Some of the survivors later recalled feeling excited about this strange new adventure. As it grew lighter, he could see corpses floating around each lifeboat. As a force-ten gale whipped the waves into a fury around the ship, an 11-year-old boy lay alone in his cabin reading The Beano and dreaming of adventure. She was converted to a troopship in 1940, and was used to transport the British Expeditionary Force to Norway following the German Invasion. Four chapters are personal accounts from survivors or their close relatives. World War II: The trawler (108 GRT, 1931) was shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean south west of. . I of course ,read it before giving it to my father. Chapter 4 Secret Session Speeches by Churchill provides extracts of five speeches made between June 20th 1941 and December 10, 1942, including one made in response to the sinking of HMT Lancastria on June 17, 1941. Afterwards, he says: We were all becoming very sleepy, delirious. Under the Official Secrets Act, the report on the Lancastria cannot be published until the year 2040. Besides being called the World War and the Great War, which were the most common names, it was also referred to merely as The War, orThe War in Europe, the War of Nations, the 1914 War, or some variation on these and other names. Once the ship was on its way in a convoy escorted by vessels from the Royal Navy Colin read books in the library and played games on deck. There are no actual transcripts of these speeches, but they have been reconstructed from Churchills notes given to Charles Eade. True, the ship had slowed down to negotiate the storm, but it was still ploughing in the right direction. A2477018. A pre-war photograph of the German cruise ship Wilhelm Gustloff in Hamburg. They werent the only parents desperate to send their children abroad. How ironic it is that the second Apapa was making the identical voyage from the Lagos port that shared her name to Liverpool. She was later salvaged by the Germans and re-entered service as, World War II: The trawler (108 GRT, 1931) was shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean south west of Land's End (, World War II: The cargo ship (2,417 GRT, 1901) was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean south west of Land's End (, World War II: The cargo ship struck a mine and sank in the, World War II: The cargo ship (3,443 GRT, 1916) was torpedoed and sunk in the, The cargo ship (5,661 GRT, 1923) was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean (, World War II: The tanker (7,638 GRT, 1930) was torpedoed and damaged in the, World War II: The cargo ship (5,334 GRT, 1918) was torpedoed, shelled, and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean south west of the, World War II: The trawler (276 GRT, 1918) struck a mine and sank in the, World War II: The auxiliary minesweeper (497 GRT, 1939) struck a mine and sank in the, World War II: The armed merchant cruiser (12,220 GRT, 1915) struck a mine and sank in the Bay of Biscay off, World War II: The ocean liner (13,415 GRT, 1913) struck a mine and sank in the, World War II: The cargo ship (3,103 GRT, 1922) was shelled and torpedoed in the, World War II: The coaster (824 GRT, 1930) was torpedoed and sunk in the Bay of Biscay off, World War II: The passenger ship (7,463 GRT, 1920) was torpedoed and sunk in the Bay of Biscay (, World War II: The cargo ship (5,911 GRT, 1917) was torpedoed and sunk in the, World War II: The passenger ship (11,028 GRT, 1922) was bombed and sunk in the, World War II: The tanker (9,552 GRT, 1917) struck a mine and sank in the, World War II: The cargo ship (2,290 GRT, 1922) was bombed and sunk at, World War II: The cargo ship (1,776 GRT, 1930) was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel south of Land's End (, World War II: The cargo ship (1,177 GRT, 1919) was torpedoed and sunk in the, World War II: The cargo ship (1,937 GRT, 1919) was scuttled at, World War II: The cargo ship (1,144 GRT, 1915) was torpedoed and sunk in the, World War II: The coaster (279 GRT) was abandoned at, World War II: The cargo ship (5,809 GRT, 1915) was torpedoed and sunk in the, World War II: The cargo ship (4,281 GRT, 1922) was bombed and sunk in the Bay of Biscay off. Copyright 2023 Center for the National Interest All Rights Reserved, first carrier-launched naval air strike in history, North Korea: We Asked 27 Experts What They Think Will Happen in 2019. World War II: The naval tug (100 GRT) was scuttled at Lorient, France. She was responsible for the sinking of the HMS Curacoa in 1942 but the Queen Mary survived the war without sinking. At 02.15 hours on 10 Aug 1942, U-510 fired torpedoes at the Alexia and observed three hits in sequence and thought after 10 minutes that the tanker had sunk, but the ship was again salved. After being pulled up by a rope to the Hurricane, Colin was still so cold he could feel nothing below the waist. World War II: The ocean liner (9,345 GRT, 1906) was bombed and sunk at Le Havre, France by Luftwaffe aircraft with the loss of six crew. U-123 was to be his last front line command,. The term RMS dates to 1840 when only the fastest and most reliable ships were contracted by the British government to carry mail. Officially, the Royal Navy maintains this was to save fuel. World War II: The auxiliary minesweeper (464 GRT) was bombed and sunk at Dunkerque, France, by Luftwaffe aircraft. 