 Warrior in 1910 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Namesake | 1920:Basque for "Morning Star" |
| Owner |
|
| Operator |
|
| Port of registry |
|
| Builder | Ailsa Shipbuilding Co,Troon |
| Cost | about $400,000 to $500,000 |
| Yard number | 121 |
| Launched | 4 February 1904 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Sunk by air attack, 1940 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | steam yacht |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | |
| Beam | 32.7 ft (10.0 m) |
| Draught | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Depth | 18.1 ft (5.5 m) |
| Decks | 2 |
| Installed power | 314NHP or 2,700ihp |
| Propulsion | |
| Speed | 15.7 knots (29 km/h) (sea trial) |
| Crew |
|
| Sensors and processing systems | by 1911:submarine signalling |
| Armament | 1917: 2 ×12-pounder guns |
HMSWarrior was a steel-hulledsteam yacht that was launched inScotland in 1904. Her first owner wasFrederick William Vanderbilt. One of his cousins,Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, owned her for a few months before he was killed in thesinking of RMSLusitania. She passed through several owners. She was renamedWayfarer in 1914,Warrior again in 1915,Goizeko-Izarra in 1920,Warrior again in 1937, andWarrior II in 1939. She wascommissioned into theRoyal Navy in both world wars, and evacuatedRepublican child refugees in theSpanish Civil War.
In February 1917,Warrior was commissioned as anarmed yacht. She patrolled fromBermuda to theCaribbean until January 1918. In March 1918 she became theflagship of the Commander-in-Chief,North America and West Indies Station. From April 1918 to January 1919 she was moored inWashington, D.C., where she hostedsocial events to supportUK –US diplomatic and naval relations.
In theSecond World War the yacht was converted foranti-submarine warfare, and recommissioned as HMSWarrior II. A German air attack sank her in theEnglish Channel in July 1940. Her remains attract recreationalwreck divers.
George L Watson designed the yacht;[1] theAilsa Shipbuilding Company ofTroon built her as yard number 121;[2] and she was launched on 4 February 1904 asWarrior.[3] Her lengths were 255.3 ft (77.8 m)overall and 238.3 ft (72.6 m)between perpendiculars. Herbeam was 32.7 ft (10.0 m) and her depth was 18.1 ft (5.5 m). Hertonnages were 1,098 GRT and 396 NRT.[4]
Warrior had twinscrews, each driven by a four-cylindertriple-expansion engine built byA. & J. Inglis ofGlasgow.[5] The combined power of her twin engines was rated at 314NHP[4] or 2,700ihp.[3] The yacht carried two lifeboats 26 feet (8 m) long; another lifeboat aft; asteam launch; amotor launch; agig 24 feet (7.3 m) long; and a dinghy 18 feet (5.5 m) long.[6]
Warrior was built for Frederick William Vanderbilt, who reportedly paid about £100,000 for her (or $400,000 to $500,000 in US Dollars).[7][8][9] In March 1894 he andMrs FW Vanderbilt sailed to Britain to inspect her.[10] On hersea trials in May,Warrior achieved 15.7 knots (29 km/h).[11]
AParisian firm decorated and furnished the yacht's interior inhistoricist French styles. The dining saloon was panelled in Spanishwalnut, and furnished inLouis XV style. Adjoining it was Mrs Vanderbilt'sboudoir, which had apiano. There was adrawing room inLouis XIV style. Mr Vanderbilt's cabin was aft of theengine room, and decorated inLouis XVI style. There were six guest cabins, plus cabins for amedical doctor, apersonal secretary, and amaid.[6] She carried a crew of about 40 or 45,[7][12] and accommodation for officers and crew was in the forward part of the yacht. She was painted white, and herbow was decorated with afigurehead of "a warrior with drawn sword held at an aggressive angle".[6]
In June 1904 Mr and Mrs Vanderbilt tookWarrior for a cruise in European waters,[6] reportedly including Norway.[7] She wasregistered atNew York,[5] and by 1909 hercode letters were KVHJ.[13] She was equipped withsubmarine signalling by 1911, andwireless telegraphy by 1912.[14][15] By 1913 her wirelesscall sign was KYW.[16]
According toThe Washington Times,Warrior was the setting for severalhigh society courtships. Albert Zabriskie Gray and Marian Anthon Fish, a daughter ofStuyvesant Fish, were guests of Mrs FW Vanderbilt aboardWarrior on a cruise up theSt. Lawrence River, and announced their engagement shortly afterward. CountLászló Széchenyi courtedGladys Vanderbilt aboard the yacht, and they couple were married in 1908. William Laimbeer courtedNathalie Schenck Collins aboardWarrior, and they were married in 1909.[17]
