£300 - £400
A late Victorian brass ship's bell marked DIANE R.Y.S.
About the Diane
Diane
Owned by Cecil Slade, Diane was a 259-ton steam yacht built in 1902. She was taken into service in September 1914 and served until November 1917 with the famous Dover Patrol. On 24 April 1916 she was with the 11th Drifter Division in the vicinity of the Dunkirk Roads guarding an anti-submarine net barrage which had been laid ten miles off the Belgian coast. A U-boat-which from German records was later found to be UB13 - became fouled in the nets of one of the drifters and Diane dropped two lance bombs and then a depthcharge. The latter was dropped by the mate, a man named Dunstan, who after the war became skipper of Captain Slade's schooner Diane. Although it shattered part of the yacht's stern, the depthcharge also found its target.
'A heavy explosion took place, followed by a large eruption of bubbles and oil,' wrote Sir Reginald Bacon in the second volume of his history of the Dover Patrol.* 'The air bubbles became much reduced later on, but oil continued to come to the surface, and when the yacht Diane returned through this position at 5.25pm she passed through pools of oil. The vessels concerned received the usual award.'
Diane continued to serve with the Dover Patrol and sank several German mines by gunfire. In June 1917 she captured a German seaplane off Gravelines. She took two prisoners and tried to tow the seaplane into Dover, but it began to disintegrate and was cut adrift.
Height 24cm. Diameter 23cm
Fees apply to the hammer price:
Free Registration
30% inc VAT*
Flat Fee Registration
26.40% inc VAT*