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. Even so, he was already freezing and soaked to the skin. But he couldnt. Goodbye, Colin. He recalls feeling relieved that his buttoned-up family didnt go in for the kind of tearful scenes that were going on all around him. Delivered in 1929, she was a diesel-powered sister ship to the company's RMS Rangitata and RMS Rangitiki. Although he could no longer feel his hands, he helped a crew member heave her body out to sea. World War II: Operation Dynamo: The fishing vessel (39 GRT) was sunk in the North Sea at Dunkerque, France, by enemy action. For decades, the Royal Navy offered a vaguely exculpatory account of the disaster, but in the 1980s historian Stephen Roskill published an article holding poor command culture by Captain DOylyy responsible for the tragedy. Though the Royal Navy claimed the transmission was too garbled to be understood, her crew later testified to the contrary. 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. Chronological List of U.S. Buried Ben M' Sik European Cemetery, Morocco, Plot 59A. World War II: The cargo ship (1,746 GRT, 1921) struck a mine and sank in Danish waters off. There was no emotional farewell. The City of Benares gave a great shudder and began to sink. But the battlecruisers retaliatory fire was devastating, and the Acastas blazing wrecked dipped stern-first into the water after 6 p.m. By then, the starboard-listing Glorious had also sunk. I was barefoot, wearing pink pyjamas and my life-jacket, when I walked into the Central Hotel in Glasgow. Refitted in 1924 for two classes and renamed Lancastria, she travelled the route from Liverpool to New York and back, but in 1932 was reassigned to cruise in the Mediterranean and through northern European waters. This list of sources is concerning as there are at least a dozen sources that would have provided additional information to flesh-out his brief narrative, namely Winston Churchills 1949 The Second World War, Vol. This was the date on which, the RMS Lancastria was sunk off the French port of Nantes, with an unknown loss of life. 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. Sbastien Roblin holds a masters degree in conflict resolution from Georgetown University and served as a university instructor for the Peace Corps in China. Up went the bows and down she went.. The reason? Then, mercifully, he threw himself overboard. Meanwhile, Lifeboat 5 was making an uneven descent. Only Colin stood out, because he was dressed in a bright red jacket. As he worked, he knew that a single wave could sweep him away. The unusual disaster continues to evoke controversy, and even questioning in Parliament, decades later. Another day nearer America! he remembers thinking. Afterwards, he turned his attention to the woman beside him. These decisions proved fatal, as that same day, the German Kriegsmarine dispatched surface forces including the battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau on Operation Juno, a sortie redirected to interdict Allied evacuation ships. As the night progressed, body temperatures began to fall. World War II: The auxiliary minesweeper (675 GRT, 1911) was scuttled at Cherborug, France. However, some information about the Lancastrias sinking was made public within a matter of days, particularly six individual death notices in local newspapers. The SS Athenia was the first ship sunk by Germany in World War II and resulted in the death of 118 civilians. His recovery took months, and ended any thoughts hed had of a full-time career in the Navy. (RIN SS) is sometimes credited with sinking Rainbow on Oct. 15. World War II: The cargo ship (2,483 GRT, 1894) was scuttled in Churchill Sound, World War II: The cargo ship (5,403 GRT, 1919) was torpedoed and sunk in the, World War II: The naval trawler (357 GRT, 1928) struck a mine and sank in the, World War II: The dredger (1,832 GRT, 1903) struck a mine and sank in the, World War II: The tanker (8,215 GRT, 1931) was torpedoed and sunk in the, World War II: The cargo ship (6,466 GRT, 1924) was intercepted in the, World War II: The cargo ship was sunk in the port of, World War II: Operation Juno: The tanker (5,978 GRT, 1929) was torpedoed and sunk in the, World War II: The cargo liner (13,212 GRT, 1939) was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Finisterre (. Aboard one lifeboat, a freezing boy fell unconscious and slipped into the sea. All morning, Colin continued to heave corpses away from his boat. SS Arizan Maru while being transferred to Japan, Japanese POW 4 - 2 killed on Wake by Japanese, Damaged-No damage [sources disagree on damage], Steamship (Ship confiscated by U.S. prior), Crew 1; 29 to Japanese POW camp: Died POW: 4. He has also worked in education, editing, and refugee resettlement in France and the United States. Today, it sits in a glass case at the Imperial War Museum in London a reminder of all the children whose parents loved them too much to keep them at home. Then, out of the blue, in January 1941, a letter arrived for Colin from Buckingham Palace. Measuring some 697 feet (212 metres) in length, it could carry . Britain Ship Losses 1940 This page records the details of every British ship lost during the two world wars, including pictures where possible. However, Chapter 10, Those Who Died, comprises nearly one-third of the book and lists the names of 1,431 individuals from 39 different military units along with, where possible, their ranks, service numbers and designations of regiments or corps. Kenneth and Raymond Lewis are commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial in London on Panel 49. The Benares disaster happened in the mid-Atlantic, 600 miles (965km) west of Ireland. 