Boating New Zealand Boat Reviews
Reviews
Boating New Zealand News
News
Boating New Zealand Sports
Sport
Boating New Zealand Lifestyle
Lifestyle
HomeFeaturesBoating historyVintage View: HMS PRIZE, new beginnings

Vintage View: HMS PRIZE, new beginnings

Bookmark post
Bookmarked
Bookmark post
Bookmarked

[cmsmasters_row][cmsmasters_column data_width=”1/1″][cmsmasters_text]

The Great War ripped the soul from the New Zealand public – but it also seeded a much-needed enthusiasm for the sport
of yachting. By Harold Kidd.

My generation took for granted the shell-shocked and maimed men in the shops and the streets, the damaged fathers, the uncles dead at Gallipoli and Passchendaele, the pain, the disenchantment and the bitterness. But there were positives arising from their shared comradeship under arms.
During the Great Depression that followed the war, their service experience and connections helped them to cope with the adversity and to look after one another. Again, they rose to weather the new World War in 1939 and the real threat of a Japanese invasion while our troops were in North Africa fighting Rommel’s Afrika Corps.
Indeed, there were some outstanding feats of courage by New Zealand servicemen during the Great War that inspired the country. In a recent article I told the story of yachtsman Cyril Bassett who won the Victoria Cross at Chunuk Bair on the Gallipoli Peninsula. This time it’s the turn of Lieutenant Commander W.E. Sanders who won the Victoria Cross in command of the Q Ship, HMS Prize.

From the outset of war in August 1914 German submarines presented a serious menace to British shipping. One of the methods the Royal Navy devised to destroy submarines was the use of armed decoy ships, known as “Q Ships”. These were innocent-looking vessels, flying neutral flags, often small sailing craft which were not worth a torpedo to a submarine. The Germans usually surfaced alongside such small fry and sank them by gunfire.
HMS Prize was one of these. She got that name from being the first prize vessel captured by a British cruiser a few hours after the declaration of war. She was the German topsail schooner Else.
The Admiralty took her over, fitted her with twin 50hp engines, two 12-pounder guns as main armament, one of which was concealed in a collapsible deckhouse and the other in the after hold, radio gear, and Lewis and Maxim machine guns. Sanders commanded her during her brief active service.
Sanders was a 34-year old Aucklander, a pupil of Takapuna Primary School. He had been at sea since he was 16, first as a cabin boy on the coaster Kapanui, then offshore in the merchant navy after he got his Master’s ticket.

