River Gunboats
Page 18
Sultan Class
A second version of this same photo exists, without her reassembly section numbers, and with a painted in ‘Nile’ background complete with palm trees! The above shot is from a Yarrow publicity article in The Illustrated London News, and probably represents the original configuration prior to disassembly and transport to Egypt. Note that, although the class leader’s name appears to be painted on, suspiciously standing out more brightly than the numbers, this illustration almost certainly represents Sultan.
Note her leeboards, which could also be seen in photos of contemporary British-built China gunboats on reassembly. They were proposed for the French Argus and Vindictive built by Thorneycroft, but were never fitted. Curiously, in this photo the starboard leeboard is seen pointing forward, but this must be the stowed position, as they would normally be pointed stern-wards. Yarrow would have been familiar with the fitting, from the Thames sailing barges. As on the barges and smaller sailing boats, the leeboards were not intended for aiding steerage, but for preventing sideways drift. This could have been seen as an advantage in mounting the strong currents of the Nile Cataracts or the Upper Yangtze rapids. However, in shallow water the lee-board has one major drawback. If it strikes the bottom, the vessel will pivot around the leeboard. As this would be disastrous in the Cataracts as well as in the Yangtze rapids, the lee-boards were removed from all the gunboats that originally had them.
Detail from British Patent No. 967 of 1897.
As per all these trials photographs, she is not carrying her armament. Also she lacks the additional loopholed armour plating which will be fitted to her gun deck. The Yarrow pair exhibit certain divergences from the Thorneycroft design of Melik: the boiler casing is much higher; the gun sponsons are rectangular whereas those on Melik flare outwards in plan; the stern is more squared-off; there are less opening armoured hatches for Maxims in the superstructure sides, and Melik’s horizontal vision slits are replaced by round armoured portholes.
W H Cowan.
The Sultan class were fitted with Yarrow’s patent system of water flaps at the rear of the prop tunnels, intended to ensure that the propellers which extended above the waterline were always turning in a tunnel full of water. Transported by the military railway to the Nile, as was Melik, the numbered sections were floated before being bolted together by the Royal Engineers.
Lieutenant W H Cowan commanded Sultan on the Nile, and was in overall command of the gunboats which went up to Fashoda. Promoted captain in 1906, by 1917 he commanded the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron. Promoted to Rear Admiral, in 1919 he led his Squadron to the Baltic and aided Estonia and Latvia gain their independence. He retired as an admiral in 1931. With the start of the Second World War Cowan volunteered to train commandos, then took part in the Battle of Bir Hakeim. Captured by Italian tanks, he was part of a prisoner exchange, then went on to fight in the Italian campaign in 1944, finally retiring in 1945.
Lieutenant John Barnes Sparks, commanding Sheik, was one of the RN Nile gunboat commanders who did not rise to flag rank. Nonetheless, he was made an OBE in 1919, having finished the Great War as Captain (D) in command of the 2nd Destroyer Flotilla.
Launched:
Sultan and Sheik 1897 by Yarrow, Poplar.
Dimensions:
Displ: 134 tons; L: 44.1m/145ft; B: 7.47m/24ft 6in; D: 0.61m/2ft.
Crew:
30.
Power/Speed:
Twin screws in tunnels with Yarrow patent flaps; VTE steam engines, 200ihp/12 knots.
Guns/Armour:
2 × 12-pounder QF; 1 × 5in Army howitzer; 6 × .303in Maxim MG/Bulletproof superstructure and gun shields.
Fate:
Sultan sold 1925, sunk as breakwater; Sheik sold 1925.
THE GUNBOATS AT THE BATTLE OF OMDURMAN
It is generally acknowledged that, in addition to their invaluable role in transporting troops and supplies on the Nile, it is clear the gunboats played a major role in assuring victory in the final battle. Kitchener had spread his men thinly in two firing lines, in a wide arc, and during the night preceding the battle, if the Dervish warriors had made a surprise mass attack they could foreseeably have overwhelmed the Anglo-Egyptian army. That they did not do so is largely due to the presence of the gunboats equipped with electrical generators, which continually played their searchlight beams over the terrain.
