WW2 Forum - View Single Post - It happened today at sea

spidge · 09-01-2008, 12:51 AM

January 9th

From: http://www.seawaves.com/newsletters/...uary/09Jan.txt

1940

1939 - Destroyer HMS Kingston launched
1940 - At 0221, SS Manx was hit by one torpedo from U-19 off Kinnaird Head and sank within two minutes. Eight survivors managed to grab hold of an upturned lifeboat, but were scantily clad and in the stormy weather four of them gave up. After 8 hours the remaining four survivors were picked up by the Norwegian steam merchant Leka along with two men rescued from a raft
1940 - Destroyer HMS Fernie launched
1940 - Unescorted merchant ships in the North Sea are attacked by an unknown number of Luftwaffe aircraft. Three British vessels are sunk; two Danish vessels are damaged; many casualties
1940 - HMS Starfish is scuttled in the Heligoland Bight after depth charge attack by a German minesweeper. Submarine operations in the area are abandoned. S class submarine HMS Starfish attempted an attack on minesweeper M7, but due to faulty drill, no torpedoes were actually fired. After a number of depth charge attacks by the minesweeper and some other vessels, conditions inside the submarine became serious, and while attempting to surface after dark, Starfish finds herself under machine gun fire from enemy vessels on either bow. The Commander decides to abandon the submarine and scuttles in the North Sea southwest of Heligoland. This is the third RN submarine to be lost within as many days
1940 - The first colonial contingent of Cypriot troops arrives to reinforce the BEF in France
1940 - British ocean liner SS Dunbar Castle mined and sunk off the southeast coast of England. It is feared that 152 people have lost their lives

1941

1941 - Churchill also writes to Roosevelt explaining that many of the 50 destroyers handed over in 1940 had not yet entered service. This is because they need extensive refitting to prepare them for service in the northwestern approaches. "This is inevitable in the case of ships laid up for long periods, and the Admiralty is giving your Naval Attaché here details of the work found to be necessary ...in case you want to work up any of the remaining destroyers in your yards"

1941 - "Speck" Purnell, Chief of Staff to ADM Hart, Commander of the US Asiatic Fleet, meets this month with Dutch military representatives in Java. These meetings begin today and continue for the next 9 days
1941 - Transport USS William Ward Burrows (ex-SS Santa Rita) arrives at Wake Island with the first increment of
workmen (80 men and 2,000 tons of equipment of Contractors Pacific Naval Air Bases) to begin building a naval air station there
1941 - At 1814, the unescorted SS Bassano was torpedoed & sunk by U-105 NW of Rockall. One crewmember was lost. The master, 48 crewmembers, two gunners & five passengers were picked up by HMS Wild Swan & landed at Liverpool
1941 - U-410 laid down
1941 - Destroyer HMS Bath transferred to Norway with same name
1941 - The Royal Navy's Force H, including the carrier HMS Ark Royal, provided cover for Operation Excess, a convoy of supply ships headed for Malta and Greece. Ark Royal dispatched six Swordfish torpedo bombers to reinforce 830 Squadron of the Fleet Air Arm, based on Malta, which was conducting a successful campaign of night attacks on Axis shipping and installations in Sicily. Italian SM79 bombers attacked Force H, but were intercepted by Ark Royal's Fulmar fighters and two were shot down by Lieutenant Tillard. Other Italian aircraft, including Stukas, attacked Malta, inflicting some damage to RAF aircraft on the ground. An air combat with 261 Squadron's Hurricanes saw two Macchi MC200 fighters shot down
1941 - French submarine Narval is sunk by Axis forces. The Narval had been the first French naval vessel to side with General Charles de Gaulle's Free French forces
1941 - Minesweeper HMCS Quatsino launched Prince Rupert BC

