HMS ''Ganges'' was a

training ship A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house class ...

and later

stone frigate A stone frigate is a naval establishment on land. 'Stone frigate' is an informal term which has its origin in Britain's Royal Navy (RN), after its use of Diamond Rock, an island off Martinique, as a 'sloop of war' to harass the First French ...

of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. She was established as a boys' training establishment in 1865, and was based aboard a number of hulks before moving ashore. She was based alternately in Falmouth,

Harwich Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton-o ...

(from 1899) and

Shotley Shotley is a village and civil parish south-east of Ipswich in the English county of Suffolk. It is in the Babergh District, Babergh district and gives its name to the Shotley peninsula between the Rivers River Stour, Suffolk, Stour and River ...

(from 1905). She remained in service at

RNTE Shotley Royal Naval Training Establishment Shotley, known in the Royal Navy as , was a naval training establishment at Shotley, near Ipswich in Suffolk. Starting in 1905, it trained boys for naval service until 1973 (The school-leaving age was raised ...

until October 1976.Ward, ''Shore establishments'' pp.62–3. HMS ''Ganges'' was also known as Shotley Training Establishment.

Foundation and early history

The increasing professionalism of the Royal Navy and the reform of practices during the mid-nineteenth century led to the need to establish new training centres at which recruits could be inducted into navy life. The

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Tra ...

decided to set aside five old laid up hulks in different ports around the country, and use them as bases at which volunteers aged between 15 and 17 could spend a year being educated for future service in the navy. The plan called for an annual intake of 3,500 boys. They were to be trained in seamanship and gunnery, as well as traditional aspects of sea life. One of the hulks chosen to be converted into a school was the old 84-gun

second-rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a second-rate was a ship of the line which by the start of the 18th century mounted 90 to 98 guns on three gun decks; earlier 17th-century second rates had fewer guns ...

ship of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactics in the Age of Sail, naval tactic known as the line of battl ...

. Despite initial objections that her layout made her unsuitable for the task, the decision went ahead. HMSGanges

She put into Devonport on 5 May 1865 and underwent a refit. She took her first intake of 180 boys on 1 January 1866. They had been transferred from the training ship HMS ''Wellesley'', then at Chatham. ''Wellesley''s commander, Frederick H. Stevens also came with the boys and became ''Ganges''s commanding officer. Having been refitted to provide accommodation for 500 boys, ''Ganges'' was towed to Mylor by the paddle

tug A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

''Gladiator''. She arrived on 20 March 1866 and was anchored in the

Carrick Roads Carrick Roads (, meaning "rock anchorage") is the estuary of the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall in England. It joins the English Channel at its southern end near Falmouth. Geography It is a large flooded valley, or ria, created aft ...

Allegations of abuse

During ''Ganges''s time in Cornwall allegations of harsh and brutal treatment were reported to the Admiralty. One wardroom steward shot himself over the matter, and the reports aroused indignation in the local community. Captain Tremlett, the senior officer of training ships, was ordered to investigate the situation and reported that Commander Stevens "had given punishments which were not laid down in the Training Regulations and had also prevented his ship's company from taking due leave." Stevens and his

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

were subsequently removed, and were replaced by Commander F. W. Wilson on 24 July 1866. By the end of 1866 there were 478 boys at the establishment. ''Ganges'' was occasionally sailed to Devonport to undergo refits. The establishment had become an important part of local life, as in 1870 a rumour began to circulate that ''Ganges'' would not return after one such refit. The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

was pressured to contact the local Member of Parliament, and also to ask questions of a

Government minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ' prime minister', ' p ...

. The rumour was then disproved. By 1899 the declining number of boys joining ''Ganges'' led the Admiralty to decide to move her to a more populated area. Petitions were organised by the local councils, but were unable to sway the Admiralty. ''Ganges'' sailed from Mylor on 27 August 1899. She was refitted in Devonport, which involved her

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The keel laying, laying of the keel is often ...

being scraped. The boys were quartered at and whilst this work was carried out. She then sailed to

Sheerness Sheerness () is a port town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 13,249, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby ...

in company with . She spent two months here before being towed to

by the tug ''Alligator''. She arrived on 11 November 1899. had arrived shortly before ''Ganges'' and served as a temporary

hospital ship A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating healthcare, medical treatment facility or hospital. Most are operated by the military forces (mostly navy, navies) of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or ...

''Ganges'' at Harwich

''Ganges'' commenced her usual role at Harwich, with ''Caroline'' providing medical facilities whilst shore facilities were constructed in the town. Hospital facilities had been completed by 1902 and ''Caroline'' was refitted at Chatham to serve as an overflow training ship for ''Ganges'', providing accommodation for another 60 boys. Despite these developments, it was decided to move ''Ganges'' again, this time to

, in

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

. Work had already begun there on new Royal Naval Sick Quarters. ''Ganges'' left Harwich in 1903 for Shotley. £20,000 had been set aside to build shore-based accommodation, and a further £80,000 had been earmarked to cover the future expansion of the facility.

