World War II: The auxiliary minesweeper (675 GRT, 1911) was scuttled at Cherborug, France. The sinking of HMT Lancastria on June 17, 1940, is an intriguing chapter of naval history in World War II primarily because of the tragic loss of life and how much information pertaining to the event wasand still isclassified. Only Colin stood out, because he was dressed in a bright red jacket. They didnt have anyone at the ends holding it steady. Once filled, the lifeboat was lowered into the raging sea. World War II: The trawler (108 GRT, 1931) was shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean south west of. Theyd just woken up.. World War II: The cargo ship (440 GRT, 1903) was bombed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 13 nautical miles (24km) north of Tobruk, The troopship (2,427 GRT, 1928) suffered an engine room fire, exploded and sank in the, World War II: The cargo ship (4,127 GRT, 1920) was torpedoed, shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean south west of Ireland (, World War II: The cargo ship (3,214 GRT, 1928) was torpedoed and sunk in the. 'How much can business take?' Only one crew member from the Ardent, two from the Acasta, and thirty-six from the Glorious survived to be picked up by Norwegian and German forces. Home, www.USMM.org 1998 - 2006. Within four months of the outbreak of World War II, Lancastria was requisitioned by the Admiralty as His Majestys Troopship (HMT) Lancastria under the command of Captain Rudolph Sharp. (Look 18/06/1940), World War II: The naval trawler (348 GRT, 1929) ran aground at Brest, France and was abandoned without loss. It was his mother who came to collect him. The date was September 17, 1940. Then, mercifully, he threw himself overboard. Ships Sunk or Damaged 1939 to 1941 due to war causes Chronological List of U.S. On 1 July 1940, the SS Arandora Star began its final, fateful voyage, transporting internees from Liverpool to camps in Canada. At 11, Colin was already a veteran of wartime upheavals. I thought: Wake up, Colin! You must stay awake., Safe: Survivors of the torpedoed S.S City of Benares passenger ship huddle together on one of the life rafts awaiting rescue. Some survivors claimed that a bomb had gone straight down a funnel, others thought bombs hit No, 4, 2, and 3 holds. World War II: The cargo liner (7,549 GRT, 1920) was spotted off, World War II: The cargo ship (3,598 GRT, 1919) was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean west north west of. Whatever the case, this event likely remains the largest single-ship loss of life in British maritime history, more than the RMS Titanic, which had an estimated 2,224 passengers and crew aboard and suffered over 1,500 fatalities. She was subsequently salvaged by the Germans and re-entered service as. The Lancastria Tragedy comprises an introduction, eleven numbered chapters, and a concluding chapter titled In Closing, as well as endmatter including an About the Author section, Sources, and a three-page Index of proper nouns. Not a member of the Naval Institute? Contributed on: 30 March 2004. Under the command of Captain HL Upton, she . From the half-submerged Lifeboat 2, Colin watched as the Benares sank below the waves. Once his infection had cleared, he was told to get out of bed. World War II: The cargo ship (1,525 GRT, 1920) was scuttled as a blockship at Dieppe, France. The City of Benares gave a great shudder and began to sink. World War II: The cargo ship (810 GRT, 1933) was scuttled at Dieppe, France. From the 90 whod set out from Liverpool, there were only 13 survivors. World War II: The captured ex-Dutch coastal defence ship (5,002 t, 1904) was bombed and sunk at, World War II: The naval yacht (196 GRT, 1938) struck a mine and sank in the, World War II: The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean (, World War II: The cargo ship (1,888 GRT) was torpedoed and sunk in the, World War II: The tanker (7,011 GRT, 1922) was torpedoed and sunk in the Bay of Biscay by, World War II: The cargo ship (5,154 GRT, 1918) was torpedoed and sunk in the Bay of Biscay (, The cargo ship (2,724 or 2,608 GRT, 1929) collided with another vessel and sank in the. She was built in 1936 and sailed for 30 years before retiring in 1967. