Does anybody happen to know what happened here ?? .......... 7/5/15 MAORI (Cdr B W Barron) she and CRUSADER (Lt Cdr T K Maxwell) had been ordered to carry out a reconnaissance of the German positions off Ostende in preparation for a bombardment. The destroyers approached at low water when the risk from German mines was at its greatest. MAORI struck one and sank, CRUSADER lowered a boat but was forced to retire due to accurate fire from the German coast defences, and all 95 of MAORI’s crew became POW plus the 4 men from CRUSADERs’ boat. HMS Maori and HMS Crusader were F (Tribal) Class destroyers (1907-08 Programme) both of which were launched in 1909. HMS Maori was mined off the Belgium coast on 7 May 1915 and HMS Crusader went on to serve throughout the rest of the war to be eventually sold for scrap to Ward, Preston on 30 June 1920. All 12 Tribal's were serving with the 6th Destroyer Flotilla based at Dover at the time of the loss of the Maori ...... they continued to serve at Dover throughout the war due to their low endurance which precluded their employment elsewhere. This is my question ....... The Maori as I said struck a mine near the Weilengen light vessel and boats were sent from Crusader to her aid. Then for some reason a German trawler took the crew of Maori and the boat crews from the Crusader prisoner. Why did a damaged and sinking destroyer and a fully operational destroyer stand by and let a enemy trawler take the prisoners of war ? I believe there was a Court of Enquiry into loss of HMS MAORI. ( Conduct of Lieut Cdr T.K. Maxwell R.N. HMS CRUSADER whilst engaged on rescue operations ) but I can't find anything ....
If these were heavy guns and with a longer range than the destroyer's, then perhaps it was the prudent thing to do rather than risk the entire ship and crew or, as AR says, run into another mine while maneuvering. However, if the coastal defences were a couple of blokes with rifles who were a good shot...
