01-07 MN Comm Brochure - The Merchant Navy Association

£2.00
MERCHANT NAVY DAY COMMEMORATIVE SERVICE AND REUNION
Commemorative Brochure
Tower Hill, London
Sunday 4th September 2011
2
Introduction from the
MNA National Chairman
This country has been dependant on the passage of goods by sea
throughout its history…not surprising for an island nation. What is
surprising is how little is acknowledged and understood about the
British Merchant Navy, its seafarers and the role it fulfills in our maritime
heritage.
The Merchant Navy has been our country’s lifeline in times of both
war and conflict and it is a lifeline that has never been broken. This is
one reason we remain so proud of our Red Ensign. The “Red Duster”
resonates with every chapter of discovery, trade, science and
technology.
In war our merchant seafarers endured onslaught after onslaught of
attacks in every theatre of conflict as they supported our Armed Forces
and maintained our supply lines. Many of those seafarers who survived
are in need of our support and the MNA’s charitable status will help us
reach to the heart of our seafaring communities both ashore and afloat.
UK Plc will continue to depend on merchant ships long into the
future both in times of peace, war and piracy. Last year there were
140,000 ship movements in our ports as British registered ship
tonnage again increased.
The sea and seafarers need a higher national profile through our
school curriculums, career opportunities and the realization that 95% of
the World’s trade is still continued at sea…now that is the real
superhighway of the modern era.
Capt John Sail MNM MNI
MNA National Chairman
Editorial: Capt J M R Sail MNM MNI, C/O Prelude Nursery, Ensign House, Osbournby, Sleaford NG34 0DG
Contents
Page
item
3
4
6
8
9
10
10
11
14
Introduction from the MNA National Chairman
Convoy 26 - April 1941
The Second Happy Time
MNA Research Case Study
MNA Research Brings Pleasure To Hundreds
Saint Andrew / Saint Anselm
The Voyage to Murmansk
Poignant Images From The Past
Acknowledgements
With many thanks to the advertisers for their support
PUBLISHER: Clarke Design & Media Ltd, Wisteria House, Stump Cross Lane, Swineshead,
Boston, Lincs PE20 3JJ. Tel: 0845 388 0281. Email: enquiries@clarke-media.co.uk
Advertising contact: Nigel Clarke Tel: 0845 388 0281
The publishers of this brochure and the organisers of the Merchant Navy Memorial Day wish to
thank all who have advertised in this brochure for without your support this publication could not
have been produced and distributed.
For more Information visit the MNA websites at www.mna.org.uk and www.red-duster.co.uk
Advertising, design and print by Clarke Design & Media Ltd. Tel: 0845 388 0281 Fax: 0845 388 0283
e-mail sales@clarke-media.co.uk web: www.clarke-media.co.uk
3
Convoy 26 - April 1941
By Peter Hollins, First Radio Officer, SS Eelbeck
Eight days out from Halifax, the twenty-one ships of Slow
Convoy No.26, arranged in five columns, were pitching into
a long Atlantic swell, the pendulum effect of their cargoes
exaggerating the motion. It was April 1941, a “happy time”
for Admiral Doenitz’s U-boats, who scouted separately but,
after sighting a convoy, grouped and attacked by night on
the surface in the notorious wolfpacks. In the dilapidated
Lease-lend cargo vessel EELBECK, we had been told at the
naval convoy conference to expect trouble and so it proved.
“”
It started that night, when I received a distress call from a ship
that was far too near for comfort. At the same time, the convoy
commodore received an Admiralty message saying that we had
been reported and a U-boat pack would be gathering. German
records show that nine boats took part in the subsequent action.
But nothing happened that night and we ploughed on, having made
an emergency turn to port, under the revealing light shed by a
magnificent display of aurora borealis.
The following night, the U-boats struck. Our sole escort was the
Armed Merchant Cruiser HMS WORCESTERSHIRE, whose four
six-inch guns were useless against submarines. The two Canadian
Navy corvettes had returned to Halifax, as had the R N submarine
intended for defence against surface raiders. EELBECK was the
second ship in the port outer column; HMS WORCESTERSHIRE
led the centre column.
The first sign of an unwelcome presence was the torpedoing by U
46 of the large tanker BRITISH RELIANCE, third ship in the centre
column. She burned fiercely, as did much of her gas/oil cargo some
distance astern, lighting up the convoy as no doubt was intended.
Luckily the crew got away without casualty but thirty-five were lost
when the ship ahead of us, WESTPOOL, was hit by U 74 shortly
after midnight. Like us, she was carrying scrap iron which took her
under in less than a minute. We had been close astern of her and it
was a tough job not to stop to pick up survivors shouting in the
water, which would have been fatal for them and ourselves.
The ship astern of us was next and I recall sitting tensely with one
hand on the Morse key and the other on the starter to the
emergency radio transmitter awaiting the big bang.
“
She burned fiercely, as
did much of her gas/oil
cargo some distance
astern, lighting up the
convoy
4
The phosphorescent
track of a torpedo
had been reported
by our look-out on
the stern
But we were extremely lucky. The phosphorescent track of a
torpedo had been reported by our look-out on the stern.
Fortunately we were pitching heavily into that swell or perhaps the
torpedo was still making its initial dive. Whatever the reason, it
appears to have passed harmlessly beneath the stern as it lifted.
Four U-boats were successful that night in sinking five ships
before WORCESTERSHIRE herself was hit. Fortunately the track
had been spotted and the helm put hard over in time to limit the
damage to the bow. She got home at reduced speed, having
signalled the convoy to scatter. The U-boats appear then to have
followed various ships and we heard several distress calls as the
hours passed.
