HMS Mimi and HMS Toutou

HMS "Mimi" and HMS "Toutou" were motor launches of the Royal Navy. After undergoing an unusual journey from Britain to Lake Tanganyika in the interior of Africa, the ships played an important role in the naval struggle between Britain and Germany during World War I.

Journey to Tanganyika

The ship eventually named the "Mimi" was one of two being built at the Thornycroft Yards on the Thames at the beginning of the war. Originally commissioned for the Greek Air Force, [Miller, Charles. "Battle of the Bundu: The First World War in East Africa". New York: McMillian Publishing. 1974. p198.] the "Mimi" was requisitioned by the Admiralty to meet the needs of a scheme to create an African inland navy. Both "Mimi" and her sister ship HMS "Toutou" had a length of 40 ft and could travel at up to 19 knots by virtue of two 100 hp petrol engines attached to twin screws. This would make the ships the fastest on Lake Tanganyika when they eventually arrived. The British armed them with a 3 pounder in the fore and a Maxim gun aft. Although it was discovered that the frames of the boats could not endure the 3 pounder's recoil when not fired straight ahead, it was hoped that the boat's impressive manoeuvrability would offset this limitation.

The launches underwent trials on June 8, 1915, and by the middle of the month were packed aboard a liner destined for Cape Town, South Africa. The vessels were nucleus of an expedition whose goal was to achieve naval superiority over the strategically important Lake Tanginyika. The expedition's leader was the colourful naval officer Geoffrey Spicer-Simson (he had originally named the launches "Dog" and "Cat", only to have the names rejected by an apparently scandalized Admiralty [Miller. "Battle of the Bundu". p198.] ). At the beginning of July they arrived in South Africa, where the ships were loaded onto a train bound for Elisabethville in the Belgian Congo, and finally the village of Fungurume, where the line ended. By August 6, the ships and equipment were offloaded and the expedition prepared to drive into the bush.

It took nearly a month and a half to travel the 100 or more miles from Fungurume to Sankisia, the railhead for a narrow-gauge railway. The terrain in between was mountainous and broken, requiring the construction of 150 bridges over various streams and gorges [Miller. "Battle of the Bundu". p200.] . The movement was accomplished by the brute force of two steam tractors, dozens of oxen, and hundreds of Africans employed for the expedition. At some points, even this was not enough, and complex winching systems were developed to lever the ships over the more formidable inclines. Even after the railroad was reached, the difficulties continued, as there were still some 500 miles to go. Streams which Spicer-Simson had depended on for navigation turned out to be nearly dry: the ships had to be raised on barrel rafts to float, and even then they had to be portaged dozens of times. Finally, however, the wearied expedition arrived at Lake Tanganyika on October 26.

Naval career

"Mimi" and "Toutou" were finally launched around the end of December, and by the 26th they had already experienced their first action. The German ship "Kingani" was sighted, and the Allied "fleet" gave chase. In the lead of the formation was "Mimi", commanded by Spicer-Simson. After evading the initial German broadsides, "Mimi" and "Toutou" opened on the German vessel at noon, eventually puncturing her hull below the waterline. With water coming in and the commander dead, the German ship struck her colours. Perhaps overenthusiastic, "Mimi" rammed her while preparing to board, the damage of which put her own survival at risk. She managed to run ashore just before floundering, however, while the "Kingani" also limped to port under escort. Repaired, the prize was renamed the "Fifi" and added to the British armada. [Miller. "Battle of the Bundu". p205.] .

The British got their second opportunity on February 9, 1916. This time the German customer was the warship "Hedwig von Wissman". "Fifi", now the Spicer-Simson's flagship, and "Mimi", commanded by a Sub-Lieutenant A.E. Wainwright, gave chase. "Fifi" and "Hedwig" were evenly matched for speed, and due to unusual optical effects on the lake, "Fifi" rounds kept going wide of their mark. Ignoring orders to stay behind, Wainwright took advantage of "Mimi"'s speed and zoomed ahead to harass the rear of the German ship. In order to fight back, "Hedwig" would have to turn around to bring her main guns to bear; whence "Mimi" would dodge away and "Fifi" could close her range. Eventually, "Fifi" scored a direct hit and the "Hedwig" sunk. For this action, Wainwright was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross [Miller. "Battle of the Bundu". p208.]

Although there were still German vessels on the lake (most notably the "Graf von Götzen", armed with a formidable gun from the "Königsberg"), Spicer-Simson retreated to a cautious strategy, constraining himself to ineffectual support of the land campaign. "Mimi" would not be involved in further dramatic lake battles. She was apparently taken out and scuttled in the 1920s [Patience, Kevin. "The Naval Africa Expedition 1915". http://www.nhcra-online.org/20c/africa15.htm Accessed November 11, 2007.]

Footnotes