World Ship Society - NAVAL AFFAIRS

The interests of most World Ship Society members range from passenger ships to cruise ships to cargo-carrying ships and to the Merchant Navy.  But there are a large number of members whose interests tend toward the naval side of things.  So to accommodate these members, several divisions have been set up which deal strictly with the naval side of things.

Notice of the 32nd Annual Naval Meeting to take place in Bristol, June 5th, 2010

The Society's 32nd Annual Naval Meeting will take place on 5th June 2010 at the Hawthorns, Bristol.    The fourth D.K. Brown lecture will be given by Professor Eric Grove who has been researching into development of armoured warships and, in particular, the advent of true 'battleships' in name and capability about 1890.  His lecture is entitled The Battleship Revolution of the late 19th Century — A Paradigm Shift in Naval Warfare?  Other speakers include Mark Brady, who will be giving a talk entitled Royal Navy Destroyers and Anti-Aircraft Gunnery 1930 - 1970 while, in a talk entitled HMS MANCHESTER Revisited, Chris Simons will be looking at the history and wreck of this Liverpool class cruiser.  Dr Malcolm Cooper, will be evaluating Japanese Submarines of World War 2. The programme, which will start at 10.30 and end at 17.00, will be completed by the usual illustrated quiz.  Full details are available from Dr. Richard Osborne, 11 Beechwood Road, Nailsea, Bristol  BS48 2AF, United Kingdom                             (e-mail: richard.osborne@worldshipsociety.org )

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Warships   magazine

We publish every four months, a magazine devoted to naval affairs.  This can be obtained by subscription through our Business Manager.  For further details, see the header to the left marked "PUBLICATIONS - Warships magazine".

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The Small Craft Group

This is a group specialising in small craft.  See the header to the left marked "NAVAL AFFAIRS - Small Craft Group" for more details.

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Admiralty Job Numbers, 1939-1945

Job numbers were introduced on the outbreak of the Second World War as a precaution to prevent information regarding ships under construction or fitting out for naval service from becoming public knowledge.  The result of this precaution was that documents referred to the Job Number rather than the intended ship's name in naval service.

Block numbers were allocated to various areas as indicated below:-

It was the responsibility of the local Admiralty Warship Superintendent to allocate a number from the blocks allotted to his area.  Job Numbers and later contractors' serial numbers (e.g. Yard Numbers) were advised by Confidential Admiralty Fleet Orders (CAFO).  From November 1941 a Confidential Book (CB 3064) was issued at roughly six monthly intervals which contained current Job Numbers.

Not all warships under construction or conversion received Job Numbers.  They were not given to motor minesweepers, motor torpedo boats, motor gun boats, motor launches and the smaller landing craft.  In the early part of the war, trawlers and other merchant vessels being converted for naval use were given Job Numbers.  Later another set of numbers issued was the 'ER' series (Emergency Repairs) which also included some conversions.

The table has been compiled from CAFOs held in ADM 182 at the Public Record Office and copies of CB 3064 held by Naval Historical Branch, and includes virtually all the Job Numbers known to have been issued.  Also included are new construction undertaken by the three main Royal Dockyards in the United Kingdom where numbers in a 'D' series were allocated.  Further information has been added from reliable sources, e.g. where the original did not give the final name or yard number, and on conversions.

The compiler gratefully acknowledges the help given by Dr. Ian Buxton, Capt. Chris Page and his predecessor as Head of the Naval Historical Branch, the late David Brown, and their colleagues, Bob Todd of the National Maritime Museum, John Landels and the World Ship Society Yard team together with the staff of the Public Record Office.

George Moore, 2004

To order your copy of the "Admiralty Job Number 1939-1945" listing, send a pound sterling cheque or your Visa/MasterCard details to:- WSS, 25 Godwin Drive, Nailsea, Bristol, BS48 2XE, United Kingdom.  Cost as at November 1, 2008 — £6.50 plus postage of £1.75 if mailed to a UK address, or £6.50 plus postage of £2.50 if mailed anywhere outside the UK.