HMS Engadine

History of HMS Engadin

Like many early aircraft carriers in military naval history, HMS Engadine began its cargo career under the name SS Engadine, only to transition to the carrier role under pressure. When Britain entered World War I following global events in mid-1914, it sought out various tools of war and adopted market-oriented civilian ships such as the Engadine.

Originally built by William Denny and his brother in Dumbarton, Scotland and launched on 23 September 1911, she was leased to the Royal Navy on 11 August 1914 to begin her career. For the tender role of the seaplane, she transformed her stern silhouette by adding three hangars.

She launched her career during World War I, when aircraft carriers were just becoming viable battlefield tools - setting the stage for what became commonplace in naval operations during World War II (1939-1945).

A seaplane tender, as the name suggests, is a vessel used to support a seaplane-type aircraft - that is, a vessel equipped with buoys for landing and take-off on water. Their primary role is on the water, and range is a key feature of these birds.

At the time, the biplane was still the aircraft of choice, and naval power pushed for its ever-expanding use in warfaredespite much trial and error.

HMS Engadine inherited the propulsion scheme of her previous role - six water tube boilers powering three steam turbines with 13,800 hp driving three shafts below the stern. Top speed in ideal conditions can reach over 21 knots and range is up to 1,440 miles.

She had a complement of approximately 200 men, and the structural dimensions included a barrel length of 323 feet, a beam of 41 feet, and a draft of 13.7 feet. Full-load displacement is 2,600 tons.

After the refit, the HMS Engadine entered service on 1 September 1914. Her original hangar was really just a temporary shelter, only able to accommodate up to three seaplanes, and was made of ordinary thick canvas. Two of the structures were built at the stern and one at the bow.

Unlike traditional aircraft carriers, which have flight decks for landing and take-off, HMS Engadine instead operates its seaplanes "sideways" - support arms (called "derricks") used to lower the aircraft during salvage operations to sea or lift it up.

The first recorded wartime operation of the Luftwaffe was part of the Cuxhaven raid on Christmas Day 1914. The bombing raid was entirely shipborne and targeted the German airship bunkers in Cuxhaven, and although only minor damage to enemy targets was noted, the mission proved to be an artistic triumph for the Royal Navy - especially in the This adds another tool to the war planner's toolbox when using sea strikes.

By February 1915, the ship was now fully owned by the Royal Navy (she was purchased outright that month) and had undergone a more formal militarization of its design. This means their temporary three-aircraft hangar is now replaced by a solid permanent structure that can accommodate a total of four fighter jets.

The boom was scrapped and replaced by two heavy duty utility cranes for aircraft recovery and installation. In addition, she was armed with anti-aircraft (AA) guns in the form of 4 x 12-pounder 12 center guns and 2 x 3-pounder QF guns.

With these changes, the HMS Engadine is officially a true warship.

As a member of the battlecruiser fleet (since late 1915), she took part in the next war at the famous Battle of Jutland (31 May-1 June 1916). The battle, which involved the combined fleets of Britain, Australia and Canada against the German fleet, represented the largest maritime confrontation of the war (and the largest engagement of warships).

While the battle was a strategic victory for the Allies, both sides felt it was tactically inconclusive. Because of her role in combat, HMS Engadine made the first "heavier-than-air" reconnaissance flight in naval combat.

Surviving this engagement, the Engadine was transferred to the Mediterranean in early 1918 and used for anti-submarine missions until the armistice that officially ended World War I in November.

In December 1919, the ship was stripped of its military value, sold to private service, and eventually fell to the Southern Railroad in 1923. In 1933 it was sold again to US-based Fernandez Hermanos, Incorporated operating in the Philippines and providing services under the name SS Corregidor.

It was at this stage of her career that the ship suffered her untimely endon December 17, 1941, in the early days of World War II in the Pacific, she was sunk by a mine in Manila Bay. Due to her civilian transport role, she may have carried as many as 1,500 souls, of which fewer than 300 were rescued in the ensuing rescue operation.

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