Exceptional Naval and Polar Awards from the Collection of RC Witte
Indeed Michell carried out a number of successful war patrols in the B. 10, up until the submarine’s destruction at the hands of an Austro-Hungarian seaplane in a raid on Venice on 9 August 1916 - a fine operational record which receives due coverage in We Dive at Dawn, by Kenneth Edwards. Here, by way of example, a hair-raising encounter with a mine:
‘The first line of defence on the Straits of Otranto were the submarines. North of the “barrage” of surface patrols was a large area, extending well to the north of Cattaro, in which Allied submarines maintained diving patrols in the hope of catching the enemy submarines on their way to and from their advanced base at Cattaro. The submarines, and particularly those capable of laying mines, often went on more extended patrols to the immediate approaches to Pola and Fiume.
This was particularly exciting work, for the numerous islands were fortified and the channels heavily mined. B. 10 (Lieutenant Michell) was on one of these expeditions when she had a curious experience with a mine. She had been ordered to search the Istrian Islands, south of Fiume, and had on board an Istrian pilot. She was diving at a depth of 50 feet through a strongly fortified and mined channel, and the water was so clear that it was possible to keep an under-water look-out through the periscope, although the range of vision was of course limited. Michell was at the periscope when he saw a large cylindrical mine right head, about 6 feet above B. 10’s bows. The submarine’s helm was put over in an attempt to avoid it. But the mine swung with the submarine’s bows, and came gently to rest on B. 10’s port forward hydroplane. Michell let the Istrian pilot have a look at it through the periscope, and the poor man nearly fainted.
Michell was thinking quickly. To try to rise would probably mean touching one of the mine-horns and being blown to pieces. Moreover, it would have been certain destruction to come to the surface in that strongly fortified and narrow channel. He put B. 10’s hydroplane hard to dive and increased to full speed. In his own words, “In about a couple of minutes I had the joy of seeing the mooring severed and the mine shoot up past the tip of my periscope, which gave me rather a shock for the moment.” One can imagine that it would. Things look queer under water, and periscopes sometimes play odd tricks. Long after the War a certain submarine captain was very worried for several minutes by a baleful eye which kept looking into his at the periscope. The other periscope revealed that it was a curious seagull, perched on the top of the periscope and leaning over to stare into the top glass.
B. 10 did not survive for long after her encounter with the mine. A few weeks later Michell was in the wardroom of the depot ship when the air alarm sounded. Thirty seconds afterwards there was a crash. B. 10, lying alongside, had been hit by a bomb, and had disappeared when her captain looked over the side of the depot ship.’
Home waters - “sub-on-sub” D.S.C.
On returning home at the end of 1916, Michell was given command of the E. 50, in which capacity he won his D.S.C. for ramming and crushing an enemy submarine below the surface in the North Sea on 21 April 1917. We Dive at Dawn takes up the story:
‘E. 50 (Lieutenant-Commander Michell) was the submarine which had the temerity to ram a German submarine when both boats were submerged. Like so many other submarine encounters, this happened near the North Hinder Lightship. The collision was, in the first place, accidental, Michell’s account of the incident is characteristically brief and simple. British submarine officers will never “spread” themselves, even about the most amazing experiences. It did not apparently occur to Michell that there was anything brave or unusual in trying to carry a U-boat down to the bottom of the sea in a death-grip and there crush her against the sea-bed. Michell’s account reads:
‘I was diving with my periscope awash at about 2 knots on patrol, when there was a crash forward, and on looking through the periscope, I perceived the tail and bridge of a German submarine slowly emerging on my port bow. I saw at once that she was under me and must be severely damaged, so I decided to endeavour to take her down with me, and if possible crush her on the bottom. So I flooded my amidship tanks and went down to 80 feet with her, when she sounded as if she had scraped clear. I then had a rather difficult task in regaining stability, and slowly rose to periscope depth.
I observed a lot of oil on the surface, but no submarine, so considered it not unlikely that the manoeuvre had been successful. I remained diving until dark with some difficulty, as I found out afterwards that the 9-inch shaft of my port forward hydroplane had been snapped off just outside the hull. In addition, some of my port tanks were leaking. I returned to Harwich that night for repairs, and believe that later on the U-boat was able to regain the surface and return to her base.’
