Receiver of Wrecks has got it wrong!

Keith Hart · 11 October 2005, 08:12

Hello all

Can I ask for your help please. It will cost you nothing but a few minutes of your time.

A couple of months ago I was checking out the Receiver of Wrecks website. I saw that they had HMS Hampshire listed as being sunk in Scapa Flow. You can see the actual website entry here.

Well anyone who has any knowledge of WW1 naval history will tell you that the Hampshire (with Lord Kitchener onboard) went down off Marwick Head which is north of mainland Orkney, NOT in Scapa Flow. There is a memorial on Marwick head to the 636 men (out of 655 onboard) who lost their lives.

I emailed the RoW and pointed their mistake out to them. I received a short email back saying that they would look into this.

TWO MONTHS later they STILL have the wrong information on the website. They could check this out with one telephone call!

I feel strongly that this mistake is an INSULT to the memories of all those who died. Needless to say I have emailed them again.

Please can you also join in my small campaign to correct their mistake. If you visit the link above and then go to the contact hyperlink you can email them and let them know that there is more than just me on their case.

It is just a small thing for us to do but I feel that we owe it to these men and their relatives. Alison Kentuck is the person at the RoW who is supposed to be dealing with this.

Keith Hart

Pete7 · 11 October 2005, 08:30

Keith well spotted and e mail now sent. Need a few more peeps to do the same so ROW takes notice.

Pete

Keith Hart · 11 October 2005, 09:30

Thank you Pete. You are the first, I hope, of many.

I have just received this reply from Alison Kentuck (she must be starting to get some more emails). It is however is the very epitome of obfuscation and civil-service-speak:

This information has not yet been changed on the MCA website because of difficulties with amending information currently displayed whilst maintaining the coherent structure in which the information appears.

Errrr. So it's a bit difficult then? But not as difficult as being a sailor in the RN during WW1.

Come on guys. Send those emails. Also if you are in any other groups - pass it on.

Keith Hart

Matt · 11 October 2005, 12:09

Or to put it another way, they've got so many layers of bureacracy in place to make any "releases" to their systems that they can't update the website without a budget of thousands of pounds to employ some 3rd party consultant to update it, and thereby give them someone else to blame if it's wrong.

Richard B · 11 October 2005, 12:18

Funnily enough I know exactly which 3rd party consultant will be involved...

Yep, good summary Mat!

Matt · 11 October 2005, 12:21

I'm in the fishbowl, looking out.

Keith Hart · 11 October 2005, 12:55

Okay guys, but have YOU emailed them to ask them to change it?

Keith Hart

Richard B · 11 October 2005, 13:15

Keith, I'll send one from home tonight.

I've also put a reminder in my diary to check this thread, and the MCA web site on December 9th. It's possible that a change has been raised and it's got to go through a number of personnel to be authorised. It'll also raise the question of who is the SME (subject matter expert) on HMS Hampshire and the geography of the area!

BTW I found an interesting site this morning: http://www.hmshampshire.co.uk

Matt · 11 October 2005, 13:17

It's not an insult - it's a mistake.
I am sure it is logged and when they next update the site it'd be included.
I'd sooner they make multiple updates to the site in 1 go, thereby working in an efficient manner, than to make every update as they find it which would end up costing more. You never know, the saved money may actually go to support families who have lost relatives at sea?
So in a word - no, I'm not going to mail her.

IanE · 11 October 2005, 13:48

I just luuuuv outsourcing!!

Keith Hart · 11 October 2005, 14:08

No problem Matt, free country and all that.

However if I was one of the relatives I should think that it was an insult and as it happened over 80 years ago I think that they would have had time to check it out by now.

Anyway as I have said I'm asking for help to put the pressure on them to get it changed. Nobody has to do this, I'm mereley trying to encourage people to do so.

They are the Receivers of Wrecks, they are not shopkeepers, they do not manufacture widgets, thier job is to chart wrecks with OUR money (taxes) a little encouragement to do it correctly will not go amiss.

Keith Hart

Matt · 11 October 2005, 22:17

I very much doubt the website has been up for 80 years.

Keith Hart · 11 November 2005, 06:48

Hello Folks

I'm happy to report that HM receiver of Wreck has now ammended the location of HMS Hampshire.

HMS Hampshire

Thanks to all who emailed them for me.

Cheers

Keith Hart

Richard B · 11 November 2005, 06:54

Good to see it sorted, Keith.