During Warship Week in February 1942, Esher raised £1,192,211, which helped to build a warship, ‘HMS Cossack’. This was done by the public throwing money in to a rubber type float in a pool. (There was sufficient money left over to buy a submarine as well).

The story continues.

HMS COSSACK (ii) (R57)

Year by Year

Discover the history of the HMS Cossack from 1944 to 1960.

You can search the ‘year’ and ‘month’ to find a specific date and also ‘click’ on the date itself to reveal any images and moments from that date.

20 January 1951

Extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. “Sasebo. A few days in harbour and gratefully received”

 

By kind permission of Peter Begg

23 January 1951

Extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. ” Kure. My Airmail Times had pictures of the Lord Mayor’s children’s party, but no sign of any of the family! I shall look forward to hearing how they got on”

By kind permission of Peter Begg.

25 January 1951

West Coast Korea screening HMS THESEUS T.E.95.11

03 February 1951

Left the area of operations for Kure

05 February 1951

5 – 12 February .  Kure

07 February 1951

Extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. “Kure. Poor R seems a little bit  down from her letters and goodness knows there is not news to cheer one up these days. However, as I told her I feel things are a bit better out here. In Korea too I believe there are the first signs that the Chinks aren’t finding it quite a such a picnic and I fancy it may shortly become a strain on their resources just as it on ours. Then you may expect the Chinese to start really finding a face-sav…

Extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. “Kure. Poor R seems a little bit  down from her letters and goodness knows there is not news to cheer one up these days. However, as I told her I feel things are a bit better out here. In Korea too I believe there are the first signs that the Chinks aren’t finding it quite a such a picnic and I fancy it may shortly become a strain on their resources just as it on ours. Then you may expect the Chinese to start really finding a face-saving formula”

By kind permission of Peter Begg

10 February 1951

Extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. “Kure. I am delighted  to hear the food parcels have arrived and they are worth having. Yes, the scheme is we just order parcels in bulk from the ship and pay the money and an Australian welfare organisatin does the rest. You don’t get any selection of what they send: that is in their hands…. No, I don’t suppose we have featured much in the news, as really since November we have done  little except act as a screen, i.e. p…

Extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. “Kure. I am delighted  to hear the food parcels have arrived and they are worth having. Yes, the scheme is we just order parcels in bulk from the ship and pay the money and an Australian welfare organisatin does the rest. You don’t get any selection of what they send: that is in their hands…. No, I don’t suppose we have featured much in the news, as really since November we have done  little except act as a screen, i.e. protect the aircraft carrier Theseus, a dull and unrewarding but nonetheless essential job.”

By kind permission of Peter Begg

13 February 1951

13 – 17 February 1951.

Yokosuka for A/Sexercise. (CASEX) The American submarine dived off Tokyo Bay and the T.A.S ratings pinged for it from 0900 to 1600 hours.

HMS CONSTANCE adrift in snowstorm having broken all 2 ½ inch-berthing wires. She subsequently steamed out of harbour and dropped anchor.

16 February 1951

Extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. “Yokousuka. Japan. We came with CONSTANCE to do anti-submarine exercises with American submarines….. We sail tomorrow for Sasebo after what has been an abortive visit-disappointing”

 

By kind permission of Peter Begg

18 February 1951

18 – 22 February.  Sasebo

22 February 1951

Extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. “Sasebo. Japan. We are pushing off to sea for another patrol and as it is now blowing a gale with a falling glass I am not particulary sold on the project”

By kind permission of Peter Begg

23 February 1951

22 February – 7 March.

West Coast Korea. Bombarded FANKOCHI area and off Choda Island. Ship surrounded by ice. Temperature-12F. COSSACK fired 530 rounds of 4.5 inch shell.

07 March 1951

7 – 13 March.  Kure

07 March 1951

Extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. “Kure. We got in here this afternoon after a strenous patrol which had its anxious moments but which nonetheless enjoyed. We shall have done five months up here without a break by the end of March and although we have seen no proper action it has been a strenous time both for personnel and material and both could do with a change.”

 

By kind permission of Peter Begg

09 March 1951

Extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. “Kure. Hiroshima Prefecture. Japan. I see you say in your letter that we have been in the cottage a year. That’s quite extraordinary…..I am sorry Pop has been having such a bad time with his knees – but I don’t althogether like the sound of all this staying in bed. Are you sure it is wise?…. I am hopping soon to hear from you detais of your last years budget.”

By kind permission of Peter Begg

12 March 1951

Extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. “Kure. Hiroshima Prefecture. Japan. We sail early tomorrow morning for one last patrol before a spell of relaxation at Hong Kong.”

 

By kind permission of Peter Begg

13 March 1951

13-24 March       West coast Korea. Bombarded off Choda Island

17 March 1951

Extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. “At sea. We were busy bombarding yesterday, conferring with the Army and guerrilla leaders today, and then oiling this evening…..Certainly as far as the armed forces are concerned the United Nations really means something. We are completely integrated. American aircraft spot for our bombardment while British or Australian or Canadian or Dutch destroyers screen the American carrier providing the aircraft. What a great boon is the Englis…

Extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. “At sea. We were busy bombarding yesterday, conferring with the Army and guerrilla leaders today, and then oiling this evening…..Certainly as far as the armed forces are concerned the United Nations really means something. We are completely integrated. American aircraft spot for our bombardment while British or Australian or Canadian or Dutch destroyers screen the American carrier providing the aircraft. What a great boon is the English tongue!”

By kind permission of Peter Begg.

19 March 1951

Extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. “At sea. Just the shortest of lines written in an interval snatched off the bridge between oiling and transferring stores, personnel and 20 cases of Bourbon whisky ( for an American ship!). This transfer at sea has become almost second nature now, we do so much of it”

 

By kind permission of Peter Begg

23 March 1951

Extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. ” At sea. Just the briefest line written on the way back from patrol to Sasebo”

Be kind permission of Peter Begg

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1806-1816

This is the account of the first vessel named HMS Cossack, a title that would be passed on to five later ships and commemorated by the Royal Navy in the Cossack Building at HMS Raleigh.

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1854-1875

The second Cossack was originally ordered by Russia for the Black Sea Fleet in December 1852 at a cost of 290,000 silver roubles. However, when relations between Britain and Russia deteriorated, Russia sold the vessels to the Hamburg trading firm Henry Mersk & Co.

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1886-1905

This account covers the third vessel named HMS Cossack. Launched on 3 June 1886 and in service until 1905, she spent the majority of her career in the Far East, calling at India, Aden, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and other ports.

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1907-1919

The fourth HMS Cossack received the first Battle Honour for participating in operations along the Belgian coast from 17 October to 8 November 1914. This section contains copies of the original construction contract and detailed plans showing her launch, deck arrangements, and machinery.

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1938-1941

Credited with battle honours including Baltic 1855, Witu 1890, Dover Patrol 1914–1919, Narvik 1940, Norway 1940, Atlantic 1940–1941, the Bismarck Action 1941, and the Malta Convoys 1941, the HMS Cossack in service from 1938 to 1941 was a formidable presence.

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1944-1960

During Warship Week in February 1942, the town of Esher raised £1,192,211, contributing to the construction of the warship HMS Cossack. The funds were collected by the public depositing money into a rubber-type float in a pool. Remarkably, the surplus was enough to fund a submarine as well. The story continues.

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