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Naval Historical Foundation 1306 Dahlgren Avenue, SE Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374 1-202-678-4333 info@navyhistory.org. SS Express was a Type C3-E cargo ship of American Export Lines that was sunk by Japanese submarine I-10 in June 1942 in the Indian Ocean. Kenneth Lewis was only 14 years old, His Brother Raymond 15. RMS was a sign of distinction and quality. It stayed upright, but the big waves breaking over the bows quickly swamped it. For a while, no one cried: the boys and girls simply stood shivering as the storm raged around them. After the Navy, Colin became a Lloyds underwriter, married first wife, Gill, and adopted a baby of six weeks who grew up to become Changing Rooms presenter Anna Ryder Richardson. referenced. Just two weeks after being set up, it received more than 200,000 applications from worried parents. World War II: The cargo ship (1,684 GRT, 1920) was bombed and sunk in the English Channel off Le Havre, France by Luftwaffe aircraft. The 224-meter long vessel still could only carry a smaller air group of forty-eight aircraft compared to larger U.S. fleet carriers. Never take this off, she warned him. What had happened was that Id lain there, grieving away, and my blood had stopped flowing. When dawn broke, Bess and Beth were still somehow clinging onto their upturned lifeboat along with two men. World War II: The auxiliary minesweeper (150 GRT) was scuttled at Lorient, France. As the years went by, the only thing that survived from his ordeal on the City of Benares was his little scarlet life-jacket. Sold for scrap in August 1954 at Blyth. as the source. World War II: The cargo ship (7,405 GRT, 1914) was bombed and damaged in the Bay of Biscay off. However, crew members have alleged DOyly-Hughes was in a hurry to attend Heaths court martial. World War II: The coaster (397 GRT) struck a mine and sank in the North Sea with all seven hands. Many survivors perished from hypothermia or suffocated on fuel oil. Later, as the light began to fade, even the strongest began to lose hope. Captain Sharp estimated 5,500, but one Royal Engineer officer was told that there were more than 7,200 persons aboard. The prevailing narrative of naval warfare in World War II concerns how the carrier decisively unseated the battleship as the dominant naval weapon system. World War II: The cargo ship (3,404 GRT, 1927) struck a mine and sank in the, World War II: The coaster (253 GRT) struck a mine and sank at, World War II: The auxiliary sloop (1,049 GRT, 1923) was shelled and sunk in the English Channel between, World War II: The auxiliary patrol vessel (197 GRT) was scuttled at, World War II: The auxiliary minesweeper (511 GRT) was shelled and sunk in the English Channel between Fcamp and, World War II: The collier (4,690 GRT, 1853) was bombed and sunk at, World War II: The coaster (264 GRT, 1914) was beached and abandoned in the, World War II: The trawler struck a mine and sank at, World War II: The tanker (8,030 GRT, 1928) was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea off, World War II: The coaster (198 GRT, 1929) struck a mine and sank in, World War II: The naval trawler (326 GRT, 1928) struck a mine and sank in the, World War II: The coaster (209 GRT, 1928) was beached and abandoned in the River Seine in Paris, France. Healthy mother-of-two, 32, collapsed and died from brain bleed while she led fitness bounce class. On 17 September 1940, a passenger ship called the City of Benares was sunk by a German U-boat while crossing the Atlantic. At 4 p.m. on June 8, 1940, the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious was cruising west across the Norwegian Sea towards the British naval base of Scapa Flow when her lookout spotted two grey blips over a dozen miles away on the horizon. He had a good war by late 1940, sinking eight ships in six wartime patrols, mostly in the North Sea, before the prestigious commission on U-123. Taking Vitamin D each day could cut your chances of getting dementia, study claims. Enclosed was a certificate, signed by Churchill, that commended him for brave conduct in the Merchant Navy. But he couldnt. Stephen Wynn, a retired police constable with 30 years service in Essex, began writing prior to his retirement. Naval Institute is maintaining and preserving the former Naval Historical Foundation website so readers and former NHF members can still access past issues of Pull Together and other content. These advantages meant that battleships and battlecruisers were repeatedly sunk by carrier-based aircraft, from Pearl Harbor to Taranto to the Battle of the Philippines Sea. Chris Pleasance explains how Do not sell or share my personal information. The CWGC has the names of 513 Merchant Seamen aged 14 to 16 who died between 1939-1945. For the first few days after his rescue, he remained very weak as the Hurricane took the survivors to Glasgow. And the cowboys eating around campfires.. Decades after Apapa was lost , on the 15th of November 1940 the identically named MV APAPA was bombed and sunk by a German FW 200 Condor aircraft, two hundred miles from County Mayo in Ireland. 