page_title: Ronald Stuart
section_title: HMS Tamarisk
hierarchical_section_title: Ronald Stuart / First World War / HMS Tamarisk
context_page_description: Ronald Niel Stuart, VC, DSO, RD, RNR was a British Merchant Navy commodore and Royal Navy captain who was highly commended following extensive and distinguished service at sea over a period of more than thirty-five years. During World War I he was awarded the Victoria Cross, the Distinguished Service Order, the French Croix de Guerre avec Palmes and the United States' Navy Cross for a series of daring operations he conducted while serving in the Royal Navy during the War at Sea.
  Stuart received his Victoria Cross following a ballot by the men under his command. This unusual method of selection was used after the Admiralty board was unable to choose which members of the crew deserved the honour after a desperate engagement between a Q-ship and a German submarine off the Irish coast. His later career included command of the liner RMS Empress of Britain and the management of the London office of a major transatlantic shipping company. Following his retirement in 1951, Stuart moved into his sister's cottage in Kent and died three years later. A sometimes irascible man, he was reportedly embarrassed by any fuss surrounding his celebrity and was known to exclaim "Mush!"
context_section_description: In addition to receiving the Victoria Cross, Stuart was promoted to lieutenant commander and given his own command, HMS Tamarisk. Tamarisk was a small sloop built in 1916 that was capable of being disguised as a merchant vessel and used as a Q-ship, designated Q11.
  A few months after assuming command, on 15 October 1917, Stuart was on hand to rescue the United States Navy destroyer USS Cassin after she was torpedoed by U-61 in heavy weather. Along with one crewmember killed and nine wounded, the Cassin had lost her entire stern including the rudder and was in danger of sinking. The dead crew member was Osmond Ingram, who had died throwing burning munitions overboard and was later posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. Twenty miles from the Irish coast and in total darkness, the Tamarisk not only found the crippled ship but was able to come alongside in high seas and a strong gale and pass across a tow line. Twice during the night the tow broke and twice it was reconnected as the battle to save the ship continued. The next morning several trawlers came to the aid of the Q-ship and together they enabled the Cassin to make port, saving the ship and her crew. Ten years after the Cassin's rescue the US Navy awarded Stuart the Navy Cross in recognition of his part in the operation; it was a rare presentation to a sailor of a foreign navy and the only occasion in which the recipient also possessed the Victoria Cross.
  The remainder of the war was quiet for Stuart, achieving no further successes against submarines. Upon the armistice the full details of his Victoria Cross action were revealed and, in 1919, he was mentioned in despatches in recognition of the service he had performed during the Q-ship operations. As further recognition of his overall efforts against the German submarine campaign, the French government presented him with the Croix de Guerre.
  In 1919, Stuart returned to Canadian Pacific, his maritime reputation on both sides of the Atlantic greatly enhanced by his war record. In the same year he met and married his wife Evelyn, with whom he would have three sons and two daughters.
caption: USS Cassin.
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