returned to be recovered, but the crews of the other threeditched safely[8] and were recovered by a British submarine[9] and the Dutch trawlerMarta van Hattem.[10] A notable member ofEngerdine's crew wasRobert Erskine Childers who served as an instructor in coastal navigation to newly trained pilots. He managed to extend his duties to include flying as a navigator and observer and participated in the raid, for which he wasmentioned in despatches.[11]
Engadine was purchased in February 1915 by the Admiralty[12] and she was modified byCunard atLiverpool from 10 February to 23 March 1915 with a permanent, four-aircraft, hangar in the rearsuperstructure and a pair ofcranes were mounted at the rear of the hangar to hoist the seaplanes in and out of the water.[2] Fourquick-firing (QF)12-pounder 12 cwt guns,[Note 1] each with 130 rounds, and twoVickersQF 3-pounderanti-aircraft guns, each with 65 rounds, were fitted for self-defence.[8] She also carried apigeon loft that housedcarrier pigeons to be used by her aircraft if theirwireless was broken.[4]
Upon completion of the conversion, she rejoined the Harwich Force; on 3 July,Engadine andRiviera attempted to launch aircraft to reconnoitre theRiver Ems and lure out a Zeppelin so that it could be attacked. OfEngadine's threeSopwith Schneiderfloatplanes that she attempted to launch, two wrecked on takeoff and the third was badly damaged. She was transferred toVice AdmiralDavid Beatty's Battlecruiser Fleet (BCF), based atRosyth in October. Later that monthEngadine carried out trials on high-speed towing ofkite balloons for gunnery observations, although she generally served as a base ship for the fleet's seaplanes.[13]
On 30 May 1916,Engadine was attached to the3rd Light Cruiser Squadron, commanded by Rear AdmiralTrevylyan Napier, and carried twoShort Type 184 and twoSopwith Baby floatplanes aboard. The two-seat Type 184s were intended for observation and were fitted with a low-power wireless while the Babies were intended to shoot down Zeppelins.Engadine accompanied the cruisers when the Battlecruiser Fleet sortied from Rosyth that evening to intercept theGerman High Seas Fleet. For a time on 31 May she was actually leading the BCF and may have been one of the first ships to spot the oncoming Germans. Her position in thevanguard was dictated by the requirement for smooth water to successfully launch her aircraft; turbulent water from ships'wakes was enough to ruin a take off attempt. She would also have to come to a complete stop to hoist her aircraft over the side and prepare it for launch, a process that took at least 20 minutes at anchor. Thus she could launch her floatplane in unruffled water and then fall back among the main body of the fleet.[14]
Beatty orderedEngadine to make a search to the north-northeast at 14:40 and she sailed through the BCF before turning north-east to find calmer water. At 15:07 LieutenantFrederick Rutland took off in his Type 184 and his observer signalledEngadine that they had spotted three Germancruisers and fivedestroyers at 15:30. These were ships from theII Scouting Group, leading the battlecruisers of Vice AdmiralFranz von Hipper. This was the first time that a heavier-than-air aircraft had carried out a reconnaissance of an enemy fleet in action. After a few other spot reports were transmitted, the aircraft's fuel line ruptured around 15:36 and Rutland was forced to put his aircraft down. He was able to repair it and signalled that he was ready to take off again, but he was ordered totaxi to the carrier on the surface. The aircraft reached the ship at 15:47 and it was hoisted aboard by 16:04. By this time, a pair of destroyers,Moresby andOnslow, that had been ordered to protectEngadine while she was stationary had reached her.Engadine attempted to relay the spot reports to Beatty'sflagship and the flagship of the5th Battle Squadron, but was unsuccessful. She trailed Beatty's force during the "Run to the South", during which time her two escorts were detached and again when they reversed course during the "Run to the North".[15]
The 14,000-long-ton (14,000 t)armoured cruiserWarrior had been crippled by numerous hits by Germanbattleships around 18:30 and fell in withEngadine 10 minutes later. The former'srudder had been jammed full over and she continued to turn in tight circles until her steam was exhausted. At 19:45Engadine attempted to take her in tow, but the jammed rudder prevented that until it was trained amidships. By 21:30 she was making 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) while her turbines were making revolutions for 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph). Early the following morningWarrior's progressive flooding had worsened and she was sinking.CaptainVincent Molteno ordered his ship abandoned afterEngadine came alongside to take them off at 08:00. One ofWarrior's guns puncturedEngadine's hull below thewaterline as the former shiprolled in the moderate seas, but this was quickly patched. About 675 officers and ratings successfully made it to the much smallerEngadine which had to quickly distribute them to prevent her fromcapsizing. Among these were about 30 seriously wounded men who were transferred across in their stretchers; one man fell off his stretcher between the ships, but was rescued by Rutland against orders. For his bravery he was awarded the First ClassAlbert Medal for Lifesaving in gold and briefly became the only living recipient. The transfer was completed before 09:00 andWarrior sank shortly afterwards.[16]
