HMS Marksman, Mindful & Mameluke going to oil, Gutter Sound, 1917
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HMS Mindful (1915) was a repeat M class destroyer that served with the Twelfth Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet from November 1915 to April 1918, fighting at Jutland, then on the Coast of Ireland station for the rest of the war.
The Mindful was an Admiralty type repeat M class destroyer ordered under the Second War Programme of early November 1914. She was laid down on 29 December 1914, launched on 24 August 1915 and completed on 10 November 1915.
The Mindful served with the Twelfth Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet from November 1915 to April 1918.
1916
In January 1916 she was one of five repeat-M class destroyers that formed the Twelth Flotilla at Scapa, along with the flotilla leader Marksman and the light cruiser Royalist.
On the eve of Jutland the Mindful was part of the Twelfth Destroyer Flotilla, which was at Scapa Flow, and filled entirely with Repeat M class destroyers. The flotilla put to sea with Admiral Jellicoe and the main body of the Grand Fleet by 10.30pm on 30 May.
The two main fleets finally came together at about 6.30pm on 31 May. By this point the battleships of the German High Seas Fleet were heading north, while the battleships of the Grand Fleet were forming a line running roughly east to west in front of them. For a few minutes the British were able to concentrate their fire on the leading ships of the German line, but the Germans then carried out their famous sixteen point turn, and within a few minutes were heading away south into the North Sea mist. However Admiral Scheer then mis-judged the British movements, and turned back east in the hope that he could pass behind the main British force. Just after 7pm the Germans found themselves steaming straight towards Jelicoe’s battleships, and by 7.15 the bulk of the Grand Fleet was finally able to open fire on the Germans. Once again Scheer was forced to reverse course. During this phase of the battle the destroyer flotillas struggled to keep up with the fast moving battleships and rather disappear from the narrative. After more confused manoeuvres the two fleets came into range of each other for a third time after 8pm, but the Germans turned away for a third time, and disappeared into the mists by 8.35.
Jellicoe was unwilling to risk a night battle, and at 9.17 ordered the fleet into its night cruising formation. The battleships formed up into lines in their divisions, with the destroyers following behind. The entire formation began to move south in an attempt to keep between the Germans and their home bases. By 10pm the destroyer flotillas were in line, with the 12th Flotilla at the eastern (left) end of the line, then the combined 9th and 10th Flotillas, 13th Flotilla, 4th Flotilla and finally the 11th Flotilla at the western (right) end of the line.
The key moment of the night actions came at around 11.30, when the High Seas Fleet finally attempted to pass behind the Grand Fleet and ran into the British destroyers. The Germans would make contact with the 4th Destroyer Flotilla, which was towards the right of the British line. There was then a seven mile gap to the 13th Flotilla, with the 9th and 10th Flotilla close by, and the 12th Flotilla to their rear.
In a series of clashes the Germans inflicted heavy damage on the 4th Flotilla, but instead of rushing to their aid, the 13th Flotilla, which was next in line, believed they were the target of the gunfire, and that there were friendly ships between them and the Germans preventing a torpedo attack. The flotilla leader Captain Farie ordered the flotilla to turn away to the east to get out of range, but he failed to signal the move, so only two of the flotilla followed him. His move also forced the 9th and 10th Flotillas and the 12th Flotilla to turn to port to get out of the way. As a result the British destroyers were no longer in the correct place when the High Seas Fleet passed behind the Grand Fleet. As a result the Germans were able to move past almost without being detected and the one clash that did occur was with two cruisers so didn’t cause any alarm. The Menace and Nonsuch from the 12th Flotilla clashed with the German cruisers Frankfurt and Pillau and were lucky to escape.
Despite all of the chaos and confusion, a large part of the 12th Flotilla ended up in position to launch one final attack on the High Seas Fleet as it passed behind the Grand Fleet. Twelve destroyers and two flotilla leaders were still together, and had been forced into a position some thirty miles behind the main fleet. As they headlined south they ran into the German fleet. The Germans were sighted at about 1.45am on 1 June. The flotilla commander ordered his 1st Division to attack, and signalled the news of the sighting to Jellicoe. The Germans turned away to avoid the torpedo attack and were briefly lost to sight. However the flotilla soon found them again, and was able to launch a powerful torpedo attack. One torpedo hit the Pommern, which exploded, taking her entire crew with her. The Germans were forced to turn away again, preventing the rest of the flotilla from attacking effectively. The Mindful was suffering from problems with her boilers, and was unable to keep up with the rest of the flotilla and didn’t take part in the attack.
