Salvage award of two pounds and five shillings for SS Empire Haven, 1943

On 13 October 1943, German aircraft torpedoed SS Empire Haven (6,603 GRT) in position 36°15′N 02°23′W, north of Oran, Algeria. The merchantman was under contract to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and travelling as part of Convoy MKS 21. One of the convoy escorts, the minesweeper HMS Rye, took Empire Haven under tow and brought her into Gibraltar.

Admiral of the Fleet Sir Andrew Cunningham, Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet, signalled:

I congratulate you, the escort force and convoy MKS 21 on your sturdy defence of convoy against heavy harassing attack. The enemy got a sore head he is likely to remember.

Empire Haven lay there until 1946, awaiting repairs. She was sold to R. Chapman & Son and renamed Clearton.

SS Empire Haven
Builder: Taikoo Dockyard & Engineering Company of Hong Kong Ltd.
Tonnage: 6,603 GRT.
Launched: 28 April 1941.

So much for wartime events.

Enter my grandfather, SBA aboard HMS Rye, and wondering in a period of postwar austerity whether he was entitled to a share of salvage money for “assistance rendered to” Empire Haven.

I do not have copies of the letters that my grandfather sent to the Admiralty in 1946 and 1947, but I do have the replies sent my the Director of Navy Accounts.

In the first reply, dated 24 December 1946, the Admiralty acknowledges Rye‘s salvage of Empire Haven and states that a “share of the award will be made as early as practicable.”

The reply also rejects a claim for salvage on the Liberty ship SS Francis W. Pettygrove, also damaged during German attacks on Convoy MKS 21.

The second reply, dated 27 March 1947, acknowledged receipt and return of my grandfather’s S.459 form (certificate of service record in the Royal Navy), stating “a remittance  on this account will be sent you shortly.”

Here is a snapshot from my grandfather’s updated S.459 showing the payment of £2 5/- (two pounds and five shillings) as his share of salvage for SS Empire Haven.

Not exactly a princely sum. My grandfather spent his salvage money on a halfway decent hat.

He still had that hat thirty years later in 1977 when he took me on the train from Waterloo down to Portsmouth to see the Queen’s Silver Jubliee Fleet Review. Memorable day for eight year old me: Southern Region breakfast in the dining car, a tour of HMS Victory, carvery lunch at the Keppels Head, miles and miles of grey funnels at the fleet review, heaps of ice cream, and home in time for tea.

I miss you, you silly old bugger.

 

 

Piracy reports for Gulf of Guinea, Dec 2015 – Jan 2016

NIGERIA: On 12 January, a merchant ship in the Lagos Secure Anchorage Area reported to local authorities of being followed by five men in a speedboat. The merchant ship soon after reported that they had seen two men in the rudder trunk and the unknown men had reportedly left the ship soon after their sighting. The ship was instructed to drop anchor and await further inspection.

CONGO: On 4 January, three robbers boarded an anchored vessel near position 04:47 S – 011:52 E, Pointe Noire Anchorage. Duty crewmen spotted the robbers on deck and raised the alarm. The robbers jumped overboard and escaped in their rowboat.

NIGERIA: On 27 December 2015, an unknown number of pirates attacked an anchored tanker near position 05:35 N – 005:00 E, approximately 10 nm west of Warri. The attack was reportedly repelled by an onboard detachment of Nigerian Navy personnel.

NIGERIA: On 24 December, seven gunmen in a speedboat attacked a passenger boat in the Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. One person was killed and six others injured.

NIGERIA: On 21 December, pirates attacked three passenger boats in the Kula waterways in the Akuku-Toru local government area of Rivers State. Several dozen people are believed to have perished in the attack as many could not swim when the pirates forced them to jump in the river before stealing belongings.

DR CONGO: On 16 December, two robbers armed with knives in a boat boarded an anchored general cargo ship near position 05:50 S – 013:25 E, Matadi Anchorage. Five accomplices waited in the boat. The robbers were spotted by duty crewmen and the robbers fled. Nothing stolen. Incident reported to local authorities through
the local agents.