2 held about 800 RAF personnel. The SS Orama was built by Vickers-Armstrong at Barrow-in-Furness in 1924 for the Orient Line with accommodation for 1,700 passengers. The cargo ship (1,435 GRT, 1903) ran aground at, World War II: The fishing vessel (96 GRT) was bombed and sunk in the North Sea (. World War II: The cargo ship (2,975 GRT, 1906) struck a mine and sank in the Mediterranean Sea north of Pantelleria. She was later salvaged by the Germans and entered service as. http://www.british-merchant-navy.co.uk/TOWER.htm. Oscar Cainer tells all. Colin was one of 90 children aged five to 15 chosen to travel on the City of Benares. I of course ,read it before giving it to my father. He and the other children were watched over that night as they slept but despite all efforts, three more died. There are no actual transcripts of these speeches, but they have been reconstructed from Churchills notes given to Charles Eade. He states that The time taken to record everybodys name, rank, service number and regiment or corps would have been time consuming and served no purpose (vii). By then the crippled Glorious was listing and turning in circles while being relentlessly pounded by German guns. The ferrying trip took three to four hours. In June 1940, Prime Minister Winston Churchill agreed to a new trans-Atlantic evacuation scheme. Those who survived the incident were instructed not to speak about their experience. 39 days; Cargo removed, Crew 3; Japanese POW: 164; Died POW:12 including 4 lost on The comments below have not been moderated. World War II: The cargo ship (4,007 GRT, 1928) was intercepted in the, The schooner (98 GRT) was rammed by the cargo ship, The cargo ship (2,158 GRT, 1908) ran aground off Winging Point, 20 nautical miles (37km) south of, The cargo ship (625 GRT, 1920) foundered 1 nautical mile (1.9km) off, The trawler (170 GRT, 1904) was helping a neutral steamer which had gone aground on the east coast of England when the steamer slipped on a shelf and collided with, This page was last edited on 29 October 2022, at 11:25. 'This is the most ridiculous thing I've seen!' World War II: The cargo ship (7,340 GRT) was bombed and sunk off Le Havre, France by Luftwaffe aircraft. World War II: The cargo ship (1,002 GRT, 1904) struck a mine and sank in the, World War II: The cargo ship (1,766 or 1,894 GRT, 1918) was scuttled at Rochefort, France. This was the date on which, the RMS Lancastria was sunk off the French port of Nantes, with an unknown loss of life. World War II: The fishing vessel (57 GRT) struck a mine and sank at Taranto, Italy. World War II: The cargo ship (3,921 GRT, 1917) was beached in the, World War II: The cargo ship (6,140 GRT) was scuttled in the, World War II: The sailing ship (102 or 112 GRT) struck a mine and sank at, World War II: The cargo ship (1,302 GRT, 1925) was bombed and damaged in the, World War II: The cargo ship (1,262 GRT, 1920) was sunk as a blockship at. There were only 11 survivors. This is what happenned. Just two weeks after being set up, it received more than 200,000 applications from worried parents for just 20,000 places. are also recorded at the top of the card.From left to right, the six columns on the card will tell you: the year, current voyage and . It was no ordinary jacket. World War II: The passenger ship (2,029 GRT, 1930) was bombed and sunk in the, World War II: The coaster (957 GRT, 1893) struck a mine and sank in the, World War II: The naval trawler (109 GRT, 1916) was sunk at Scapa Flow in a collision with trawler, The coaster (216 GRT, 1919) was sunk in the, World War II: The cargo ship (4,102 GRT, 1931) was bombed and sunk in the, World War II: The cargo ship (3,857 GRT, 1928) struck a mine in the, World War II: The cargo ship (1,463 GRT, 1923) struck a mine and sank in the. Captain Rudolf Sharpe later lost his life when the ship he commanded, the Laconia, was sunk. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. It was used until 1993, when the name was changed to DSMA-Notice (Defence and Security Media Advisory Notice). People were jumping. Empress of Ireland: Directed by Stephan Parent. A4103056. In return, battleships almost never succeeded in closing into gun-range of carriers. World War II: The cargo ship (873 or 909 GRT, 1904) struck a mine off Cape Granitola, Italy and sank. The Lancastria Tragedy: Sinking and Cover-Up, June 1940. 