After Jutland
On the afternoon of 20 August U.B.27 attacked the trawler Pacific, 26 miles to the east of the Pentland Skerries, with gunfire. After she fired 21 shots at the trawler the Mindful arrived on the scene and drove her off.
1917
Soon after midnight on the night of 14-15 March 1917 the ‘standby’ destroyer division (Maenad, Noble, Mindful and Nessus) was sent out to sea to try and intercept a damaged German submarine (U.48) that was attempting to get home. Just after noon on 15 March the destroyers found a surfaced submarine. The submarine signalled an identification challenge, but although they were still 150 miles short of their destination, the destroyers assumed this was their target and opened fire from 3,000 yards. Two depth charges were dropped and the captains of the Maenad and Noble were sure the submarine had been sunk. Only after their return to port was it discovered that their target had been the British submarine G.12, which had been damaged but luckily not sunk.
In June 1917 the Marvel took part in a diplomatically embarrassing sweep along the coast of Norway, carried out in an attempt to intercept German ships moving between Narvik and Germany. The cruisers Cambrian and Comus, supported by four destroyers were sent to sweep around the southern end of the Norwegian coast from Utsira to the Naze (Lindesnes), keeping outside Norwegian territorial waters. On 2 June the Cambrian, screened by the Marvel and Mindful was on the inshore side of the formation, and was sweeping along the coast when she sighted the German steamer Gamma. The Gamma ignored an order to ‘heave to’ and headed towards the shore. The Marvel was sent to intercept her, and ran aground. Captain Fountaine of the Marvel decided to torpedo her, and signalled her crew to abandon ship. The Germans were already doing so, and twenty minutes later the Marvel fired a torpedo. Her performance was unimpressive – the first torpedo missed, hit a rock and failed to explode. A second torpedo also missed and ran up the beach. The Mindful joined in and fired a torpedo that hit aft. The Cambrian also joined the attack, and the Gamma was wrecked. Unsurprisingly the Norwegian government protested, and the British issued an ‘expression of deep regret’ to the Norwegian government. To make things worse, five of the seven neutral ships stopped on the same cruise also protested, and once again the British had to apologise. Similar sweeps were carried out on 11 and 29 June, but far more care was taken to stay in neutral waters!
On 6 August 1917 the Mindful collided with SS Frisia near Kirkabister Lighthouse, while approaching Lerwick.
On 9 November 1917 the Mindful collided with SS Lumen in the Pentland Firth.
1918
On 28 February HMS Mindful and HMS Croome collided.
From May 1918 to December 1918 the Mindful served with the 2nd Destroyer Flotilla of the Northern Division of the Coast of Ireland Station, based at Buncrana. Her new role was a mix of anti-submarine patrols and escort duties.
On 11 November 1918 the Marne, Medway, Michael, Mystic, Nicator and Pelican were all temporarily attached to the 15th Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet.
In November 1919 she was in the hands of a care and maintenance party in the Devonport reserve.
The Mindful was awarded a battle honour for Jutland. She was sold for scrap in September 1921.
Service Record
November 1915-April 1918: 12th Destroyer Flotilla, Grand Fleet
May 1918-December 1918: 2nd Destroyer Flotilla, Northern Division Coast of Ireland, Buncrana
Displacement (standard) |
1,025t (Admiralty design) |
Displacement (loaded) |
1,250t |
Top Speed |
34 knots |
Engine |
3-shaft Brown-Curtis or Parsons turbines |
Range |
|
Length |
273ft 4in (Admiralty) |
Width |
26ft 8ft (Admiralty) |
Armaments |
Three 4in/ 45cal QF Mk IV |
Crew complement |
80 |
Laid down |
29 December 1914 |
Launched |
24 August 1915 |
Completed |
10 November 1915 |
Sold for break up |
September 1921 |
British Destroyers From Earliest Days to the Second World War, Norman Friedman. A very detailed look at the design of British destroyers from their earliest roots as torpedo boat destroyers, though the First World War and up to the start of the Second World War, supported by vast numbers of plans and well chosen photographs [read full review]