Source: Office of Naval Intelligence, Worldwide Threat to Shipping Report, 14 January 2016.

British naval losses #OTD 29 May 1940 during Operation Dynamo

Passenger vessel MV Mona’s Queen (Capt A. Holkham) struck a mine outside Dunkirk harbour and sunk in two minutes. http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?153

MV Mona’s Queen struck by mine off Dunkirk.

Admiralty W-class destroyer HMS Wakeful torpedoed & sunk by E-boat S.30 off Dunkirk. Survivors rescued by destroyer HMS Grafton (sunk later that day), minesweepers HMS Gossamer and HMS Lydd, and Admiralty drifter HMT Comfort (also sunk).

G-class destroyer HMS Grafton (Cdr C. Robinson, RN) torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-62 off Nieuwpoort, Belgium.

Admiralty drifter HMT Comfort rammed and sunk by HMS Lydd who mistook the drifter for a German E-boat.

Passenger vessel SS Clan MacAlister bombed and sunk off Dunkirk. Crew and embarked troops taken off by HMS Malcolm and HMT Pangbourne.

Auxiliary minesweeper HMS Gracie Fields carrying 750 troops bombed off La Panne beach. Survivors rescued by HMT Pangbourne and Dutch skoots Twente and Jutland.

Auxiliary paddle minesweeper HMS Waverley bombed and sunk by German aircraft off Dunkirk.

M/S trawler HMT Calvi bombed and sunk off Dunkirk. Survivors rescued by HMT John Cattling.

G-class destroyer HMS Grenade (Cdr R. Boyle, RN) bombed by German aircraft while embarking troops. Towed from harbour and sunk.

M/S trawler HMT Polly Johnson bombed and sunk by German aircraft off Dunkirk.

Auxiliary minesweeper HMS Crested Eagle bombed and sunk off Dunkirk. Survivors rescued by HMT Pangbourne.

Auxiliary minesweeper HMS Crested Eagle, photo by Paul Reed 2010.

French passenger vessel SS Normannia bombed in the Dunkirk harbour channel by German aircraft. Towed clear of the channel by Royal Navy gunboat HMS Mosquito, Nomannia‘s crew and her embarked troops were taken off by minesweeper HMS Ross.

French minesweeper FS Joseph Marie bombed and sunk at Dunkirk.

British naval losses on 28 May 1940 during Operation Dynamo

M/S trawler HMT Thomas Bartlett (T/Skipper J. Thomlinson RNR) mined and sunk off Calais.

A/S trawler HMT Thuringia (Chief Skipper D. Simpson RNR) mined and sunk in the Channel.

Passenger ferry MV Queen of the Channel bombed and sunk by German aircraft.

Coastal steamer SS Abukir (Capt R. Morris-Woolfenden) torpedoed and sunk by German E-boat S.34 (OLt.z.S Obermaier) which then stopped to machine gun survivors in the water.

M/S paddle steamer HMS Brighton Belle carrying ~800 evacuated troops struck a submerged wreck off North Sand Head and sunk. Survivors rescued by the Medway Queen.

HMS Brighton Belle, clipping from Daily Mirror story on Dunkirk published 5 June 1940.

“The Navy’s here!” HMS Cossack frees prisoners from the Altmark, 16 February 1940

On 16 February, 1940, Royal Navy Tribal-class destroyer HMS Cossack (Capt. Philip Vian, RN) pursued the German prison ship Altmark into Jøssingfjord, Norway, and freed 299 prisoners of war.

The orders to enter neutral Norwegian waters had been approved personally by the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill. If Capt. Vian was unable to secure the cooperation of the Norwegian authorities to search the Altmark – which herself was in violation of Norwegian neutrality – then he was ordered to board the Nazi vessel regardless, as a copy of the Admiralty signal to Vian shows:

Signal from Admiralty to Captain (D) 4th Flotilla sent 16th February 1940.