Early on the morning of the 4th April, we were much heartened
when an RN destroyer hailed us with a cheerful “We didn’t expect
to see you!”. WORCESTERSHIRE had sent our distress message
when WESTPOOL was sunk, confusing the two ships. Her
commander gave us a rendez-vous and later that day eight ships
formed up in line abreast. EELBECK however was nudged into the
outer porthand position by the small Norwegian ship HELLE..
Later that day, U-98 lay athwart the convoy ahead of us and, as we
passed, fired ahead and astern, HELLE being one of the two ships
sunk.
So it was that six ships finally made Belfast Lough and then on to
Liverpool by the 16th April. The remaining six may have succeeded
independently following the convoy dispersal. Records however,
show that seventy-nine men were lost while in convoy.
Peter Hollins,
First Radio Officer,
SS Eelbeck (Nov.1940/April 1941)
The Honourable Company of Master Mariners
Formed in 1926, we are a City of London Livery Company with
membership open to British and Commonwealth Master Mariners,
from both the Merchant and Royal Navies, and to others with a
strong association with the maritime industry in general.
The Honourable Company is proud to support the 2010
Merchant Navy Day Commemorative Service
HQS Wellington, Temple Stairs, Victoria Embankment
London WC2R 2PN Tel: 020 7836 8179
Web: www.hcmm.org.uk Email: business@hcmm.org.uk
The Second Happy Time
By Alan Shard
The date was June 25th, 1942. The 5216 gross reg. ton motor
vessel "Putney Hill" of London, D.W. Hughson, Master, was enroute
from Capetown to New York to pick up a cargo of military
equipment for Russia. She was approximately 500 miles North of San
Juan, Puerto Rico, proceeding independently on a zigzag course at 10
knots. Lying in wait for just such an opportunity (convoys had not yet
been established by the Americans on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard due
to Admiral King's aversion to British tactics) was Kapitanlieutenant
Rolf Mutzelberg, Knights Cross with Oak Leaves, in U-203 a Type
VllC U-Boat of 761-tons displacement, surface speed 17 knots,
submerged speed 7 knots.
“”
The time was 2325. It was a brilliant moonlit night, warm, with little
breeze and slight sea and swell. The lookout in the port wing of the
bridge was a young Apprentice from Radcliffe, Lancashire, who was
scanning an area from right ahead to right astern on his side. The
Third Mate was keeping a similar lookout on the starboard side and
an Able Bodied Seaman at the wheel. The fourth member of the
watch, on Standby, had just made the coffee for the Middle Watch
coming on at midnight. (Coffee on a British Ship in wartime consisted
of throwing a few handfuls of grind into a converted 5 lb jam tin with
a wire handle and letting it stew on the galley stove).
The Standby man came up on the bridge to check the time before
he called the 12 - 4 watch at 2330. As he left the wheelhouse to go
below, the Apprentice enquired of the time. With a slap on the back,
the Standby man replied 2325 and simultaneously both of them were
blown into the air from the blast of a tremendous explosion at the
waterline in Hold No. 3, slightly aft of the bridge structure. The
reverberations echoed through the empty holds like a giant hammer
blow from Thor and "Putney Hill" went dead in the water. Neither of
the two were hurt and they donned life jackets immediately.
Acrid blue smoke from the explosion hung over the decks. The
Captain came running out of his cabin on the Lower Bridge Deck and
as the ship had now taken a heavy starboard list, he ordered
'Abandon Ship'. The Apprentice wondered why he had not seen
anything out there on the port side and figured the torpedo must
have come down a moonbeam reflection in the tropical waters. It
was later discovered from the U-Boat War Log that the first torpedo
(also unsighted) missed.
The two lifeboats on the portside of the ship were useless, having
been blown inboard against the funnel, so everyone ran to the
starboard side which was almost at sea level. The Apprentice was
carrying an old army gas mask case made of canvas known as the
'grab bag' in which he kept his Merchant Navy Identity Card, a Mars
Bar, extra pair of socks, some private papers and his camera. He
threw them in his designated Lifeboat No.3 which was already in the
water and swarmed down the fall to join 15 others.
The lifeboat was a clinker built wooden craft that had not been in
the water since the Apprentice had joined "Putney Hill" two years
earlier in June 1940. Consequently, the seams were open to the sea
and she soon settled to the 'gunnels'. Everyone baled furiously, the
Apprentice even using his shoes as a container. Several men from the
smaller Lifeboat No.1, which had capsized, now endeavoured to
climb into the waterlogged boat with the result that this one also
capsized throwing all hands into the 'drink'. The 'grab bag' was lost in
the exodus.
The ship was now down by the head but without the heavy
starboard list. The answer dawned that the torpedo must have
struck in the port deep tank midships which held several hundred
tons of ballast. This ballast was released in the explosion causing the
ship to list immediately, but now due to the fact that the starboard
deep tank ballast was flowing through to the port side and in effect
equalising the situation, the ship eventually became upright. This new
state of affairs was not lost on Kaptlt. Mutzelberg who surfaced in
6
Acrid blue smoke from
the explosion hung over
the decks 'Abandon Ship'
order to execute his next move. No shots had been fired from
"Putney Hill’s” 4-inch stern gun as the acute angle of list had
rendered it useless and all hands had already left by the time she
righted.
The Apprentice had never swam more than 50 yards in his life but,
wearing his life jacket, struck out for a life raft floating a short
distance astern. Several others had the same intention and eight
clambered on board. During this short swim, he was stung by a
'Portuguese Man-O-War' but felt nothing at the time. It later
developed into a rotting hole about the size of a Canadian quarter
which necessitated hospital attention in New York.
The life raft was about 8 feet square and consisted of wooden
planks enclosing metal air tanks with a depression across the centre
for survivors to set their feet whilst facing each other.
