petwes Posted 18 April , 2014 Share Posted 18 April , 2014 Would anyone know if any logs exist for RMS Olympic covering her use as a troop ship in 1915/1916? If they do how much detail would they contain? As an additional question would the Olympic have made the run to the Med with an escort or just relied on her speed for protection? Many thanks Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotonmate Posted 18 April , 2014 Share Posted 18 April , 2014 There will be a load list for Olympic when on trooping runs in the WO25 series at Kew. There will also be convoy logs showing it's make- up and escort element in an ADM series. I will look back in my notebooks and give you more precise references later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kath Posted 18 April , 2014 Share Posted 18 April , 2014 The National Maritime Museum may have Olympic logs for 1915. Request form: http://www.rmg.co.uk/researchers/library/crew-lists-agreements-and-official-logs-request-form Kath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotonmate Posted 18 April , 2014 Share Posted 18 April , 2014 I find 7 files in the WO25 series for trooping runs into the Med for 1915-1916. Three for 1915 are WO25/3535 to 3537,and four for 1916 are WO25/3544 to 3547. These files have embarkation returns listing units carried,with named officers and numbers of ORs carried for each unit,plus cargo lists. The files would need to be sifted to find any relating to OLYMPIC as they are collated by date and cover the various UK port calls during loading. The RN Escort element is likely to be found in ADM137. There is a file, 2657, which seems to have a summary of convoys,which carried a Convoy prefix for the destination area that it covered,so more will need to be done to find specific convoy papers. Are you seeking info on the vessel itself or something that it carried ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petwes Posted 19 April , 2014 Author Share Posted 19 April , 2014 Many thanks to both of you for your replies and suggestions. I must confess my query was a bit of a fishing trip, not knowing what was there or what I would find. My interest is my grandfather's service in the RGA. He sailed on the Olympic leaving Liverpool on 3rd January 1916 arriving at Lemnos on 11th January. The jackpot would be a complete embarkation list which would enable me to find the names of the men in his battery! However all background information is of help so any information on his unit or whether there were other RGA troops on board would be useful. I am thinking about a visit to Kew next week so a look through WO25/3544 sounds like a good plan. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Mills Posted 20 April , 2014 Share Posted 20 April , 2014 Olympic's log is also available at the National Archives in Kew. She is one of their "celebrated ships" so you should find it in the BT100 series... With regard to an escort, generally Olympic sailed alone as her top speed (21 knots) was considered easily fast enough to outrun any U-boat. According to her wartime skipper (Bertram Fox Hayes), there was also a conscious decision not to include Olympic in a convoy because apart from reducing her speed it would have made her an extremely tempting target for any U-boat skipper. Destroyers based at Queenstown would sometimes escort the ship on the last leg of an eastbound voyage into the English Channel, but that was about it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnboy Posted 20 April , 2014 Share Posted 20 April , 2014 Friday 1 October 1915 Central Mediterranean Olympic, troopship/transport, passenger ship, 46,359/1911, Oceanic Steam Navigation Co (Ismay, Imrie & Co), Liverpool, armed, carrying 5,500 troops of the British Army Yeomanry. Chased by U-boat, possibly U.33 or U.39, 40 miles W of Cape Matapan, escaped (+Rn/ge/ms) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgardiner1418 Posted 20 April , 2014 Share Posted 20 April , 2014 Would anyone have a Crew List for Olympic at any point in the war as my Great Uncle Philip Marsden Armstrong was awarded the British War Medal and the Mercantile Marine and we have always assumed it was for service on Olympic as he was a White Star man for most of his working life. I still use a couple of knives off the ship that ended up in my Grandmothers house, I like to thing that Uncle Phil was given them when the ship went out of service but who knows? All the best, Paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Mills Posted 20 April , 2014 Share Posted 20 April , 2014 The Crew Agreements (at least for the 10% still in the UK) for merchant vessels are usually found in with the