''Ganges'' at Shotley

New building works began in February 1904, and the old arrived. She had already spent time as a

depot ship A depot ship is an auxiliary ship used as a mobile or fixed base for submarines, destroyers, minesweepers, fast attack craft, landing craft, or other small ships with similarly limited space for maintenance equipment and crew dining, berthing an ...

for various establishments. She had been named HMS ''Boscawen'' in March 1904 whilst at

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

and now arrived to provide further facilities for ''Ganges''. The completion of shore works in 1905 led to the establishment of RNTE Shotley on 4 October. The facility included the buildings onshore and the ships offshore, which were HMS ''Ganges'', HMS ''Caroline'' and HMS ''Boscawen II''. The focus of the establishment now moved to shore based activities, and the capstan, bitts and figureheads were moved from the ships onto the shore. In November the establishment received the ex , which had been renamed HMS ''Boscawen III''.

1906 changes

HMS Ganges training ships 1906 Flickr 4343894760 2dc67df409 o

1906 was a period of considerable changes for the establishment. On 21 June HMS ''Ganges'' was renamed HMS ''Tenedos III'' in preparation for her reassignment to become part of the Boy Artificers Establishment at Chatham. She left the establishment on 5 July. Also on 21 June HMS ''Boscawen'' (the old HMS ''Minotaur'') was renamed HMS ''Ganges'' as her replacement. The establishment was further swelled by the merging of the pupils of the establishments of , and . HMS ''Boscawen II'' (the former HMS ''Agincourt'') was renamed HMS ''Ganges II''. Ganges ratings

Later developments

In 1907 the 143-foot (44 m)-high mast of the old steam

corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloo ...

was erected. It would become a major landmark. The old HMS ''Minotaur'' had been HMS ''Ganges'' since 1906, but was renamed HMS ''Ganges II'' on 25 April 1908. HMS ''Caroline'' was renamed HMS ''Ganges'' that month as her replacement. In 1909 the Signal School was established and three signal masts were erected. In 1910 the old HMS ''Agincourt'' had been removed to become a coal

hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...

, leaving only the old HMS ''Minotaur'' as ''Ganges II''. By 1912 ''Ganges II'' was being used as an overflow ship as the number of boys in the establishment increased, and she was duly moved closer inshore. A floating dock was also moored nearby for the use of

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...

s and

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

s. In September 1913 HMS ''Ganges'' (the former HMS ''Caroline'') was renamed HMS ''Powerful III'' and left the establishment. HMS ''Ganges II'' (the former HMS ''Minotaur'') was renamed HMS ''Ganges''. She became the base ship of the establishment during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. On 8 October 1913 HMS ''Ganges II'' became an independent command and was based at RNTE Shotley.

First World War

From 1914 to 1918, HMS ''Ganges'' was commanded by Commodore (later Rear-Admiral) G. C. Cayley. In 1916 the establishment was bombed by a German

Zeppelin A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp. 155� ...

. Rationing measures nearly produced a mutiny in 1917 but dispersed peacefully. Other wartime activities included the establishment of a trawler base at ''Ganges II'', and the completion of of anti-submarine nets by boys and staff. In 1918 the base suffered outbreaks of

spanish flu The 1918–1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza epidemic or by the common misnomer Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 subtype of the influenza A virus. The earliest docum ...

and

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacteria, bacterium ''Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild Course (medicine), clinical course, but in some outbreaks, the mortality rate approaches 10%. Signs a ...

Armistice Day Armistice Day, later known as Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth and Veterans Day in the United States, is commemorated every year on 11 November to mark Armistice of 11 November 1918, the armistice signed between th ...

was celebrated by a display of mast manning.

Post war developments

By October 1919 briefly became the depot ship for the base. Also that year HMS ''Ganges'', the former HMS ''Minotaur'', was renamed HMS ''Ganges II'', and so joined RNTE Shotley in sharing the name. On 3 August 1921 the became the establishment's tender. By now so many boys were attending the base that they had to be sent to training

battleship A battleship is a large, heavily naval armour, armored warship with a main battery consisting of large naval gun, guns, designed to serve as a capital ship. From their advent in the late 1880s, battleships were among the largest and most form ...

s to finish their training. These included the

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

-based , and . HMS ''Ganges II'' (the old HMS ''Minotaur'') was towed away in 1922 by the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

tug ''Swartezee'' and was

broken up Ship breaking (also known as ship recycling, ship demolition, ship scrapping, ship dismantling, or ship cracking) is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships either as a source of Interchangeable parts, parts, which can be sol ...