Someone pointed to a man hanging on to the propeller which was
clear of the water. It was the Asst. Cook who was not seen again.
The "Putney Hill" was lying like a ghost ship on the gentle sea, the
silence punctuated by occasional loud bangs as various bits of the
structure gave way under the increasing pressure.
Without warning an incendiary shell hit the funnel and started a fire.
It was followed by a further sixty-four shells into the hull, counted by
those on the life raft from their grandstand position. Well at least
Mutzelberg had allowed the crew to leave the stricken vessel before
opening up with his deck gun. At approximately 0130 hours of June
26th, 1942, "Putney Hill" became almost vertical and still burning slid
beneath the sea, bow first.
The men on the raft were left alone with their own unspoken
thoughts. The Apprentice was thinking probably the same as the
others. What next!! They were not left in doubt very long.
U-203 eased out of the gloom and approached the life raft. A voice
from the conning tower, in perfect English, enquired of the
whereabouts of the Master. No-one knew, but if they had, the
Apprentice was sure that he would have had great difficulty in not
pointing him out, such was the miserable time that he and the other
three apprentices had suffered at the hands of a regular Captain
Bligh, but that was another story to be told at a later date.
The U-Boat picked up a lifebuoy and moved off into the darkness
after establishing where the ship was from and the nature of her
cargo, which of course was nil, being in ballast. Again they were left
with their thoughts when suddenly the U-Boat re-appeared and to
everyone's amazement they saw on the foredeck one of the
apprentices. "What the hell is Hancock doing on board the sub", said
the Second Mate who was senior officer on the raft. By now the
wind had risen and the sea was a little choppy, so the U-Boat could
not get too close to the raft. The Commander called from the
conning tower and requested that someone from the raft should
come for the man and assist him back to the raft, as he could not
swim. Without hesitation John McKenzie, the Second Mate, dived in,
swam to the submarine and escorted the youth back to his fellow
crewmen.
Hancock was besieged with questions and basked in the 'limelight'
in the middle of the night as he told his story. When the lifeboat
capsized he was able to grab and hang on to an oar.
He was apparently joined by a young Royal Navy DEMS gunner but
the oar would not support both and in the ensuing squabble the
gunner was lost. After some time in the warm waters of Latitude 24.
20 North, he found himself in the direct path of the U-Boat as it
searched for the Master. As it cruised by him at a couple of knots, he
had grabbed the ballast intakes, was sighted by sailors on the deck
and hauled on board.
The Commander quizzed him at some length, but as a mere
apprentice he knew nothing of the codes and naval orders etc., so
arrangements were made to return him to his shipmates. Before he
let him go, the Commander stated that if he was eventually rescued
that he should not return to the Merchant Navy, for if he was caught
again the ending would not be as pleasant. Needless to say, all four
Apprentices were back at sea again within fourteen weeks of the loss
of the "Putney Hill".
The most startling thing that Hancock recounted was the fact that
Mutzelberg knew his hometown of Chelmsford (prior to the war) as
well as he (Hancock) did. Another item, which got him into a spot of
bother with the Naval Officer who interrogated him on his return to
London, was the fact that he could not name the brand of cigarettes
given to him by a member of the U-Boat crew. You see, he returned
them to the sailor when it became obvious that he would have to get
back into the water and ruin them. Of course the Admiralty were
interested in the brand, to see if they could possibly learn what
country in Central America the U-Boats were being supplied.
Before saying Auf Wiedersehen, the Commander gave us a rough
position as 485 nautical miles North West of San Juan Puerto Rico
and wished us luck, to which some wag of a Liverpool fireman
shouted "how about a tow to the nearest island". We all ducked at
this effrontery but no retribution was forthcoming. Mutzelberg and
U-203 went on to sink the Brasilian “Pedrinhas” 17 hours later and
on the 28th the American “Sam Houston”. On July 9th it was the
British “Cape Verde” followed by the Panamanian “Stanvac
Palembang” on the 10th.
When dawn broke, the men on the raft saw at some distance the
two lifeboats which had been righted and sails rigged. After some
arm waving the raft was sighted and the larger of the two lifeboats
came alongside in charge of the Master. Before leaving the raft, the
men unscrewed the lids of the metal tanks marked 'Biscuits' and
found them empty. Seems they had been rifled by persons unknown
at the last port of call, Suez. However, the water tanks were still
intact and the contents were transferred to the lifeboat. Heads were
counted and Asst. Cook James Campbell and DEMS naval gunner
Jeffrey Banks (aged 18 and 20 respectively) were amongst the
missing.
The Master then set sail for the West Indies with the smaller boat in
tow on the end of a 15- fathom gantline because its rudder pintle had
been damaged and she would not steer. The time was spent keeping
a lookout, sleeping and discussing what they would do if they made a
deserted island. Strangely enough the young apprentices appeared to
accept the situation with a spirit of high adventure, little doubting that
they would eventually make it, but the older (38yrs), more sober
members of the engine department were very morose. Rations
consisted of an ounce of water, three times a day, a spoonful of
pemmican (dried meat pounded into a paste and melted fat), two
Horlicks Malted Milk Tablets and a spoonful of condensed milk. One
day it rained a tropical downpour and water was collected in the sail
and funnelled into the tanks. It was pink from the red sail and the lads
made believe it was a strawberry drink. Another day a flying fish
landed in the boat to be quickly scoffed by the Bosun, wings and all.
