# HMY Kethailes

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**HMY *Kethailes*** was a [steam yacht](/source/Steam_yacht) that was launched in 1903 as a private pleasure craft and commissioned into the [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy) in 1914. She was sunk in a collision in 1917 with the loss of 17 of her crew.

## Private yacht

[St Clare John Byrne](/source/St_Clare_John_Byrne) designed the yacht for [William Johnston of Liverpool](/source/William_Johnston_of_Liverpool). [Richardson, Duck and Company](/source/Richardson,_Duck_and_Company) built her at [Thornaby-on-Tees](/source/Thornaby-on-Tees), County Durham, England. She was launched on 11 April 1903.[1] Johnston invented her name by concatenating letters from the names of his four daughters: **K**athleen, **Eth**el, **Ail**een and **Es**tele.[2]

## Naval service

When [World War I](/source/World_War_I) began in 1914 the Royal Navy needed more ships. On 24 September 1914 Johnston voluntarily handed over the yacht (later receiving financial compensation) to the [Admiralty](/source/British_Admiralty), for use as an [Armed Naval Auxiliary](/source/Auxiliary_Patrol). She was commissioned as [Armed Yacht](/source/Armed_yacht) No. 118032 in the Yacht Patrol. She patrolled the [North Sea](/source/North_Sea), then was transferred to the [Irish Sea](/source/Irish_Sea).[3]

On 28 September 1917 *Kethailes* was first-on-scene and assisted the [cargo ship](/source/Cargo_ship) *William Middleton*, which had hit a mine laid by . Two ratings were killed.[4] The Commanding Officer, Lt Comdr Lane [RNR](/source/Royal_Naval_Reserve) and his crew were commended for preventing *William Middleton* from sinking.[5]

## Loss

On 11 October 1917 the [troop ship](/source/Troopship) *[Leicestershire](/source/SS_Zamzam)* accidentally rammed *Kethailes* in the Irish Sea[6] near the Blackwater Lightship, which marks the Blackwater Bank off the east coast of [County Wexford](/source/County_Wexford) in Ireland.[7] 17 of *Kethailes'*s crew were killed.[6]

*Leicestershire* and the [*P*-class sloop](/source/P-class_sloop) *P.44* rescued survivors, including her commander, and they were landed at [Liverpool](/source/Port_of_Liverpool).[8][9] The dead were lost at sea. Several bodies were subsequently washed ashore on the Welsh coast and were buried in local churchyards.[10] In July 2022 CWGC accepted identification research of Able Seaman Frederick Dyer, previously buried as an unknown sailor in a communal grave in the Churchyard of St Matthew Borth, Dyfed.[11]

## References

1. ["Kethailes"](http://www.teesbuiltships.co.uk/view.php?year_built=&builder=&ref=165249&vessel=KETHAILES). *Tees Built Ships*. North East Maritime Forum. Retrieved 18 November 2020.

1. Lettens, Jan & Racey, Karl. ["HMY Kethailes \[+1917\]"](https://wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?69606). Retrieved 18 November 2020.

1. ["Ship Kethailes, official number: 118032. When built: 1903. Registry closed: 1917."](https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C10333356). [The National Archives](/source/The_National_Archives_(United_Kingdom)). 1911–1920.

1. ["Vessels Lost in WW1: Whorlton to Wimmera"](https://www.benjidog.co.uk/Tower%20Hill/WW1%20Whorlton%20to%20Wimmera.html). *Benjidog Historical Research Resources: Tower Hill*

1. ["ADM 137/678 Auxilliary \[sic\] Patrol. Weekly Reports, Area XV, Milford, 1917, September-December."](https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/browse/r/h/C4112342). The National Archives.

1. ["Subject: Collision between SS 'Leicestershire' and HM patrol boat 'Kethailes' and subsequent loss of latter at Milford Haven on 11 October 1917"](https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/dfc1de4a-5ce2-4eae-a853-df544fe7bd41). The National Archives.

1. ["Lightships off the Irish Coast"](http://www.sailcork.com/blog/full-story/lightships-off-the-irish-coast). *SailCork.com*

1. ["Sidney Reginald Lane"](http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/Sidney_Reginald_Lane). *The Dreadnought Project*. Retrieved 28 March 2020.

1. ["Patrol Boat No. 44"](https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C1520833). The National Archives. 1917.

1. Lettens, Jan (25 August 2019). ["HMY Kethailes \[+1917\]"](https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?69606). *Wrecksite.eu*

1. ["Able Seaman Frederick Dyer | War Casualty Details 3043466"](https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/3043466/frederick-dyer/)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [HMY Kethailes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMY_Kethailes) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMY_Kethailes?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.