More information : Wreck Site and Archaeological Remains:
In 1969 the position of the vessel, said possibly to be that of the ALICE MARIE, in 50 15.29N 003 30.58W was declared to be that of the FORMIDABLE by a salvage boat skipper but this was later retracted. [see SX 94 SW 3] (4)
The Protection of Military Remains Act (Designation of Vessels and Controlled Sites) Order 2002
Statutory Instrument: No.1761
Made: 9th July 2002
Came into force: 30th September 2002 (9)
The Protection of Military Remains Act (Designation of Vessels and Controlled Sites) Order 2006
Statutory Instrument: No.2616
Made: 21st September 2006
Came into force: 1st November 2006
designates an area within a distance of 400 metres of the point at Latitude 50 13.179N 003 004.071W [WGS 84] as a Controlled Site, revoking the Statutory Instrument of 2002. (10)
On 1st May 2008 the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 (Designation of Vessels and Controlled Sites) Order 2008 (Statutory Instrument No. 950) cited an area situated within a distance of 400 metres of the point at Latitude 50 13.179 North, Longitude 03 04.071West (World Geodetic System 1984), which contains the remains of the vessel known as HMS Formidable, as a controlled site. The Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 (Designation of Vessels and Controlled Sites) Order 2006 (Statutory Instrument No. 2616 was revoked. (13)
Wreck Event and Documentary Evidence:
Primary Sources:
'During the great gale last Thursday morning, HMS FORMIDABLE was sunk in the Channel, presumably by a German submarine.' (6)
70 crew were saved by the Brixham trawler PROVIDENT, whose skipper, William Pillar, was awarded a medal by the Shipwrecked Mariners' Society. 71 survivors were picked up by a British light cruiser. A further 48 were landed at Lyme Regis by an unidentified cutter. (7)
Secondary Sources:
'The FORMIDABLE was steaming up-Channel as part of the 5th Battle Squadron, which was to take part in firing exercises off Portland. Escorted by the light cruisers TOPAZ and DIAMOND, the three ships were steaming in line ahead when at 2.20am the battleship was hit by a torpedo on the starboard side abreast her foremost funnel, fired by the German submarine U-24. She swung out of line and lowered her boats, and was soon listing heavily to starboard. Launching the boats without the benefit of steam winches in the dark proved difficult; 43 men in a barge were picked up by TOPAZ, 60 in a pinnace reached Lyme Regis, and the Brixham smack PROVIDENT picked up 71 men. The ship was then torpedoed for a second time on the port side, turned over, and sank at 4.45am. A liner passed close to the scene and was signalled to stop, but failed to do so, but a small steamer gave assistance later. Captain Loxley, 35 officers, and 512 men drowned.' (1)
Sunk by U24 off the Bill of Portland. (2)
First Class Battleship, 430 x 75 x 29 feet. (4)
Voyage details substantially as given in (1) and (11). The exercises were carried out on 31.12.1914 about 25 miles off the Bill of Portland. At sundown Admiral Sir Lewis Bayly decided to remain at sea, and set course for the Isle of Wight in order to resume the exercises the next morning.
Conditions were clear, although with some cloud cover, and visibility was approximately two miles with a southerly wind and rough sea. When the first torpedo struck, as the squadron was passing through a group of fishing smacks at 0220, the weather was getting increasingly worse, exacerbating her situation.
Besides the rescue of 43 men by TOPAZ and 71 men by PROVIDENT, as well as the 60 men who reached Lyme in the pinnace, DIAMOND also picked up 37 officers and men. The remainder of the crew were still on board when the second torpedo struck and they were sent to break up the woodwork in order to save life. A liner passed close but refused to comply with the signal sent by TOPAZ to stand by, and TOPAZ was then ordered to steam away as she was herself at risk from the submarine. (4)
FORMIDABLE class battleship. Position of loss given as 25 miles off Portland. (11)
The FORMIDABLE was leading 8 battleships of the 5th Battle Squadron down the English Channel; the squadron had been spotted by U-24, Kapitanleutnant Rudolph Schneider, but he was unable to attack at the time. After 1900 the squadron made a 16-point turn to comply with orders to alter their course in areas where submarines were known to be operating, and a second 16-point turn was made at 0200, which in fact led them back towards U-24. At 0225 FORMIDABLE was hit by a torpedo on the starboard side by the fore funnel, flooding her machinery and causing her to list to starboard. At 0315 a second torpedo was fired to hit FORMIDABLE on the port side, and she capsized and sank at 0445.
The FORMIDABLE had been the flagship of Vice-Admiral Sir Lewis Bayly, who survived to command Anglo-American forces out of Queenstown. (11)
Sunk by submarine in the English Channel. (12)
Launched: 17.11.1898 (2)(12)
Built 1898 (1); 17.11.1898 (11); 1901 (4)
Completed: September 1901 (12)
Builder: Portsmouth Dockyard (1)(2)(4)
Where Built: Portsmouth (1)(2)
Boilers: Belleville boilers (4)
HP: 15000 (4)
Armament: 4 x 12in, 12 x 6in and 18 x 2pdr guns (1)(2); 4 x 12pdr, 12 x 6pdr, 16 x 12pdr, 6 x 3pdr, 2 machine guns, 4 TT (4)
Propulsion: Screw driven, triple expansion engines (1)(4)
Commanding Officer: Captain A N Loxley RN (1)(4)(11)
Crew: 780 (1)(4)(11)
Crew lost: 512 (3); 547 (1)(11); 579 (4); 591 implied by number of survivors in (1), if crew complement 780; 592 implied by number of survivors in (7), if crew complement 780
Owner: Royal Navy [all sources]
Date of Loss Qualifier: Actual date of loss |