Ernest Cole
W.W.1.
1883 to 1915
HMS Irresistable
Birth Place: Porchester, Hants
Death Date: 18th Mar 1915
Death Age: 31
Rank: PO Stkr
Branch of Service: Royal Navy
Cause of Death: Killed or died as a direct result of enemy action
Official Number Port Division: 309715.
Ship or Unit: HMS Irresistible
Location of Grave: Not recorded
Portsmouth Naval Memorial, number 56690013.
Name and Address of Cemetery: Buried At Sea Relatives Notified
Address: Widow: Ellen H 103, Hertford Street, Nr Sultan Road, Landport, Portsmouth
Ernest Cole was born on 7th October 1880 in Porchester, Hampshire and was the son of Thomas and Dorcas Cole, his wife was Ellen Hutton, served in the Royal Navy.Ernest served as a Marine on the HMS Irresistible and lost his life on 18th march 1915 by direct attack of enemy action. Ernest was buried at sea and he is mentioned at the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, number 56690013.
When the First World War began in August 1914, the 5th Battle Squadron was based at Portland and assigned to patrol duties in the English Channel under the Channel Fleet. Irresistible covered the landing of the Plymouth Marine Battalion at Ostend, Belgium, on 25th August, and thereafter covered the occupation.
In October–November 1914, HMS Irresistible was temporarily attached to the Dover Patrol. Her duties included bombardment of German Army forces along the Belgian coast in support of Allied troops fighting on the front.On 3 November, she was detached to support East Coast Patrols during the Gorleston Raid. Irresistible returned to the Channel Fleet later in November 1914.The 5th Battle Squadron transferred to Sheerness on 14 November to guard against a possible German invasion. The squadron transferred back to Portland on 30 December.
On 1st February 1915 HMS Irresistible transferred to the Çanakkale (Dardanelles) for service in the Invasion of Çanakkale (Dardanelles Campaign), serving as flagship of the British Dardanelles Squadron until March 1915. She took part in the opening bombardment of the Turkish forts guarding the entrance to the Çanakkale (Dardanelles) on 18–19 February, as well as later bombardments of the entrance forts and Narrows forts. While supporting the initial landings, she knocked out two 9.4 in (240 mm) guns at Fort Orkanieh on 25th February.
HMS Irresistible relieved the battleship HMS Vengeance as second flagship of the British squadron on 28th February, continuing this duty until 6th March. In early March, she again supported landings.
On 18th March, HMS Irresistible participated in the main bombardment of the Narrows (where the waterway narrows to one mile in width) forts of Çanakkale and Kilitbahir. The Turks had previously noted that the British ships turned to starboard into Erin Keui Bay when withdrawing, and had laid a line of naval mines to intercept this maneuver.HMS Irresistible was badly damaged when she struck one of these mines at about 16:16 local time. The starboard engine room flooded very rapidly, killing all but three of the men on duty there, and then the midship bulkhead collapsed, causing the port engine room to flood and leaving Irresistible without power, listing to starboard, and down by the stern. She drifted helplessly into range of Turkish guns, which laid down a heavy fire on her. Her main gun turrets began to fail, and she was obscured by smoke and spray.
Survivors of HMS. Irresistible were spread among several ships in the British squadron. These are on the quarterdeck of the battleship HMS. Agamemnon.
All the surviving crew, except for the captain and a few volunteers, were evacuated to the destroyer HMS. Wear, which then transferred them to the battleship HMS. Queen Elizabeth. The battleship HMS. Ocean was sent to bring HMS. Irresistible under tow, but HMS. Ocean was temporarily grounded and HMS. Irresistible continued to drift nearer the shore.Towing HMS. Irresistible clear proved out of the question because of her list, heavy enemy fire, and the shallowness of the water. HMS. Ocean rescued the remaining men from Irresistible, which was left to her fate, abandoned and adrift. HMS. Ocean herself struck a mine at about 18:05 while withdrawing was abandoned at around 19:30, and herself sank without loss of life, unobserved by Allied forces, at around 22:30.
That evening, the destroyer HMS. Jed entered the Dardanelles to torpedo and sink the two abandoned battleships to prevent their capture in case they had remained afloat, but could find no sign of them. The Turks reported that the derelict HMS. Irresistible had drifted closer to shore and suffered further severe damage from their shore batteries before sinking at about 19:30.
HMS. Irresistible’s crew suffered about 150 casualties during her sinking one of these being Ernest.
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