HC Deb 10 March 1920 vol 126 cc1253-4
22. Lieut.-Colonel MALONE

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he has received any particulars concerning the sinking of H.M.S. "Glowworm" at Meleberreznik, on the Dvina River; whether her destruction was caused by an explosion; whether she was at the time moored alongside a military lighter; whether there were on board approximately 90 ratings under confinement on account of their pro-Bolshevik sympathies; and how many officers, if any, were also lost in the explosion?

Mr. LONG

His Majesty's Ship "Glowworm "was not sunk, nor was she destroyed by the explosion referred to. She was proceeding alongside a barge which was on fire, in order to assist in extinguishing it, when the barge blew up, the commanding officer of the "Glowworm" being unaware that it contained ammunition. There is not a word of truth in the story as regards the 90 ratings under confinement. The following were killed or died of wounds caused by the explosion:—

  • The Commanding Officer (Commander S. W. B. Green, D.S.O., R.N.),
  • Four British officers,
  • Two Russian officers,
  • Seventeen men;
and two officers and 13 men were injured.