In 1916 he went to England and was commissioned in the Royal Naval Reserve. His first taste of action was as second-incommand of the Q Ship HMS Heligoland, rigged as a brig, which had some hair-raising actions with German submarines from September 1916.
Prize was based at Milford Haven on the Welsh coast.
Sanders’ first offensive patrol was in the Atlantic, south of Ireland. On the evening of 30 April, 1917 he sighted the submarine U-93 approaching on the surface. The staged “panic party” manned the ship’s boat and pulled away. As soon as the submarine was in range, the White Ensign was hauled up and the 12-pounders were cleared.
They scored immediate hits on the submarine, blowing its captain and two others over the side, later rescued by Prize’s boat. Although Prize was heavily damaged in the action, and holed, she managed to return to base. For this action Sanders was awarded the Victoria Cross. The Q Ship programme was so secret that the Admiralty released no details of the action.
Three weeks later, after repairs, Sanders took Prize out on patrol again. On 12 June they encountered submarine UC-75 which approached the Q Ship with its gun in action. Holding her fire until the range closed, Prize opened up with its 12-pounders, but the submarine was able to submerge and escape, taking with it an accurate description of the Q Ship. Sanders was awarded a DSO for this action.
On 13 August 1917 Prize was out on patrol again, flying the Swedish flag, paired with the British submarine D6. This time it was UB-48 that closed on Prize; again the “panic party” took to the boat, again Prize returned fire with her machine guns and 12-pounders, again the submarine escaped, but lurked in the vicinity.
In the middle of the night of 14 August 1917, Prize showed a flash of light, maybe a matelot surreptitiously lighting a fag. UB-48 fired two torpedoes, the second a direct hit. Prize disintegrated in a terrific explosion. There were no survivors of her 27-man crew.
Paradoxically, the war affected New Zealand yachting in many positive ways. Many more youngsters were inducted into sailing to take the place of yachtsmen “at the Front”. After the war there was a vast increase in the numbers and types of small centre-boarders to meet their needs, while returning soldiers and sailors just wanted to go sailing.
After the armistice the pent-up desire to sail snowballed into a giant wave of enthusiasm that was out of step with the pre-1914 understanding that the future of the sport was in motorboats of one kind or another.
W.A. “Wilkie” Wilkinson was a pivotal figure in the sport. He had been the editor of the excellent New Zealand Yachtsman magazine which flourished from 1908 until 1918 and, post war, was “Speedwell”, the yachting correspondent of the Auckland Star. In 1916 he had promoted the New Zealand Yachtsman 14-footer design by Gladwyn Bailey as a onedesign class for competition.
Wilkinson was influenced by the Waitemata Dinghy Sailing Club’s wholesome restricted 14-footers which showed brief promise in Auckland between 1908 and 1910 but then migrated, mainly to Kawhia. In late 1916 Chas. Bailey Jr’s yard started building the first example, Desert Gold, named after a crack racehorse of the period, for Joe Patrick and Frank Cloke, engine drivers with N.Z. Railways.
She won the class for 14-footers in the North Shore Yacht Club, Auckland Anniversary and Ponsonby Cruising Club regattas in early 1917 but had little competition, being pushed by only Dixie of Jick Rogers, the sole remaining WDSC 14 left in Auckland. Desert Gold spent most of the following two years hauled out at Bailey’s yard without competition until Walter Bailey’s sons, Reg and Norman, built Betty in late 1918.

This was a difficult period. Many of our servicemen were overseas until well into 1919; the Spanish ‘Flu epidemic had caused huge civilian deaths at home in 1918 and 1919, and meetings and sports events were heavily curtailed to hinder the spread of the disease.
Bill Endean (see Vintage Perspectives, May 2018) was back from service with the RNVR in motor launches of the Dover
Patrol in early 1919. The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron had facilitated the recruitment of yachtsmen and launch owners to join the “wavy Navy” as experienced boat handlers.
Bill’s experience was comprehensive. He had been associated for years with the coastal cutters like Esk, Janet and Hauturu owned by his brother Jack and Capt. Edward Parris and had crewed on the 35ft launch Manu, built by Bailey & Lowe in 1913 and owned by his partner in law practice, J. A. Holloway.

In late 1920, after his thwarted attempt to buy the King of Tonga’s superyacht Onelua, Endean ordered a one-design 14-footer from Chas. Bailey. At the same time, Lord Jellicoe, the commander of the British Grand Fleet at the Battle of Jutland and a yachtsman, was appointed Governor-General and expressed considerable interest in the class.
Endean’s boat was under construction at Bailey’s yard but he graciously ceded the boat to Jellicoe who promptly set about racing the new 14-footer. He named it Iron Duke, after his flagship at Jutland. I suspect that Bill Endean would have called her Prize in honour of Sanders’ Prize.
Jellicoe was hugely popular with the New Zealand public. The silversmiths Walker & Hall donated a handsome trophy for competition in the class among New Zealand’s provinces. To add further potency it was called the Sanders Cup. The class simply took off and spread the yachting creed to every corner of New Zealand. The 14-footers soon became the X Class, providing great sport and great training for young Kiwi yachtsmen for another 50 years. 
NEXT TIME Bill Endean teams up with Charles Bailey to produce the keel yacht Prize, a worthy substitute for Onelua.
Do you have a vintage story you would like to share with our readers? Contact Harold at: haroldkidd@boatingnz.co.nz

 
 

[/cmsmasters_text][/cmsmasters_column][/cmsmasters_row]

SHARE:

Related Articles

Comments

This conversation is moderated by Boating New Zealand. Subscribe to view comments and join the conversation. Choose your plan →

This conversation is moderated by Boating New Zealand.