The Apprentice was dressed only in a singlet and a pair of naval bell
bottom trousers, but the nights were bearable in contrast to the
broiling daytime temperatures. A piece of the boat tarpaulin was
being used to cover two of the apprentices and it was taken away
from them by a bullying Danish Third mate and kept for himself. On
the seventh day the Fourth Engineer Kenneth Thomas Cowling aged
28 died in the Master's boat. His brother, Herbert, Third Engineer,
was also in the same boat. The Fourth Engineer had been on watch
in the engine-room when the torpedo struck and he was burned
over two thirds of his body by hot oil from a burst pipeline. With
whatever prayers the shocked group could recall, his body was put
over the side after his brother removed his gold wedding ring.
Someone said they saw a shark. An event took place in this boat
which was disgusting and could have had serious consequences. The
condensed milk can was circulated from the Master along the
portside and back down the starboard side where the Apprentice
was sitting third last from the stern. He took his spoonful and passed
it to the Danish Third Mate, When the Master received it back in was
empty and in a loud voice accused the Apprentice of emptying the
can. This was strongly denied and the awkward moment passed, but
not before it had put the fear of death in him thinking what the
crew’s reaction might have been.
On the morning of the ninth day a puff of smoke was sighted on
the horizon as HMS "Saxifrage", a corvette heading for her West
Indies Station, revved up to full speed and bore down on the boats at
first mistaking their sails for a U-Boat on the surface. All hands
clambered up the scrambling nets to wild shouts of joy. Again
another co-incidence, one of the corvette's sailors Ralph Posner came
from the next town to the lad from Radcliffe and he gave him his
own bunk for the night. Next day "Saxifrage" arrived in San Juan,
Puerto Rico where the survivors were taken ashore and rigged out in
a motley selection of donated clothing. The Apprentice's luck was a
pair of white chalk striped green pants and a pink shirt. He was more
concerned with what he would look like going back home in an outfit
like that than he had been on the previous 10 days.
That night in the hotel, the survivors experienced their first
earthquake!! What a welcome for shattered nerves. Later, the
survivors were issued a more conventional suit albeit a tropical one
and sent passenger on the "Veragua" a United Fruit Co., vessel to
Norfolk ,Virginia, thence to New York by train for a glorious three
weeks being entertained by Gotham's high society. The Officers and
Apprentices were billeted in the Hotel Woodstock near Times
Square and it was wonderful to wander amongst the bright lights and
observe the flashing neon signs. The large Camel Cigarette advert
blowing smoke rings over Times Square was fascinating. The British
Apprentice Club run by the famous Mrs. Spalding was an oasis never
to be forgotten.
The sting in my leg was successfully treated in New York. Then
back at sea again out of Boston as DBS (Distressed British Seaman)
on the Norwegian whale factory "N.T. Neilsen Alonzo" (carrying fuel
oil and invasion barges on deck) where the Apprentice and Denis
Drakley had the total misfortune to be the only survivors of the
"Putney Hill" to be with the old Skipper for the voyage to Greenock
and home. That trip is another story of ropes end threats etc. A few
days out whilst having afternoon tea the Apprentice requested
another passenger to pass the marmalade to add to his cheese and
crackers. The old Skipper was affronted by this and said “You are not
going to eat that”! “Why not” was the reply “It is an old Lancashire
dish”, whereupon the Skipper stormed out on deck. The Apprentice
followed shortly after and was immediately grabbed by the lapels and
forced up against a ventilator.
He was threatened with the ropes end if there was a reoccurrence and the Apprentice tried to get from under by saying that
he was no longer under the Skippers command. Came back the
retort that he (Capt. Hughson) was responsible for him until he
reached the United Kingdom. The Apprentice swore that he would
never sail with this Master again and 2 months later joined the mv.
“Coombe Hill” for the North African landings under a gentlemanly
Welsh Master, Captain G. G. Roberts.
I know, because I was that Apprentice. I am Alan Shard.
Kap.Lt. Mutzelburg was killed in a freak accident when he dived off
the connng tower whilst the crew were having a bit of R&R
southwest of the Azores. He struck the side tank when the boat
lurched suddenly in a swell. The date was September 11th, 1942.
The First Happy Time was the last six months of 1940 in the North
Atlantic. The Second Happy Time, also known as "the American
Turkey Shoot", was the first six months of 1942 off the United States
Eastern Seaboard when unrestricted U-Boat warfare sank 368 ships.
7
MNA Research
Case Study
This is the story of how one of the MNA Researchers, Capt Don Harris, has
been working hard to have one Merchant Navy veteran achieve the
acknowledgement he deserves. It also demonstrates how bureaucracy can seem
so selective and insensitive. The MNA’s campaign for recognition of all our MN
vets still continues as anomalies cause grief to other aging and infirm veterans
and their families.
Research compiled for Albert Conrad Jack Tadman
Notes:
1. This research was compiled having had the advantage of being
able to communicate with Mr Tadman’s relatives and gain
information not previously provided or known.
2. My report was presented in a different style than is usual.
However, records and documents that normally satisfies the
approved method of application for any retrospective medal claim
for a merchant seaman’s service in WW2 were all included.
3. No Discharge Book was available so Form BT382, which is in
effect the Seaman’s record of sea service, plus a collection of CR10
cards (Central Registration) giving firm details of his service during
the period served during WW2 were photocopied and included in
the final application.
4. As no ‘movement cards” (BT389) of the vessel on which Mr
Tadman served were found at the National Archives the search was
extended to the Guildhall Library and the relevant ‘voyage record
cards’ were found, photocopied and also included.
5. As further proof of his service, and for added interest, the
Official Log Book of the vessel on which Mr Tadman served on the
his first WW2 voyage was found, photocopied and included. It is to
be noted that the vessel was nominated ‘On His Majesty’s Service’
– the Articles of Agreement relating to this voyage were not found
but the crew were employed in the same manner as in every
merchant ship at that time.