1942

1942 - Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding Malaya, issues instructions for withdrawal of the Indian 3 Corps into Johore, where a final stand before Singapore Naval Base is to be made
1942 - Submarine USS Pollack torpedoes & sinks a Japanese merchant ship 40 miles south-SW of Inubozaki, Japan
1942 - U-274, U-391, U-650 laid down
1942 - Submarine USS Pollack torpedoes and sinks a Japanese merchant ship 40 miles southsouthwest of Inubozaki, Japan
1942 - Five of nine USAAF Far East Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses, based at Singosari Airdrome on Java and staging through Kendari Airdrome on Celebes Island, Netherlands East Indies, strike shipping in Davao Bay, Mindanao. The other four aircraft turn back with mechanical problems
1942 - Destroyer HMS Vimiera sunk by mine in Thames Estuary
1942 - U-183, U-612 launched
1942 - Corvette HMCS Moose Jaw ran aground St John's, Newfoundland

1943

1943 - At 0619, U-522 fired three torpedoes at the convoy TM-1 and reported three hits, which were also observed by U-575 & claimed three tankers sunk. It is probable that two torpedoes hit the Minister Wedel, which started to burn fiercely and the other the Norvik. HMS Havelock unsuccessfully tried to scuttle both badly damaged ships by gunfire. In the afternoon, U-522 reported the sinking of three damaged tankers in grid DG 9510 at 1515, 1650 & 1730 by coup de grâce. But again, the U-boat probably attacked one of the tankers twice, so only Norvik and Minister Wedel were finished off. Minister Wedel was hit on the starboard side forward & was abandoned by all 33 crewmembers and five gunners. HMS Havelock picked up the survivors & went alongside, allowing the master & four others to reboard the vessel to see if she could be saved, but nothing could be done. Two days later the master returned on another escort vessel, but the tanker had been sunk in the meantime
1943 - At 0727, U-442 attacked Convoy TM-1 west of the Canary Islands (grid DG 9411) & claimed hits on two tankers, but in fact only one torpedo had hit the Empire Lytton. The chief officer, 12 crewmembers and one gunner were lost. The master, 30 crewmembers and three gunners were picked up by the HMS Saxifrage & landed at Gibraltar. HMS Havelock failed to sink the wreck with gunfire. At 1450, U-442 found the drifting tanker and torpedoed her again, but the tanker remained afloat and only sank after a further torpedo hit at 1938
1943 - Destroyer escorts USS Bebas, Buckley, Carlson, Griswold, Steele launched
1943 - At 2025, the unescorted Louise Lykes was hit by two of four torpedoes fired by U-384 from a distance of 1800 meters, while proceeding on a zigzagging course at 15 knots. The ship exploded with a terrible blast, forcing the U-boat to crash dive because debris was falling onto the deck and into the water around her. As the U-boat resurfaced after five minutes, the ship had disappeared. The ten officers, 41 crewmen and 32 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, two 3in and eight 20mm guns) all perished
1943 - Minesweeping trawler HMS Property commissioned
1943 - At 0433, U-124 attacked the convoy TB-1 and hit the Broad Arrow with two torpedoes and sank the Birmingham City with one torpedo at 0436. The Broad Arrow in station #31 was struck on the port side by the first torpedo at the after magazine. The explosion tore open the entire after end of the vessel and she flooded rapidly and settled by the stern. The explosion probably killed seven of the eight armed guards on board (the ship was armed with one 5in and two .30cal guns). Moments later the second torpedo struck forward of amidships and set the cargo on fire, so that the tanker lit up the entire convoy. The explosions killed all hands standing on watch on the bridge (including the master) and in the engine room. She began to settle more evenly and sank stern first at 07.00 hours. The survivors of the eight officers and 31 men abandoned ship within five minutes without orders in two lifeboats and two rafts. Some men stranded on the burning tanker and in the water, because the lifeboats were launched with only a few men in it. Three officers, 22 crewmen and one armed guard were picked up by the American submarine chaser USS PC-577 about ten hours later and landed them at Paramaribo the next day. The Second Mate died on board and the Pumpman died from burns in the hospital. Both were buried in Paramaribo. Birmingham