AN ADMIRALTY BLOCKADE AND PATROL CHART FOR H.M.S. HYACINTH C...

Hammer

£150

AN ADMIRALTY BLOCKADE AND PATROL CHART FOR H.M.S. HYACINTH CRUISING OFF SOUTH AFRICA, CIRCA 1914

for the Atlantic, India and west portion of the Pacific Oceans, corrected to October 1913 with coastal soundings in fathoms, the coast of South Africa with two areas of blockade and a patrol area coloured and lined in yellow with pencilled routes, key in margin, and a large mss cartouche inscribed TABLE OF DISTANCES in nautical miles CAPE STATIONS / H.M.S. HYACINTH the tables lined in red ink, inscribed in red ink 'Cancelled' in the lower right corner, linen backed -- 28 x 58in. (71 x 147.5cm.); together with a detailed admiralty chart of Simons Bay, corrected to 1910 with magnetic variation to 1913 with some light annotations in red and yellow ink, linen backed -- 28 x 34in. (71 x 86.5cm.)

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Just before War broke out in August 1914, Hyacinth and her consort Hermes were sent to shadow S.M.S. Königsburg in German East Africa. In the event Königsburg's 24kts easily out-paced the old protected cruisers' maximum 20kts, so they escorted troopships from Cape Colony to the Atlantic. From January 1915 she was blockading Königsburg in the Rufigi Delta as detailed on this chart and intercepted the captured S.S. Reubens, forcing her to beach and in April 1916 sank the S.S. Tabora. From January 1917 she was stationed off Tanganyika, where she served as the depot ship for the Royal Naval Air Service and was paid off in August 1919, scrapped 1923.

fine overall, some light time staining and ceasing commensurate with use and age, but both are stable.