Boating New Zealand
Boating New Zealandhttps://www.boatingnz.co.nz
Boating NZ is New Zealand’s premier marine title devoted to putting its readers behind the wheel of the latest trailerboats, yachts and launches to hit the market. It inspires with practical content and cruising adventures, leads the fleet with its racing coverage and is on the pulse of the latest maritime news and innovation.

More from Boating New Zealand

Dalin extends lead as rivals f...

The Vendée Globe never fails to deliver thrilling stories of strategy, endu...

Vendée round the globe LIVE 6/...

Catch up with all the action from the past 24 hours in this 30-minute daily...

Beneteau and Lagoon Owners Ral...

On Saturday, 23rd November, the 2024 Beneteau and Lagoon Owners Rally set s...

Cangarda: A maritime treasure ...

The historic steam yacht Cangarda, a marvel of Edwardian luxury and enginee...

Daring Dalin extends his lead ...

The relentless Indian Ocean has become a proving ground for the Vendée Glob...

A game-changer for green logis...

The Sogestran Group has unveiled a groundbreaking innovation in sustainable...
-- ADVERTISEMENT --

Follow Us

Weekly Newsletter

Stay up to date with the latest developments shaping New Zealand's Boating world.

Social Media

Follow us on social media to stay in the loop with the latest trends and news shaping New Zealand's boating scene!

-- THINGS WE LOVE --

GET
STARLINK
HERE

-- DIRECTORY LISTING --

Events Worth Adding to Your Calendar

Have an event you'd like to list on Boating New Zealand. Contact us with the details.

Catch all the action of the Vendée Globe Race, starting 10 Nov, 2024 in Barcelona, Spain. Follow along with excitement at Boating New Zealand.

FISHING

Makaira Trailer Boat Competition, 25 & 26 Jan 2025 in Whangaroa

Stabicraft Te Anau Manapouri Fishing Classic, 25 - 27 Oct 2025 TBC in Te Anau Manapouri

REGATTAS

Rolex Sydney to Hobart, 26 Dec 2024 starts in Sydney, Australia

New Zealand Sail Grand Prix, 18 & 19 Jan 2025 in Auckland

Bay of Islands Sailing Week, 21 - 24 Jan 2025 at Bay of Islands

NZ Millenium Cup, 1 - 4 Feb 2025 at Waitemata Harbour

Toyota Youth International Match Racing Cup, 26 Feb - 4 Mar 2025 in Auckland

Sydney to Auckland Ocean Race 2025, starting 11 Oct 2025 TBC from Sydney Harbour

PIC Insurance Brokers Coastal Classic, 24 Oct 2025 TBC from Auckland to Russell

NZ Match Racing Championships, 2025 dates tbc in Auckland

HYDRO THUNDER

Lucas Oil Hydro Thunder Race - Mangakino, 18 & 19 Jan 2025 at Mangakino

Lucas Oil Hydro Thunder Race - Karapiro, 7 - 9 Feb 2025 at Karapiro

Lucas Oil Hydro Thunder Race - Lake Rotoiti, 8 - 9 Mar 2025 at Nelson Lakes

Lucas Oil Hydro Thunder Race - Lake Twizel, 29 - 30 Mar 2025 at Twizel

JET BOAT RACING

2024/25 NZ Jetsprint Championship R2, 1 Dec 2024 at Featherston

2024/25 NZ Jetsprint Championship R3, 27 Dec 2024 at Wanganui

UIM World Jetsprint Championships, 25 Jan -2 Feb 2025 at Wanaka (25 & 26 Jan) and Wanganui (1 & 2 Feb)

2024/25 NZ Jetsprint Championship R4, 23 Feb 2025 at Wanganui

2025 NZ Marathon Coast-to-Coast, 16 to 25 Mar 2025 starting at Greymouth ad finishing at Christchurch

2024 Golden Homes NZ Jet Boat Marathon, 2025 dates TBC on Southland Rivers (Oreti, Waiau and Mataura)

National Jet Boat Rally 2024, 2025 date TBC at Oliver Road, Bendigo (near Cromwell)