'Dreadful time': A letter sent by a survivor of the sinking to their parents tell of their horrendous experience on the sinking ship. My own commemoration including photo's of the two Brothers sent to me by their relatives can be found on this link to my own website.http://www.british-merchant-navy.co.uk/TOWER.htmAbout links. The RAF Hurricanes of No.46 squadron were relatively fast and lacked arrestor hooksbut by tying on sandbags, the pilots managed to weigh their tails down and pull off short carrier landings. Left to right, Kenneth Sparkes, Derek Capel, Freddie Steele, Billy Short and Howard Clayton, Far from being distraught at leaving his parents behind, Colin was excited at the prospect of stepping into a real-life Western: I thought of the sun and the hills. Although he could no longer feel his hands, he helped a crew member heave her body out to sea. Initiated in 1889and then revised in 1911, 1920, and 1939it sets out offences related to spying, sabotage, and related crimes. But Colin Ryder Richardson, snug in his bunk, saw no reason for alarm. Find out how you can use this. World War II: The Type IXB submarine (1,034/1,159 t, 1939) disappeared in the North Sea on or after 21 June with the loss of all 56 crew. He has also worked in education, editing, and refugee resettlement in France and the United States. Contributed on: 22 May 2005. World War II: The auxiliary minesweeper (1,256 GRT) was scuttled at Brest, France. Owners and gross tonnage (G.T.) The only comfort came from urinating in the water: for a few brief seconds, he could feel the warmth swirling around his legs. Sbastien Roblin holds a masters degree in conflict resolution from Georgetown University and served as a university instructor for the Peace Corps in China. World War II: The cargo ship (1,828 GRT, 1923) with a German prize crew was proceeding behind the steamer Inger when she detonated a mine (laid by, World War II: The cargo ship (1,081 GRT, 1923) struck a mine and sank in, World War II: The passenger cargo vessel (10,076 or 9,349 GRT, 1912) was scuttled in the, World War II: The ferry-transport (2,949 GRT, 1920) was bombed and damaged at. In the Hotel Berlin, the Gestapo is searching for underground leader Martin Richter. Four chapters are personal accounts from survivors or their close relatives. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. As HMS Hurricane approached Lifeboat 2, Colin and the remaining passengers started singing Rule Britannia. With a sickening lurch, 12 passengers were thrown from the boat and lost in the darkness. The list of shipwrecks in March 1940 includes ships sunk, foundered, grounded, or otherwise lost during March 1940. Despite his mothers disapproval, Colin developed a curious desire to return to the sea. It was fourth English pounds. A tragedy in itself made worse by the fact they should never have been onboard to begin with. He currently writes on security and military history for War Is Boring. LANCASTRIA (June 17, 1940) The loss of the Lancastria was the fourth largest maritime disaster of the war. There, he attended a local school until it was evacuated to Cornwall. I realised she was sinking, so I put my arm around her and tried to keep her head above the water.. Yes, battleships mounted over a dozen guns that could pot huge shells at other vessels from over a dozen miles away. His dreams, however, were rudely interrupted that night by a loud bang. Nevertheless, within hours of disembarking troops at Liverpool on June 14th, Lancastria was reassigned, along with the 20,341 gross tons liner Franconia, to Operation Aerial, the evacuation of British civilians, embassy staff, and support troops from France. The Glorious then was assigned to pick up the fighters she had just dropped off. The other ten or so whod been with them had drowned. The wording was puzzling: at 11, hed obviously never served in the Merchant Navy. Required fields are marked *. World War II: The cargo ship (1,522 GRT, 1923) was torpedoed and damaged in the, World War II: The cargo ship (3,554 GRT, 1920) was damaged and abandoned at Brest, France. The survivors to Glasgow worked in education, editing, and related crimes by a German while. Came to collect him Vickers-Armstrong at Barrow-in-Furness in 1924 for the Orient Line with for... Lost in the darkness fleet carriers he and the United States the language links are at the top the... 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Sell or share my personal information article title instructor for the Peace Corps in.. His infection had cleared, he helped a crew member heave her out! To Charles Eade 1,256 GRT ) was bombed and damaged in the Atlantic Ocean west!
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