Hand-written diary by an unknown sailor, HMAS Sydney (I) - Part 6
51
Postcards - see original document
51
April 21st 9. 0 am passed Galveston
9. 20 am Spoke Admiralty Collier Livinghaure for.
Galveston
22nd 2. 45 pm Spoke Italian Oil Steamer "Splender" for. of
Genoa. off. Mobile
5. 0 pm Spoke SS. Wayfarer of Mobile
5. 15 pm. Spoke Schooner Flora A. Kemball.
7. 50 pm Spoke SS. "Songstar."
23rd 10. 0 am Fired 3 pdr across Bows American SS.
Chalmette & boarded her
10. 30 am found correct proceeded.
24th 4. 0 pm Spoke American SS. Nelson.
25th 11 0 am Spoke Schooner Evelyne Henkley.
26th 7. 30 am Arrived at Kingston passed French
Cruiser Marseillaise leaving harbour.
8. 0 am Secured alongside Jetty Commenced.
Oiling from SS. Cowrie
6. 0 pm. SS. Lorea secured alongside
Commenced coaling
9. 0 pm Stopped coaling
27th 5. 0 am Commenced coaling 10 0 pm Finished (870
Tons)
May 1st 2. 0 pm Cast off from pier 9 proceeded to Sea.
3. 30 pm Spoke to SS. Rosemount & Juinto
2nd On passage to Burmuda.
3rd 5 30 passed four Masted Schooner
5th 2. 35 am passed Dutch SS. Amsterdyk.
8. 30 am passed HMS. bearer leaving harbour.
9. 30 am Arrived at Burmuda & anchored.
found Leviathen & Isis & Cumberland in
harbour. 2. 30 pm Ceasar arrived & anchored.
6th Took in 400 Tons of coal from
SS. Weardale. 7. 30 am Isis Sailed.
52
Postcards - see original document
52
May 9th Noon Leviathan Sailed
10th 7. 0 am Suffolk arrived
11th 5.0 am Ceasar sailed
7. 30 am Cumberland Sailed
12th 6. 30 am Transport Magdalena arrived
6. 0 pm Ceasar arrived and anchored.
16th 10. 0 am Suffolk sailed
17th 6. 0 am Ceasar sailed
18th 6. 30 pm Ceasar arrived & anchored.
19th Took in 173 Tons of coal from SS. Olive Grove.
20th 9. .0 am Sydney sailed escorting Transport
Magdalena.
25th Magdalena Stopped for adjustment of
Machinery
2. 0 pm proceeded.
26th 6. 20 am off. Azores (Corvo Island) &
Turned Transport over to armed Liner
"Avenger". 6. 30 am Set Course for Burmuda.
27th On passage to Burmuda
June 1st 6. 30 am arrived at Burmuda.
11. 30 am Collier "Olive Grove" secured
alongside took in 300 tons of Coal.
2nd 5. 0 am "Olive Grove" shored off & Hulk.
Shah secured alongside took in 500 Tons
of coal.
7th 9. 30 am Left Burmuda for Kingston
8th 3. 30 pm Spoke Italian. Full rigged ship
"Torridon"
11th 6. 30 am arrived at Kingston & secured
to pier
13th 6. 30 am Melbourne arrived & secured to
pier
14th Took in 120 Tons Oil Fuel from SS. - "Gowrie"
53
Postcards - see original document
STEAMING RECORD
H.M.A.S. SYDNEY
FROM
DATE OF COMMISSIONING
26TH JUNE 1915
TILL
26TH JUNE 1916.
No OF DAYS IN COMMISSION. 1096
No of days at Sea. 601
No. of days in Tropics. 520
TOTAL DISTANCE STEAMED . 127,821 MILES
Distance run Per day since Commissioning. 116.6. "
Distance run Per day at sea since Comsing. 212.6. "
DISTANCE STEAMED DURING WAR. 96,751. "
Distance run Per day During war. 140 "
Distance run Per day at sea During War. 217 "
TOTAL COAL TAKEN IN. 45,917. TONS
Total coal burnt. 45,223. "
Total Oil Fuel burnt. 3,878. "
Average fuel burnt per Day Since Comsing 46.2 "
Average fuel burnt per Day During War. 50.4 "
Water Distilled for Ship. 10,219. "
Water Distilled for Boilers. 8,865. "
TOTAL WATER DISTILLED. 19,084. "
Revolutions Run by Each Shaft 149.6 MILLS
53
June 20th 10. 0 am proceeded to port Royal 10.30 Anchored.
5. 0 pm Melbourne arrived & anchored
21st Carried out Battle practice & Gun Layers
Test Melbourne Towing Target.
