Result (schooner) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids History |
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|---|---|
 United Kingdom |
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| Name | Result |
| Owner |
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| Port of registry |
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| Builder | Paul Rodgers & Co. and Robert Kent & Co., Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland |
| Yard number | 39 |
| Laid down | 1892 |
| Launched | 6 January 1893 |
| In service | 1893 |
| Out of service | 1967 |
| Identification | Official number: 99937 |
| Fate | Sold to the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, 1970 |
| Status | Museum ship |
 United Kingdom |
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| Name | HMS Result (Q23) |
| Acquired | by requisition, January 1917 |
| Commissioned | February 1917 |
| Decommissioned | July 1917 |
| Fate | Returned to owners, August 1917 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Cargo schooner / Q-ship |
| Tonnage |
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| Length | 102 ft (31 m) o/a |
| Beam | 21 ft 8 in (6.60 m) |
| Depth | 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) |
| Propulsion |
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| Complement | 23 (in RN service) |
| Armament |
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Result is a special kind of ship called a three-masted cargo schooner. She was built in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland, way back in 1893. For many years, she worked hard carrying goods until 1967. During World War I, she even helped the Royal Navy as a secret Q-ship for a short time. Today, you can see Result on land at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum. In 1996, she was recognized as an important part of history and added to the National Register of Historic Vessels.
Contents
Building and Early Life
Result was ordered by a shipping company called Thomas Ashburner & Co. They were based in Barrow. The ship was planned and started being built in 1892 at the Paul Rodgers & Co. shipyard in Carrickfergus.
However, the builder, Paul Rodgers, ran into money problems. He had to sell his shipyard to another company, Robert Kent & Co. This new company finished building Result. She was finally launched into the water in January 1893. The ship's design was a team effort. Paul Rodgers, Richard Ashburner, and Captain Robert Wright all helped. Because of this teamwork, they decided to name her "Result."
Thomas Ashburner & Co. owned and operated Result until 1909. Then, she was sold for £1,100 to Captain Henry Clarke. He was from Braunton, in North Devon. In 1914, a new 45 horsepower engine was added to the ship. This engine helped her move even when there wasn't enough wind for her sails.
Secret Missions as a Q-ship
In January 1917, during World War I, the Royal Navy took over Result. They needed her to become a secret Q-ship. Q-ships looked like regular merchant ships but secretly carried hidden weapons. Their job was to trick German submarines (called U-boats) into coming close.
Hidden Weapons and Crew
Result was given the special number Q23. She was armed with two 12-pounder guns. These were placed at the front and back of her main mast. She also had a 6-pounder gun at the front. For extra firepower, she had two fixed 14-inch torpedo tubes at the back. These were used to fire torpedoes. She also carried Depth charges, which are bombs dropped into the water to attack submarines.
A crew of 23 sailors served on Result during her time with the Navy. They were led by Lieutenant Philip Mack. His second-in-command was Lieutenant George Muhlhauser.
How Q-ships Tricked U-boats
German U-boats usually attacked small merchant ships by surfacing first. They would fire a warning shot. This was to give the crew time to leave their ship. After the crew abandoned ship, the U-boat would get closer. Then, it would sink the ship using its deck gun.
Q-ships like Result would pretend to be abandoned. A small group of sailors, called a "panic party," would row away in a lifeboat. This made it look like the ship was empty. When the U-boat came close enough, the Q-ship would suddenly raise the White Ensign (the Royal Navy flag). Then, they would open fire with their hidden weapons.
First Patrol and U-boat Encounter
On March 15, 1917, Result was on her first patrol. She was sailing near the Dogger Bank in the North Sea. To trick any enemies, she was flying the flag of the neutral Netherlands. Suddenly, they saw a German submarine, UC-45, behind them. The submarine was about two miles away.
The UC-45 came closer, to about 2,000 yards, before it started shooting. The "panic party" of five men quickly rowed away in a small boat. This made Result look abandoned. However, the submarine was careful. It only came within 1,000 yards, keeping its distance. It kept firing, but its shots were not very accurate. Result's sails and ropes got some damage.
Finally, Lieutenant Mack gave the order to attack. The 12-pounder gun at the back hit the submarine's conning tower (the part that sticks up) with its very first shot! The 6-pounder gun also hit the submarine. But then, the submarine quickly dived underwater. The second shot from the 12-pounder missed. Result then headed towards the English coast. That night, she met another German U-boat. Result fired a torpedo, but it missed. Both ships fired at each other, but nothing much happened. Then, the submarine dived again. Lieutenant Mack was praised for his brave actions.
Second Patrol and Discovery
On her next patrol, Result was disguised as a Swedish ship. She was given the name Dag. Early in the morning on April 5, she saw a U-boat. It was on the surface near the Noord Hinder Light. The submarine dived and circled Result. The crew of Result didn't know they were being photographed!
The submarine finally came back to the surface about 6,000 yards away. It started firing its 100 mm gun. One shell hit Result in the middle of the ship. It set fire to the magazine (where ammunition is stored) and injured two sailors. Result fired back, but the submarine dived without being hit. The submarine then started to follow Result. Lieutenant Mack was worried about a torpedo attack. He dropped a depth charge to scare it away. The submarine finally left when several small naval boats came closer.
Result didn't have any more success in attracting submarines. It was months later that the Navy found out why. The Germans had photographed her and realized she was a decoy ship! In July 1917, Result's crew was moved to another Q-ship. Since the Navy couldn't find another use for her, she was given back to her owners in August 1917.
After the Wars
After World War I, Result went back to her old job. She carried Welsh slate from Portmadoc to places like Antwerp and other ports. She also sailed along the south coast of England. For most of this time, she was owned by Captain Clarke and Captain Tom Welch. Just before World War II started, Captain Welch became the sole owner. During World War II, she carried coal in the Bristol Channel.
In 1946, Result got a new, more powerful 120 horsepower engine. In 1950, something exciting happened! She was hired to be in a movie called Outcast of the Islands. The famous director Carol Reed directed it, and it starred actors like Trevor Howard and Ralph Richardson. Result was refitted (fixed up) for her movie part at Appledore. The filming took place around the Scilly Isles.
Result went back to carrying goods in January 1951. Under the ownership of Captain Peter Welch, she continued working until 1967. By then, she was the very last ship of her kind still working! She was at Jersey being changed into a charter yacht when Captain Welch passed away. She was then stored at Exeter. Eventually, Mrs. Welch sold her to the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.
Result sailed to Belfast in late 1970. She had some restoration work done at the Harland & Wolff shipyard. In 1979, she was moved by land to the museum's site at Cultra. She is still on display there today for everyone to see.
