Navy and Pirates

NAV 086

Photo album of 13 warships of the British and Italian during and shortly after World War 1. All captioned. SOLD

Price: $300.00

NAV 085Photo album belonging to a sailor who spent much of his time aboard the colonial sloop “Amiral-Charner”. The album begins with the bombardment of Wuhan on February 18, 1938. It shows a wounded Chinese soldier, French marines, the Chinese attempting to shelter in the French Concession as the Japanese approach, Chinese sampans attempting to block the river, Japanese torpedo boats preceeding the arrival of the convoy, the Japanese Northern Army advancing through the streets, Father Jaquinot welcoming the Japanese at the gates of the French Concession, the Italian Consul conversing with a Japanese officer, diplomatic negotiations between the French and Japanese military, Chinese attempting to escape by sampan, visiting the destruction at Hankow, visit of Father Jacquinot in his attempt to establish a safety zone, Chinese slaughter pigs in the French Concession, Japanese soldiers during Occupation of Wuhan, French military being addressed on July 14, 1938, a reception given in honor of the Japanese army at the French Club. As “Amiral-Charner” passes down river it passes naval wreckage at Matang, en route to Indochina. Reaching Saigon there is a brief trip to the interior before moving on to Bangkok. In Cambodia they visit Angkor and Prah Khan. At Cap St Jacques one of the officers gets married, construction of a telegraph tower, returning with the “Primauguet”, passing Table Mountain and Diego Suarez, aboard the “Annomite” from December 1939 to February 1940, in camp at Carbone, France, November 11, 1940. Visiting a Navy youth camp in Narbonne from April, 1941-July 1942. Stationed at Narbonne, coping with flooding, waiting for next assignment. In August 1942, he embarks for Dakar aboard the “Georges Leygues”. On November 8 he embarks for North Africa. He witnesses the scuttling of the Vichy French fleet at Toulon on November 26. From January to June 1943 he is on active patrol duty in the Atlantic and in September 1945 he is at a Naval School. 216 well and legibly captioned photos. SOLD

Price: $3500.00

Note: The Amiral-Charner was a Bouganville class colonial sloop built for the French navy by Ch Maritime du Sud Ost (Bordeaux, France) and launched October 1, 1932. It was scuttled on March 10, 1945 at My-Tho, Indo-China on 10 March 1945. It was one of 5 Bouganville class ships lost during the war.

Ten "De Bougainville" class ships will be built between 1931 and 1940. Eight of them will return to service before the Armistice of June 1940. The last two will not be completed in time. These vessels, designated "warships for distant (colonial) campaigns, or Avisos" were capable of a large range, and their shallow draft should allow them to go up the rivers of Asia and Africa. The Avisos were the first French surface ships to be fitted with diesel engines.

The construction of the Aviso "Admiral Charner" was entrusted to the Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde in 1931. The new ship launched in October 1932, entered service in April 1934. As soon as it was put into service, it sailed to Saigon and then Noumea. Integrated into the Far East Fleet, it participated in the evacuation of the French citizens at Nanking during the fighting there in 1937. The Japanese were raping over 5,000 female a day and hundreds of thousands of unarmed Chinese civilians and soldiers were massacred.

At the outbreak of World War II, the ship was still based in the Far East. After the Armistice, on January 16 and 17, 1941, "Admiral Charner" took part in the battle of Koh Chang between the French and Thai fleets. The latter suffered a severe defeat. Until 1943, the ship carried out escort missions of convoys in the Indian Ocean. In 1944, it sailed up the Mekong River to Pnom Penh, which allowed it to avoid Japanese air attacks. However, on March 9, 1945, the Japanese Armies launched a coup to seize French Indochina. The Japanese Forces had already been present on the territory since 1940, but the administration and management of the Indochinese territory had been left to the French. The Japanese thus take total control of the French colony. To avoid capture, the crew of the Aviso "Admiral Charner" scuttled the ship on March 10, 1945 in the port of Mytho.

NAV 084Forges & Chantiers de la Mediterranee 1900. 32 pages of named ships of the Russian, Greek, French, Japanese and Brazillian navies. French Shipwrights record book of designs and builds detailing steam Cruisers, torpedo boats etc for the French Nany, Russian, Navy, etc dating from circa 1900. Not found in Wikipedia. SOLD

Price: $1200.00

Note from Wikipedia: The Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée company was founded in 1853 by Louis Henri Armand Béhic (1809-1891) supported by Napoleon III. Originally, it consisted of a shipbuilding yard in La Seyne and a forge mechanics workshop in Marseille, under the technical direction of François Bourdon. In 1856, it took the name Société Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée. In a few years, after installing various armoring , sheet metal and boilermaking workshops, it fulfilled orders for warships for export (Russia, Italy, Brazil, etc.).

In 1872, it acquired establishments in Le Havre 4 including the shipbuilding yard in Graville-Sainte-Honorine and the Mazeline engine and propeller factory. They were sold to Schneider et Cie in 1897. At the beginning of the 20th century rearmament program and even built assault tanks during and after the First World War, including the FCM 2C. The bombing of production sites during the Second World War interrupted its production. After the war, an effort to modernize the sites was undertaken. The shipbuilding crisis in France, starting in 1959, put the sector in decline. Major construction sites are closed. The Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée ceased operations from July 1, 1966. The company was taken over by the CNIM ( Constructions navales et Industrielles de la Méditerranée ).

