My Dad (now deceased) was a telegraphist in a Royal Navy Minesweeper, HMS Magnolia in WWII. He spent a good deal of time in the Indian ocean & seemed to be
based out of Ceylon. To date, the only Minesweeper that I've been able to track down as HMS Magnolia was a flower class minesweeper built in 1919 and
scrapped in 1932 according to a 1937 Janes Fighting Ships record. That seems an awfully short career for an oceangoing sweeper but I have been unable to come
up with any other candidate. Does anyone know of a minesweeper of that description? She would have been in the Indian Ocean probably 1943-1945. Fergal
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HMS MAGNOLIA
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 Fergal |
HMS MAGNOLIA |
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Posts: 1 (20/06/08 04:26:46) |
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Mark Walters FCCA Member |
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Posts: 1026 (05/07/08 12:13:05) |
Hi Fergal and welcome to the forum!
There was a minesweeper trawler called HMS Magnolia with the pennant no T.31. This ship was the ex Lord Brentford, purchased by the RN for minesweeper use. Built 1930 by Cochrane & Sons Shipbuilders Ltd. (Selby, U.K.) and purchased by the RN in 1935. The trawler was at Ceylon in the time frame you have given and would have been based at Trincomalee as part of the South East Asia Command Displacement: 367 tons. Armament: 1 4" gun. Sold in January 1948. Renamed Oranjezicht in 1948. Scrapped at Capetown, South-Africa on 16 August 1965. Hope this helps! Regards Mark |
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Fergal |
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Posts: 2 (28/07/08 04:40:30) |
That helps a great deal indeed! I've been trying off-and-on for years to get that info - even called the executives at Janes Fighting Ships but never could
pin it down. Thanks ever so much. Fergal
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adam brown |
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Posts: 1 (20/01/09 18:49:56) |
Hi Fergal, I'm researching my grandfather's time in the RNVR (Lt Cdr S R Brown). He commanded HMS Magnolia in c.1944. Magnolia led a convoy from Port
Elizabeth to Ceylon, for which I know my father has a detailed account - the convoy found itself in the Indian Ocean without a single qualified navigation
officer between them. It seems likely that my grandpa and your Dad had a lot of business with each other in those circumstances. I will get my Dad to unearth
the old account if that would be of interest. And please let me know of any details you have of the ship's war. As for Janes - it also misses an HMS
Conqueror, a later command of SR Brown's. Classed as a corvette, it had been Mr Selfridges yacht in the 1930's. Perhaps Jane's is a bit snooty
about vessels that weren't laid down as warships! Regards, Adam
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Mick |
HMS Magnolia | ||
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Posts: 1 (14/03/09 19:47:21) |
Hello Fergal and Adam
My father was on the ship at the beginning of WW2. The RN at Greenwich let me have details re the ship and some of its activities in the war. Perhaps they could help with research. I have uploaded a photo of an oil painting of the ship which I had painted some years ago., Hope you can access it as I am not sure how this system works. Regards Mick |
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