A sketch of the battle of Omdurman seen from the gun deck of Melik or one of the Sultan class. The large stern-wheeler ahead is one of the Zafir class. (Drawing by H C S Eppings Wright dated 1898, from the September 1998 issue of Soldiers of the Queen, via Richard Caie)
During the battle itself, a gunboat was stationed at the river bank on each flank of the zareba, thus guarding these vulnerable spots. The crew of the Melik distinguished themselves in helping save, by their concentrated firepower, the Camel Corps which was in imminent danger of being cut off from the safety of the zareba by an overwhelming number of Dervishes. The remaining gunboats cruised up and down the river bank adding their firepower as and where needed. H C S Eppings Wright’s sketch shows clearly the command of the river bank provided by the firepower of the gunboats, which proved to be of great assistance during the battle and its aftermath.
In the illustration on the right the 10th, 12th and 13th Sudanese and the Cameron Highlanders are being transported on two gunboats en route to Fashoda and their confrontation with Marchand. Note the additional machine guns mounted above the bridge of what is presumably Sultan, and also the temporary staging and tarpaulins to carry and protect the troops. The original artwork was entitled ‘Fighting the Sudd’, which refers to the floating weeds which could be such a great hindrance to upper river navigation.
View of one of the gunboats, probably Melik, moored next to the Governor’s Palace at Khartoum. (Photo part of a stereoscopic pair by Underwood)
In a watercolour by C J Staniland, Sultan leads Sheik up the White Nile, with Kitchener and his staff on the side-wheeler Dal in the background.
EQUATORIAL GUINEA
Project 1400 Grif Class
The Soviet Union transferred three units to Equatorial Guinea, one in 1971, one on 10 February 1974 and one in 1975. For details, see RUSSIA PART II.
ESTONIA
By the Peace Treaty signed at Tartu in 1920, both Estonia and Russia could keep two gunboats on Lake Peipus, each to be armed with no more than two 47mm guns and two MGs. The Estonians disarmed most of their temporary gunboats and passed them on to civilian owners, with the proviso that in the case of future conflict, they could be requisitioned and armed with 75mm or 102mm guns, plus AA MG. The two gunboats the Estonians retained were Tartu and Ahti, each armed with the permitted 47mm guns and MG.
With the Soviet occupation of Estonia in June 1940, all Estonian vessels on the Lake were seized by the Russians, and incorporated in a Training Division.
FINLAND
LAKE LADOGA
Following the Treaty of Tartu signed between Finland and the Soviet Union in 1920, the size of naval vessels on Lake Ladoga was limited to a displacement of 100 tons, and their armament to guns of 47mm calibre (3-pounders).
Aunus
From photographic records it appears that Aunus was armed in the 1920s, while the other tugs received their armament only at the start of the Winter War in 1939. Aunus carried out bombardments of Soviet troops and laid minefields in the course of the Winter War. With the Moscow Peace treaty she was one of the ships abandoned to the Soviets. For her subsequent career as UK-100 then TSch-100, see RUSSIA PART I.
Launched:
1900 by Wm Crichton & Co. Ab.
Dimensions:
Displ: 100 tonnes; L: 26.3m/86ft 3in; B: 5.3m/17ft 4½in; D: 2.1m/6ft 10½in.
Crew:
48.
Power/Speed:
Single screw; steam engine, 280ihp/10.5 knots.
Guns/Armour:
2 × 3-pounder Hotchkiss QF; 1 × 7.62mm Maxim MG; 30 mines.
Fate:
Seized by the Soviet Nav
y 13 March 1940.
In the foreground is the armed tug Aunus, seen here in 1927 with two other tugs of the Lake Ladoga Flotilla, probably Vulcan and Tarmo. The aft 3-pounder and stern Maxim on Aunus are covered with tarpaulins. The other two tugs appear to be unarmed at the time. (Photo from Website http://heninen.net/folder_e.htm)
The Tarmo was built in 1911, displacing 89 tons and armed with one 75mm. Vulcan was built in 1901, displacing 75 tons and armed with one 75mm.
Aunus seen in 1928. (Photo from Website http://heninen.net/folder_e.htm)
Aallokas
Aallokas was built in 1936 to act as an icebreaker and as a supply ship for the Finnish garrisons on their side of Lake Ladoga. When the Soviets abrogated the treaty by attacking Finland on 30 November 1939, the Finns armed Aallokas, and she joined the other gunboats of the Flotilla. As the largest vessel she became the flagship. For her subsequent career as Sheksna, see RUSSIA PART I.