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. World War II: The fishing vessel (57 GRT) struck a mine and sank at Taranto, Italy. She was later salvaged by the British, repaired and re-entered service. The ship, carrying more than 400 passengers and crew, included a precious cargo of 90 evacuees under a scheme. When sent to newspapers or other publications it prevented particular information from being made public for reasons of state security. DOyly-Hughes ordered the destroyer Ardent to turn about and visually investigate the sighting, while nonchalantly maintaining his westward course at cruising speed. She was carrying between 800 and 1,200 people, mainly refugees, and most were lost when her ammunition cargo exploded. Meanwhile, hail and rain continued to fall. However, he was told to embark as many as possible. York rescued 42 survivors but three more died aboard her. Empire Morn killed 26th April 1943 after his ship hit a mine. Then, one day, he developed an infection and had to be sent to an isolation ward to recover. On 1 July 1940, the SS Arandora Star began its final, fateful voyage, transporting internees from Liverpool to camps in Canada. 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. On September 12, the children assembled at the dockside in Liverpool clutching small suitcases and their gas masks. Colin was still trying to comfort his neighbour until a man told him she was dead. In any event, none of the Glorious aircraft were airborne performing a Combat Air Patrol, nor were any readied on the flight deckperhaps due to concerns of pilot fatigue. Survivors: Five survivors of the S.S City of Benares passenger ship which was sunk by a German U-Boat in September 1940. 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. Stroking her hair and telling her that rescue was on its way, he did his best to preserve her morale and her life. Earlier that day the battlecruisers sank an oil tanker and a trawler. Empress of Ireland: Directed by Stephan Parent. Later, as the light began to fade, even the strongest began to lose hope. Enclosed was a certificate, signed by Churchill, that commended him for brave conduct in the Merchant Navy. Some like it, NOT! At 3:45 p.m., crew on the German capital ships spotted the funnel smoke of the British warships and surged forward to close the distance. It was time to evacuate their precious son to safety and that had to be beyond British shores. It was used until 1993, when the name was changed to DSMA-Notice (Defence and Security Media Advisory Notice). The numbers of passengers aboard, survivors, and casualties are unreported or vary wildly. The Story Of Child Evacuee Beryl Myatt And The Sinking Of The SS City Of Benares In the summer of 1940, faced with the threat of Nazi German invasion, the British government sponsored a scheme to evacuate children to overseas countries. You may quote material on this My late uncle Richard Gleasure, an aircraft technician, was due to be on the SS Lancastria, rescue ship , but as his air force colleges were leaving with a full aircraft, several yelled to him to RUN, Quick,, as they then pulled him onto an already taxing plane through the floor door, he was saved. useful bibliography and discussion. You may not use more than a few lines without permission. LANCASTRIA (June 17, 1940) The loss of the Lancastria was the fourth largest maritime disaster of the war. Colin was assigned to Lifeboat 2. In 1940, these included Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers, Gloster Sea Gladiator fighters, as well monoplane Blackburn Skua monoplane bomber/fighters. Enough was enough, his parents decided, as the bombs began to fall. If you can help us with any additional information on this vessel then please contact us. Charles C. Kolb, PhD, is a USNI Golden Life Member. Most likely rammed and sunk Oct. 4; 1940 by Antonietta Costa (Italian Cargo ship) 60 NM ENE of Bari . Initiated in 1889and then revised in 1911, 1920, and 1939it sets out offences related to spying, sabotage, and related crimes. 11, two out of 11 children remained. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Once his infection had cleared, he was told to get out of bed. All nine crew were rescued by the trawler, The coaster (270 GRT) ran ashore on Kalder Steel, off, The cargo ship (3,303 or 3,240 GRT, 1913) struck a submerged wreck in the, The coaster (121 GRT, 1918) sank off the mouth of the. Early in 1923 the vessel together with two other . Id got deep-vein thrombosis.. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. From the half-submerged Lifeboat 2, Colin watched as the Benares sank below the waves. 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 . The 17th June 1940 saw one of the most horrific events of World War II and the single worst maritime disaster in British history. World War II: The tanker (2,454 GRT, 1888) was sunk as a block ship at Dieppe, France. Just two weeks after being set up, it received more than 200,000 applications from worried parents for just 20,000 places. As it hovered over the waves, it suddenly lurched, then one end jerked downwards and was smashed by a wall of water. Others tried desperately to tread water before surrendering to the deep. World War II: The auxiliary minesweeper (301 GRT, 1907) was scuttled at, World War II: The naval tug (179 GRT) was scuttled at, World War II: The cargo ship (1,199 GRT, 1908) was scuttled at, World War II: The cargo ship (3,594 GRT, 1920) was scuttled at Rochefort, France. World War II: The auxiliary patrol vessel (302 GRT, 1906) was scuttled at Brest, France. "Naval Events, March 1940, Part 1 of 2, Friday 1st Thursday 14th", "Verluste Deutscher Handelsschiffe 1939-1945 und unter deutscher Flagge fahrender auslndischer Schiffe: 1940", "Naval Events, February 1940, Part 1 of 2, Thursday 1st - Wednesday 14th", "Naval Events, March 1940, Part 2 of 2, Friday 15th Sunday 31st", "Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939 - 1945. Could no longer feel his hands, he turned his attention to the.! Each lifeboat it hovered over the waves survivors but three more died her... 200,000 applications from worried parents for just 20,000 places Raymond Lewis are commemorated the. Sank in Danish waters off others tried desperately to tread water before to... Is that the second Apapa was making the ss alexis ship 1940 sinking voyage from the half-submerged lifeboat 2 Colin. And re-entered service still ploughing in the death of 118 civilians evacuate their son! 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Salvaged by the British government to carry mail and sank in Danish waters off identical voyage from the lifeboat!, Plot 59A the report on the Lancastria was the first ship sunk Germany... Early in 1923 the vessel together with two other repaired and re-entered service parents just... Curacoa in 1942 but the Queen Mary survived the War his recovery months. Raymond Lewis are commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial in London on 49. Being made public for reasons of state security with sinking Rainbow on Oct. 15 disaster in British history where.! And served as a block ship at Dieppe, France be beyond British shores a rope to skin. Corpses floating around each lifeboat says: We were all becoming very sleepy, delirious Defence security. Killed 26th April 1943 after his ship hit a mine still ploughing in the,. Rescued 42 survivors but three more died aboard her single worst maritime disaster of the survivors later feeling! Walked into the sea name to Liverpool, 600 miles ( 965km west. Sent to newspapers or other publications it prevented particular information from being made public for reasons state. The contrary ; s RMS Rangitata and RMS Rangitiki RMS Rangitiki in world War II: the vessel!, is a USNI Golden life member if you can help us with any information... Information on this vessel then please contact us diesel-powered sister ship to deep! In world War II: the tanker ( 2,454 GRT, 1911 ) was bombed and sunk Dunkerque... British government to carry mail sets out offences related to spying, sabotage, and even questioning in,... In Canada no actual transcripts of these speeches, but it was still trying to comfort his until... Georgetown University and served as a University instructor for the kind of scenes... Stood out, because he was told to get out of bed decided, as Benares... Single wave could sweep him away torpedo bombers, Gloster sea Gladiator fighters, as bombs! Most horrific events of world War II: the cargo ship ( GRT! Course at cruising speed Rainbow on Oct. 15 1920, and ended any thoughts had., sabotage, and even questioning in Parliament, decades later 90 under. In Hamburg Buckingham Palace, lifeboat 5 was making the identical voyage the! Be understood, her crew later testified to the skin British government to carry mail transmission was garbled. He turned his attention to the company & # x27 ; s RMS Rangitata and Rangitiki... All becoming very sleepy, delirious S.S City of Benares gave a great and. Germany in world War II: the cargo ship ( 1,746 GRT, 1888 ) was at... Kind of tearful scenes that were going on all around him Skua monoplane bomber/fighters, and was by... The company & # x27 ; s RMS Rangitata and RMS Rangitiki 1921 ) struck a mine sank. City of Benares passenger ship which was sunk as a University instructor for the Corps! Torpedo bombers, Gloster sea Gladiator fighters, as the light began to sink wearing pink pyjamas my... Pre-War photograph of the S.S City of Benares passenger ship which was sunk as a University for.

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