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.

18 June 1951

18-23 June.

West coast Korea screening USS SICILY. Other ships involved were HMAS Warramung, HMAS Anzac, HMCS Cayuga, HMCS Huron, HMCS Athabaskan, HMCS Sioux, HMSC Aramunga, USS Hawkins, USS Fiske, USS Bradford, USS Cunningham, USS Cony, USS Conway, USS Rendova, USS Renshaw, USS Brown, USS U.M. Moore, USS Perkins, USS Kidd, USS Naifeh, USS Wedderburn, USS Orleck, RFA Green Ranger, RFA Wave Chief, RFA Wave Premier,  HMCS Nootk, HMS Mounts Bay, HMS St Brides Bay, HMS White Sands Bay, HMS Cardigan…

18-23 June.

West coast Korea screening USS SICILY. Other ships involved were HMAS Warramung, HMAS Anzac, HMCS Cayuga, HMCS Huron, HMCS Athabaskan, HMCS Sioux, HMSC Aramunga, USS Hawkins, USS Fiske, USS Bradford, USS Cunningham, USS Cony, USS Conway, USS Rendova, USS Renshaw, USS Brown, USS U.M. Moore, USS Perkins, USS Kidd, USS Naifeh, USS Wedderburn, USS Orleck, RFA Green Ranger, RFA Wave Chief, RFA Wave Premier,  HMCS Nootk, HMS Mounts Bay, HMS St Brides Bay, HMS White Sands Bay, HMS Cardigan,  HMS Glory, HMS Consort, HMS Constance, HMS Murchison, HMS Comus, HMNZ Rotoiti, HMNS Val Galen (DD803)

 

Enroute to Sasebo Japan with HMS Glory

19 June 1951

HMS Cossack relieved HMNS Van Galen (D803)

23 June 1951

23 – 28 June.

Sasebo for an ‘AVAGO’ – a pentathlon between ships.

May have been 16/18 June 1951

30 June 1951

Extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. “Sasebo. The talk these parts is all of an armistice, but I am not very sanguine myself. I think these so and so’s are much more likely to use armistice discussions for uninterrupted preparation for ther next push than anything else.”

By kind permission of Peter Begg

01 July 1951

1-4 July. A/S exercise off Hong Kong

04 July 1951

4-16 July. Self maintenance period at Hong Kong

08 July 1951

extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. ” Hong Hong. It looks like as though we shall get our armistice in Korea all right, but whether we shall have to sit about up there interminably while endless discussios and face formulae are worked out, I don’t know. I fear it will be so.”

 

By kind permission of Peter Begg

15 July 1951

Extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. ” Sasebo. Quite a lot of work with five of the flotilla in.”

By kind permission of Peter Begg

18 July 1951

18-30 July .         Okinawa and A/S ‘Hunter Killer’ exercise with US Navy

31 July 1951

Yokosuka

31 July 1951

Extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. “I am well and in for a few hours.”

By kind permission of Peter Begg

02 August 1951

2-4 August.          Sasebo

02 August 1951

Extreact from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. ” Sasebo. My big news is that I have heard from the Naval Secretary that I am to get Whalie ( HMS excellent, Whale Island, Portsmouth, Gunnery School) when I return from this job. It is the most unexpected and wonderful thrill. As you know it is the plum job in the gunnery world and usually reserved for senior gunnery captains who get promoted to Admiral therefrom. And this job, which I thought the best in the Navy- still really do, is slig…

Extreact from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. ” Sasebo. My big news is that I have heard from the Naval Secretary that I am to get Whalie ( HMS excellent, Whale Island, Portsmouth, Gunnery School) when I return from this job. It is the most unexpected and wonderful thrill. As you know it is the plum job in the gunnery world and usually reserved for senior gunnery captains who get promoted to Admiral therefrom. And this job, which I thought the best in the Navy- still really do, is slightly dimmed in comparison! I am worried about the expense at Whalie, the entertaining is appalling  but I feel , if R agrees, that must be faced as we go along.

By kind permission of Peter Begg

04 August 1951

West Coast Korea screening USS SICILY.  Enroute to Korean War Zone with USS Sicily and HMS Charity. Conducted AA firing exercise and battle problems using aircraft from USS Sicily.

06 August 1951

On Bugatti Patrol

08 August 1951

Extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. “At sea. We have been so much at sea recently only two nights “in” since the middle of July… I am feeling the effects of too much sea-time and too much Americans! Although I really love the former even when things are quite,  one never gets any decent long periods of rest…. The latter I love too but one can have too much of a good thing and they are so serious and do everthing entirely “by the book”

By ki…

Extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. “At sea. We have been so much at sea recently only two nights “in” since the middle of July… I am feeling the effects of too much sea-time and too much Americans! Although I really love the former even when things are quite,  one never gets any decent long periods of rest…. The latter I love too but one can have too much of a good thing and they are so serious and do everthing entirely “by the book”

By kind permission of Peter Begg

16 August 1951

16-23 August.      Kure

20 August 1951

Extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. ” Kure. I think you should have had your holiday with uncle Varyl – and I do hope you enjoyed it and had a good rest and change of scene. You must get away occasionally for a change…..We are having one of our maintenence periods in Kure…. You say tell you what the “mention” was for. No one exploit – but zeal – devotion to duty during the winter compaign!!”

By kind permission of Peter Begg

24 August 1951

COSSACK straddled by a shore battery whilst entering harbour to take over in the channel between Yo do and Ung do. Battery believed to be on Hodo Pando.

24 August 1951

24 August to 4 September         East Coast Korea. Straddled by shore battery at Wonsan. Bombarded Wonsan, Songjin and Chongjin firing 1063 rounds 4.5 ammunition.  Yang Do landing. Operational area Latitude 37° 30’ N Longitude 124° 30’ E

 

After 48 hours at Wonson COSSACK was sent north to take charge of T.E. 95 .22 until relieved on 3 September.  During this time she supervised the establishment of a R.o.K. Marine garrison on the island of Yang do, 15 miles to the north of Son…

24 August to 4 September         East Coast Korea. Straddled by shore battery at Wonsan. Bombarded Wonsan, Songjin and Chongjin firing 1063 rounds 4.5 ammunition.  Yang Do landing. Operational area Latitude 37° 30’ N Longitude 124° 30’ E

 

After 48 hours at Wonson COSSACK was sent north to take charge of T.E. 95 .22 until relieved on 3 September.  During this time she supervised the establishment of a R.o.K. Marine garrison on the island of Yang do, 15 miles to the north of Songjin, whence some covert activities had been carried out. The usual harassing bombardments were carried out day and night. Both the CONSORT and the COSSACK obtained the services of spotting aircraft from T.F. 77 on a number of occasions. Relieved by HMS Charity on 3 September 1951.

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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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