WATERSPORTS

Yamaha Rollo's Marine Bridge 2 Bridge, 2025 dates tbc Staged on the Waikato River between Cambridge & Taupiri, based in Hamilton, New Zealand

NON-MOTORISED SPORT

Waka Ama - 2025 National Sprint Championships, 12 - 18 Jan 2025 at Lake Karapiro, Cambridge

Waka Ama - 2025 Secondary School Nationals, 24 - 28 Mar 2025 at Lake Tikitapu, Rotorua

ANTIQUE, CLASSIC & RETRO BOATS

25th NZ Antique & Classic Boat Show , 1 & 2 Mar 2025 at Lake Rotoiti, Nelson Lakes

-- DIRECTORY LISTING --

International Boat Shows

COMING EVENTS

Antigua Charter Yacht Show 4 - 9 Dec 2024 to be held at the Nelson's Dockyard UNESCO World Heritage Site, Antigua

Boot Düsseldorf 18 - 26 Jan 2025 to be held in Düsseldorf, Germany

New York Boat Show, 22 - 26 Jan 2025 to be held at the Javits Center, New York

Bahamas Charter Yacht Show, 29 Jan - 2 Feb 2025 to be held at Nassau, Bahamas

Houston Boat Show, 29 Jan - 2 Feb 2025 to be held at the NRG Center, Houston, Texas

Dubai International Boat Show, 19 - 23 Feb 2025 to be held at the Dubai Harbour

Miami International Boat Show, 12 - 16 Feb 2025 to be held in Miami

Auckland Boat Show, 6 - 9 Mar 2025 to be held at the Viaduct Events Centre and Jellicoe Harbour, Auckland

Palm Beach International Boat Show, 19 - 23 Mar 2025 to be held along Flagler Drive in downtown West Palm Beach

International Multihull Show, 23 - 27 Apr 2025 to be held in Terre-plein Ouest du port La Grande-Motte (34), France

Palma International Boat Show, 30 Apr - 3 May 2025 to be held at the Superyacht Village, Palma, Spain

Barcaly's Jersey Boat Show, 3 - 5 May 2025 to be held in the Channel Islands

South Coast & Green Tech Boat Show, 9 - 11 May 2025 to be held in Ocean Village Marina, Southampton, Hampshire

The British Motor Yacht Show, 15 - 18 May 2025 to be held at the Swanwick Marina, Southampton, Hampshire

The Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show, 15 - 18 May 2025 at Auckland Showgrounds, Auckland

Sanctuary Cove International Boat show, 22 - 25 May 2025 to be held in Sanctuary Cove, Queensland

Sydney International Boat show, 31 July - 3 Aug 2025 to be held at ICC Sydney & Cockle Bay, Darling Harbour

Hiswa Te Water, 3 - 7 Nov 2025 to be held in Bataviahaven Lelystad, The Netherlands

Southampton International Boat Show, 19 - 28 Sep 2025 to be held in Southampton, UK

International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition & Conference (IBEX), 7 - 9 Oct 2025 to be held in Tampa, Florida

Annapolis Sail Boat Show, 9 - 13 Oct 2025 to be held at City Dock, Annapolis, Maryland

Newport International Boat Show, 20 - 23 Nov 2025 to be held in Newport, Rhode Island

Cannes Yachting Festival, 9 - 14 Sep 2025 at Cannes – Vieux Port & Port Canto

Genoa Boat Show, 18 - 23 Sep 2025 to be held in Genoa, Italy

Melbourne International Boat Show, Oct 2025, TBC to be held at New Quay Promenade Harbour Esplanade Seven Marinas

Biograd Boat Show, Oct 2025, TBC to be held in the City of Biograd, Croatia

Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show 29 Oct – 2 Nov 2025 to be held at several locations in Fort Lauderdale

METSTRADE 18 - 20 Nov 2025 to be held at the Rai, Amsterdam

Monaco Yacht Show, 24 - 27 Sep 2025 on Monacco