5. 0 pm Secured to No 3 pier
22nd Took in 542 Tons of coal Native Labour
24th 9. 0 am French Cruiser "Glorie" arrived &
anchored
6. 0 pm Melbourne sailed
26th French. Rear Admiral came on boar
28th 12. 30 pm Embarked Govenor of Jamaica
and proceeded to Grand Cayman Islands.
29th 6. 30 am arrived & anchored Grand Cayman
10. 0 am Govenor landed.
5. 0 pm Govenor returned
5. 15 pm weighed & proceeded
30th 11. 30 am arrived & anchored at Kingston
Noon Govenor left the Ship.
July 1st Eng: Leiut Stafford left ship
4th secured to pier commenced coaling.
10. 0 am T.K. Ginty Cwipt Crew comm
suicide on shore by shooting himself
11. 30 Finished coaling
2. 30 pm cast off & proceeded to S
5. 30 pm searching for supposed w
of Portland point no result
6.30 proceeded
5th On passage to La Guiaria
6th Target practice night fireing
8th 8. 0 am arrived at La Guiaria
8. 0 pm weighed & proceeded
9th 6. 0 am Examined Puito Cabello
10th Target practice
53
Postcards - see original document
53
June 20th 10. 0 am proceeded to port Royal 10.30 Anchored.
5. 0 pm Melbourne arrived & anchored
21st Carried out Battle practice & Gun Layers
Test Melbourne Towing Target.
5. 0 pm Secured to No 3 pier
22nd Took in 542 Tons of coal Native Labour
24th 9. 0 am French Cruiser "Glorie" arrived &
anchored
6. 0 pm Melbourne sailed
26th French. Rear Admiral came on boar
28th 12. 30 pm Embarked Govenor of Jamaica
and proceeded to Grand Cayman Islands.
29th 6. 30 am arrived & anchored Grand Cayman
10. 0 am Govenor landed.
5. 0 pm Govenor returned
5. 15 pm weighed & proceeded
30th 11. 30 am arrived & anchored at Kingston
Noon Govenor left the Ship.
July 1st Eng: Leiut Stafford left ship
4th secured to pier commenced coaling.
10. 0 am T.K. Ginty Cwipt Crew comm
suicide on shore by shooting himself
11. 30 Finished coaling
2. 30 pm cast off & proceeded to S
5. 30 pm searching for supposed w
of Portland point no result
6.30 proceeded
5th On passage to La Guiaria
6th Target practice night fireing
8th 8. 0 am arrived at La Guiaria
8. 0 pm weighed & proceeded
9th 6. 0 am Examined Puito Cabello
10th Target practice
54
Postcards - see original document
54
July 12th 1. 0 am passed Santa Marta
7. 0 am Examined Savanilla Harbour German
SS. Prinz Augusts Wilhelm at Anchor.
2. 30 pm arrived and anchored at Cartagena
3 German. SS. Mecklinberg, Virginia, and bergin
at anchor.
3th The Columbian Govenor & Staff came on
board @ 10 0 am
2. 0 pm Weighed & proceeded for Kingston
15th 2. 30 pm arrived & anchored at Kingston
Suffolk alongside Jetty
18th Received 87 Tons Oil Fuel from SS. Cowrie
20th Secured to Jetty
21st Received 312 Tons of coal
22nd 5. 15 am Suffolk sailed
23rd 7. 0 am proceeded to Port Royal received
465 Tons coal
8. 0 pm proceeded to Sea.
26th 5. 0 pm Examined Santa Marta
28th 10. 30 anchored at port Los Rognes. French.
Flagship "Glorie" at anchor.
2.30 pm proceeded.
29th 4. 0 pm arrived and anchored at Grenada
31st 6. 0 am weight & proceeded
4. 30 pm arrived & secured to jetty
"St Lucia"
Aug 1st 5. 30am Took in 512 Tons of Coal
2nd 5. 30pm Discharged rating for passage
to England.
6. 0 pm Cast off and proceeded.
3rd 7. 30 am Arrived & anchored at Barbados.
5th 10. 0 am weighed & proceeded.
10th 6.0am Passed Santa Anna "Brazil".
55
Postcards - see original document
55
Aug 10th 1. 0 pm passed Maranhas
9. 0 pm anchored for night (Navigation dangerous
11th 6. 0 am weighed & proceeded.
9. 0 am anchored at Lau Jous Island boarded
dismantled Steamer no (Funnel at bridge)
flying Brizilian flag waiting for Tug to
Tow her to (Rio de Janeiro)
10. 0 am proceeded.