6. The Agreement for Mr Tadman’s final voyage was found,
photocopied and included and here it was noted that his Discharge
No. was written as R11614 and not as R16614 as issued but his full
name was properly recorded i.e. his distinctive initials and his
signature, found elsewhere, was sufficient to conclude a clerical
error in recording the Discharge Book number. This, in my
experience, is not unusual.
7. All these records and documents were researched and collated
to be presented as required by the ‘Guide to Researching WW2
Medals’.
8. At this point the research was deemed final, however, acting on
8
the information later received, more research was carried out but
not photocopied or included in the ‘report’ to the MCA.
9. All remaining Agreements covering Mr Tadman’s service were
found and scrutinised, with no change of circumstances found than
previously noted.
10. On receiving information, that Mr Tadman had service prior
to WW2, I made a search in the Fourth Register of Seamen but no
record was found – again not an uncommon happening.
11. A search of all Agreements was made which found only two
entries of Consulate Entries and Payments, often found, one
indicating a transit of the Suez Canal, the other an entry to Port
Said on which the body of a member of the French Forces was
noted as being landed.
12. A purely speculative research of Mr Tadman’s vessel’s
passenger lists found such lists covering voyages from and to such
ports as Liverpool and Glasgow and the foreign ports of Bombay,
Colombo, Bermuda and Port Said.
This additional information is available and is further evidence of
Mr Tadman fulfilling all the criteria for his medals.
REPORT
R111 ‘Durban Castle’ - Albert C J Tadman
The seaman’s sea-service record was found on BT382 showing
continuous service on ‘Durban Castle’ as the only vessel he joined,
serving from 1941 to 1945 until he was killed in action. Mr Tadman
was confused by his joining date, believing he joined in 1940. He
also suggested previous sea service but no further records were
found so the joining of the MN Pool in 1941 is taken as the start
date for the ‘time’ qualification within the medal entitlement
process.
The ‘Movement Cards’ so necessary to satisfy the ‘area’
qualification were not found at Kew but obtained from the Guildhall
Library – they confirm the full sea-service period required by medal
criteria.
To further verify that service and to ascertain on which
Agreement the seaman was engaged, copies of the Articles signed
on the first and last voyages were found and photocopied. These
documents not only prove Mr Tadman’s service but confirm the
crew were on ‘standard articles’ and not on T124 or any other
special Agreement although the vessel was noted as ‘OHMS’.
This vessel was originally converted for troop carrying then she
underwent another conversion to ‘Assault Ship’ status and was
equipped for landing troops on beach-heads. She carried landing
craft in place of her lifeboats and a contingent of RN personnel, to
man and operate the landing craft. The RN contingent were signed
on as ‘deck hands’ complete with their Service numbers!
The voyage record cards of this ship were not of a standard type
which would normally indicate the date and place of calls relating to
the service. The cards were practically all in red ink and apart from
locations such waiting areas as Clyde Anchorage and Tail of the
Bank it includes ports such as Glasgow, Liverpool, Port Said, Suez
and Trincomalee. It appeared that due to the operational service of
the ship all trace of her well-publicised exploits were ‘erased’ for
security reasons. That record of service includes a prominent role
in Operations Torch (Oran), Huskey (Sicily and Italy), Avalanche
(Salerno and Anzio) and Dragoon (South of France). Historical
records confirm, in often graphic detail, that American troops were
trained to board landing craft while the ship was in the Clyde whilst
awaiting orders to sail on Operation Torch. Also confirmed by
history is that the Durban Castle was the first ship to land troops
on Red Beach in Oran. The Durban Castle’s involvement is also
supported by documents detailing troop movement. Also well
recorded were troop movement reports from British troops.
With such a comprehensive record of Ship Operations, surpassed
only perhaps by the two ‘Glen Line’ vessels which were virtually
classed as HM Assault ships it is surely beyond all reasonable doubt
that Mr Tadman’s family should be able to honour his name for the
commitment and sacrifice he gave for his country. All the stated
criteria of place and time have been proven beyond reasonable
doubt and supported by official documentation.
Don Harris
P.S. Why has Mr Tadman’s wartime service not been officially
recognised by the MCA? How many more Merchant Navy wartime
veterans gave up after they too were refused the medals they
earned under fire.
Note: The MNA and its Research Team will continue to challenge
this selective disregard of merchant seafarers wartime service. We
will not forget and nor should the MCA.
MNA Research Team Brings
Pleasure to
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Our dedicated MNA Researchers continue to verify details of
catc s and thd I ende e in tou
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c
p
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service for many wartime MN Veterans and their families. Our
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for t LY spee uldn’t h
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the
members benefit from huge discounts on what is normally
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requested by others working at the National Archives in Kew. If
that m very f
b
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e
nd o
apar n he fo tter an
you have relatives (anyone) who were in the Merchant Navy and
the they ha riendly
f
t fro
u
d
would like to know more about them, contact our MNA National
m hi nd out he wa
our lunch th ve turne with a c
s
t
s
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irthd
Secretary for further information. Please give him as many details
ever wn pr re and d into ouple w
ay). very spe
as possible such as a discharge book number, date of birth, any
cial
to h ything wivate roo they coa café. ho ow
ships’ names and in what department they worked at sea.
wou ave a ve as set m that uld not I spoke n a love
Fine ld have ry Engl up beau looked have d to them ly wee
The Research team were recently engaged in verifying
Hon Bone C a kind oish flavo tifully. I out oveone a ni about cottage
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ho
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r
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f
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details for a request for the Merchant Seafarers Veterans’
it waina and “high te so Viv ecided the gard r job. Wlding
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Badge. This research was requested for one of our
s ma had b a” an (the
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members, now living in Australia. The daughter of this
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gavege and c made a uld have
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possible as her father had never really discussed his
w
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h
folde im the rtificat ee spe been t
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wartime heroics…not unusual with our vets! When all
e
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the information was collated and a report sent to
od.