ships' logs, in which case if you check out the relevant documents for the Olympic at the National Archives (BT100 series) then you'll probably find your great uncle's name listed in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgardiner1418 Posted 20 April , 2014 Share Posted 20 April , 2014 Simon, Thanks for that information. I am due a trip to Kew so will have a look then. All the best, Paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotonmate Posted 20 April , 2014 Share Posted 20 April , 2014 Paul Here are the files for OLYMPIC in the BT100 series: 428: Jan to Mar 1914 429: Apr to May 1914 430: Jun to Jul 1914 431: Aug to Oct 1914 432: Nov 1914 to Dec 1916 433: 1917-1918 None are digital. I suspect that the length of the 1914-1916 file is due to it's trooping service,for which element I doubt there will be crew lists. There may be an instance or two of "sea trade" activity at the beginning and end of this period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Mills Posted 20 April , 2014 Share Posted 20 April , 2014 Paul, At the beginning of the hostilities Olympic remained in commercial service (albeit reduced) until the beginning of November 1914, at which point she was laid up at Belfast. She then remained unused and wasn't requisitioned for military service until 1st September 1915, eventually being decommissioned in February 1919. It's been a while since I looked in the BT100 files, but I seem to recall that many of the log books did still have the crew agreements attached, as does the log of her sister-ship Britannic, so you may strike lucky. Even so, keep in mind that unless ithe log refers to an on-board death or disciplinary issues then it will very likely not have any direct reference to an individual crewman, other than his name in the crew roster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgardiner1418 Posted 21 April , 2014 Share Posted 21 April , 2014 Gentlemen, Thank you for you most helpful advice. All the best, Paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petwes Posted 24 April , 2014 Author Share Posted 24 April , 2014 (edited) Just back from Kew with a camera full of pictures to go through. The embarkation list was interesting and I need to go through it a bit more. I was surprised how many different units were included (Vets, cooks, GPO, bicyclist as well as typical front line troops). 48th Siege battery were the only RA on board and their entry unfortunately only list the officers without even a number of ORs unlike the other lists; it's almost as they were excess baggage! It makes me wonder about the military mind as to why they were sending a 9.2" Howitzer battery to Egypt. The crew lists were comprehensive with conduct reports and agreements which include address etc. What I hadn't expected was how many crew there were, well in the hundreds, but I guess that's coal fired boilers for you. The other document that I picked up on was the sad report of an inquiry back in November 1915 concerning a soldier discovered with a (self inflicted) cut throat. I had a quick scan through as I was taking pictures and unfortunately Paul didn't see a P. M. Armstrong, although there is a J. Armstrong. If you PM me Paul I could send you what I have if you are interested but I warn you the files will be pretty big. If anyone is interested I will try and do a summary of the numbers and composition of the military on board when I have a bit more time. Regards Peter Edited 24 April , 2014 by petwes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Mills Posted 25 April , 2014 Share Posted 25 April , 2014 Peter, The Olympic-class liners were the largest on the British registry at the time, so yes, they needed a pretty big crew; I think that Olympic's full crew (deck, victualling and engine departments) was about nine hundred. There were even more on her sister-ships Titanic and Britannic... Your observation about the number of stokers is quite true, and it has to be said that the large number of crew required to keep the boilers supplied with coal, not to mention the actual cost of the coal on such a large and fast vessel, made them horribly expensive to run. The Admiralty's concept of using the larger passenger liners as armed merchant cruisers was quickly seen as folly after the war broke out, and as a result the larger ships (Mauretania, Aquitania, Olympic and Britannic) were largely left unused until the start of the Gallipoli campaign, at which point their high speed and large capacity suddenly became a bonus in the eyes of the Transport Division. When you have time it would be interesting to know more about that self-inflicted throat