City was hit on the port side amidships at the #3 hatch and the ship began to blaze. The explosion blew the port lifeboats overboard, destroyed the fireroom bulkhead and caused her to sink on an even keel in three minutes about 50 miles north of Paramaribo, Dutch Guyana. The most of the nine officers, 29 crewmen and 18 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, one 3in and four .50cal guns) immediately abandoned ship as she rapidly settled. The #1 motor lifeboat capsized on launching, pitching men into the water and contributing to the drowning of several crewmen. The remaining survivors left in #3 boat or jumped overboard and swam to several rafts. The #1 boat was later righted and the men from the rafts were transferred to it. Three officers, two crewmen and five armed guards died, most from drowning. All survivors were picked up by subchaser USS PC-577 ten hours later and landed at Paramaribo
1943 - At 0557, U-124 fired two torpedoes in a second attack on Convoy TB-1 about 100 miles NE of Paramaribo and two minutes later another torpedo. Mohr thought that he had hit three ships, but in fact the first torpedo passed astern of the Collingsworth, the second hit the ship and the third missed also, but hit the Minotaur. The torpedo was seen about 200 yards from the Minotaur & the helmsman put the wheel hard to port, but it was too late and it struck on the port side in the #1 hold. The explosion opened a large hole and flooded the hold rapidly. The engines were secured and the eight officers, 28 crewmen, 15 armed guards (the ship was armed with two 3in and two .50cal guns) and one passenger (naval medical officer) began abandon ship in two lifeboats, but the ship sank by the bow within four minutes, fouling one boat and capsizing the other. The men were thrown in the water and had to swim to three rafts that floated free. Two officers and four crewmen drowned. The survivors were picked up by submarine chaser USS PC-577 later that day and landed at Paramaribo, Surinam. The Collingsworth was struck by the second torpedo on the port side between the #1 and #2 holds. The helmsman spotted the third torpedo, swung the ship hard to port and it missed by ten feet but hit a ship in the next column. The engines were secured and an inspection found no serious damage other than flooding to the compartments. But the ship began to settle fast, sinking by the head four minutes after the hit. Her crew of eight officers, 35 men and 24 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, one 3in and four 20mm guns) abandoned the ship almost immediately. The #1 boat got away with 21 men, but the #3 boat fouled while launching, forcing the men to jump into the water. 34 survivors were picked up by the American submarine chaser USS PC-577 from the wreckage and one raft 13 hours later. The survivors in #1 boat were picked up by the Norwegian steam merchant Dalvangen 36 hours after the attack. The master, another officer, 6 crewmen and four armed guards did not survive
1943 - U-250 laid down
1943 - U-236 commissioned
1943 - U-511 sank SS William Wilberforce in position 29.20N, 26.53W - Grid DG 9116
1943 - Submarine USS Seahorse launched
1943 - Minesweeper USS Climax launched
1943 - Destroyer HMS Achates in action with strong enemy force off the North Cape while escorting a convoy to Russia. Damaged in the defense of the convoy & subsequently sank. 7 officers & 106 ratings lost their killed
1943 - Tokyo radio announced that Nanking Government in China had declared war on the United States and Britain, and that a Sino-Japanese declaration had been signed for cooperation between the Chinese Government and Japan, the abolition of extraterritoriality, and the retrocession of concessions and settlements
1943 - Decorations were awarded to Canadian naval officers: Commander of the Bath: VAdm. Percy Walker Nelles, RCN. Commander of the Order of the British Empire: RAdm. (E) George Leslie Stephens, RCN. Order of the British Empire: Cdr. Charles Henry Brown, RCN; A/Capt. Edmund Johnstone, RCN; A/Capt. Horatio Nelson Lay, RCN; Capt. Edmund “Rollo" Mainguy, RCN; A/Capt. George "Gus" Ralph Miles, RCN; LCdr. (E) Alfred Borden Arnison, RCNR; LCdr. Charles Copelin, RCNR; LCdr. Norman Vincent Clark, RCNR; Lt. (E) Louis Gerard Fabian Despres, RCNR; and LCdr. (E) Joseph Mobry Maheu, RCNR. Distinguished Service Cross: A/Cdr. James "Jimmy" Calcutt Hibbard, RCN; and A/Cdr. Dickson Carlisle Wallace, RCNR