Launched:
1936 by Sortavalan Telakka ja Konepaja Oy Shipyard, Sortavala.
Dimensions:
Displ: 400 tonnes; L: 34.15m/112ft; B: 7.5m/24ft 7in; D: 3.35m/11ft.
Crew:
56.
Power/Speed:
Single screw; steam engine, 520ihp/11 knots.
Guns/Armour:
2 × 7mm Canet Model 1892 guns; 2 × 40mm AA.
Fate:
Seized by the Soviet Navy 13 March 1940.
Icebreaker Aallokas in 1938, before being converted to a gunboat. (Photo from Website http://heninen.net/folder_e.htm)
When the Winter War ended on 13 March 1940 the Finns abandoned their vessels, some of which were later used by the Soviets.
When the Continuation War began in 1941, the Finns recreated their Lake Ladoga Flotilla with small motor boats transported overland to the Lake, plus several armed fishing vessels. In the Spring of 1942 the Finns established Naval Detachment K in co-operation with the Germans, and transported the Italian-built MAS boat Sisu to the Lake. German unit Einsatzstab Fahre Ost operated several Siebel Ferries. When the Germans withdrew in late 1942, they sold two Siebel Ferries, Nos T-2 and T-17, to Finland, along with four Infanterie-Boot. In 1944 the Germans transported four MAL 1a Type ferries originally intended for use on Lake Peipus to Lake Ladoga, and the Finns transported two 55ft Thornycroft CMBs, Syösky and Vinha, converted to gunboats. Following the armistice signed with the Soviets, many of the Finnish patrol vessels were evacuated by rail.
Siebel Ferries Nos T-2 and T-17
The two on Lake Ladoga were armed with two 105mm and two 20mm (probably quadruple Flakvierling). For basic details, see GERMANY.
MAL Type 1a Armed Ferries Nos M-31, M-32, M-33 and M-34
Built in 1941, the MAL Type 1a armed ferries displaced 180 tons, and were armed with two 88mm, one 37mm AA and one 20mm Flakvierling. For a profile drawing, see GERMANY.
Infanterie-Boot Nos VMV 101, VMV 102, VMV 103 and VMV 105
These boats weighed 10 tons, and were armed with a 6-pounder QF and a 20mm AA.
MAL armed ferry in the background of this view of a VMV Infanterie-Boot. (SAKuva photo No 135115)
VMV Infanterie-Boot. (SA-Kuva photo No 166383)
Sisu (ex-MAS 220)
Sisu was one of two ex-MAS boats built in Italy in 1916, and sold to Finland in 1920. In 1942 she was rearmed with what has been listed as a machine gun, but which was probably a 20mm Madsen cannon. At the same time she lost her torpedo armament, as previous attacks by Italian MAS boats had revealed that the lake was too shallow to effectively deploy torpedoes.
Launched:
1916 by the Orlando Shipyard, Livorno.
Dimensions:
Displ: 13 tons; L: 16.2m/53ft; B: 3m/9ft 10in; D: 1.2m/3ft 11in.
Crew:
7.
Power/Speed:
Twin screws; 2 × 500bhp Isotta-Fraschini petrol motors/25 knots.
Guns/Armour:
1 × 20mm Madsen.
Fate:
Stricken after the Second World War.
Sisu in Second World War guise, with a wheelhouse, still carrying her torpedoes in drop collars. (Plan from Website: smallcrafthistory.weebly.com/mas-1920.html)
Train removing two CMBs and a VMV Infanterie-Boot from the lake. (SA-Kuva photo No 166384)
Vinha, Syöksy and Nuoli
These were the surviving Thornycroft 55ft CMBs, four of which were purchased by Finland in 1928. As torpedoes had been revealed to be ineffective in the shallow waters of the Lake, by 1944 they were rearmed as patrol gunboats on Lake Ladoga. The photo shows two of them, Vinha and Syöksy, being transported by train from Lake Ladoga at the time of the Finno-Soviet Armistice of 1944, along with a VMV Infanterie-Boot.
Launched:
1925 by Thornycroft.
