HMS Paxton facts for kids
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|} HMS Paxton was a special kind of ship called a Q-Ship during World War I. The Royal Navy used her to trick German submarines. Sadly, a German submarine named U-46 sank her on May 20, 1917. This happened in the Atlantic Ocean, about 90 miles west of Great Skellig in Ireland.
The ship was first ordered as Lady Patricia for a shipping company. But the British Government took her over when she was finished. She became HMAV Lady Patricia.
On March 30, 1917, another German submarine, U-57, attacked Lady Patricia in St George's Channel. Six crew members died in this attack. Soon after, the ship was changed into a Q-ship, which was a secret anti-submarine vessel. This conversion was finished on April 30, 1917. The ship was then given a new name, HMS Paxton, and joined the Royal Navy on May 1, 1917. She was sunk less than three weeks later.
The Sinking of HMS Paxton
On May 20, 1917, around 9:00 AM, HMS Paxton was sailing west. A German submarine suddenly appeared on the surface. The submarine fired its deck gun at Paxton, hitting her once.
Paxton fired back with her hidden 4-inch gun. This showed the submarine that Paxton was actually a Q-Ship. The submarine quickly dived underwater to escape.
Paxton kept sailing west. Her crew quickly changed her disguise by painting a Swedish ship's name on her sides. Later that day, at 7:15 PM, the submarine U-46 attacked again. It fired a torpedo that hit Paxton, stopping her engines.
Two men were killed, including the chief engineer. But the ship stayed afloat because she was full of lumber. About 15 minutes later, the submarine fired a second torpedo. This torpedo broke the ship's back, and she sank in about five minutes.
The surviving crew got into two boats and two rafts. They could not send a radio message for help. The submarine then surfaced and took the captain, Commander George Hewett, and the second engineer, James Wilfred Johnson, as prisoners.
Rescue and Aftermath
The boats and rafts stayed together through the night. At 5:00 AM the next day, one boat left to find help at Berehaven (now Castletownbere). This boat had no food or water.
However, an American destroyer, USS Wadsworth, spotted the boat after 9:00 PM. The destroyer rescued the three officers and eight sailors on board. The Wadsworth searched all the next day but could not find the other survivors.
On May 26, four more crew members were rescued from a raft by another ship. On May 26 or 27, the second boat, with the remaining survivors, finally reached Killybegs. They had run out of food and water four days before arriving. Two people had died on this boat during the journey. In total, 31 people lost their lives.
In June 1919, Surgeon Sub-Lieutenant Annesley George Lennon Brown was given the Distinguished Service Cross. This award was for his bravery and dedication after the torpedo attack.
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom |
|
| Name | HMAV Lady Patricia |
| Builder | Ardrossan Dockyard & Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Ardrossan |
| Yard number | 268 |
| Launched | 1916 |
| Refit | March-30 April 1917 (Conversion to Q Ship) |
| History | |
 United Kingdom |
|
| Name | HMS Paxton |
| Commissioned | 1 May 1917 |
| Fate | Sunk 20 May 1917 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 1372 grt |
| Length | 75.9 m |
| Beam | 11.6 m |
| Propulsion | Triple expansion steam engine built by John G. Kincaid & Company driving single screw, 162 n.h.p |
| Armament | One 4 inch gun, two 12 pounder guns |