The U-boat did get back, but she was badly damaged, and the morale of her crew had suffered from their experience of submarine “all- in” wrestling in the depths. Not so Michell and his crew. To them a dead U-boat was the primary consideration, and overrode the natural inclination to come to the surface as soon as possible when damaged.’
As if Michell had not already experienced enough adventures as a submariner, he next played an important role in rescuing survivors from the K. 13 following her disappearance on her final acceptance trials off Gareloch on 29 January 1917. Commanded by Lieutenant-Commander G. Herbert, R.N., K. 13’s normal complement of 53 officers and men had swollen to 80 due to the addition of civilian contractors and assorted naval staff, and of these passengers 30 were killed when the submarine hit the bottom and partially flooded. Fortuitously for the survivors, Michell was on hand in the E. 50, and suspecting something untoward had occurred, sent word to the Clyde for salvage gear. And, in the fullness of time, divers managed to connect a high-pressure airline to the stricken submarine’s hull, thereby saving those aboard - all of whom were evacuated through a hole burned in the hull by oxy-acetylene equipment; see Don Everitt’s The K Boats for a full account of the incident.
Appointed to the command of a Motor Launch Hydrophone Flotilla at Newlyn in July 1917, Michell was advanced to Lieutenant- Commander that October and was next borne on the books of the Landrail in early 1918, in which capacity he ended the War as Senior Officer of a Norwegian Convoy Destroyer Escort Flotilla.
North Russia 1919 - monitors and a “mention”
In April 1919, he was appointed to the command of the monitor M. 33, and shortly thereafter ordered to North Russia - with her shallow draught and a pair of 6-inch guns, M. 33 was ideal for carrying out bombardments in support of the Anglo-Russian Expeditionary Force.
Michell first went into action on the Dvina River 19 June, when the M. 33 and her consorts bombarded Bolshevik troops and shipping during an offensive to capture the high ground between Topsa and Troitsa. A passage having then been cleared through an enemy minefield, the M. 33 made her way - under a heavy fire - to Troitsa, where, on 9 July, the Bolsheviks launched a fierce attack. Of subsequent events, an officer of the gunboat Cricket stated:
‘The enemy gunboats, however, soon began to take a hand in the business and we therefore advanced, in company with M. 33, to engage them, and a pretty hot action followed. We took up position close under the cliffs on the right bank, where continuous machine-gun fire still resounded through the woods, but at a good distance inland. The enemy seemed to have got our position well marked off, and was getting unpleasantly close. We therefore shifted our position and closed the range. Just as we passed under the stern of M. 33, a cloud of black smoke shot up from amidships and it was evident she was hit. She was not badly damaged, the shot having only destroyed the ward-room, sparing the wine store, as the Captain [Michell] cheerfully informed us as we passed. Together we continued the action for another half-hour or so, shifting place to place, and the enemy, according to his usual tactics, ceased fire and retired behind his river bank.’
