Cannot be certain if HMS Vivid II was a shore station (stone frigate) or a base ship. In any case, Thomas Kennedy was based at Devonport during this period.
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HMS Howe was Guard Ship at Queenstown (Cobh) and Flag Ship of Senior Naval Officer, Coast of Ireland, when Thomas Kennedy was posted to her on 3rd July 1901.
He remained with her until 12th October 1901 – HMS Empress of India relieved her the following day, 13th October 1901.
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Thomas Kennedy was posted to HMS Empress of India again at Queenstown (Cobh) on the day she arrived to relieve HMS Howe, 13th October 1901.
HMS Empress of India performed the same duties as HMS Howe – i.e. port Guard Ship and Flag Ship of Senior Naval Officer, Coast of Ireland, until some time in early 1902 when she left this duty to undergo an extensive refit.
HMS Empress of India was attached to the Home Squadron on 7th May 1902, in which she served as flagship in port and as flagship of the second-in-command when the squadron was at sea. She participated in the Coronation Fleet Review of King Edward VII in August 1902, at which she was the flagship of Admiral Pelham Aldrich.
She served as flagship of "B Fleet" during combined manoeuvres of the Home Fleet, Mediterranean Fleet, and Channel Fleet off Portugal from 5 August 1903 to 9 August 1903, but her port engine broke down for 14 hours during the manoeuvres and the fleet had to leave her behind.
Her sister ship HMS Royal Oak relieved her as flagship of the second-in-command of the Home Fleet on 1 June 1904 and she became a private ship. On 22 February 1905, battleship HMS Hannibal relieved her of her Home Fleet duties entirely and she paid off on 23 February 1905.
That same day, HMS Empress of India recommissioned in reserve at Devonport and relieved battleship HMS Barfleur as flagship of the new Fleet in Commission in Reserve at Home.
Thomas Kennedy was transferred off her four days later on 27th February 1905.
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On the day Thomas Kennedy was transferred to her, HMS Hannibal transferred to the new Channel Fleet (formerly the Home Fleet) on 28 February 1905.
When he was again transferred off her four months later, she was still performing these duties.
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HMS Pembroke II appears to have been the Shore Base known as Chatham Naval Barracks. During his period of service here, Thomas Kennedy was promoted to the rank of Leading Carpenter/Cooper on 24th October 1905.
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HMS Wildfire was the name given to the base ship at Sheerness. Two ships appear to have served in this capacity during the period Thomas Kennedy served on HMS Wildfire.
The first of the two was the ex steam yacht tender "Hiawatha" which became the third HMS Wildfire in 1888.
On 31st December 1906, "Nymphe", a Composite Screw Sloop, was reduced to harbour service and renamed "Wildfire". She was commissioned for service with the Gunnery School, Sheerness. Thomas Kennedy was promoted to the rank of Shipwright on 19th March 1907, presumably while serving onboard the former "Nymphe", then the fourth ship to carry the name HMS Wildfire.
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After a period of two years ashore, Thomas Kennedy is again posted to sea aboard HMS Crescent, an Edgar Class cruiser.
No information appears to be available for this ship when Thomas Kennedy served onboard during the period 1st July - 23rd August 1907.
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Thomas joined the Pelorus class light cruiser, HMS Pioneer, while she was on the Australia Station. The Australian Squadron commanded by Sir Arthur D. Fanshawe KCB, then comprised HMS Powerful (Flagship), the second class cruisers HMS Cambrian and HMS Encounter and two other Pelorus class cruisers, HMS Pegasus and HMS Prometheus.
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HMS Terrible was a Powerful class armoured cruiser. Web searches have failed to find where or on what duties this ship was when Thomas Kennedy was posted to her for the 1½ months of his 9th posting.
It is probable that she was still undergoing a long series of upgrades to boilers and propeller shaft repairs from damage which occurred in September 1906 whilst returning from Hong Kong. The delay in repairs was raised on two occasions in the House of Commons. These extended repairs appear to have been carried out in No. 5 Basin, Portsmouth Dockyard.
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Thomas Kennedy was posted back to HMS Pembroke II (Chatham Naval Barracks) for just under six weeks.
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HMS Ganges II appears to have been the base ship at Shotley, Suffolk.
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Thomas Kennedy's third posting to HMS Pembroke II (Chatham Naval Barracks) lasted just 16 days.
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Thomas Kennedy returned to sea after a year ashore aboard the brand new Town class light cruiser, HMS Newcastle. This posting lasted 27 months. It would have been while serving on HMS Newcastle that he would have learned of the RMS Titanic sinking.
Shortly after Thomas Kennedy joins HMS Newcastle, she departs for the China Station. Research puts her in Hong Kong on Tuesday 21st February 1911 and in Singapore on the 15th June 1911 for the Coronation celebrations the following week - we can assume with some certainty that Thomas Kennedy was onboard on both dates.
Whilst serving on HMS Newcastle, he was promoted to Shipwright II on 1st December 1912.
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Nothing to date has surfaced pertaining to Thomas Kennedy's period of service onboard HMS Gibraltar.
However, prior to Thomas Kennedy's time onboard, the ship appears to have had an interesting career.
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Thomas Kennedy's fourth posting to HMS Pembroke II (Chatham Naval Barracks) had a duration of 4½ months.
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Thomas Kennedy's final posting. The Fifth Battle Squadron included the battleship HMS Formidable on which Thomas Kennedy was serving when he perished together with 546 others of her crew at approximately 04:45 on New Year's Day 1915. The ship was struck by two torpedoes fired by the German U-boat 'U-24'. For the definite account of the sinking read "Before The Bells Have Faded" by Mark Potts & Tony Marks.
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