More about John Powell

John Powell worked as a Last Maker before he joined the Royal Navy as a Stoker in December 1905 and, after initial training at HMS Pembroke, the Naval Barracks at Chatham in Kent, served onboard HM Ships Sutlej, Blake, Blenheim, Dreadnought, Magnificent and Goliath before transferring to the submarine service in November 1909. He was serving onboard HM Submarine C-22 based on HMS Vulcan moored in the Tay in 1914. His home address was 1 North William Street, Dundee. In December 1917 he joined HM Submarine D3 based at HMS Dolphin, the submarine base in Gosport Hampshire. D3 was sunk with all hands in the English Channel on 12 March and not 15 March 1918. SD-3 left Gosport on 7th March 1918 for an anti-submarine patrol in the English Channel. Little is known of her patrol movements but it is believed that a submarine spotted by a Royal Naval Air Service airship on the 11th was D-3. On the 12th March the French airship AT-0 was patrolling when at 1420 a vessel was spotted to her north east. The airship drew close for recognition purposes and according to her commander, the submarine fired rockets at her. Four 52-kilo bombs were dropped by the airship. The submarine disappeared but several minutes later men were seen in the water. Attempts were made by the airship to rescue the men but it proved too difficult. The airship withdrew to seek help but all the men had drowned by the time it arrived. It is clear that D-3 was the victim of a serious identification error on the part of the French airship, with identification rockets being mistaken for aggressive gunfire.

John Powell   307881   Royal Navy

POWELL^___Lost his life on duty, John Powell, stoker petty officer, R. N. beloved husband of Margaret Douglas, 1 North William Street.

Dundee People’s Journal 30th March 1918