On 23 December 1913,Warrior left New York for a cruise.[18] She carried a crew of 48; plus Mr and Mrs FW Vanderbilt; guests including theDuke and Duchess of Manchester andLord Falconer; and servants of the Vanderbilts and their guests.[19]Warrior called atCharleston;Palm Beach; and Bermuda; and then crossed the Caribbean to theColombian coast.[1]
At 05:00 hrs 26 January 1914Warrior was in passage fromCuraçao toColón when she grounded on a sand or mud bank in a heavy sea off Cape Aguatia, near the mouth of theMagdalena River, three miles northwest of the Rio Magdalena lighthouse.[19][20]
Warrior transmitted a wirelessdistress signal, which theMarconi Company wireless station atSanta Marta received. the Norwegian steamshipFrutera, undercharter to theUnited Fruit Company, was at anchor in Santa Marta harbour. She was sent toWarrior, and arrived at about 17:00 hrs on 26 January. The sea was too rough to lower lifeboats, soFrutera stood by overnight. The Tropical Fruit Company steamshipAlmirante, also under charter to United Fruit, was in Santa Marta loading cargo. She hurriedly completed loading, and then at 23:30 hrs left port to joinFrutera.Almirante arrived at about 03:10 hrs on 27 January, by which time the storm had abated slightly.[19][20]
Frutera andAlmirante each lowered a lifeboat to try to reachWarrior. The heavy sea capsizedFrutera's boat, but the crew ofAlmirante's boat rescued them all. At about 10:00 hrsAlmirante again sent a lifeboat, which this time succeeded in reachingWarrior and rescuing all her passengers. The yacht's crew chose to remain aboardWarrior to await the arrival of asalvage tug fromKingston, Jamaica.Almirante continued to stand by, and the tug arrived about 18:00 hrs on 29 January, but by then the wind and sea were too heavy to allow a line to be thrown aboardWarrior.Almirante, having perishable cargo aboard, resumed her voyage on 31 January, leaving theMerritt and Chapman salvage tugRelief to continue to stand byWarrior.[19][20]
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Almirante sailed via Colón and Kingston to New York, where she arrived on 6 February.[19] Also by 6 February, all but ten ofWarrior's crew had been rescued, and were aboard the Tropical Fruit Company steamshipMetapan, which would bring them back to the US.[21][22]
By 10 February a hurricane had drivenWarrior further ashore, and had also damaged the tugRelief. The tug's'swindlass was smashed, and she lost both of her anchors, so she went toSavanilla for repairs.[22] By 13 February another seven members of the yacht's crew had abandoned ship, leaving only thecaptain and two crewmen aboardWarrior.[23] The seven reached New York on 23 February aboard theHamburg America Line steamshipAlbingia.[24]
On 11 March it was reported thatRelief had hauledWarrior half a mile off the mud bank, but a hurricane arrived, forced the tug to let the yacht go, and drove the yacht back onto the mud.[25][26] On 9 AprilRelief reached Kingston withWarrior in tow, and only slightly damaged.[27]Relief then towedWarrior to New York, leaving Kingston on 14 April, and reaching New York on 21 April.[28][29]
Because of the accident toWarrior, FW Vanderbilt gave up yachting for a while. By 19 May 1914, thehorse breederHarry Payne Whitney was reported to have boughtWarrior for about $100,000.[8][30][31] Whitney was married toGertrude Vanderbilt, a cousin of FW Vanderbilt. Mr and Mrs Whitney usedWarrior to sail betweenNewport, Rhode Island and New York, and to entertain guests.[32] However, in 1916 it was reported that Whitney had onlycharteredWarrior from herunderwriters, to whom FW Vanderbilt had turned her over.[33]
By 29 November 1914 Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, a brother of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, had acquiredWarrior. He renamed herWayfarer,[8][34] which was the same name as his privaterailroad car.[35] AG Vanderbilt hadWayfarer fitted out with a nursery for his younger children. On 30 January 1915, the family left New York aboard the yacht for a cruise toLos Angeles via thePanama Canal,[36] which had opened only a few months previously. By 25 March, AG Vanderbilt was aboardWayfarer inHavana,Cuba, to see the WorldHeavyweight boxing championship fight betweenJess Willard andJack Johnson.[37] Also by 1915,Wayfarer's wireless call sign had been changed to WEZ.[38]
