Which WW1 Royal Navy ship?

[Lupeni]

Hello can anyone help? Ive been tracking down my 3 great uncles who all served in WW1 (2 in Royal Navy and 1 in Merchant Navy. I came across the attached photo of high-divers near a WW1 ship but am trying to find which one so I can be clearer which brother it might connect to. I think the photo is a little before or during WW1. Can anyone help me identify the ship please?? Thanks. Tim

Edited 13 August , 2021 by Lupeni

[jonbem]

I cropped out the ship and looked for a four funnel, two central funnels striped

Best I found is this but not clear

File:EB1911 Ship, H.M.S. Niobe.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

HMS Niobe (1897) - Wikipedia

perhaps a search for other ships of same class? HMS Niobe was a ship of the Diadem class of protected cruisers

Diadem-class cruiser - Wikipedia

Edited 13 August , 2021 by jonbem

[Lupeni]

Thanks Jonbem, I will take a look at the Diadem Class. I also found photos of the Devonshire Class cruisers - HMS Carnarvon with central stripes see photo, but Im not expert enough to be able to spot the key details. Would you or anyone else out there be able to say whether my photo is a Diadem or Devonshire class cruiser?

Tim

[Knotty]

HMS Niobe only operated in very cold water around Nova Scotia & New York according to records, and I cannot see them swimming off the rocks to cold. I would hang out for HMS Carnavon which operated with the West Indies Station, warmer waters for swimming.😁

Lets wait for a naval expert to identify

[michaeldr]

The funnel stripe ID system was used across several classes of warship at this time

I'm putting forward the suggestion of HMS King Alfred (a Drake Class cruiser built in 1901)

I've flipped the original photo to help make comparison easier

 

I'm struck by how in both photographs the fore funnel looks to have a smaller diameter than the rest

BUT, this is only a guess

regards, Michael

 

EDIT 1 to add that in 'Jane's Fighting Ships of World War I' the King Alfred has the two middle funnels with the single stripe as seen in the OP 

EDIT 2 to add 

 

 

Edited 13 August , 2021 by michaeldr

[Knotty]

Nice call Michael 

[michaeldr]

1 hour ago, michaeldr said:

I'm struck by how in both photographs the fore funnel looks to have a smaller diameter than the rest

There's a quite detailed plan drawing of a 'Drake' Class cruiser on page 247 of 'British Cruisers of the Victorian Era' which confirms the impression of their fore funnel being different to the other three.

[Lupeni]

Thanks so much everyone, especially Michael for the observation re the smaller fore tunnel. So unless anyone out there knows better, I think a Drake Class, especially King Alfred, looks most likely. Does anyone know where I can find a record of where the HMS King Alfred was during the war and the few years before? I can then (maybe) match it up with my great-uncle's service record. Tim

 

[jonbem]

3 minutes ago, Lupeni said:

Does anyone know where I can find a record of where the HMS King Alfred was during the war and the few years before?

wiki is your friend

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_King_Alfred_(1901)

[jonbem]

and

https://www.naval-history.net/OWShips-WW1-05-HMS_King_Alfred.htm

 

[Lupeni]

Thanks. What did we all do before the internet?!

[MikB]

40 minutes ago, Lupeni said:

Thanks. What did we all do before the internet?!

Sat in record offices, photo- and document libraries poring over a helluva lot more stuff to find out a helluva lot less... :-) 

[michaeldr]

Tim,

Do come back and tell us where your research here leads you to

All the best & Good luck

Michael