12th 2. 0 am Stopped & picked up pilot
11. 0 am arrived and anchored at "pata"
13th 10. 30 am weighed & proceeded
14th On passage to Maracca
15th 1. 0 am anchored.
5. 30 am weighed & proceeded.
10. 0 am are off Maracca Set course for
Trinidad
16th On passage to Trinidad
18th 1. 0 pm arrived & anchored.
21st 11. 30 am weighed & proceeded.
22nd 5. 30 am arrived & anchored at Barbados.
23rd 5. 30 pm weighed & proceeded.
24th 6. 0 am arrived at Martinique & secured
to Jetty. Took in 950 Tons of Coal.
25th 5. 0 pm Cast off & proceeded.
26th On passage to Kingston Jamaica
28th 4. 0 pm arrived & secured To Jetty
29th Took in 220 Tons Oil Fuel from SS. Cowrie
30th Took in 320 Tons Coal from SS. Rochdale
31st 5. 0 pm Cast off & proceeded.
Sept 1st On passage
4th 2. 0 pm arrived at Burmuda & secured
to Jetty. Ceaser & Charybdis in harbour
5th 7. 0 pm French Cruiser Marseillaise arrived
56
Postcard - see original document
56
Sep 7th Took in 410 Tons of Coal
8th Marseillaise Sailed
9th 8. 0 am Isis arrived
9th 10. 0 am Slippled & proceeded.
11th On Passage to Devonport England
12th Very heavy sea running lost 2nd Cutter
13th 7 A.M. Sighted derelict; 2 masted schooner, fired three
shots into her, with the object of sinking her, as
she was a wooden vessel, & her cargo being the same
it was of no avail.
Sept 14 Very heavy sea running, washing the ship fore &
aft. 5-30 p.m. sighted small topsail schooner, we
altered course & spoke to her. She proved to be the
S.S. Spinaway, "British" bound for Baltimore.
15 Weather moderating
19 Passed E.ddystone Lighthouse, arrived & anchored
in Plymouth Harbour at 12 noon, we received a
good welcome from several ships in harbour,
especially the warships who, cheered us lustily,
we just beginning to feel the cold by this time
after being in Tropics for 21 months.
20th Arrival & Departure of 2 Australian Troopships, all
hands mustered on the Upper Deck & cheered
them out of harbour, the troops responding with
a wild coo-ee- etc
26 6-30 P.M. Left Devonport for Govan (Glasgow) steaming
20 knots per hour. Care & maintenance party aboard,
passed Eddystone 8-30 P.M. 9-45 P.M. sighted the Lizard
Light.
27 On Passage to Govan (Glasgow) 5-45P.M. arrived off
Greenock & anchored for night
28 8-0 A.M. Proceeded up the Clyde, which proved to be very
interesting, as there were dozens of ships under
57
construction, at the numerous Shipbuilding yards.
Arrived at Harland & Wolff's yard 2-0 P.M. & secured
alongside of wharf, 5. P.M. all hands leave the ship &
proceed on long leave (21. Days) 14 of which I spent
in London the remaining 7 in Edinburgh.
Sept 29. Oct 21st Ships Company on leave. Had the good
Fortune to meet my Father while on leave, we
were together for 4 Days, when he went back to
Salisbury Plains, to complete his Training before
leaving for the front.
Oct 21st Ships Company return on board
" 27 Ship still in Dockyard hands, also very dirty.
28 Cast off & proceeded down the Clyde to Greenock, secured
alongside S.S. "Mira" took in 210 Tons of Oil Fuel.
29 1-15 P.M Weighed anchor & proceeded down the harbour, on
Dockyard trial speed 23 knots. 3-20 anchored off Greenock
30 2 P.M. Proceeded to sea en route to Scapa Flow (Scotland)
31 1-30PM. Arrived at Scapa Flow & joined up with the
Grand Fleet, under Admiral Jellicoe, the "Sydney"
being attached to the 5th Battle Squadron, took in
240 tons of coal & 90 tons of oil fuel. The Fleet in
harbour; were as follows:-
| A. Line | B. Line | C. Line | D. Line | E. Line | F. Line | G. Line |
|
King George V (Flag) Hercules Collossus Superb Bellerophon Tomeraire |
Collingwood Neptune Vanguard St Vincent.
|
Orion Monarch Conquerer. Thunderer
|
Ajax Centurian Erin
|
Barham Malaya Warspite Valiant Sydney
|
Repulse Blanche Boadicea Constance.
|
Calliope Cambrian Caroline Royalist Comus
|
77
Mrar Love Rice Rice
RosemaryThis transcription item is now locked to you for editing. To release the lock either Save your changes or Cancel.
This lock will be automatically released after 60 minutes of inactivity.