1944

1944 - Destroyer escorts USS Rinehart & Roche launched
1944 - Corvette HMS Abelia lost her rudder after being hit by a U-boat torpedo. It is not known which U-boat fired the torpedo. The convoy, OS-64, had been shadowed by U-757 that was lost on 8 January and by U-731, which was attacked by an escort vessel on 10 January and was lucky to escape
1944 - Destroyer USS De Haven launched
1944 - Submarine USS Hawkbill launched
1944 - Patrol Vessel District YP-281 foundered in heavy weather
1944 - U-81 sunk at 1130 at Pola in position 44.52N, 13.51E by US bombs. Raised on 22 April 1944 & broken up. 2 dead, unknown number of survivors. U-boat pens there were hit and 4 men from U-407 killed & 1 wounded. The boat sailed for the next time on 29 Jan. [Oberleutnant (Ing) Heinz Weser, Leutnant zur See Eberhard Baumgart, Maschinenobergfreiter Rudolf Güttge, and Maschinenobergefreiter Heinz Bönisch]
1944 - Prime Minister Churchill and General de Gaulle met at Marrakesh, Morocco, for discussions on the cooperation of a French expeditionary force in the invasion of Europe, and the degree of authority of the French committee in the control of civil affairs inside France after the invasion
1944 - Minesweeper HMCS Lockeport, enroute Baltimore MD for refit, broke down & traveled 190 miles under improvised sail before being towed
1944 - Frigate HMCS Port Colborne arrived Halifax from builder Esquimalt BC

1945

1945 - Submarine HMS Totem commissioned
1945 - Destroyer USS Chevalier commissioned
1945 - US landing on Luzon at Lingayen Gulf begins. This is Operation Mike1.
1945 - U-2353 commissioned
1945 - U-679 sunk in the Baltic Sea in position 59.26N, 24.07E by depth charges from Soviet ASW vessel MO 124. 51 dead (all hands lost)
1945 - Free French patrol vessel L'Enjoue (ex-USS PC-482) hit by a Gnat from U-870 while escorting Convoy GC-107 and sank off Cape Spartel
1945 - At 1815, SS Jonas Lie in station #35 of convoy ON-277 was torpedoed by U-1055 at the entrance to the Bristol Channel. One torpedo struck on the starboard side in the #3 deep tank and ripped open the bulkhead between the engine room and the #4 hold, killing two men on watch below. The explosion created a hole 20 feet long at the waterline and broke steam and electrical connections. As the ship lost way she listed 10° to port and 25 minutes after the attack the majority off the 41 crewmembers, 27 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in, one 3in and eight 20mm guns) and one passenger (US Army security officer) abandoned ship in three lifeboats. The current swept the boats away from the freighter and armed trawler HMS Huddlersfield Town picked up these men. The skeleton crew (master, chief officer, bosn and one seaman) left the ship three hours after the attack by order from the British Admiralty officials and were landed at Milford Haven the same evening. One survivor, which had been blown overboard by the explosion, was picked up by the Norwegian motor merchant Fosna and landed in New York on 23 January. On 10 January, the master and 13 men departed on tug HMS Storm King to board the Jonas Lie, but overnight the vessel had drifted into a minefield. The next day, they boarded the vessel and the tug took her in tow, but on 12 January, the cable parted in heavy seas. The British tug HMS Empire Sprite came to assist, but to no avail. At 1300 on 13 January, a lifesaving boat took the boarding party off and landed them at St. Mary's Island. The vessel foundered the next day
1945 - Carrier aircraft begin 2-day attack on Japanese forces, Luzon, Philippines
1945 - American forces began landing at Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines

09-01-2008, 12:51 AM	#1 (permalink)
spidge Super Moderator Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Melbourne Australia Posts: 3,315 You're Top Poster: #3 Awards Showcase Total Awards: 6	It happened today at sea - WW2! January 9th From: http://www.seawaves.com/newsletters/...uary/09Jan.txt 1940 1939 - Destroyer HMS Kingston launched 1940 - At 0221, SS Manx was hit by one torpedo from U-19 off Kinnaird Head and sank within two minutes. Eight survivors managed to grab hold of an upturned lifeboat, but were scantily clad and in the stormy weather four of them gave up. After 8 hours the remaining four survivors were picked up by the Norwegian steam merchant Leka along with two men rescued from a raft 1940 - Destroyer HMS Fernie launched 1940 - Unescorted merchant ships in the North Sea are attacked by an unknown number of Luftwaffe aircraft. Three British vessels are sunk; two Danish vessels are damaged; many casualties 1940 - HMS Starfish is scuttled in the Heligoland Bight after depth charge attack by a German minesweeper. Submarine operations in the area are abandoned. S class submarine HMS Starfish attempted an attack on minesweeper M7, but due to faulty drill, no torpedoes were actually fired. After a number of depth charge attacks by the minesweeper and some other vessels, conditions inside the submarine became serious, and while attempting to surface after dark, Starfish finds herself under machine gun fire from enemy vessels on either bow. The Commander decides to abandon the submarine and scuttles in the North Sea southwest of Heligoland. This is the third RN submarine to be lost within as many days 1940 - The first colonial contingent of Cypriot troops arrives to reinforce the BEF in France 1940 - British ocean liner SS Dunbar Castle mined and sunk off the southeast coast of England. It is feared that 152 people have lost their lives 1941 1941 - Churchill also writes to Roosevelt explaining that many of the 50 destroyers handed over in 1940 had not yet entered service. This is because they need extensive refitting to prepare them for service in the northwestern approaches. "This is inevitable in the case of ships laid up for long periods, and the Admiralty is giving your Naval Attaché here details of the work found to be necessary ...in case you want to work up any of the remaining destroyers in your yards" 1941 - "Speck" Purnell, Chief of Staff to ADM Hart, Commander of the US Asiatic Fleet, meets this month with Dutch military representatives in Java. These meetings begin today and continue for the next 9 days 1941 - Transport USS William Ward Burrows (ex-SS Santa Rita) arrives at Wake Island with the first increment of workmen (80 men and 2,000 tons of equipment of Contractors Pacific Naval Air Bases) to begin building a naval air station there 1941 - At 1814, the unescorted SS Bassano was torpedoed & sunk by U-105 NW of Rockall. One crewmember was lost. The master, 48 crewmembers, two gunners & five passengers were picked up by HMS Wild Swan & landed at Liverpool 1941 - U-410 laid down 1941 - Destroyer HMS Bath transferred to Norway with same name 1941 - The Royal Navy's Force H, including the carrier HMS Ark Royal, provided cover for Operation Excess, a convoy of supply ships headed for Malta and Greece. Ark Royal dispatched six Swordfish torpedo bombers to reinforce 830 Squadron of the Fleet Air Arm, based on Malta, which was conducting a successful campaign of night attacks on Axis shipping and installations in Sicily. Italian SM79 bombers attacked Force H, but were intercepted by Ark Royal's Fulmar fighters and two were shot down by Lieutenant Tillard. Other Italian aircraft, including Stukas, attacked Malta, inflicting some damage to RAF aircraft on the ground. An air combat with 261 Squadron's Hurricanes saw two Macchi MC200 fighters shot down 1941 - French submarine Narval is sunk by Axis forces. The Narval had been the first French naval vessel to side with General Charles de Gaulle's Free French forces 1941 - Minesweeper HMCS Quatsino launched Prince Rupert BC 1942 1942 - Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding Malaya, issues instructions for withdrawal of the Indian 3 Corps into Johore, where a final stand before Singapore Naval Base is to be made 1942 - Submarine USS Pollack torpedoes & sinks a Japanese merchant ship 40 miles south-SW of Inubozaki, Japan 1942 - U-274, U-391, U-650 