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‘Aussie’ it was in time for his 83rd birthday and it was
help AS FANst cappell this M otally ov sented t e the su
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!!!!!!!
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presented to him during his celebrations with family
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9
Saint Andrew / Saint Anselm
By Stuart Smith
An F1 type Standard ship built by the Northumberland Ship Building
Company, Howden-on-Tyne and launched as War Turret on 18 July
1919. She was completed as Saint Andrew for Saint Line Ltd.
(Gilmore Rankin and Co. Ltd.), Liverpool. She had a 3 cylinder steam
engine built by North Eastern Marine Engineering Co. Ltd.,
Sunderland and Wallsend which gave her a service speed of 12 knots.
She is shown here as Saint Andrew but was renamed Saint Anselm by
the company in 1936.
On 30 June 1941 she was a straggler from Convoy SL-78 on voyage
Calcutta-Freetown-Hull with a cargo of 2150 tons of pig iron, 650
tons of linseed and 5,154 tons of groundnuts. She was under the
command of Master Thomas Ross when at 05.59 hours she was hit by
one torpedo, fired from U-66, and sank by the stern in 25 minutes
west of Madeira.
She had bravely fought for her life as she had first been spotted at
19.30 hours the day before. The U-boat had tailed her and fired a
torpedo, at 01.10 hours, which missed. Her master was alerted and
skilfully conned his ship on a zigzag course. A second torpedo was
fired at 01.46 hours from a range of 400 metres but avoiding action
was taken and that also missed. The third torpedo, fired at 03.28
hours, also missed its zigzagging target. Two minutes later a fourth
torpedo hit but proved to be a dud and a fifth, fired at 03.32 hours
missed. The U-boat then re-loaded the tubes and fired a sixth
torpedo which did hit but again proved to be dud. The seventh
torpedo was the fatal hit and sank the ship. Thirty four out of a total
of 67 crew
members
on board
were lost in
the
incident.
The master
and 17
survivors
were
picked up
by HMS
Moreton
Bay and
landed at
Freetown on 13 July, while 15 other survivors were picked up by the
Spanish merchant Tom and landed at Buenos Aires.
U-66 did not survive the war as she was sunk on 6 May 1944 west
of the Cape Verde Islands by depth charges, ramming and gunfire
from Avenger and Wildcat aircraft and the destroyer escort USS
Buckley. Twenty four of her 60 crew were lost.
Her commander at the time of the sinking of Saint Anselm was
Richard Zapp. He left the boat in June 1942 and became commander
of the 3rd Flotilla in La Rochelle, France. He was taken prisoner and
spent two years in French captivity. He died in 1964.
The Voyage to Murmansk
I sailed in good company with my wife and two other ‘elderly’
Russian Arctic Convoy veterans, Geoffrey Holmes from Louth,
Lincolnshire and Len Dibb-Weston from Weston-Super-Mare,
Somerset. We joined nearly two-hundred retired Merchant Navy and
Royal Navy seafarers on a Maritime Memories cruise that sailed from
Harwich on Sunday 19th July 2009. First port of call for the ‘Discovery’
was Bergen. The fourteen day voyage had begun but my journey had
lasted for far longer and as we slipped the final rope there was a sense
of release and an expectation of final closure. This specially organised
cruise was probably the last opportunity I, and my new friends from
those Arctic convoys, would ever have of sailing once again into the
brittle summer light of Murmansk...the sun shines for just sixteen days
a year. That sunny day in Murmansk was to be one of the most
memorable in all our lives and made even more poignant by the
welcome of the Supreme Commander of the Russian Northern Fleet,
the Mayor and the people of Murmansk.
I joined the Allied Merchant Navy at the age 16, way back in 1944.
After basic training I signed-on the MV San Venancio, a tanker. The
‘San Venancio’ was tasked to make two trips across the Western
Atlantic to load aircraft fuel for Britain and those two trips changed my
life as I became a survivor of those convoys and so considered myself a
‘fully fledged’ seaman. The Arctic Convoys were soon to show me
another side of my nature and how extreme the weather could
become in that bitter environment. We knew, even then, how much
the might of the combined German Armed Forces was determined
not to allow the Russian people to be supported by supplies that
would maintain their very survival and support the Eastern Front. My
first Arctic Convoy was extremely cold with intermittent snow-storms
and biting winds. The ships deck was soon like a skating rink and
extreme care had to be taken to never touch any metal with bare
hands - your hand would have been super-glued to the metal and
removal would have torn off your skin. The ferocious weather did
have its benefits in that German U-boats, surface ships and aircraft
never made contact with the Convoy. In particular, we were extremely
fortunate that the usual packs of U-boats, which lay in wait at Bear
Island, failed to spot us. In tandem with the severe weather conditions
our luck continued to hold until we were approaching the Kola Inlet.
The Kola Peninsular is north and west of Murmansk and the inlet was a
10
recognised haunt where U-boats lay in wait. Regrettably, the snow
blizzards on my first Arctic Convoy also prevented our carrier-based
aircraft from making contact with the enemy and the inevitable
happened - the U-boats struck. At around 0500hrs the ship
immediately ahead of us, the ‘Horace Bushnell’, was torpedoed. She
dropped her port lifeboats and we turned to starboard, towards the
centre of the convoy. We collected at lifeboat stations and two or
three minutes later the ‘Thomas Donaldson’, steaming along on our
starboard quarter, was torpedoed and her lifeboats were also
immediately lowered into the sea. Then one of the ships lookouts
sighted a periscope and all hell seemed to break loose in a single
second of time. The guns on several near merchant ships opened fire
towards the U-Boat periscope trying to protect the convoy and the
ships lifeboats full of our fellow seafarers - everyone was shouting and
yelling. A corvette appeared, arcing through the water, dashing from
our starboard quarter and flying the ‘sub-sighted’ pennant. She
dropped depth charges off the port quarter then returned flying the
‘sub-sunk’ pennant. The noise, the absolute bedlam that followed,
scared the wits out of me. The cold seemed to penetrate even deeper
into my body. All of us on the ship fully appreciated that as a tanker we
would be the prime target on the convoy. The thought of death didnít
frighten me, I was very religious at the time, and a firm believer that
there was a life after death. But I was truly terrified at the thought of
being badly burned, loosing a limb or my senses or both. I like to think
that I successfully hid my fear from my shipmates, they certainly
seemed calm enough to me but, as I later learned, we all experienced
the same fears and emotions. Suddenly we were ordered to ‘run for
it’. There was a submarine boom, hanging like a wire curtain, ahead of
the ship and once crossed we would be in safe waters. The whole ship
trembled and shook as the engines went on full speed. At the same
time, the Sloop HMS Lapwing, well off to starboard, was torpedoed.
Her bow shot up in the air, pitched forward and started to submerge
with the stern following some fifteen minutes later. Throughout all this
action the stench of burning metal, the screeching as it was torn apart,
the screams of the wounded, the wild pitch of the ships engines and
sulphered smoke filled the air. Words cannot describe the havoc and
hell of mixed emotions which racked my mind. Wanting to do
something but unable to help and the ship now steaming rapidly away
from the scene felt wrong. Men could be seen clinging desperately to
their lifeboats and rafts, all experiencing the intense cold in iced watersodden clothing and many sliding softly back into the sea. The crews of
the destroyer HMS Savage and the corvette HMS Allington Castle
rescued many from the Lapwing but 158 seamen were lost out of a
complement of 229. Merchant seamen always felt particular sympathy
for the RN crews when their ships were sunk because we knew they
were packed in like sardines and their loss of life was always heavy. On
our return trip six weeks later the frigate HMS Goodall was torpedoed
at the entrance to Kola Inlet and again there was a tragic heavy loss of
life, 112 lost their lives out of a complement of 156. Appalling losses
for all seafarers with eventually one in four merchant seafarers loosing
their lives during the war. Over the years the memories of the carnage,
pain and suffering have gradually eased though much remains etched in
my mind. We should not forget their bravery and the horrors of war.
These thoughts are part of who I am but for many years they
remained dimmed by the passage of time. This voyage, into my past,
brought those moments, in those times, flooding back larger and more
vivid than I had experienced for many years. As dawn broke on
Saturday 25th July 2009, and as our cruise ship sailed over the area
where I remembered so many lives were lost, I made a point of being
completely on my own and silently paid my respects.
However, within days all our spirits were uplifted as we progressed
passed the Kola Inlet and down the coast to enter the port of
Murmansk. Our transit passed many surface ships and submarines of
the Russian Navy. As we approached the Russian Admirals flag ship, an
aircraft carrier, their crew mustered on deck, lining up from stem to
stern as their band played...it was very impressive and a great honour
that spoke volumes of how much respect they felt for those who gave
service in those wartime convoys. Our hearts really warmed up as the
ship secured alongside our berth. The Russian Northern Fleet Brass
Band were ready on the quay and gave the whole ships company a
magnificent welcome as they played their hearts out with a selection of
very popular melodies including the Beatles. Special buses had been
organized to take our seafaring group to the Kola Memorial standing
some 34 m high on a 13m plinth...stunning in both concept and size.
On disembarking the ship we were crowded by seven different TV
crews all wanting us to talk about our experiences on the wartime
convoys and our time ashore in Murmansk and Archangel.
Three coaches, with a police car in front of each coach and an
ambulance behind, took us up to the Russian National Memorial,
Alesha, were we were greeted by the Vice-Admiral of the Northern
Fleet, Vice Admiral Maksimov and the Mayor of Murmansk, a full top
class Naval Guard of Honour, who were quite outstanding and again
the Naval Band. Several speeches, sincere and passionate in their
content, thanked all Convoy Veterans for their commitment and
sacrifice and the vital role they had played in helping Russia achieve
victory on the Eastern Front. Much stress was placed on the immense
appreciation of the Russian people. I was privileged to make a speech, I
am fluent in Russian, reciprocating the appreciation of the veterans to
the Russians and thanking them most sincerely for never forgetting us.
Since the end of WWII successive Russian Governments have awarded
British Arctic Veterans commemorative medals every ten years since
1985. Now, because our average age is 86 and our numbers are
rapidly dwindling, the current Russian Government has decided to
award us the medal, due in 2015, this year...five years ahead of time. In
my speech I particularly reminded them that had Russia not secured
victory on the Eastern Front, the World would not be enjoying the
comparative peace which has been endured since the end of the
Second World War.
After the Service we boarded the buses and returned to the city and
the remainder of the day was devoted to paying our respects at the
graves of allied seamen, some only 16 years old, in three local
cemeteries. We laid additional wreaths at the Russian Convoy Club
Memorial in the centre of Murmansk. The visit concluded with an
extremely interesting tour of the first nuclear powered ice-breaker
ship called the ‘Lenin’. The ship was beautifully fitted-out and at the
end of the tour we enjoyed a wartime sing-a-long in the crews dining
area led by our very own Des Cox who had spent many months
negotiating with the Russian authorities to allow this visit. Every person
on the cruise agreed that the welcome received from the Russians was
very wonderful indeed. The non-Russian Convoy veterans and the
other passengers were quite amazed at the depth of appreciation so
openly displayed by everyone we came into contact with in Murmansk
especially at the museum where they had one room was wholly
dedicated to the convoys.
After leaving Murmansk a special Memorial Service was held aboard
the Discovery and as wreaths were cast over the stern and floods of
poppies filled the air over the after deck our hearts and minds were
lifted by a sense of fulfillment. A Royal Air Force Nimrod overflew the
ship to further honour our shipmates who had paid the ultimate
sacrifice and on that night the sun never sank below the horizon.
It was a huge experience, this voyage of a thousand memories, both
past and present, and all continued in wonderful company...a distance
well travelled and in many ways.
Jock Dempster,
Chairman, The Russian Arctic Convoy Club, Scotland
Poignant Images from the past
Recently re-discovered cartoon images from the past were sent in
by Billy McGee (MNA Archivist) with a very poignant theme for the
Merchant Navy past and present.
11
Acknowledgements
PUBLISHER: Clarke Design & Media Ltd, Wisteria House, Stump Cross Lane, Swineshead,
Boston, Lincs PE20 3JJ. Tel: 0845 388 0281. Email: enquiries@clarke-media.co.uk
Advertising contact: Nigel Clarke Tel: 0845 388 0281
NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS: The organisers of the Merchant Navy Memorial Day wish to thank all
who have advertised in this brochure for without your support this publication could not have been
produced and distributed. It must be clearly understood however, that you are purchasing the
space from the Publishers and not the organisers of the Merchant Navy Memorial Day.
The Parade President Commodore Bill Walworth OBE. RFA and the MNA’s Organising committee would like to thank all those who have
attended this year and the continued given their continued support for this international event.
Our warm thanks also to this years Principal guest, Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope GCB OBE the First Sea Lord.
We also welcome the continued commitment and support of the Patrons of the Merchant Navy Day Commemorative Service :
Lesley Thomas OBE,
Cmd. John Ludgate DL,
Prof. Brian Cotton CEng FIEE,
Capt Richard Woodman FRHists FNI,
Capt David Parsons MNI,
Michael Everard CBE,
Mayor of Tower Hamlets
Capt Martin Reed,
Jim Fitzpatrick MP,
The Master of the Honourable Company of Master Mariners
Cmdre David Squire CBE JP,
Charles Kennedy MP,
This is a very special day for all seafarers and we thank the many associations, organisations and overseas visitors who make a regular
visit, often from long distances, to attend and support this event. They include:
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Association of Old Worcesters
Athelian Line Apprentices
Cutty Sark Trust
The Conway Club
Pangborne College
Burma Star Association
Association of Jewish Ex-Service Men and
Women
The Royal British Legion Women’s Section
The Royal Alfred Seafarers Society
The Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines
The Welsh Assembly
HMS President
Burlite Ltd
104th Regiment Royal Artillery
Metropolitan Police
Australian High Commission
City of London Police
BP Shipping
P&O Steam Navigation Company
Guild of Benevolence of the IMarEST
Shipwrecked Mariners Society
James Fisher & Sons
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New Zealand High Commission
SAMA 82
Royal Navy Fleet Command
Sailors Society
Canadian High Commission
HMT Lancastria Association
Jarvis Bay Association
Chamber of Shipping
Tower Hill Trust
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Corporation of Trinity House
Federation des Combatant Allies en Europe
French Embassy
George Cross Island Association
Government of Gibraltar
High Commission for the Republic of South
Africa
HMS Belfast
Clarke Design & Media Ltd
Imperial War Museum
Honourable Company of Master Mariners
The Falklands Chapel Trust
The Falklands Island Government
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Lloyds Register of Shipping
Malta High Commission
Marine Society & Sea Cadets
Maritime Foundation
Mayor of Greenwich
Mayor of Newport
Merchant Navy Welfare Board
Merchant Mariners of White
Michael Sanderson, Baritone
National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport
Workers
Nautical Institute
Netherlands Merchant Navy Personnel
Foundation
Radio Officers Association
Royal Fleet Auxiliary Assoc
Royal Naval Volunteer Band Association
RNLI
Royal Benevolent Society
Vindicatrix Association
Sea Scouts
Tower Hamlets Horticulture Services
All our advertisers
Our thanks also to the Reverand David Potterton, Principal Chaplain of the Sailors Society who advised us in producing the Service
Sheets and co-ordinated the representatives of the other faiths. Finally we would like to acknowledge the recent appointment, by HM
Queen Elizabeth II, of HRH Prince Philip as High Admiral and Master of the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets.
The Merchant Navy Association
from ship to shore, from past to present
National Chairman - Captain J M R Sail MNM MNI, National Secretary T Brant MNM Tel: +44 (0)1472 851130
Leading the way
for 22 years
Athenia – The first allied merchant ship to
be sunk in 1939 on the first day of WW2.
The Avondale Park was the last Atlantic
Convoy ship sunk on the 7th May 1945
which was the last casualty before VE
Day bringing the total to 2535 sunk in
action
The Merchant Navy Association is the oldest established organisation with a regional and branch structure, overseas support and
a continuous line of active lobbying for over 22 years.
14
MoD Agents for verification and distribution of the Merchant Seafarers Veterans Badge.
Advice and information readily available plus an excellent maritime research service.
Executive Officers attend meetings with Ministers, MP’s and a wide variety of seafaring organisations.
Regularly engaged on Veterans issues with the MoD and the SPVA.
MN representatives during the long campaign for the Artic Veteran recognition. The Artic Emblem for services on land, sea or in the air.
Lead Organisers and Sponsors of the MNA Memorial Stone at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas.
Lead Organisers in establishing the MN Falklands Trust who worked together to erect the new memorial in Trinity Gardens, Tower Hill.
Career advice and life long learning.
Welfare support and fundraising.
7,500 has been raised