The official Norwegian inspection of Altmark when she entered territorial waters had, on three separate occasions, failed to discover the 299 prisoners held in the ship’s hold. How thorough were these inspections? To what extent was Adm. Carsten Tank-Nielsen complicit in letting the German’s continue their deception? Where the Norwegians attempting to curry favour Germany? These are questions worthy of debate at another time.

Vian was unable to secure the co-operation of the Norwegian authorities, beyond yet another assurance that the were no prisoners held on the Altmark. At 22:20 on the night of 16th February 1940, Vian brought HMS Cossack alongside the Altmark and sent a boarding party. After a bloody struggle, the armed German guards were overpowered and the prisoners were located.

“Any Englishmen here?”

“Yes! We are all British!”

“Well, the Navy’s here!”

The boarding party from HMS Cossack tackled the Altmark’s German guards in hand-to-hand fighting with fixed bayonets and cutlasses. It was the last recorded use of the cutlass in a boarding action by the Royal Navy.

Cutlass, 1900 Pattern. From the Canadian War Museum.

Concluding the action, Capt. Vian signalled the Admiralty with news of his success, as this copy of his signal shows:

Capt. Vian’s signal to the Admiralty sent on the morning of 17 February 1940.

HMS Cossack left Jøssingfjord unmolested by Norwegian ships, although official protests were lodged through diplomatic channels. She arrived at Leith where she landed the rescued merchant seamen. Vian was awarded the DSO for his actions on the night of 16th/17th February and the phrase, “The Navy’s here!” would enter the history books.

HMS ‘Cossack’ and the prison ship ‘Altmark’, 16 February 1940, by Norman Wilkinson. Painting in collection of National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. Copyright Norman Wilkinson Estate.

Royal Navy Films (YouTube channel)

Please visit the Royal Navy Films YouTube channel. It is a collection of Royal Navy instructional films, documentaries, recruitment ads, and miscellaneous bits & pieces.

Here is a sample: Action Navy (1975), Launch & Recover (1960), and Sam Pepys Joins the Navy (1941). There are more at the YouTube channel.

OTDIH 13 Dec 1939 The Battle of the River Plate

The Battle Of River Plate by crazedigitalmovies

JMSDF anti-piracy convoy schedule for Gulf of Aden, November 2013

Japanese anti-piracy convoy schedule for Gulf of Aden, November 2013:

GULF OF ADEN: Government of Japan convoy schedule for October and November 2013. Merchant vessels that wish to apply for JMSDF escort operation should visit http://www.mlit.go.jp/en/maritime/maritime_fr2_000000.html, please contact directly the Anti-Piracy Contact and Coordination Office, Maritime Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MILT), Japan: Tel: +81-3-5253-8932 Fax: +81-3-5253-1643 Email: INFO-PIRACY@mlit.go.jp (MSCHOA).

Source: US Navy, Office of Naval Intelligence

Indian Navy anti-piracy convoy schedule for Gulf of Aden, November 2013

Indian Navy anti-piracy convoy schedule for November, 2013:

GULF OF ADEN: Indian Navy convoy escort schedule for October and November 2013. To register, email antipiracyescort@dgshipping.com or dgcommcentre@satyammail.net, or visit http://www.dgshipping.com. Telephone numbers for contact are: 91-22-22614646 or fax at 91-22-22613636 (MSCHOA).

Source: US Navy, Office of Naval Intelligence

China PLAN anti-piracy convoy schedule for Gulf of Aden, November 2013

China PLAN anti-piracy convoy schedule for November, 2013:

GULF OF ADEN: Chinese Navy convoy schedule for October and November 2013. For further information, please e-mail cnmrcc@msa.gov.cn, cnmrcc@mot.gov.cn, or call Tel: 86-10-652-92221 Fax: 86-10-652-92245 (MSCHOA).

Source: US Navy, Office of Naval Intelligence