laid down 1942 - Submarine USS Pollack torpedoes and sinks a Japanese merchant ship 40 miles southsouthwest of Inubozaki, Japan 1942 - Five of nine USAAF Far East Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses, based at Singosari Airdrome on Java and staging through Kendari Airdrome on Celebes Island, Netherlands East Indies, strike shipping in Davao Bay, Mindanao. The other four aircraft turn back with mechanical problems 1942 - Destroyer HMS Vimiera sunk by mine in Thames Estuary 1942 - U-183, U-612 launched 1942 - Corvette HMCS Moose Jaw ran aground St John's, Newfoundland 1943 1943 - At 0619, U-522 fired three torpedoes at the convoy TM-1 and reported three hits, which were also observed by U-575 & claimed three tankers sunk. It is probable that two torpedoes hit the Minister Wedel, which started to burn fiercely and the other the Norvik. HMS Havelock unsuccessfully tried to scuttle both badly damaged ships by gunfire. In the afternoon, U-522 reported the sinking of three damaged tankers in grid DG 9510 at 1515, 1650 & 1730 by coup de grâce. But again, the U-boat probably attacked one of the tankers twice, so only Norvik and Minister Wedel were finished off. Minister Wedel was hit on the starboard side forward & was abandoned by all 33 crewmembers and five gunners. HMS Havelock picked up the survivors & went alongside, allowing the master & four others to reboard the vessel to see if she could be saved, but nothing could be done. Two days later the master returned on another escort vessel, but the tanker had been sunk in the meantime 1943 - At 0727, U-442 attacked Convoy TM-1 west of the Canary Islands (grid DG 9411) & claimed hits on two tankers, but in fact only one torpedo had hit the Empire Lytton. The chief officer, 12 crewmembers and one gunner were lost. The master, 30 crewmembers and three gunners were picked up by the HMS Saxifrage & landed at Gibraltar. HMS Havelock failed to sink the wreck with gunfire. At 1450, U-442 found the drifting tanker and torpedoed her again, but the tanker remained afloat and only sank after a further torpedo hit at 1938 1943 - Destroyer escorts USS Bebas, Buckley, Carlson, Griswold, Steele launched 1943 - At 2025, the unescorted Louise Lykes was hit by two of four torpedoes fired by U-384 from a distance of 1800 meters, while proceeding on a zigzagging course at 15 knots. The ship exploded with a terrible blast, forcing the U-boat to crash dive because debris was falling onto the deck and into the water around her. As the U-boat resurfaced after five minutes, the ship had disappeared. The ten officers, 41 crewmen and 32 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, two 3in and eight 20mm guns) all perished 1943 - Minesweeping trawler HMS Property commissioned 1943 - At 0433, U-124 attacked the convoy TB-1 and hit the Broad Arrow with two torpedoes and sank the Birmingham City with one torpedo at 0436. The Broad Arrow in station #31 was struck on the port side by the first torpedo at the after magazine. The explosion tore open the entire after end of the vessel and she flooded rapidly and settled by the stern. The explosion probably killed seven of the eight armed guards on board (the ship was armed with one 5in and two .30cal guns). Moments later the second torpedo struck forward of amidships and set the cargo on fire, so that the tanker lit up the entire convoy. The explosions killed all hands standing on watch on the bridge (including the master) and in the engine room. She began to settle more evenly and sank stern first at 07.00 hours. The survivors of the eight officers and 31 men abandoned ship within five minutes without orders in two lifeboats and two rafts. Some men stranded on the burning tanker and in the water, because the lifeboats were launched with only a few men in it. Three officers, 22 crewmen and one armed guard were picked up by the American submarine chaser USS PC-577 about ten hours later and landed them at Paramaribo the next day. The Second Mate died on board and the Pumpman died from burns in the hospital. Both were buried in Paramaribo. Birmingham City was hit on the port side amidships at the #3 hatch and the ship began to blaze. The explosion blew the port lifeboats overboard, destroyed the fireroom bulkhead and caused her to sink on an even keel in three minutes about 50 miles north of Paramaribo, Dutch Guyana. The most of the nine officers, 