. Since only active ships bore names at this time, the name HMS ''Ganges'' temporarily ceased to exist, but the training establishment at RNTE Shotley continued. HMS ''Tring'' was paid off into

reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US v ...

on 20 October 1925 as an economy measure. It was decided by 1927 that RNTE Shotley would be renamed after the original training ship and she was recommissioned as HMS ''Ganges'' that year. In 1930 Edward, Prince of Wales visited the establishment. A number of administrative reforms were also carried out this year, including the establishment of eight internal divisions named after famous admirals. Main entrance to H

''Ganges'' in the Second World War

The outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

led to the decision to close HMS ''Ganges'' as a boys' training centre. Training finished on 16 May 1940 and operations were moved to . HMS ''Ganges'' continued in service, being used as a centre for "Hostilities Only New Entry Training". A new overspill centre was commissioned at

Highnam Court Highnam Court is a Grade I listed country house in Highnam, Gloucestershire, England, constructed in the 17th century. The estate passed from the Cooke family to the Guise baronets, Guise family and, in the mid-19th century, was purchased by a mem ...

, near

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

on 28 April 1941, and it was defined as a tender to HMS ''Ganges''.

Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent (born Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, ; 27 August 1968) was a Greek and Danish princess by birth and a British princess by marriage. She was a daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark and Gran ...

paid a visit to HMS ''Ganges'' on 1 October 1941, and on 31 January 1942 operations at Highnam Court were transferred to . Another royal visit came on 12 October when

Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (Henry William Frederick Albert; 31 March 1900 – 10 June 1974) was a member of the British royal family. He was the third son of King George V and Mary of Teck, Queen Mary, and was a younger brother of kings E ...

inspected the establishment. Eventually by the end of the war 60,968 ratings had passed through ''Ganges''.

Postwar and closure

''Ganges'' reopened as a boys' training establishment in October 1945. The establishment soon regained its former size and importance, continuing to expand its facilities. A number of VIP visits took place,

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...

visited in 1956,

First Lord of the Admiralty First Lord of the Admiralty, or formally the Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty, was the title of the political head of the English and later British Royal Navy. He was the government's senior adviser on all naval affairs, responsible f ...

Lord Carrington Peter Alexander Rupert Carington, 6th Baron Carrington, Baron Carington of Upton (6 June 1919 – 9July 2018), was a British Conservative Party politician and hereditary peer who served as Defence Secretary from 1970 to 1974, Foreign Secreta ...

visited in 1960 and

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

in 1961. In 1968 the s and were attached to ''Ganges''. In 1975 ''Ganges'' was opened to the public for the first time, with

Admiral of the Fleet An admiral of the fleet or shortened to fleet admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to field marshal and marshal of the air force. An admiral of the fleet is typically senior to an admiral. It is also a generic ter ...

The Earl Mountbatten of Burma Earl Mountbatten of Burma is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, created in 1947 for Rear Admiral Louis Mountbatten, who in 1946 had been created the first Viscount Mountbatten of Burma. He was later promoted to Admiral of the Fleet. ...

the guest of honour. It was decided by the Admiralty to close HMS ''Ganges'', which was done on 6 June 1976. The

white ensign The White Ensign, at one time called the St George's Ensign because of the simultaneous existence of a crossless version of the flag, is an ensign worn on British Royal Navy ships and shore establishments. It consists of a red St George's Cr ...

was lowered for the last time on 28 October and the establishment's training duties were transferred to . Following closure of HMS ''Ganges'' the married quarter estate was used by

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

(RAF) personnel from nearby RAF facilities. In 1999 a large section of the former non-commissioned officer quarters were acquired by The Welbeck Estate Group.

Citations

References

* * Warlow, Ben, ''Shore Establishments of the Royal Navy'', Liskeard : Maritime, 2000.
The HMS Ganges association, including the history, and photographs
* Douglas, John, ''HMS GANGES – "Roll On My Dozen"'', 1978.
HMS GANGES Roll on my Dozen! Online eBook Version
* 'HMS GANGES DAYS' by Peter Broadbent Paperback. eBook version available from publishers (www.chaplinbooks.co.uk)and Amazon. * Douglas, John, ''HMS GANGES – "Tales of The Trogs"'', 1995.

External links

GANGES Museum
Houses memorabilia from the old shore establishment.

The HMS Ganges Museum collection has been published online and includes thousands of historic photographs.
HMS GANGES Books
Historical books and DVDs of HMS GANGES.
HMS Ganges (Shotley)
photos taken between 2006 and 2009 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ganges Royal Navy bases in England Royal Navy shore establishments Former training establishments of the Royal Navy Military installations established in 1865 Military installations closed in 1976