Confidential
WAR INSTRUCTIONS
FOR BRITISH MERCHANT SHIPS
AUGUST 1917
C.B. No. 415
TRADE DIVISION, NAVAL STAFF, ADMIRALTY, London, 1917
A very rare 1917 edition of War Instructions for British Merchant Ships, a WW1 Admiralty manual. Issued to Masters and Captains of merchant ships, each copy was marked ‘Confidential’ and individually numbered - this is Copy No. 2811. It includes a wide range of advice that would have been of vital importance to the crews of merchant vessels operating in wartime conditions - particularly the actions to be taken to avoid submarine attack. Subjects covered include precautions to be taken in submarine areas, typical convoy Zig-Zag movements, submarines, raiders, mines, defensive armament, signalling and telegraphy, aircraft, lists of shipping intelligence officers, use of the Zig-Zag clock, etc. There are also silhouettes and photographs of German sumarines, recognition silhouettes of British vessels, and photographs of torpedoes and mines. The second section of the manual, Addendum No.1, includes numerous detailed diagrams of Zig Zag movements and anti-submarine evasion tactics.
The manual was considered to be of great value to the enemy if captured. Heavily weighted with lead inside the rear board, in the event of imminent capture it was to be thrown overboard. A note on the front endpapers states: ‘This book is weighted with lead, and if thrown overboard will sink’.
There is an official Admiralty pasted-in label on the front endpapers which states that the book was ‘Presented by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to Captain J. L. Williams, Master of S.S. “Tiara” for his retention as a memento of War Service’ The label is signed and dated 27th August 1919.
S.S. Tiara: was a British steamer, official number 133529, built by the Sunderland Ship Building Company and launched in March 1913. With a tonnage of 4068, length 364 ft, breadth 50 ft, and depth 24 ft. The engine builder was the North Eastern Marine Engineering Co. Ltd. The ship was owned by Hall Brothers Steamship Co. Ltd of Newcastle. S.S. Tiara served in convoys and as a merchant vessel throughout WW1. Details of the wartime crew of the ship can be found at the National Maritime Museum. After WW1 the S.S. Tiara was sold to a South American shipping company in Brazil and renamed Camboinhas, continuing to sail until May 1958, when the ship was stranded on Piratininga Beach and was then sold for scrap.
Condition:
In acceptable condition. The boards are quite worn, with general signs of wear and use, old water marks, rippling and creasing to the cloth, and some marks. The rear board is weighted with lead. The text, diagrams, and plates are in acceptable condition, with general wear, marks, archival tape repairs and some damaged pages. Several zig-zag diagrams have been marked 'Cancelled' in blue pencil. The binding and hinges are good and secure - the book has been professionally recased, retaining the original boards and spine, with new endpapers.
Published: 1917
Blue boards, rear board lead-lined, with white titling
Illustrated with diagrams, plates and photographs
Dimensions: 160mm x 245mm
Pages: 150
Weight: 1kg (before packing)