Relative peace having intervened, events took a turn for the worse at noon, when, to complicate matters, a White Russian battalion mutinied:
www.dnw.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202 |
Page 203 |
Page 204 |
Page 205 |
Page 206 |
Page 207 |
Page 208 |
Page 209 |
Page 210 |
Page 211 |
Page 212 |
Page 213 |
Page 214 |
Page 215 |
Page 216 |
Page 217 |
Page 218 |
Page 219 |
Page 220 |
Page 221 |
Page 222 |
Page 223 |
Page 224 |
Page 225 |
Page 226 |
Page 227 |
Page 228 |
Page 229 |
Page 230 |
Page 231 |
Page 232 |
Page 233 |
Page 234 |
Page 235 |
Page 236 |
Page 237 |
Page 238 |
Page 239 |
Page 240 |
Page 241 |
Page 242 |
Page 243 |
Page 244 |
Page 245 |
Page 246 |
Page 247 |
Page 248 |
Page 249 |
Page 250 |
Page 251 |
Page 252 |
Page 253 |
Page 254 |
Page 255 |
Page 256 |
Page 257 |
Page 258 |
Page 259 |
Page 260 |
Page 261 |
Page 262 |
Page 263 |
Page 264 |
Page 265 |
Page 266 |
Page 267 |
Page 268 |
Page 269 |
Page 270 |
Page 271 |
Page 272 |
Page 273 |
Page 274 |
Page 275 |
Page 276 |
Page 277 |
Page 278 |
Page 279 |
Page 280 |
Page 281 |
Page 282 |
Page 283 |
Page 284 |
Page 285 |
Page 286 |
Page 287 |
Page 288 |
Page 289 |
Page 290 |
Page 291 |
Page 292 |
Page 293 |
Page 294 |
Page 295 |
Page 296 |
Page 297 |
Page 298 |
Page 299 |
Page 300 |
Page 301 |
Page 302 |
Page 303 |
Page 304 |
Page 305 |
Page 306 |
Page 307 |
Page 308 |
Page 309 |
Page 310 |
Page 311 |
Page 312 |
Page 313 |
Page 314 |
Page 315 |
Page 316 |
Page 317 |
Page 318 |
Page 319 |
Page 320 |
Page 321 |
Page 322 |
Page 323 |
Page 324 |
Page 325 |
Page 326 |
Page 327 |
Page 328 |
Page 329 |
Page 330 |
Page 331 |
Page 332 |
Page 333 |
Page 334 |
Page 335 |
Page 336 |
Page 337 |
Page 338 |
Page 339 |
Page 340 |
Page 341 |
Page 342 |
Page 343 |
Page 344 |
Page 345 |
Page 346 |
Page 347 |
Page 348 |
Page 349 |
Page 350 |
Page 351 |
Page 352 |
Page 353 |
Page 354 |
Page 355 |
Page 356 |
Page 357 |
Page 358 |
Page 359 |
Page 360 |
Page 361 |
Page 362 |
Page 363 |
Page 364 |
Page 365 |
Page 366 |
Page 367 |
Page 368 |
Page 369 |
Page 370 |
Page 371 |
Page 372 |
Page 373 |
Page 374 |
Page 375 |
Page 376 |
Page 377 |
Page 378 |
Page 379 |
Page 380 |
Page 381 |
Page 382 |
Page 383 |
Page 384 |
Page 385 |
Page 386 |
Page 387 |
Page 388 |
Page 389 |
Page 390 |
Page 391 |
Page 392 |
Page 393 |
Page 394 |
Page 395 |
Page 396 |
Page 397 |
Page 398 |
Page 399 |
Page 400 |
Page 401 |
Page 402 |
Page 403 |
Page 404 |
Page 405 |
Page 406 |
Page 407 |
Page 408 |
Page 409 |
Page 410 |
Page 411 |
Page 412 |
Page 413 |
Page 414 |
Page 415 |
Page 416 |
Page 417 |
Page 418 |
Page 419 |
Page 420 |
Page 421 |
Page 422 |
Page 423 |
Page 424 |
Page 425 |
Page 426 |
Page 427 |
Page 428 |
Page 429 |
Page 430 |
Page 431 |
Page 432 |
Page 433 |
Page 434 |
Page 435 |
Page 436 |
Page 437 |
Page 438 |
Page 439 |
Page 440 |
Page 441 |
Page 442 |
Page 443 |
Page 444 |
Page 445 |
Page 446 |
Page 447 |
Page 448 |
Page 449 |
Page 450 |
Page 451 |
Page 452 |
Page 453 |
Page 454 |
Page 455 |
Page 456 |
Page 457 |
Page 458 |
Page 459 |
Page 460 |
Page 461 |
Page 462 |
Page 463 |
Page 464 |
Page 465 |
Page 466 |
Page 467 |
Page 468 |
Page 469 |
Page 470 |
Page 471 |
Page 472 |
Page 473 |
Page 474 |
Page 475 |
Page 476 |
Page 477 |
Page 478 |
Page 479 |
Page 480 |
Page 481 |
Page 482 |
Page 483 |
Page 484 |
Page 485 |
Page 486 |
Page 487