Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Four: Leading Seaman C. T. Hood, Royal Navy, who was killed in action when the cruiser H.M.S. Hogue was torpedoed and sunk, along with her sister ships Aboukir and Cressy, in the North Sea by the German submarine U-9 on 22 September 1914, with the loss of 1,459 lives

China 1900, 1 clasp, Relief of Pekin (C. T. Hood. A.B. H.M.S. Centurion.); 1914-15 Star (180094, C. T. Hood, L.S., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (180094 C. T. Hood. L.S. R.N.), mounted as worn, very fine (4) £400-£500

Christopher Thomas Hood was born in Kingsdown, Kent, on 10 March 1910 and entered naval service on 21 June 1894. He served in H.M.S. Centurion between February 1897 and September 1901, and saw active service during the Third China War. He was seriously injured by falling into a dry dock at Sherness on 9 September 1906 when a rope collapsed, on which he and another man were sitting. Soon after his injury, he was reduced from Petty Officer to Leading Seaman for disobedience of ship’s orders. Discharged to shore in March 1909, but was re-engaged for naval service on 2 August 1914, and was posted to the cruiser H.M.S. Hogue. He was serving in her when she was torpedoed, along with her sister ships H.M.S. Aboukir and Cressy, as part of the 7th Cruiser Squadron engaged in blockade and patrol duties, in the North Sea by the German submarine U-9 on 22 September 1914. The Aboukir was the first to be hit, at 06:20; her captain thought that she had struck a mine and ordered the other two ships to close in order to transfer his wounded men. The Aboukir quickly began listing and capsized, sinking at 06:50. Having approached, stopped, and lowered her boats, Hogue was struck by two torpedoes at 06:55 as she was attempting to rescue the survivors. She capsized and sank within twenty minutes. Cressy meanwhile attempted to ram the submarine, but did not hit anything and resumed her rescue efforts until she too was torpedoed at 07:20. She too took on a heavy list and then capsized before sinking at 07:55. Total losses from the three ships were 62 officers and 1,397 men killed.

Hood is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial.