James Gordon Gould, RN
| Born | 16 Mar 1903 |
| Ranks
Retired: 16 Mar 1953 Decorations |
Warship Commands listed for James Gordon Gould, RN
| Ship | Rank | Type | From | To |
| HMS Trident (N 52) | Cdr. | Submarine | 19 Jul 1939 | late Jan40 |
| HMS Pelican (L 86 / U 86) | Cdr. | Sloop | Nov 1942 | 2 Apr 1943 |
| HMS Antelope (H 36) | Cdr. | Destroyer | 4 Oct 1943 | late 1944 |
Career information
We currently have no career / biographical information on this officer.
Events related to this officer
Submarine HMS Trident (N 52)
1 Oct 1939
Around 1330A/1, HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) departed her builders yard at Birkenhead for Plymouth. She was escorted by HMS Shikari (Cdr. J.H. Lewis, RN). (1)
2 Oct 1939
Around 1815A/2, HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) arrived at Plymouth.
She departed again later the same day, around 2140A/2, for Portsmouth. She made the passage together with HMS H 28 (Lt. D.E. Mansfield, RN) (which was to proceed to Portland). They were escorted by HMS Shikari (Cdr. J.H. Lewis, RN). Off Portland, around 1050A/3, HMS H 28 left and HMS H 49 (Lt. E.F. Balston, RN) joined for the passage to Portsmouth. (1)
3 Oct 1939
Around 1615A/3, HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) arrived at Portsmouth to begin a period of trials and training. (1)
4 Oct 1939
HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) conducted independent exercises off Portsmouth. (1)
5 Oct 1939
HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) conducted independent exercises off Portsmouth. (1)
6 Oct 1939
HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) conducted independent exercises off Portsmouth. (1)
7 Oct 1939
HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) conducted independent exercises off Portsmouth. (1)
12 Oct 1939
Around 0615A/12, HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) departed Portsmouth for Portland where she was to conduct her torpedo firing trials. She arrived at Portland around 1150A/12.
During the passage she was escorted by HMS Skate (Lt.Cdr. A.O. Johnson, RN). (1)
13 Oct 1939
HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) conducted torpedo discharge trials off Portland. (1)
14 Oct 1939
HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) conducted torpedo discharge trials off Portland. (1)
15 Oct 1939
HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) conducted torpedo discharge trials off Portland. (1)
16 Oct 1939
Around 0845A/16, HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) departed Portland for Portsmouth (Fort Blockhouse) where she arrived around 1450A/16.
Also speed trials were carried out on the measured mile in Spithead. (1)
20 Oct 1939
HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) conducted torpedo discharge trials off Portsmouth. (1)
25 Oct 1939
Around 0615A/25, HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) departed Portsmouth for Oban. She made most of the passage in a convoy.
This convoy was made up of the merchant vessel; Boniface (British, 4877 GRT, built 1928) and the base ships Manchester City (British, 5600 GRT, built 1937) and Mashobra (British, 8324 GRT, built 1920).
They were to proceed from Portsmouth to Scapa Flow.
The convoy was escorted by the destroyers HMS Saladin (Lt.Cdr. L.J. Dover, RN), HMS Scimitar (Lt.Cdr. M. Thornton, RN), HMS Vansittart (Lt.Cdr. M. Culme-Seymour, RN) and HMS Venomous (Lt.Cdr. D.G.F.W. MacIntyre, RN).
Around 1900A/25, the destroyers were relieved near Plymouth by the destroyer HMS Vanessa (Lt.Cdr. J.H. Plumer, RN).
At 2030A/25, the destroyer HMS Vivacious (Lt.Cdr. F.R.W. Parish, RN) also joined. She was to have joined at the same time as HMS Vanessa but was delayed.
While en-route the convoy was diverted to proceed to the Clyde instead where it arrived on the 27th.
At 0745A/27, HMS Trident had parted company with the convoy to proceed to Oban escorted by HMS Vivacious. HMS Trident arrived at Oban at 1530A/27 hours. (1)
27 Oct 1939
Around 1755A/27 HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) departed from Oban for her 1st war patrol (work-up patrol). She was ordered to patrol off the west coast of Ireland on an anti-Uboat patrol.
For the daily positions of HMS Trident during this patrol see the map below.
(2)
4 Nov 1939
At 1503A/4, the merchant vessel Brandon (British, 6668 GRT, built 1917) reported having been missed by a torpedo about 120 nautical miles to the west of the Hebrides.
The attack must have been the German submarine U-33 which attacked a merchant vessel with two torpedoes, which both missed, at 1520B/4 in position 56°40'N 10°39'W.
The British submarines, HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) and HMS Triumph (Lt.Cdr. J.W. McCoy, RN), both on anti-Uboat patrols to the west of Ireland and the Hebrides respectively, were both ordered to investigate and try to intercept this enemy submarine which was expected to be southbound. Both sighted nothing though. (3)
11 Nov 1939
At 0810A/11, HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN), made rendezvous with HMS Triumph (Lt.Cdr. J.W. McCoy, RN). Both submarines then proceeding in company towards Rosyth escorted by the destroyer HMS Maori (Cdr. G.N. Brewer, RN). (2)
12 Nov 1939
Around 1030A/12, HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) ended her 1st war patrol, that had been uneventful as nothing had been sighted, at Rosyth. (2)
23 Nov 1939
Around 2200Z/23, HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) departed from Rosyth for her 2nd war patrol. She is to form a patrol line with other submarines off the Norwegian coast to intercept the German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau returning to Germany after they had sunk the armed merchant cruiser HMS Rawalpindi (Capt.(Retd.) E.C. Kennedy, RN) south-east of Iceland.
For the daily positions of HMS Trident during this patrol see the map below.
(2)
5 Dec 1939
At 2302Z/5, HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) sighted a submarine bearing 120° 600 yards steering 250°. Trident turned toward and all bow tubes were flooded. Identification signals were made by the submarine but could not be read. It was decided that it was probably a friendly submarine that was out of position due to the bad weather that prevented good sights to establish position. The submarine eventually turned out to be HMS Sunfish (Lt.Cdr. J.E. Slaughter, RN). (2)
6 Dec 1939 (position 0.00, 0.00)
At 1630Z/6, HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) left patrol to return to Rosyth. (2)
8 Dec 1939
Around 0930Z/8, HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) ended her 2nd war patrol at Rosyth. (2)
14 Dec 1939 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) is docked in the floating dock (AFD 3) at the Rosyth Dockyard. (4)
18 Dec 1939 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) is undocked. (4)
19 Dec 1939 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) conducted, post repair, hydroplane trials off Rosyth. (5)
24 Dec 1939 (position 0.00, 0.00)
During 24/25 December 1939, HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) conducted exercises off the Firth of Forth. (5)
27 Dec 1939
Around 0800Z/27, HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) departed from Rosyth for her 3rd war patrol. She is to patrol off Murmansk, northern Russia to observe German movements / operations from that port.
For the daily positions of HMS Trident during this patrol see the map below.
(2)
3 Jan 1940
At 1104Z/3, while patrolling north of the Kola Inlet, HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) sighted a warship proceeding towards the Kola Inlet. Visibility was bad but it was thought to be a Soviet Project 7-class destroyer. (2)
6 Jan 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
At 1450Z/6, HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) left patrol off the Kola Inlet to return to Rosyth. (2)
12 Jan 1940
Around 1100Z/12, HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) ended her 3rd war patrol at Rosyth. (2)
20 Jan 1940
Around 2340Z/20, HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) departed from Rosyth for her 4th war patrol. She is to patrol in the North Sea. (6)
24 Jan 1940
Around 1125Z/24, HMS Trident (Cdr. J.G. Gould, RN) ended her 4th war patrol at Rosyth. (6)
Sources
- ADM 173/19199
- ADM 199/1864
- ADM 199/2197 + KTB U-33 from 29 October to 26 November 1939 (NARA, T 1022, roll 3039, PG 30030)
- Rosyth Dockyard docking register
- ADM 173/16201
- ADM 173/16630
ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.
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