On 7 May 1915, AG Vanderbilt was killed in thesinking of RMSLusitania. By 16 April 1916,Alexander Smith Cochran had bought the yacht from AG Vanderbilt's estate, and restored her name toWarrior.[33] On 19 July 1916 she ran aground in fog on Race Rock, on the west side ofFishers Island, New York.[39] The TA Scott salvage company ofNew London, Connecticut received her wireless distress signal, and sent salvage tugs andlighters to assist.Warrior was refloated at high tide, and reached New London under her own steam.[40][41] She underwent temporary repairs to her bow atRiverside, Connecticut, where she left on 21 July to return to Brooklyn under her own power to undergo permanent repairs.[42] In December 1916, Cochran arrived inSan Francisco aboardWarrior, having sailed via the Panama Canal.[43]
By 22 February 1917 the United KingdomAdmiralty was reported to have boughtWarrior at Kingston, Jamaica.[44] However, Royal Navy records list her among "hired yachts", which suggests that she was chartered rather than bought.[45] After the war, theNew York Tribune reported that Cochran had "presented"Warrior to the UK government, and that he had been commissioned into the Royal Navy to command her.[46][47]
She was armed with two12-pounder guns, and commissioned as HMSWarrior, with thepennant number 090.[48]
By 1 July 1917,Warrior was in Bermuda. From there she patrolled to Kingston,Saint Lucia,Saint Kitts,Antigua,Barbados,Trinidad,Grenada,Dominica, andBelize; arriving back at Bermuda on 23 January 1918. In 1918,Vice-AdmiralWilliam Grant was appointed Commander-in-Chief,North America and West Indies Station. On 16 February he raised his flag aboardWarrior, making her his flagship. She left Bermuda that day, and arrived inHalifax,Nova Scotia on 20 February.>Warrior left Halifax on 23 March, and arrived in Washington, DC on 28 March.[48]
On 30 May 1918,Warrior, the tugUSSWicomico, and aUnited States Navyfloatplane took part in a ceremony for Decoration Day (nowMemorial Day) honouring those who had died at sea during the war, and particularly in the sinking of RMSLusitania andtroopshipTuscania. The film actressRita Jolivet, who survived the sinking of the Lusitania, took part. Wreaths, including ones from First LadyEdith Wilson, and fromCunard Line, were laid fromWarrior andWicomico at the confluence of theAnacostia and Potomac rivers. The floatplane flew low and dropped flowers onto the river. A pastor offered brayers from theAqueduct Bridge, asUnited States Marines on the bridge formed aguard of honour.[49]
On 16 September 1918,Warrior'sSecond Engineer died ofmesenteric venous thrombosis. He was buried on 19 September inArlington National Cemetery. Sickness was recorded aboard the yacht continuously from 26 September to 30 November 1918, and again from 21 December until at least 31 December. Much of this was either theSpanish flu pandemic, or secondary infections such aspneumonia arising from the pandemic. Infections peaked on 16 October, when 22 crewmen were listed as sick. Serious cases were discharged to theUS Navy hospital in Washington. Four members ofWarrior'scompany died between 16 October and 21 December: one deck hand; one "writer" (clerk); and twoRoyal Marines. All are buried in Arlington National Cemetery.[48]
Breaking with naval tradition, the Admiralty allowed Lady Grant to live aboardWarrior with her husband.[50] This was for the couple to host social events aboard the flagship in Washington. On 9 October the couple hosted a reception aboardWarrior to introduceEric Geddes,First Lord of the Admiralty, to Washington society. Guests includedUS Navy SecretaryJosephus Daniels, the Brazilian and Italian ambassadors, and senior members of the staff of the British and French embassies.[51] The reception was described as an addition to "the long list of their graceful hospitalities since the ship — their home — anchored in the Potomac".[52]
