- Type of Memorial
- Church Fabric / Fitting: Altar or altar part
- WMR Reference Number
- 115520
- Description
- A plain varnished oak folding table with explanatory notes and ephemera.
- Inscription
- HMS Canopus Altar explanation: WHAT IS THE ALTAR FROM HMS CANOPUS. A FAMOUS WORLD WAR 1/
BATTLESHIP, DOING IN A LINCOLNSHIRE VILLAGE?/ HMS Canopus was a pre-Dreadnought battleship, built at the Portsmouth Dockyard and/ commissioned in 1899 for service with the Mediterranean Fleet. She displaced 14,300 tons/ and was heavily armed with 32 guns, the biggest being 12 inch, and torpedoes. She had a/ crew of 682. Although a substantial ship when built, she was dramatically relegated to an/ “old” ship when the first of the Dreadnought class, the most advanced and powerful/ battleships in the world, was introduced in 1906./ Following the declaration of war, the Canopus was attached to the cruiser squadron of/ Rear Admiral Christopher Craddock and on 18 October 1914 arrived at Port Stanley in the/
Falkland Islands to become a guardship. Because her captain maintained that Canopus/ was only capable of 12 knots, Admiral Craddock left her behind in Port Stanley when the/ rest of the Squadron sailed to engage a German Squadron under Admiral von Spee./ Canopus was thus not at the Battle of Coronel when much of the British squadron was/ sunk and Admiral Craddock killed./ With the German squadron at liberty and sailing towards the Falklands, Canopus was/ beached to form a gun platform and some of her guns were put ashore to defend Port/ Stanley. She was reinforced, just in time by the arrival on 7 December 1914 of Vice/ Admiral Sir Frederick Doveton Sturdee's battle cruiser squadron. Early the next morning/
German ships were sighted and, firing at maximum range of 12,000 yards, Canopus/ engaged the armoured cruiser SMS Gneisenau and managed to hit its funnel. This was/ enough to send the German fleet back out to sea and in the ensuing battle both the/ Gneisenau and Scharnhorst were sunk./ In 1915 Canopus was transferred to the Dardenelles campaign and later sailed back to the / UK where she was used as an accommodation vessel./ *WE DON'T KNOW EITHER!
Square framed typed note: This was the Altar of/ H.M.S. CANOPUS/ from August 1914 to May 1916./ It was used the day of the Action/ off Coronel at the Falkland Islands./ and the thanksgiving for the victory./
It was also used off Gallipoli/ from the/ first landing till the evacuation./ J. Denis de Vitre/ Chaplain R.N./
Maritime Mysteries H.M.S. Canopus sheet: MARITIME MYSTERIES/ The Falklands Marine Trust has located the wreck of the German battleship/ Scharnhorst which ties in with the mystery altar in our church from HMS/ Canopus./ In late 1914, Canopus remained in Port Stanley, Falkland Islands because/ the ship's engineer, who later had a mental breakdown, had erroneously told/ Admiral Craddock that she couldn't make more than 12 knots and so would/ not be able to keep up with the rest of the fleet as it sailed up the west coast/ of South America in pursuit of the marauding German fleet. This was/ fortunate for her as the rest of the fleet eventually met destruction at German/ hands at the Battle of Coronel./ So Canopus remained and was beached to form a stable gun platform. The/ German fleet returning from Coronel had intended to put into Port Stanley to/ refuel but had second thoughts when the Canopus, not a dreadnought but still/
quite a hefty vessel, opened fire on them. A lucky shot played ducks and/ drakes across the water and finally hit Scharnhorst on its funnel at which the/ German fleet headed out to sea and was later sunk by the Royal Navy./
H.M.S. Canopus framed ephemera: H.M.S. CANOPUS/ 1914-15/ PHOTOGRAPHIC REPRODUCTIONS of:/ (above) Official picture post-card produced in 1915/ to celebrate the battleship's successes in the Battle/ of the Falkland Islands, December 1914 and the/ "Forcing of the Dardanelles, March 1915./ (right) An extract from the ship's Log, 9th December/ 1914 entered by Chief Petty Officer Thomas Millington/ R.N. the day following the deciding battle off the/ Falkland Islands./
Post -card: Inscribed on England's/ ENGAGEMENTS/ H.M.S./ CANOPUS/ The Battle of the/ FALKLAND ISLES/ DEC 8, 1914./ The forcing/ of the/ DARDENELLES/ March, 1915. / ROLL OF FAME!/ BELLS' WESTCLIFF, ESSEX/
Ship's log: ground. After getting the range, from our observation station/ we opened fire, this gave them a surprise, as we could not be seen/ from the open seas, the first shot however was short but/ the second & third caught the “Scharnhorst” as she altering/ course. By this time our fleet sliped (sic) their colliers & gave chase./ The German Fleet now retreating rapidly, no news however/ was received until 7 pm when the word is passed that/ the “Scharnhorst” & “Gneisenau” are sunk & later receive/ another wire saying that the “Leipsick” (sic) was sank by the/ “Glasgow” & the Nürnberg & “Dresden” got away, but the/
former was followed by the “Kent” and sunk. Had it not/ of been for us, our fleet would have been caught like/ a rat in a trap