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Bonaventure (F139) 1892 - 1920

Built By: Vickers (Barrow)
Fate: Scrapped 1920

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Stern view of HMS Bonaventure anchored at Spithead 1909
Stern view of HMS Bonaventure anchored at Spithead 1909
Bonaventure as a Depot Ship with submarines alongside
Bonaventure as a Depot Ship with submarines alongside

Pennant Numbers

Astroea Class, became a depot ship April, 1907.

In mid-1913, she was in Harwich supporting the Sixth Submarine Flotilla and Seventh Submarine Flotilla but later went to the far east.

HMS Bonaventure, command ship for the newly formed 14th Submarine Flotilla, sailed for the Far East on 21st February 1945 with XE1 to XE6 onboard. Although the American Navy was most reluctant to welcome the midget submarine flotilla they agreed to Capt. Fell carrying out the cutting of telephone cables at two points in South East Asia.

The idea was to isolate Singapore from Japan by direct telephone cable traversing Indo China and Hong Kong just before an invasion by a joint force. Four XE Craft were designated for operations.

XE1 and XE3 were to attack two Japanese cruisers in the Singapore Strait where they were acting as guard ships to that most important anchorage.

XE4 concerned itself with the cutting of the cable, in two places, outside Saigon.

XE5 tackled the cable, also in two places, outside Hong Kong.

All operations were successful with XE1 and XE3 just attacking one cruiser. These successes were not clear at the time but, at the ending of the war in the Far East in August, they were confirmed. Hush Hush till the bitter end.

The most decorated ship in the Royal Navy, winning:

Totalling 68. Also: Over 100 mentioned in Dispatches were logged.

Related Pages
1944 - 1952: XE Class

RN Submarine Database

Roll of Honour

2
Died: 15-02-1917
Ward, Stanley 
Leading Stoker Died: 15-02-1917
Died of wounds in the Ingham Infirmary, South Shields,
The full circumstances of his death are not known.
Died: 03-05-1917
Carr, John 
Leading Seaman Died: 03-05-1917
Understood to have taken ill and died

Events

02-12-1892 Launched
15-10-1912 Recommissioned at Portsmouth
17-10-1919 Paid off
12-04-1920 Sold to the Forth Ship Breaking Company, Bo'ness.
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Latona 1892 - 1920 Crescent 1899 - 1921