Warrior's officers proved popular with Washington socialites.[53] Grant'sFlag Lieutenant, Charles Fellowes-Gordon, courted Sara Price Collier, a New York socialite.[17] On 14 November, Collier's mother announced the couple's engagement.[54] Their wedding was on 30 December atSt. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square.Franklin D. Roosevelt, thenAssistant Secretary of the Navy, was the bride'sgodfather, and gave her away.Katharine St. George was her sister, and was herMaid of Honour. Senior members of Government includingFrank Polk,Franklin Knight Lane, and Josephus Daniels were among the guests, along with the staffs of the British, French, and Italian embassies.[55]
Lady Grant missed the wedding, having left Washington by 24 November 1918 to return home.[56] On 3 January 1919,Warrior's crew gave a farewell dance at theNaval Reserve Armory.[57]Warrior was due to leave Washington for New York on 17 or 18 January.[58] On 8 February, Vice-Admiral Grant left New York for home aboardRMS Adriatic.[59] The UK Admiralty returnedWarrior to Cochran, and by 25 May 1919 she was in a shipyard inSouth Brooklyn being refitted to return to civilian service.[60]
Cochran still ownedWarrior in February 1920.[61] However, by May 1920 the industrialist andBasque nationalistRamon de la Sota y Llano had bought her, renamed herGoizeko-Izarra, and registered her inBilbao inSpain.[62] "Goizeko-Izarra" isBasque for "Morning Star", a traditional name for the planetVenus. De la Sota already owned a steam yacht that he had renamedGoizeko-Izarra: the formerTuscarora. ButWarrior was larger, and de la Sota sold the earlierTuscarora in 1922.[63] By May 1936, the newGoizeko-Izarra had been converted to burn oil fuel.[64] Ailsa had built her as a coal-burner, and had remained so until throughout the First World War.[48]
On 17 July 1936,Nationalist insurgents began the Spanish Civil War. De la Sota died a month later, on 17 August 1936, leavingGoizeko-Izarra in the hands of his executors.[65] Early in May 1937, it was reported that theCompañía Transatlántica Españolaocean linerHabana and a vessel calledGoizeko-Izarra had sailed from theRepublican-held Basque port ofSanturtzi, carrying more than 2,000 child refugees between them toLa Pallice inFrance. One of those reports describedGoizeko-Izarra as a "smallfishing trawler", so it is not clear whether this was the sameGoizeko-Izarra as the late de la Sota's yacht.[66][67]
Later that month, Nationalists claimed that their aircraft had hitGoizeko-Izarra and set her on fire as she made forPauillac. In fact she reachedLe Verdon-sur-Mer, where she landed another 300 to 400 refugees, and those aboard denied the ship had been attacked. In these reports, newspapers described her as a "Basque yacht".[68][69]
Republican sources denied reports that on this second voyageGoizeko-Izarra carried treasure sent abroad for safe keeping by the Basque government. The alleged treasure was variously described as "$500,000 worth of gems and gold", or "gold and jewelry worth $50,000,000".[69][70]
Before the end of 1937, a Rex Morley Hoyes ofMarwell Hall, Hampshire had acquired the yacht.[71] Hoyes was linked with theCunliffe-Owen Aircraft company.[72] Her name was reverted toWarrior, she was registered inSouthampton, and her tonnages were revised to 1,124 GRT and 530 NRT. She had the UKofficial number 115052 and wireless call sign GZZZ.[73] By 1940 she was registered asWarrior II, and her owner was "The Marwell Shipping Co, Ltd", also of Marwell Hall, which may therefore have been a company linked with Hoyes.[74]
In theSecond World War the Admiralty requisitioned the yacht, had her converted for anti-submarine warfare, and commissioned her as HMSWarrior II. On 11 July 1940, German aircraft bombed her in the English Channel, killing one of herratings.[75] She sank offPortland Bill at position50°21′56″N02°12′23″W / 50.36556°N 2.20639°W /50.36556; -2.20639.[76]
Her wreck lies at a depth of 177 to 197 feet (54 to 60 m), and is a wreck diving site. Herbell, with the nameGoizejo-Izarra cast into it, has been recovered, but was broken into two pieces in the process.[77][78]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Shipwrecks and maritime incidents from January to July 1914 | |
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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in July 1916 | |
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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in July 1940 | |
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