29 crewmen and 18 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, one 3in and four .50cal guns) immediately abandoned ship as she rapidly settled. The #1 motor lifeboat capsized on launching, pitching men into the water and contributing to the drowning of several crewmen. The remaining survivors left in #3 boat or jumped overboard and swam to several rafts. The #1 boat was later righted and the men from the rafts were transferred to it. Three officers, two crewmen and five armed guards died, most from drowning. All survivors were picked up by subchaser USS PC-577 ten hours later and landed at Paramaribo 1943 - At 0557, U-124 fired two torpedoes in a second attack on Convoy TB-1 about 100 miles NE of Paramaribo and two minutes later another torpedo. Mohr thought that he had hit three ships, but in fact the first torpedo passed astern of the Collingsworth, the second hit the ship and the third missed also, but hit the Minotaur. The torpedo was seen about 200 yards from the Minotaur & the helmsman put the wheel hard to port, but it was too late and it struck on the port side in the #1 hold. The explosion opened a large hole and flooded the hold rapidly. The engines were secured and the eight officers, 28 crewmen, 15 armed guards (the ship was armed with two 3in and two .50cal guns) and one passenger (naval medical officer) began abandon ship in two lifeboats, but the ship sank by the bow within four minutes, fouling one boat and capsizing the other. The men were thrown in the water and had to swim to three rafts that floated free. Two officers and four crewmen drowned. The survivors were picked up by submarine chaser USS PC-577 later that day and landed at Paramaribo, Surinam. The Collingsworth was struck by the second torpedo on the port side between the #1 and #2 holds. The helmsman spotted the third torpedo, swung the ship hard to port and it missed by ten feet but hit a ship in the next column. The engines were secured and an inspection found no serious damage other than flooding to the compartments. But the ship began to settle fast, sinking by the head four minutes after the hit. Her crew of eight officers, 35 men and 24 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, one 3in and four 20mm guns) abandoned the ship almost immediately. The #1 boat got away with 21 men, but the #3 boat fouled while launching, forcing the men to jump into the water. 34 survivors were picked up by the American submarine chaser USS PC-577 from the wreckage and one raft 13 hours later. The survivors in #1 boat were picked up by the Norwegian steam merchant Dalvangen 36 hours after the attack. The master, another officer, 6 crewmen and four armed guards did not survive 1943 - U-250 laid down 1943 - U-236 commissioned 1943 - U-511 sank SS William Wilberforce in position 29.20N, 26.53W - Grid DG 9116 1943 - Submarine USS Seahorse launched 1943 - Minesweeper USS Climax launched 1943 - Destroyer HMS Achates in action with strong enemy force off the North Cape while escorting a convoy to Russia. Damaged in the defense of the convoy & subsequently sank. 7 officers & 106 ratings lost their killed 1943 - Tokyo radio announced that Nanking Government in China had declared war on the United States and Britain, and that a Sino-Japanese declaration had been signed for cooperation between the Chinese Government and Japan, the abolition of extraterritoriality, and the retrocession of concessions and settlements 1943 - Decorations were awarded to Canadian naval officers: Commander of the Bath: VAdm. Percy Walker Nelles, RCN. Commander of the Order of the British Empire: RAdm. (E) George Leslie Stephens, RCN. Order of the British Empire: Cdr. Charles Henry Brown, RCN; A/Capt. Edmund Johnstone, RCN; A/Capt. Horatio Nelson Lay, RCN; Capt. Edmund “Rollo" Mainguy, RCN; A/Capt. George "Gus" Ralph Miles, RCN; LCdr. (E) Alfred Borden Arnison, RCNR; LCdr. Charles Copelin, RCNR; LCdr. Norman Vincent Clark, RCNR; Lt. (E) Louis Gerard Fabian Despres, RCNR; and LCdr. (E) Joseph Mobry Maheu, RCNR. Distinguished Service Cross: A/Cdr. James "Jimmy" Calcutt Hibbard, RCN; and A/Cdr. Dickson Carlisle Wallace, RCNR 1944 1944 - Destroyer escorts USS Rinehart & Roche launched 1944 - Corvette HMS Abelia lost her rudder after being hit by a U-boat torpedo. It is not known which U-boat fired the torpedo. The convoy, OS-64, had been shadowed by U-757 that was lost on 8 January