01 April 1898

Moored to single buoy in Bombay Harbour. Wind NNW force 1 to 2 with broken cloud. Barometer 29.94 inches rising to 29.98 at 0800 and to 30.01 at noon before falling to 29.92 at 1600 and finishing at 29.98 inches at midnight. Temperature at noon 84F. 0615. Exercised hands at General quarters. 0630. Transport number 10 – SS Telenga/ Telangana (?) (Word is smudged) arrived. 0800. Received 120 lbs of fresh beef and 60 lbs of vegetables plus ??? (Amount smudged) lbs of soft bread. HMS Assaye broke commissioning pennant out.

Plassey and Assaye were built for the Bombay Marine (renamed the Royal Indian Marine in 1892).

Hands stowing Quick fire magazine and drawing stores and as requisite. Noon. Wind west by north force 2. 1400. Paid monthly allowance to Ship’s Company. Issued soap and tobacco. Hands making and mending clothes. 1700. Quarters. Put on steaming covers. Hands scrubbing and washing clothes. 1800. Landed patrol. INS Clei arrived and secured to buoy. 2050. Exercised hands – Man and Arm ship. Coal expended 4 cwt. Number on sick list 2.

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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