Engadine remained with the Battlecruiser Force until early 1918 when she was transferred to theMediterranean Fleet. She was based out ofMalta, conducting anti-submarine patrols, for the remainder of the war.[17]
She was sold back to her original owners, the South Eastern and Chatham Railway, in December 1919 and resumed her former role as a cross-Channel ferry.Engadine was transferred to theSouthern Railway in 1923 when the British railways were consolidated. Passing through the hands of a ship broker, she was sold to Fernandez Hermanos, Inc. in thePhilippines in 1933 and renamed SSCorregidor.[18]
At 22:00 on 16 December 1941,Corregidor left its dock inManila in total darkness, loaded to overcapacity with Filipino civilians seeking to escape to the southern Philippines after the war had started. It has been estimated that between 1,200 and 1,500 people were on board, including approximately 150 Philippine soldiers, 7 Americans,[19] 5 Philippine legislators, and hundreds of college students who were traveling home after their schools had closed. Also aboard were military supplies as well most of the artillery complement (2.95-inch mountain guns) of theVisayan-Mindanao Force of thePhilippine Army. The owners of the ship failed to inform the Navy's Inshore Patrol of the ship's plan to leaveManila Bay.[20]
Although Captain Apolinar Calvo of theCorregidor had prior experience navigating the mined entrance to Manila Bay (the mines had been in place since July), the Navy had changed its procedures on that day. Rather than post agunboat near the safe channel as they had in days previous, lightedbuoys were used to guide boats through.[21] As theCorregidor sailed close to theisland of Corregidor to pass through the channel at around 01:00, the ship was observed turning toward the electrically-controlledminefield. Some officers posted at the Army's Seaward Defense Command headquarters on the island recommended that the mines be temporarily disarmed so that the ship could pass through the minefield. A number of accounts state that Seaward Defense CommanderColonelPaul Bunker ordered that the mines be kept active.[22]
"The Army and the Filipino skippers had long been butting heads. All the channels out of Manila Bay had been mined for many months. At this time, the mining was strictly up to date and operational. At 1 AM on 16 December, the SSCorregidor, carrying 760 refugees, attempted to go thru the minefield without asking clearance. This request would have been granted. The Lieutenant who was on watch in the mine casement, on sighting the SSCorregidor called his superior, who in turn, called the seaward defense commander, Col. Bunker, requesting information as to whether he should de-activate the contact mines in the channel. With a lifetime of experience with the Filipino, going back to the '98 Insurrection, Col. Bunker said 'No!' My first knowledge of this affair came when my duty watch called me at 12:55 AM. The Corregidor had struck one of our mines and in the four or five minutes it took to reach my battery command post, the vessel had sunk. ... Thereafter, we had no trouble with unauthorized Filipino boats attempting to traverse the channel"
When theCorregidor entered the minefield, there was a large explosion on the starboard side of the vessel. The overcrowded ship quickly began to sink, with many people trapped below-deck. Survivors stated that the ship sank so quickly that there was no time for large-scale panic to set in. Searchlights from Corregidor Island illuminated the scene which aided the rescue effort.[23] Sailors ofMTB Squadron 3 posted atSisiman Cove heard the explosion and left on threePT boats (PT-32,PT-34 andPT-35) to investigate. When the boats arrived they found survivors in the water and were able to retrieve 282 survivors.[24] Seven of the rescued passengers later died from their injuries.[25][Note 2]
The incident was never investigated due to the Japanese invasion. Later, some Army officers reported that the remote-controllable mines were set to the safety position immediately after the explosion occurred. The total number of victims is unknown. It has been estimated that 900–1,200 lost their lives.[27] Among the dead were the captain and most of the crew, two of the legislators, and one of the American passengers. At the time, the sinking of theCorregidor was the mostsignificant maritime disaster in Philippine history.[Note 3][29]