and by U-731, which was attacked by an escort vessel on 10 January and was lucky to escape 1944 - Destroyer USS De Haven launched 1944 - Submarine USS Hawkbill launched 1944 - Patrol Vessel District YP-281 foundered in heavy weather 1944 - U-81 sunk at 1130 at Pola in position 44.52N, 13.51E by US bombs. Raised on 22 April 1944 & broken up. 2 dead, unknown number of survivors. U-boat pens there were hit and 4 men from U-407 killed & 1 wounded. The boat sailed for the next time on 29 Jan. [Oberleutnant (Ing) Heinz Weser, Leutnant zur See Eberhard Baumgart, Maschinenobergfreiter Rudolf Güttge, and Maschinenobergefreiter Heinz Bönisch] 1944 - Prime Minister Churchill and General de Gaulle met at Marrakesh, Morocco, for discussions on the cooperation of a French expeditionary force in the invasion of Europe, and the degree of authority of the French committee in the control of civil affairs inside France after the invasion 1944 - Minesweeper HMCS Lockeport, enroute Baltimore MD for refit, broke down & traveled 190 miles under improvised sail before being towed 1944 - Frigate HMCS Port Colborne arrived Halifax from builder Esquimalt BC 1945 1945 - Submarine HMS Totem commissioned 1945 - Destroyer USS Chevalier commissioned 1945 - US landing on Luzon at Lingayen Gulf begins. This is Operation Mike1. 1945 - U-2353 commissioned 1945 - U-679 sunk in the Baltic Sea in position 59.26N, 24.07E by depth charges from Soviet ASW vessel MO 124. 51 dead (all hands lost) 1945 - Free French patrol vessel L'Enjoue (ex-USS PC-482) hit by a Gnat from U-870 while escorting Convoy GC-107 and sank off Cape Spartel 1945 - At 1815, SS Jonas Lie in station #35 of convoy ON-277 was torpedoed by U-1055 at the entrance to the Bristol Channel. One torpedo struck on the starboard side in the #3 deep tank and ripped open the bulkhead between the engine room and the #4 hold, killing two men on watch below. The explosion created a hole 20 feet long at the waterline and broke steam and electrical connections. As the ship lost way she listed 10° to port and 25 minutes after the attack the majority off the 41 crewmembers, 27 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in, one 3in and eight 20mm guns) and one passenger (US Army security officer) abandoned ship in three lifeboats. The current swept the boats away from the freighter and armed trawler HMS Huddlersfield Town picked up these men. The skeleton crew (master, chief officer, bosn and one seaman) left the ship three hours after the attack by order from the British Admiralty officials and were landed at Milford Haven the same evening. One survivor, which had been blown overboard by the explosion, was picked up by the Norwegian motor merchant Fosna and landed in New York on 23 January. On 10 January, the master and 13 men departed on tug HMS Storm King to board the Jonas Lie, but overnight the vessel had drifted into a minefield. The next day, they boarded the vessel and the tug took her in tow, but on 12 January, the cable parted in heavy seas. The British tug HMS Empire Sprite came to assist, but to no avail. At 1300 on 13 January, a lifesaving boat took the boarding party off and landed them at St. Mary's Island. The vessel foundered the next day 1945 - Carrier aircraft begin 2-day attack on Japanese forces, Luzon, Philippines 1945 - American forces began landing at Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines __________________ Spidge, ------------------------------------------------------- My Avatar is the memorial to the 22 Commonwealth Coastwatchers at the Temakin Cemetery on Betio (Tarawa Atoll) who were beheaded by the Japanese on 15th October 1942. http://www.dva.gov.au/media/publicat...mem_beito.html "You were given the choice between war and dishonor. You chose dishonor and you will have war." (Winston Churchill made this prophetic pronouncement in a House of Commons speech in 1938, just after Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain signed the Munich agreement with Hitler. Chamberlain returned from Germany with the signed agreement in hand, proclaiming that "peace in our time" had been achieved. Churchill attacked Chamberlain's "politics of appeasement" in this and many other speeches.) What did the Australians do in ww2 and other conflicts? Check out this site: http://www.diggerhistory.info/00-pag...ster-index.htm Last edited by spidge; 09-01-2008 at 01:20 AM..