HMS Chrysanthemum (1917)

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Ship class=Anchusa-class sloop

Ship displacement=1,290 long tons (1,311 t)

Ship length=*250 ft (76 m) p/p 262 ft 3 in (79.93 m) o/a

Ship beam=35 ft (11 m)

Ship draught=11 ft 6 in (3.51 m) (mean)

Ship depth=

Ship propulsion=*4-cylinder triple expansion engine 2 boilers 2,500 hp (1,864 kW) 1 screw 260 tons of coal

Ship speed=16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)

Ship range=

Ship complement=93

Ship armament=*2 × QF 4 inch Mk IV guns or BL 4 inch Mk IX guns 2 × 12-pounder guns Depth charge throwers

HMS Chrysanthemum was an Anchusa-class -class Sloop-of-war serving in the Royal Navy, launched on 10 November 1917. On 15 May 1925, she was equipped with a Le Cheminant chronometer provided by the Royal Observatory. Following deployment in the Mediterranean region, she was repurposed as a training ship for the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) and later the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) starting in 1938. The vessel was sold to private interests in 1988 and eventually dismantled in 1995.

Construction and design

Ordered on 21 February 1917 as part of a batch of twenty Anchusa-class convoy sloops, Chrysanthemum was constructed at the Armstrong Whitworth shipyard located in High Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne. She was assigned Yard number 929 and her keel was laid on 9 July 1917. The vessel was launched on 10 November of the same year and completed by 8 February 1918.

The Anchusa class represented the last series within the Flower-class sloop design lineage, primarily engineered for anti-submarine warfare. Their external design mimicked merchant vessels to deceive enemy submarines into remaining surfaced longer, enabling effective engagement by the sloops. Variations in appearance existed not only between different shipbuilders but also among ships produced by the same yard; Armstrong Whitworth alone constructed at least three distinct versions of this design. Armament configurations also differed across units.

Measuring 276 ft 6 in (84.28 m) overall with a length between perpendiculars of 255 ft 3 in (77.80 m), Chrysanthemum had a beam spanning 35 ft 1 in (10.69 m) and a mean draught of approximately 11 ft (3.35 m). The vessel's normal displacement was around 1,290 long tons (1,310 t). Propulsion came from two coal-fired boilers supplying steam to a triple-expansion steam engine with four cylinders, rated at approximately , enabling speeds between 17–17.5 kn (19.6–20.1 mph; 31.5–32.4 km/h). The crew complement consisted of 82 officers and ratings.

Originally outfitted with two BL 4-inch Mk IX guns, a single tilting-mounted 12-pounder (3-inch, 76 mm) gun, one 2½-pounder gun, and a machine gun, Chrysanthemum also featured two torpedo tubes measuring 18 inches (450 mm). For anti-submarine operations, she carried a mortar capable of launching a 200-lb stick bomb along with four depth-charge throwers.

Sea service

Following her commissioning, Chrysanthemum was assigned to Gibraltar. By July 1918, she was part of the Gibraltar-based sloops that were organized into the 11th Sloop Flotilla. Chrysanthemum continued to serve within this flotilla when the First World War concluded on 11 November 1918. After fulfilling convoy escort duties during the latter part of the war, she was integrated into the Mediterranean Fleet, where she operated as a target towing vessel stationed at Malta.

In October 1921, Chrysanthemum participated in the repatriation operation of Turkish Prisoners of War, transporting them from Malta to İnebolu as part of a prisoner exchange involving British captives. On 4 March 1927, Sir Walter Congreve VC, then Governor of Malta, was laid to rest at sea from Chrysanthemum in accordance with his final wishes. Additionally, at the onset of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, she was employed to evacuate British citizens from Barcelona. The commanding officer during 1935-1936 was Captain Russell Hamilton McBean, noted for his participation in the 1919 Kronstadt raid.

RNVR and RNR service

HMS Chrysanthemum and HMS President moored alongside each other on the Victoria Embankment, 1975

In 1938, HMS Chrysanthemum was permanently moored on the River Thames adjacent to HMS President, serving as a drill ship for the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR). Throughout the Second World War, she functioned as a training establishment for naval recruits and continued to operate as an RNR base after the conflict ended. A rugby union team was also associated with her during this period. While commissioned as a warship, she appropriately flew the White Ensign during her tenure as the London Division RNR drill ship.

Fate

With the Royal Naval Reserve's transition to the newly established shore-based drill ship HMS President located at St Katharine Docks, London, the vessel Chrysanthemum was officially retired from service. Subsequently, in 1988, she was acquired by the charitable organization Inter-Action.

In 1988, Chrysanthemum was leased for filming the boat pursuit scenes at Tilbury Docks for the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, directed by Steven Spielberg. During production, she was renamed Tiber as part of the fictional narrative. Afterward, she was left moored on the River Medway, where exposure to brackish water caused severe corrosion to her hull, ultimately leading to her being dismantled in 1995.

Bibliography

• Brook, Peter (1999). Warships for Export: Armstrong Warships 1867 – 1927. Gravesend, UK: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-89-4.
• Template:Cite Colledge2006
• Dorling, Taprell (1935). Swept Channels: Being an Account of the Work of the Minesweepers in the Great War. London: Hodder and Stoughton Limited.
• Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One: Guns, Torpedoes, Mines and ASW Weapons of All Nations: An Illustrated Directory. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-100-7.
• Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.