Talk:HMS Birkenhead (1845)

Roll of Honour
Excuse me but was the Roll of Honour used with permission because it was lifted from one of the links.


 * Historical records are not coprightable and are implicity in the public domain by dint of being historical records. Or should the names of the victims of this disaster be proprietary to a website which posted them?  I don't think so....Skookum1 03:05, 21 October 2006 (UTC)

HMS Birkenhead as Namesake
Please note the dates; if the honours were conferred after the disaster, they could not have been done on a trverse during 1846.

An earlier reference on the web I am unable to find noted a slightly different version: that the Birkenhead had previously picked up survivor of another shipwreck, and the Captain asked for volunteers to surrender their places in the available ifeboats; to a man standing fast; lited as Durban Harbor.

As such the Birkinhead drill was not an act of obedience to orders, it would have been voluntary.

-- Moved from main page Mitchellfx 22:09, 20 September 2006 (UTC)


 * A.C. Anderson did not name either Seton Lake or Mount Birkenhead until well after his 1846 journey through this area; it was during the 1860s that Governor Douglas asked him to name them; or the 1850s, as if I recall correctly by 1858 (the onset of the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush) the names for Anderson and Seton Lakes were already in place. His 1846 mission was a route survey only, not a cartographical expedition.Skookum1 22:31, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

The article mentions no male civilian survivors but Charles Daly, a civilian survived the wreck. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.240.67.59 (talk) 15:51, 3 October 2007 (UTC)

Court Martials
I've seen references to court martials of a gunner and the master's assistant, but no information about charges or findings. Is anyone able to shed any light on this?  Socrates2008 ( Talk )   11:41, 22 January 2008 (UTC)

Shark Attacks
Although it is well known that many of the Birkenhead were attacked by sharks, they may also have been attacked by a large predatory Bream-like fish called a Rooi Steenbras. This is recorded in Professor J. L. B. Smith's classic work "The Sea Fishes of Southern Africa" page 278, "It is said that many from the wreck of the Birkenhead were mutilated by this fish". The Rooi Steenbras can exceed 6ft in length and 150lbs. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.26.98.174 (talk) 21:48, 20 November 2011 (UTC)

GA Review

 * GA review (see here for criteria)


 * 1) It is reasonably well written: Pass
 * 2) It is factually accurate and verifiable. Pass though the article seems to rely heavily on one source for reference. I would recommend adding more from different sources to ensure that its neutrality is never brought into question.
 * 3) It is broad in its coverage. Pass, however the coverage of the article seems to focus primarily on the wreck and afterwards. More info should be added to the history before the wreck, if possible. Otherwise I'm not sure the article could ever be promoted to A- or FA- status.
 * 4) It follows the neutral point of view policy. Pass no problems there.
 * 5) It is stable. Pass
 * 6) It is illustrated by images, where possible and appropriate. Pass
 * 7) Overall: The article is definately GA quality in my opinion. More sources, Images, and content would definatly be needed if it was to be promoted above GA, though. -Ed! (talk) 21:19, 17 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Thank you!  Socrates2008 ( Talk )   22:08, 17 February 2008 (UTC)

The Birkenhead bottle
OK, I got here by researching a piece of "evidence" that is popular on Young Earth Creationist websites. The details are here, there was apparently a bottle locked inside conglomerate rock found in the wreckage of the Birkenhead.

This is presented as evidence that rock conglomeration is actually a very short-term process, which thus supports the creationist argument that sedimentary and conglomerate rocks, as well as coal and oil could have been created in the past 6000 years. You can find photos/details of this bottle on numerous "pro-flood" websites. However I can find no evidence elsewhere (including this article).

Does anyone know anything about this bottle? I know I'm grasping at straws here, but it's worth a try. Manning (talk) 05:49, 12 June 2012 (UTC)
 * And the author of the article is a recognised and respected geologist with no agenda or POV to push? Not! WP:RELY and WP:SELFPUBLISH apply...    Socrates2008 ( Talk )  13:16, 12 June 2012 (UTC)

Location
Gaans Baai can hardly be said to be on the outskirts of Cape Town. It is to the East of Hermanus. Possibly the outskirts of the Western Cape but "outskirts" of an area sounds wrong. — Preceding unsigned comment added by The Argulator (talk • contribs) 20:41, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

phrase (B Drill) first appearance?
Does anyone know when the first documented use of the phrase "Birkenhead Drill" occurred? -- Ty rS  00:16, 9 June 2013 (UTC)

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for vs. after
As for me, I prefer "for", it sounds more elegant and the two "after"s in close proximity seems clumsy. Wayne Jayes (talk) 11:17, 22 May 2019 (UTC)


 * I always though named “for” was American English where as named “after” is British English. --palmiped &#124; Talk  14:06, 22 May 2019 (UTC)

Commemorative Medallion
I have added this as a Ref https://www.bidorbuy.co.za/item/9914975/Gold_Commemorative_Medallion_of_the_Sinking_of_the_HMS_Birkenhead_40gm_18Ct_Start_R1.html but as it is an Auction result, I fear it may not remain "up" for very long. Someone better qualified that I might care to "do something about it" - maybe ask the auctioneer for permission to add the pix ? etc...RobinClay (talk) 18:44, 10 December 2019 (UTC)

Time of departure from Simonstown
The article states that the HMS Birkenhead departed from Simonstown at 06:00. However, an article by the South African Military History Society suggests that the time of departure actually was 18:00. Is 18h00 (rather than 06:00) as the departure time contested? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Hettlage-en (talk • contribs) 15:13, 20 February 2021 (UTC)


 * Having looked at a couple of reference books, The story of the Birkenhead and The unfortunate ship, they both state departure was 6pm. palmiped Talk  15:53, 20 February 2021 (UTC)