An enjoyable challenge is to figure out the date and location of interesting chaser photos. As an example, here's a nest of chasers, a photo from the collection of George Perley Morse, CO of SC 227. Where and when?
The lack of deck guns and bearing indicators tells me this is post-war. My first guess, based on the large two-letter hull marks, is Inverness, Scotland, during preparations for the Northern Russia Expedition. But, which chasers are they? Hulls are marked: BQ, AU, SC 351, AQ.
I'm pretty sure BQ is SC 1; and I know AU is SC 257 and AQ is SC 90, assuming this is Inverness. One chaser often had the same hull number as another, in different times and places. But the large, two-letter hull marks are consistent with Inverness. Except what is SC 351 doing there? SC 351 wasn't one of the twelve chasers slated for the Northern Russia Expedition.
So that dashes the Inverness idea. But those three chasers with letters, SC 1, SC 257, and SC 90, didn't end up going to Russia. So next guess: Near the end of May, 1919 a decision was made to send just one unit of three chasers to Russia. Maybe this is after the rest of the chasers left Inverness. The celebration flags tells me it's a holiday or special occasion, like the Fourth of July. So, were these chasers in the same place on 4 July 1919? Off I go to the Ship Movements book, where I find:
SC 1: Lisbon
SC 257: Lisbon
SC 351: Lisbon
SC 90: Lisbon
So there it is: Lisbon, Portugal on 4 July 1919.
--Todd Woofenden, Editor
Added recently to the Hull Numbers Collection:
- Photo of SC 384, from the collection of Clyde A. "Cody" Carlson
- Photo of SC 397, also from the collection of Clyde A. "Cody" Carlson