Themes

The Navy's People

• Naval Lives

  • Edward Pitcairn Jones

  • William Waller

  • Loftus William Jones

  • JT Cull

  • A C Green

  • Philip Needell

  • Astle Scott Littlejohns

  • EJF Records

  • Clifford Simkin

  • Frank Clements

  • Margaret Hodgson

  • Charles Sheppard

  • 'Buster' Crabb

  • Sir Frank Twiss

  • Jeff Tall

  • Phil Macquaid

  • Julia Massey

  • Nick Vaux

  • Wayland Austin

• In Focus: Women in the Navy

• In Focus: Recreation and Time off

• In Focus: Discipline and Punishment

Learning

• How To: Understand Naval Medals

JT Cull

Article highlights

• The career of a naval airman

• The RNAS and the Koenigsberg

• The attack on the Koenigsberg

• Winning a Distinguished Service Order

The RNAS and the Koenigsberg

Map of East Africa and the SMS Koenigsberg (FAAM)

Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was one of the forerunners of the Fleet Air Arm. The Committee of Imperial Defence formed the naval wing of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) in April 1912. It changed into the Royal Naval Air Service in July 1914, just weeks before the start of World War One.

The aircraft of World War One were a new technology. They were small and light and very different to the jet aircraft used today. The Royal Navy used these aircraft to spot enemy ships and submarines and for air-to-air fighting and bombing.

During the opening months of World War One the German ship SMS Koenigsberg had established itself as the dominating force in the Indian Ocean. Off the coast of Zanzibar in East Africa Germany was using SMS Koenigsberg to attack merchant shipping.

By September 1914 the Koenigsberg had already destroyed the cruiser HMS Pegasus and captured the SS City of Winchester - the first British merchant vessel lost in the War.

The Koenigsberg was a significant threat to merchant shipping and all efforts were made to stop it. British ships managed to trap the ship whilst it was undergoing repairs in the maze of rivers of the Rufiji Delta. This created a stalemate. British ships controlled the escape routes, but they could not outgun the powerful German destroyer.

In an attempt to break the stalemate, the Navy devised a strategy to use aircraft to spot and destroy the ship. Efforts were initially unsuccessful, but a more organised attempt began in February 1915 when Flight Commander JT Cull arrived with two Sopwith Seaplanes.

First photo of Koenigsberg 25th April 1915 (FAAM)

Related External Links

• The Koenigsberg Incident

• Fleet Air Arm Museum