More information : Hired as a decoy ship JAN-1918. Damaged in action with U 98 and sank while under tow off Bolt Head, 30-JUL-1918. (1)
Vessel was formerly called CHARYCE.
This vessel which until 1918 was a small coastal steamship, was hired by the Royal Navy as a decoy ship (Special Service, Q-ship) in January of that year. She was torpedoed by the German submarine UB-98, Kapitanleutnant Oelricher, on her starboard side, putting her hidden forward gun out of action and wounding four crew. The 'make-believe' panic crew abandoned ship whist the hidden gun crews waited for the submarine to surface, which it did five minutes later, eventually moving close in to within 300 yards. At that moment the Q-ship dropped her screens, opening fire with both 4ins. guns. The first round carried away a periscope, a second hit the conning tower dead centre, destroying it, a third struck below the water line. After 20 more hits UB-98 sank by the stern, but managed to reach her base in Germany. The STOCKFORCE, set course for the land and was within a few miles of Bolt Head when she sank. (2), based on (3)
STOCKFORCE, 732 tons, built 1917. Ex. CHARYCE.
30-JUL-1918: Torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 25 miles west of Start Point by German submarine UB-80. Lost while on Government service employed as a Special Service Ship. (4)
30-JUL-1918: STOCKFORCE, 732 tons, Special Service Ship, sunk by submarine in English Channel. (5)
30-JUL-1918: STOCK FORCE, British ship, indexed as a mercantile vessel, sunk by submarine in the English Channel while on Admiralty Service. (6)
10 [sic]-JUL-1918: STOCK FORCE, 732 tons Q-Ship, attacked 25 miles W of Start Point but sank off the Bolt Tail, position 49 49N 003 53W. Attacked by UB-80, Max Viebeg. (7)
Built as STOCK FORCE for West Coast Shipping Co. Ltd., Whitehaven (Kennaugh), 1917. Dimensions: 55.6 x 8.8m.
30-JUL-1918: Torpedoed by submarine 25 miles west of Start Point and sank off Bolt Head. (8)
[From (8) and (9) it can be seen that (2) is confused with the earlier ship of the same name, belonging to the same owner; that vessel was built in 1905.]
The citation for Lt. Harold Auten's VC included a description of the circumstances of loss:
HMS STOCK FORCE was torpedoed at 5pm on 30-JUL-1918 abreast No.1 hatch, entirely wrecking the fore part of the vessel. Planks, unexploded shells, hatches and other debris followed the explosion. Several crew and officers were injured in both the explosion and the debris shower.
The ship settled by the bows and took on water. The "panic party" then abandoned ship, the wounded men being taken below and tended to in flooded conditions, the captain, two guns' crews and the engine-room crew remaining at their posts.
The submarine surfaced half a mile ahead of the ship, watching her for about 15 minutes. The "panic party" then began to row back towards the STOCK FORCE to lure the submarine within range, and she accordingly came to alongside STOCK FORCE to port, at about 300 yards' distance. When she was within range of both STOCK FORCE's guns, firing commenced at 5.40pm, carrying away first a periscope, next the conning tower, then on the waterline. The submarine then sank a few feet as her bows rose, and STOCK FORCE continued to shell her until she sank by the stern. STOCK FORCE remained afloat until 9.25pm when she sank "with colours flying" and the crew were rescued by two torpedo boats and a trawler. (10)
Account of the action given in Q-Boat Adventures, the memoirs of Lt. Harold Auten. (11)
Built: 1905 (2); 1917 (4)(7)(9)
Builder: Dundee Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. (7)(9)
Where Built: Dundee (7)(9)
Propulsion: Screw-driven, 3-cylinder triple-expansion engine (2)
Boilers: 1 (2)
Official Number: 134942 (8)
Armament: 2 x 4" + 1 x 12pdr (1)(2); 2 x 4", 1 x 12pdr and 1 x 3pdr, screened to look like deck housings (3)
Commanding Officer: Lieut. Harold Auten RN (2)(3)(10)(11)
Owner: Royal Navy [all sources]; ex. W S Kennaugh & Co., Liverpool, trading as West Coast Shipping Co. Ltd. (4)
Date of Loss Qualifier: Actual date of loss |