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Letters
Captain A.B. Smith of the Otaki
Dear Mac,
Thankyou for preparing such an excellent site, I have recently started looking up imformation about my great grandfather named above and found much in your site to lead me further along that path, any further knowledge you may have about the Otaki or the Moewe would be greatfully recieved.
Yours sincerely,
Barry Bisset-Smith
Dear Barry,
Nice to hear from you, it is always a bonus when I can relate further with a relation to someone that I have written about on AHOY.
You can see from this extract that your Great Grandfather fought a heroic action against the German Raider Moewe. I will sent separately some more information about the fight etc.
Best wishes.
Mac.
No sooner had she been scuttled, when a larger ship hove into view, it turned out to be, the 9,575 ton Otaki, sailing out of London for New York, and in ballast. Stop! was ordered by Moewe, but stop she did not, merely clapping on speed trying to outrun the Raider, her stern 4 inch gun opened fire, killing 5 German crew and wounding another 10. This action really upset the Captain of Moewe, but further shots did still more damage to the German ship, now, her guns came into action and caused sufficient damage in Otaki, for this ship to roll over and sink.
Her crew were recovered from the sea as quickly as possible, but not before Captain A.B. Smith, and 5 of his crew had perished, this courageous Captain, one of the few to even contemplate fighting back against the German Raider, and then to back up his defiance with action; was recommended for a posthumous Victoria Cross.
A picture of the ship OTAKI, and her building details.
A list of Moewe's victims.
Biography of Archibald Bisset Smith VC, Captain of Otaki, sunk by Moewe.
Barry,
The citation for your Great Grandfather's VC. Do you know what happened to this award which was given postumously?
Mac.
Dear Mac,
Thanks for all the info, as far as the v.c.'s location I believe it was sold to the P&O Shipping Company some time ago (decades that is), am now trying to find out capt. bisset-smiths family background and news of any siblings or further children he may have had.
Cheers,
Barry
p.s. the name is misspelt "bissett" on the website with 2t's instead of one
TK,
We have spelt it correctly, the error is in the citation for his VC, I have advised that Web Site and asked them to correct their entry.
Mac
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