Dimensions:
Displ: 13 tons; L: 16.5m/54ft 1in; B: 3.5m/11ft 6in; D: 1m/3ft 3in.
Crew:
5.
Power/Speed:
Twin screws; 2 × 375bhp Thornycroft petrol motors/40 knots.
Guns/Armour:
1 × 20mm Madsen cannon.
Fate:
Stricken after the Second World War
LAKE ONEGA
It is worth noting that the Finns possessed at least two gunboats on Lake Onega, Karkhumani and Ilmari, and both are mentioned as having taken part in inconclusive clashes with Soviet gunboats on 4 September 1942.
FRANCE
The French Navy and Army had almost a hundred years’ experience of using river gunboats, in various parts of the globe. However, this widespread use is relatively difficult to catalogue, as the information is scattered between various institutions, with much being held by private enthusiasts, notably in collections of historical postcards. The French Navy’s archives provided a rich source of ship plans, up until the moment when, without prior notice and for no discernable reason, the entire stock of drawings was abruptly withdrawn from the Internet. The plans are no longer available even to buy and order at a distance; only lengthy personal visits to the archives at Chatellerault in Western France allow researchers to browse the records. The only recent comprehensive book on the subject, dealing with the French river gunboats in China, was written by Contre-amiral Bernard Estival, and the kind agreement of his editor Stéphane Gallois to allow parts of his work to be reproduced here has greatly aided the task of describing French river gunboats. Alain Clouet has set himself the task of cataloguing on his website the French vessels built under the rule of Napoleon III, and the multitude of details he has uncovered have greatly aided the collation of this work.
This chapter contains information culled from various sources, including the Internet, where of course the original source is virtually never attributed. Much of the available information is fragmentary, often included only as an aside in descriptions of military campaigns or exploration expeditions. One recurring problem for the researcher is the French habit of passing down the names of discarded vessels to new craft in the following classes. This has all too often even misled the French themselves. Despite these reservations, the panoply of French river gunboats is rich and varied.
Napoleon III, no doubt inspired by the success of armoured floating batteries used by the French and British during the Crimean War, was one of the first to plan building armoured river gunboats to support military expeditions, as part of the French intervention to aid Italian reunification.
Large flotillas of ocean-going and riverine gunboats supported the French takeover of Indochina, and the description in this chapter must be treated as simply a summary of the multitude of types used there. Armed river launches were even transported by a specially-built short length of railway line to pass the upper Mekong rapids, a striking innovation which could have saved the British much trouble and loss climbing the Nile Cataracts. French explorers and colonists used shallow-draught and small sectional river vessels in their expansion into Central Africa, reaching as far as the Sahara. The French Navy was part of the international presence on the Chinese rivers up unt
il the end of the Second World War. During the Great War, specially-built river monitors supported the Army on the Western Front.
The saga of French riverine forces continued with their version of the watch on the Rhine, then with their Brown Water campaign on the rivers of French Indochina in the early 1950s. Many of the river gunboats introduced by the French forces were still in use when the Americans arrived in Vietnam, and were quickly copied by them, helping the French river gunboat legacy to last well over a century.
NAPOLEON III’S RIVER GUNBOATS
Riverine Floating Batteries Nos 1–5
The Emperor himself, even though his own military experience was extremely limited, took a great interest in artillery. He prepared the specifications for a class of armoured river gunboat which could be broken down into fourteen separate sections for transport with the army on its expedition into Italy in 1859. The craft were to be reassembled for use on the Italian lakes and rivers, against the Austrian forces, principally on the River Po.
The design produced a low-profile wide-beam, shallow-draught gunboat with an iron hull, protected by iron side and frontal armour on a timber backing. The design was to be proof against field artillery rounds. The sole armament comprised two large cannons mounted in the front casemate, firing through large vertical embrasures which allowed for a small degree of training. Larger angles were to be catered for by slewing the gunboat to point towards the target. Note that in the outline concept drawings there is no provision of vision ports for navigating. It must be presumed that Napoleon intended the crew to pilot the vessel by looking out of the gunports. The twin four-bladed propellers operated in a cutaway portion of the stern and did not extend below keel level. Such a broad-beam river vessel of limited horsepower could have been difficult to steer, especially in strong currents.