MP 596

French map titled La Guerre d’Hitler…. Fronte de Mer. Fascinating map that details Hitler’s violations of war at sea. It translates as: Germany is a signatory to a Hague Convention of October 1, 1907 prohibiting the laying of mines without notice and the use of those likely to explode after having broken their moorings. The Reich made use of drift mines and fairground magnetic mines without warning.......In respect of international law, the "Bremen" was not sunk. Germany is a signatory to the Treaty of London of August 22, 1930, sanctioned by an order from Hitler of August 28, 1939, Treaty by which the Reich undertook not to sink a commercial ship until it had ensured the safety of the passengers. and crew. The maps shows locations of coal and mineral deposits in Northern Europe as well. Interesting reference to the sinking of the “Bremen”. The nazis tried to use this a justification for maritime treaty violations. However, the ship had been set alight by a 14 year old sailor. Size: 112x87cm. SOLD

Price: $500.00

NOTE FROM WIKIPEDIA: On 26 August 1939, in anticipation of the invasion of Poland, the Kriegsmarine high command ordered all German merchant ships to head to German ports immediately. Bremen was on a westbound crossing and two days from New York when she received the order. Bremen's captain decided to continue to New York to disembark her 1,770 passengers. She left New York without passengers on 30 August 1939 and on 1 September, coincident with the start of the Second World War, she was ordered to make for the Russian port of Murmansk. Underway, her crew painted the ship grey for camouflage. She made use of bad weather and high speed to avoid Royal Navy cruisers, arriving in Murmansk on 6 September 1939. With the outbreak of the Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union, on 10 December 1939 Bremen made a dash to Bremerhaven, arriving on 13 December. On the way she was sighted and challenged by the S-class submarine HMS Salmon. While challenging Bremen, an escorting Dornier Do 18 seaplane forced Salmon to dive for safety. After diving, Salmon's commander, Lieutenant Commander E. O. Bickford, decided not to torpedo the liner because he believed she was not a legal target. His decision not to fire on Bremen likely delayed the start of unrestricted submarine warfare. Bremen was then used as a barracks ship; there were plans to use her as a transport in Operation Sea Lion, the intended invasion of Great Britain. On 16 March 1941, Bremen was set alight by 14-year-old crew member Walter Schmidt while at her dock in Bremerhaven and completely gutted. A lengthy investigation discovered that the arson resulted from revenge stemming from a ship's officer who had punished him for not completing his assignment, not an act of war. Schmidt was later guillotined for the arson, becoming one of the youngest people to be judicially executed by the regime at age 15.

NAV 067

Rare pass granted to board a ship for a civilian during German occupation. B

Price: $180.00

NAV 064

23 large format photos of the modern Italian navy, including training vessels. B

Price: $250.00

NAV 049

Archive belonging to General Ubaldo Diciotti while Tripoli Port Commissioner. Complete dosier regarding the management of the port in Tripoli in 1939. Correspondence from Governor Balbo, official appointment of General Ubaldo Diciotti as Port Commissioner, photos of the port in operation and improvements, photo of Diciotti with local Italians. 8 documents, 1 blueprint and several photos. B

Price: $400.00

NAV 048NAV 048

Handwritten lengthy journal belonging to Robert Evans, who served aboard the HMS Donegal, a 101 gun screw-driven first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. The diary dates from April of 1860 to September of 1861. It includes over 250 handwritten pages. They took a trip to Bermuda and Jamaica as well as going towards Europe and past Africa. The journal is very detailed and talks about military operations transporting sick invalids and prisoners. They interact with battleships and form a line of battle and much more..

Price: $1800.00

Note from Wikipedia: HMS Donegal was a 101-gun screw-driven first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 23 September 1858 at Devonport Dockyard. Upon commissioning she sailed to Liverpool to recruit a crew. She then joined the Channel Squadron, where she took part in a number of fleet reviews. NAV 048NAV 048In November 1861 she was one of a number of ships transporting troops to Mexico, and in February 1862 she assisted the recovery of equipment and stores from the wreck of her sister HMS Conqueror. On 28 October 1859 William Hall was awarded his Victoria Cross aboard the Donegal whilst she was anchored in Queenstown.

She spent several years as a coast guard vessel at Liverpool. She took the last surrender of the American Civil War on 6 November 1865 when the CSS Shenandoah surrendered after travelling 9,000 miles (14,500 km) to do so. The Shenandoah had originally been in the Pacific Ocean when news reached her of the end of the Civil War, necessitating such a long voyage. On her next assignment she carried Vice-Admiral Sir Henry Kellett and a replacement crew to relieve HMS Ocean, then on the China Station under Vice-Admiral Henry Keppel. NAV 048She was then commanded by Captain William Hewett, seconded by John Fisher. In 1870 she became a tender to HMS Duke of Wellington, which was then a receiving ship in Portsmouth. Donegal was paid off on 30 September 1870.

On 14 January 1886, Donegal was hulked and merged into the Torpedo School at Portsmouth, and her name was changed to Vernon. Between 1888 and 1892 she was commanded by Captain Arthur Knyvet Wilson. On 23 April 1895 she was moved to Portchester Creek, along with the rest of the hulks making up the school. She remained in this role until the torpedo school moved onshore in 1923, and Donegal was sold for scrapping on 18 May 1925 to Pounds, of Portsmouth. Some of the timbers and panelling were used to rebuild the Prince of Wales public house (reopened as The Old Ship in 2007) in Brighouse in 1926.

NAV 045

Italian Naval Academy yearbook 1935-1938.

Price: $200.00

NAV 042

1912 complete issues of Le Petit Journal featuring the Titanic disaster.B

Price: $80.00