Post by KG on Jun 6, 2018 19:52:27 GMT
Re: D-day: MN 3
Cargo ship Glendinning, 1,927grt, (Gibson, George & Co.) had finished discharging her cargo at the Arromanches beach head at Normandy and joined up with the 28 ship Convoy FTC-27, which departed the Seine Bay on the 5th July 1944 bound for Southend. The same day, 17 nautical miles South of Worthing the ship was struck by a single torpedo from U-953. The torpedo detonated between number two hold and the bridge, splitting the ship in two. One boat was successfully launched, but the Master suffering from a fractured skull and a couple of his Officers were forced to jump overboard as the ship sank in position 50’ 32N 00’ 22W, with the loss of one crewmember who died when he fell between the ships side and the lifeboat, an army storekeeper and one DEMS gunners who was trapped in the wreckage. The survivors were rescued by a number of motor launches and the wounded Master was transferred to the Destroyer HMS Fernie, but died from his wounds and was later buried ashore at Gillingham (Woodlands) Cemetery.
Cargo ship Iddesleigh, 5,205grt, (W.J. Tatem) loaded with a general cargo and 80 troops bound for Sword Beach at Normandy joined up with the 18 ship Convoy ETM-57, which departed Southend on the 6th August 1944 and arrived and anchored off the Seine Bay the following day. On the 10th August the ship was rocked by a huge explosion near the engine room and severely damaged killing two men in the engine room and one of the troops. With the engine room, boiler room and number four hold flooding rapidly, the troops were given the order to abandon ship, while retaining a small skeleton crew. The ship was eventually taken in tow and beached on Sword Beach and was eventually declared a total loss. The explosion was believed to have been caused by a German one man “Neger” torpedo.
Cargo ship Orminster, 5,712grt, (South American Saint Line) having finished discharging her cargo of war materials at Juno Beach at Normandy the ship joined the Southend bound 12 ship Convoy FTM-74, which departed the Seine Bay on the 25th August 1944. After falling behind the main convoy the same day with boiler trouble the Orminster was intercepted by U-480, 45 nautical miles North-West of Cap d’Antifer, France. Struck by a single torpedo in number five hold, blowing off the propeller and opening up the ship to the in rushing sea, and within ten minutes sank killing one crewmember and four DEMS gunners. The fifty-nine survivors were rescued by the Corvette HMS Pennwort and the naval trawler HMS Damsay and landed at Portsmouth. One other DEMS gunner died later from his wounds.
There were many other incidents, which could have been covered, but I am trying to show, that even after the beachheads had been secured, the Merchant Navy were still under constant threat from German forces in regards to mines, U-boats, etc even two month later while still supplying the Allied armies. Simple things like water were even shipped over the France in many of the small coastal tankers, to keep up with demand. To put it into perceptive, just from Southend itself 129 convoys consisting of 2,394 ship ran to the Seine Bay from June to October 1944. Once the Scheldt Estuary and the port of Antwerp had been captured by the Allies in November 1944, The TAM series of 172 convoys, consisting of 1,626 Merchant ships entered the port between December 1944 up until May 1945 to support the Allied advance. So desperate where the Germans to halt shipping at Antwerp, they even began using the V-2 rocket against the port and city, but still the Merchant men volunteered to run the gauntlet. How these men and the Merchant service have almost been written out of the history of WWII is beyond reason and is why they were never allowed to officially march at the Cenotaph in London until 1999. Truly the Forgotten Fourth Service........... until now.
Billy McGee
Cargo ship Glendinning, 1,927grt, (Gibson, George & Co.) had finished discharging her cargo at the Arromanches beach head at Normandy and joined up with the 28 ship Convoy FTC-27, which departed the Seine Bay on the 5th July 1944 bound for Southend. The same day, 17 nautical miles South of Worthing the ship was struck by a single torpedo from U-953. The torpedo detonated between number two hold and the bridge, splitting the ship in two. One boat was successfully launched, but the Master suffering from a fractured skull and a couple of his Officers were forced to jump overboard as the ship sank in position 50’ 32N 00’ 22W, with the loss of one crewmember who died when he fell between the ships side and the lifeboat, an army storekeeper and one DEMS gunners who was trapped in the wreckage. The survivors were rescued by a number of motor launches and the wounded Master was transferred to the Destroyer HMS Fernie, but died from his wounds and was later buried ashore at Gillingham (Woodlands) Cemetery.
Cargo ship Iddesleigh, 5,205grt, (W.J. Tatem) loaded with a general cargo and 80 troops bound for Sword Beach at Normandy joined up with the 18 ship Convoy ETM-57, which departed Southend on the 6th August 1944 and arrived and anchored off the Seine Bay the following day. On the 10th August the ship was rocked by a huge explosion near the engine room and severely damaged killing two men in the engine room and one of the troops. With the engine room, boiler room and number four hold flooding rapidly, the troops were given the order to abandon ship, while retaining a small skeleton crew. The ship was eventually taken in tow and beached on Sword Beach and was eventually declared a total loss. The explosion was believed to have been caused by a German one man “Neger” torpedo.
Cargo ship Orminster, 5,712grt, (South American Saint Line) having finished discharging her cargo of war materials at Juno Beach at Normandy the ship joined the Southend bound 12 ship Convoy FTM-74, which departed the Seine Bay on the 25th August 1944. After falling behind the main convoy the same day with boiler trouble the Orminster was intercepted by U-480, 45 nautical miles North-West of Cap d’Antifer, France. Struck by a single torpedo in number five hold, blowing off the propeller and opening up the ship to the in rushing sea, and within ten minutes sank killing one crewmember and four DEMS gunners. The fifty-nine survivors were rescued by the Corvette HMS Pennwort and the naval trawler HMS Damsay and landed at Portsmouth. One other DEMS gunner died later from his wounds.
There were many other incidents, which could have been covered, but I am trying to show, that even after the beachheads had been secured, the Merchant Navy were still under constant threat from German forces in regards to mines, U-boats, etc even two month later while still supplying the Allied armies. Simple things like water were even shipped over the France in many of the small coastal tankers, to keep up with demand. To put it into perceptive, just from Southend itself 129 convoys consisting of 2,394 ship ran to the Seine Bay from June to October 1944. Once the Scheldt Estuary and the port of Antwerp had been captured by the Allies in November 1944, The TAM series of 172 convoys, consisting of 1,626 Merchant ships entered the port between December 1944 up until May 1945 to support the Allied advance. So desperate where the Germans to halt shipping at Antwerp, they even began using the V-2 rocket against the port and city, but still the Merchant men volunteered to run the gauntlet. How these men and the Merchant service have almost been written out of the history of WWII is beyond reason and is why they were never allowed to officially march at the Cenotaph in London until 1999. Truly the Forgotten Fourth Service........... until now.
Billy McGee