injury... Regards, S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petwes Posted 26 April , 2014 Author Share Posted 26 April , 2014 The Olympic embarkation List for 4/1/1916 Liverpool to Mudros is as follows: Corps Officers WOs and NCOs class 16 NCOs classes 17, 18, 19 Corporals Privates ???? Fusiliers 4 3 2 141 1 Lancs Fus 1 18 1 R Irish 2 2 3 96 10 Devonshire 2 4 1 145 12 Argyl & South High 1 12 Argyl & South High ex 3rd 2 2 1 97 12 Argyl & South High ex 4th 2 6 5 169 13 Manchester 2 4 7 99 14 Liverpool 3 5 9 136 2 Cheshire 6 9 10 190 2 DCLI 3 2 7 7 285 2 East Surrey 2 3 3 94 2 R Irish Fus 2 1 4 4 51 28 Div Cyclist Co 2 1 1 48 3 Kings Royal Rifles 1 3 1 47 3rd Middlesex 3 5 8 137 48 Siege Battery 5 2 13 20 268 5 Dorset 2 2 4 54 6 Border 3 6 6 138 8 DCLI 3 6 12 282 AOC 39 Co 2 3 9 5 170 ASC attached to 48 SB 3 ASC Motor Transport 2 2 85 Canteen Staff 16 6 Depot Unit Supply 2 2 4 4 16 E Yorks 1 1 2 47 Field Ambulance Units 1 4 5 59 GPO 1 1 25 76 Military Police 2 1 122 No 167 Army Troops Co RE 2 1 5 12 102 No 21 Vet Hosp 1 1 3 36 No 220 Army Troops Co RE 2 1 5 10 104 R E Signal Personnel 3 1 9 88 RE 4 6 31 164 Servant to For Gen 1 Servant to Major Milsom 1 Unattached Officers 413 Grand Total 488 12 140 219 3566 If anyone would like any of the officers names I can provide them if I can read the writing! Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest valgal Posted 29 December , 2016 Share Posted 29 December , 2016 On 26 April 2014 at 13:54, petwes said: The Olympic embarkation List for 4/1/1916 Liverpool to Mudros is as follows: Corps Officers WOs and NCOs class 16 NCOs classes 17, 18, 19 Corporals Privates ???? Fusiliers 4 3 2 141 1 Lancs Fus 1 18 1 R Irish 2 2 3 96 10 Devonshire 2 4 1 145 12 Argyl & South High 1 12 Argyl & South High ex 3rd 2 2 1 97 12 Argyl & South High ex 4th 2 6 5 169 13 Manchester 2 4 7 99 14 Liverpool 3 5 9 136 2 Cheshire 6 9 10 190 2 DCLI 3 2 7 7 285 2 East Surrey 2 3 3 94 2 R Irish Fus 2 1 4 4 51 28 Div Cyclist Co 2 1 1 48 3 Kings Royal Rifles 1 3 1 47 3rd Middlesex 3 5 8 137 48 Siege Battery 5 2 13 20 268 5 Dorset 2 2 4 54 6 Border 3 6 6 138 8 DCLI 3 6 12 282 AOC 39 Co 2 3 9 5 170 ASC attached to 48 SB 3 ASC Motor Transport 2 2 85 Canteen Staff 16 6 Depot Unit Supply 2 2 4 4 16 E Yorks 1 1 2 47 Field Ambulance Units 1 4 5 59 GPO 1 1 25 76 Military Police 2 1 122 No 167 Army Troops Co RE 2 1 5 12 102 No 21 Vet Hosp 1 1 3 36 No 220 Army Troops Co RE 2 1 5 10 104 R E Signal Personnel 3 1 9 88 RE 4 6 31 164 Servant to For Gen 1 Servant to Major Milsom 1 Unattached Officers 413 Grand Total 488 12 140 219 3566 If anyone would like any of the officers names I can provide them if I can read the writing! Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest valgal Posted 29 December , 2016 Share Posted 29 December , 2016 Hallo Peter. I realise that the last post on the subject: RMS Olympic Troop ship was over two years ago now but I wonder whether you can still lay your hands on the list of officers on the Olympic when she sailed from Liverpool to Mudros on 1.1.16? My father-in-law's diary for 1916 mentions being aboard the Olympic for this voyage and I wondered whether it might be possible to look him up for me? He was a 2nd Lt in the Royal Scots Fusiliers but was seconded to the Royal Scots while in Salonica. Any information would be wonderful. Many thanks Valerie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petwes Posted 29 December , 2016 Author Share Posted 29 December , 2016 Valerie I'll have a look for you. There's more than 70 pages to go through so a name and battalion if possible would help to narrow it down. Regards Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petwes Posted 30 December , 2016 Author Share Posted 30 December , 2016 Valerie Here's a couple of pages from the embarkation roll. I hope your man is included, unfortunately I seem to have two pages missing (page 5 and 6). The first part of the list which page 4 is in is headed "For The Mediterranean Expeditionary Force", the second half of the list is headed "For Egypt". Regards Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil16377 Posted 11 January , 2017 Share Posted 11 January , 2017 Hi all. Would anyone possibly have Details for crew members in the 30s? My relative Richard Thomas Evans Had his first voyage on the Olympic was March 19 1930.. Cheers for reading Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petwes Posted 11 January , 2017 Author Share Posted 11 January , 2017 Neil16377 You need BT100/468 I think. This is available at the National Archives. Meanwhile you might be lucky and someone has a copy. Good Luck Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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