HMS Hyacinth (1898)

HMS "Hyacinth" was one of the "Highflyer" class cruisers of the Royal Navy. She was built by the London and Glasgow Shipbuilding Company in Glasgow, being laid down in January 1897, launched on 27 October 1898 and commissioned in September 1900.

Career

Pre 1914

In 1904 "Hyacinth" was commanded by Captain the Hon. Horace Hood as the flagship of Rear-Admiral George Atkinson-Willes. "Hyacinth" was part of a squadron of three ships which took part in the Somaliland Campaign. On 20 April HMS "Hyacinth" and HMS "Fox" arrived off the Gulluli River after dark, and on the following day a small landing party went ashore, commanded by Captain Hood. One hundred and twenty-five men of the Royal Hampshire Regiment accompanied the sailors. The brigade captured Fort Illig and subsequently cleared the village and some caves at the bottom of the cliffs. The enemy left between 60 and 70 dead, and the British re-embarked with a loss of three killed and eleven wounded. Fort Illig was then reduced, and the British ships withdrew. At various dates the "Hyacinth", while commanded by Captain J.D Dick and flying the flag of Rear-Admiral E.J.W. Slade, was employed in the prevention of the gun-running traffic in the Persian Gulf.

In 1913 she relieved her sister, HMS "Hermes" as flagship of the Cape and East Africa station, and in August 1914 was the flagship of Rear-Admiral King-Hall. In the period immediately before the outbreak of the war, he took his squadron to visit Zanzibar, with orders to track any German cruisers he encountered. On 31 July he sighted the SMS "Königsberg" outside Dar-es-Salaam, but none of his ships were quick enough to catch her.

Wartime service

In September "Hyacinth" was used to escort the troopships carrying the regular solders of the Cape garrison home. In October she was called back to the Cape to provide support against the Boer rebels. She was still at the Cape when news arrived of the battle of Coronel. The Cape squadron was reinforced by the cruisers HMS "Minotaur" and HMS "Defence", and Admiral King-Hall transferred his flag to the "Minotaur". After the battle of the Falklands, the two more powerful cruisers were recalled, and the admiral swapped back to the "Hyacinth", before transferring out again, this time to the "Goliath".

At the start of January 1915 "Hyacinth" was supporting the invasion of German South West Africa. She was then sent around to East Africa, to join the force blockading the "Königsberg" in the Rufiji delta. On 7 March Admiral King-Hall arrived in the "Goliath", but on 25 March she was ordered away, and once again he transferred his flag to the "Hyacinth". In April it became clear that the Germans were about to try and get supplies to their troops in East Africa. The ship chosen was a captured British merchantman, the "Rubens". Lacking any more suitable ships, Admiral King-Hall undertook the hunt himself, in the "Hyacinth". On 14 April he sighted the "Rubens", and gave chase, but the "Hyacinth"’s starboard engine then broke down. This gave the German crew of the "Rubens" time to beach her in Manza Bay. When the "Hyacinth" finally arrived, the "Rubens" was set alight, but most of her supplies were in her flooded cargo hold, and after the "Hyacinth" sailed away it was salvaged.

The "Hyacinth" stayed on the Cape and East Africa station until the end of the war. On 26 March 1916 she sank the German merchant ship "Tabora". "Hyacinth" was paid off in August 1919 and sold for scrapping on 11 October 1923 to Cohen, of Swansea.

References

*Colledge
*Jane's Fighting Ships of World War One (1919), Jane's Publishing Company
* [http://www.worldwar1.co.uk/light-cruiser/hms-Highflyer.html Highflyer class in World War I]
* [http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_HMS_Hyacinth.html History of HMS Hyacinth]
* [http://www.worldnavalships.com/hermes_class1.htm#HMS%20Hyacinth HMS Hyacinth]