- Author
- Letter Writer
- Subjects
- WWII operations, Letter to the Editor
- Tags
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- RAN Ships
- None noted.
- Publication
- June 1994 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)
I was very interested in Mr Date’s article, Lord Kitchener Lost with HMS HAMPSHIRE, in the December 1993 “Review”.
As many people have considered the sinking of HMS HAMPSHIRE an intriguing mystery may I please quote on the subject from the late Commander William Guy Carr, RCN.
Commander Carr published nine books, many now unfortunately unavailable, and the following quote is from “Pawns in the Game”, page 85.
“I investigated this incident very thoroughly. In a previous book, “Hell’s Angels of the Deep”, published in 1932, I proved HMS HAMPSHIRE had not been sunk by an enemy torpedo or mine. HMS HAMPSHIRE was sunk by either sabotage or due to an error of judgment on the part of her navigating officer. Judging all evidence available I was convinced that HMS HAMPSHIRE sank after striking the submerged North Shoals Rocks. It is hard to believe that a skilled and experienced naval navigator committed such an error of judgment. I still believe that a saboteur probably tampered with the magnets in the steering compass. Gyro compasses were not then standard equipment and even ships that had them found the Sperry models very unreliable, as I know from personal experience.” Alan Barton