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My great great grandfather was one of those who went down on the Hawke. The news was censored, and despite rumours of what had happened, official confirmation

My great great grandfather was one of those who went down on the Hawke. The news was censored, and despite rumours of what had happened, official confirmation didn’t come until after the war. His widow was told that he had deserted and she wouldn’t be receiving a pension. Fast forward to 1942, my great grandfather is on HMS Curacoa on a foggy night, escorting the Queen Mary, which then rams the Curacoa, sinking it with almost all hands. You’ll never guess what the admiralty did next.

CobrastanJorji 2y ago
I've never heard the story of the Curacoa, but the summary on Wikipedia is bonkers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Curacoa_(D41)#Collision https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Curacoa_(D41)#Collision Queen Mary is zigzagging around because maybe it'll confuse U-boats if there are any. Curacoa is trying to just go in a predictable straight line to maximize ability to defend against enemy aircraft if there are any. Queen Mary turns and slices straight through the Curacoa, doesn't stop to help because maybe there might be U-boats, and then everybody spends years in litigation after the war about whose fault it was.
- moffkalast 2y ago
  > And sure enough, the Queen Mary sliced the cruiser in two like a piece of butter, straight through the six-inch [sic] armoured plating. Amazing imagery. They sure built those liners properly. Reminds me of RMS Olympic and U-103: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Olympic#Sinking_of_U-103 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Olympic#Sinking_of_U-103
vkou 2y ago
The most surprising thing about WWI is that after the war ended, the respective armies didn't string up every single politician responsible for the conflict. A complete butchery of Europe's youth for nothing. Instead, somehow, all the blame fell on the generals (most of whom were doing the best they could given the political goals they were given), while the architects and propagandists of the war got off clean.
- sandworm101 2y ago
  >> didn't string up every single politician responsible for the conflict. But more than a few dynasties ended as a result of the war. Certainly the Romanovs were not allowed to continue. And there were no more kaisers after the war either.
- mncharity 2y ago
  > The Revolutions of 1917–1923 were a revolutionary wave that included political unrest and armed revolts around the world inspired by the success of the Russian Revolution and the disorder created by the aftermath of World War I.[1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutions_of_1917%E2%80%931923 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutions_of_1917%E2%80%9319...
- ekianjo 2y ago
  the generals were assholes too. they sent people to fight and die in trenches over and over again for nothing.
  - BurningFrog 2y ago
    What should they have done?
    - ekianjo 2y ago
      something called negotiations.
      - vkou 2y ago
        That was for the politicians, not the generals.
  - shiroiushi 2y ago
    If they hadn't, they would have been replaced by the political leaders. Generals don't get to dictate policy. Also, the generals at the time were dealing with a very new form of warfare they really weren't used to. Basically, I'd say they were mostly incompetent, but it seems like the invention of the machine gun and how it'd radically change infantry warfare was something that took everyone a while to come to grips with. I do wonder why it seemed to take so long for them to adjust their tactics though.

CobrastanJorji 2y ago

I've never heard the story of the Curacoa, but the summary on Wikipedia is bonkers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Curacoa_(D41)#Collision https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Curacoa_(D41)#Collision Queen Mary is zigzagging around because maybe it'll confuse U-boats if there are any. Curacoa is trying to just go in a predictable straight line to maximize ability to defend against enemy aircraft if there are any. Queen Mary turns and slices straight through the Curacoa, doesn't stop to help because maybe there might be U-boats, and then everybody spends years in litigation after the war about whose fault it was.

moffkalast 2y ago
> And sure enough, the Queen Mary sliced the cruiser in two like a piece of butter, straight through the six-inch [sic] armoured plating. Amazing imagery. They sure built those liners properly. Reminds me of RMS Olympic and U-103: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Olympic#Sinking_of_U-103 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Olympic#Sinking_of_U-103

vkou 2y ago

The most surprising thing about WWI is that after the war ended, the respective armies didn't string up every single politician responsible for the conflict. A complete butchery of Europe's youth for nothing. Instead, somehow, all the blame fell on the generals (most of whom were doing the best they could given the political goals they were given), while the architects and propagandists of the war got off clean.

sandworm101 2y ago
>> didn't string up every single politician responsible for the conflict. But more than a few dynasties ended as a result of the war. Certainly the Romanovs were not allowed to continue. And there were no more kaisers after the war either.
mncharity 2y ago
> The Revolutions of 1917–1923 were a revolutionary wave that included political unrest and armed revolts around the world inspired by the success of the Russian Revolution and the disorder created by the aftermath of World War I.[1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutions_of_1917%E2%80%931923 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutions_of_1917%E2%80%9319...
ekianjo 2y ago
the generals were assholes too. they sent people to fight and die in trenches over and over again for nothing.
- BurningFrog 2y ago
  What should they have done?
  - ekianjo 2y ago
    something called negotiations.
    - vkou 2y ago
      That was for the politicians, not the generals.
- shiroiushi 2y ago
  If they hadn't, they would have been replaced by the political leaders. Generals don't get to dictate policy. Also, the generals at the time were dealing with a very new form of warfare they really weren't used to. Basically, I'd say they were mostly incompetent, but it seems like the invention of the machine gun and how it'd radically change infantry warfare was something that took everyone a while to come to grips with. I do wonder why it seemed to take so long for them to adjust their tactics though.