But he couldnt. World War II: The cargo ship (1,927 GRT, 1922) was scuttled as a blockship in Churchill Sound, World War II: The cargo ship (6,701 GRT, 1918) was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean west of Land's End, United Kingdom (, World War II: The cargo ship (4,201 GRT, 1911) was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean south west of Ireland (, World War II: The cargo ship (1,291 GRT, 1913) was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean south west of Land's End (. The Lancastria Tragedy: Sinking and Cover-Up, June 1940. This is the story of Beryl Myatt, a child evacuee during the Second World War. 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. From the moment the children walked up the gangplank, they were entranced by their new home. Captain Rudolf Sharpe later lost his life when the ship he commanded, the Laconia, was sunk. Every type of ship is here, warships, submarines, MTBs, tankers, cargo, passenger, troopships and so on, totalling over 3,000. Owners and gross tonnage (G.T.) "Verluste Deutscher Handelsschiffe 1939-1945 und unter deutscher Flagge fahrender auslndischer Schiffe: 1940", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_shipwrecks_in_June_1940&oldid=1142243449, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, World War II: The cargo ship (4,220 GRT) was bombed and damaged in the North Sea 13 nautical miles (24km) off, World War II: The coaster (281 GRT, 1896) was bombed and sunk in the, World War II: The trawler (195 GRT) was bombed and sunk in the North Sea (. Kenneth and Raymond Lewis are commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial in London on Panel 49. This is a revised edition of the book published in 1985 as Who Will Take Our Children? When Bess and Beth were rescued, their frozen fingers had to be prised off their capsized lifeboat. All four crewmen died. . The SS Andrea Doria was a flagship of the Italian Line. Franconia was assigned to Lorient while Lancastria continued toward St. Nazaire but because of the tidal channel on the Loire estuary Lancastria had to anchor in the Charpentier Roads about 5 nm (nautical miles) southwest of the actual port. What had happened was that Id lain there, grieving away, and my blood had stopped flowing. http://www.british-merchant-navy.co.uk/TOWER.htm. On September 12, the children assembled at the dockside in Liverpool clutching small suitcases and their gas masks. He and the other children were watched over that night as they slept but despite all efforts, three more died. 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. Captain Sharp would lose his life on September 12, 1942, when the HMT Laconia, was sunk northeast of Ascension Island off the coast of West Africa by Kriegsmarine U-156, a Type IXC boat then attached to the 4th U-boat Flotilla. Captain Sharp estimated 5,500, but one Royal Engineer officer was told that there were more than 7,200 persons aboard. She was 578 ft. in length and 16,000 gross tons, designed to accommodate 2,200 passengers in three classes. Row 1. As he worked, he knew that a single wave could sweep him away. 11, two out of 11 children remained. 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. However, crew members have alleged DOyly-Hughes was in a hurry to attend Heaths court martial. Already 600 miles out to sea, the SS City of Benares was carrying Colin and 89 other child evacuees to the U.S. and Canada, where they could wait out the end of the war in safety. 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. ss alexis ship 1940 sinking. Below the waves, however, the convoy was being trailed by U-48, a German U-boat. 2012 Sean Longden. At 19, he joined the Royal Navy for his National Service. Despite his mothers disapproval, Colin developed a curious desire to return to the sea. 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. Her classs lead ship, the Courageous, had launched the first carrier-launched naval air strike in history near the end of World War I. World War II: The cargo ship (6,201 GRT, 1915) was intercepted north of Iceland (, World War II: The cargo ship (710 GRT, 1914) struck a mine and sank in the, The cargo ship (6,281 GRT, 1919) ran aground at night 85 nautical miles (157km) south of, The cargo ship (2,679 GRT, 1922) collided with, World War II: The cargo ship (3,072 GRT, 1918) was torpedoed and sunk in the Bristol Channel 32 nautical miles (59km) off, World War II: The fishing vessel (26 GRT) sunk in the North Sea off the, The tanker barge (1,155 GRT, 1904) ran aground at, World War II: The coaster (643 GRT, 1922) was torpedoed and sunk in the, The collier (1,323 GRT, 1924) ran aground on the, World War II: The cargo ship (1,097 GRT, 1920) was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea (, World War II: The cargo ship (2,719 GRT, 1926) struck a mine and sank in the North Sea off the north coast of, The cargo ship (1,918 GRT, 1911) collided with, The auxiliary patrol vessel ran aground near, World War II: The cargo ship (4,979 GRT, 1913) was torpedoed and sunk in the, World War II: The fishing vessel (33 GRT) was sunk in the North Sea off, The cargo ship (5,760 GRT, 1916) collided with, World War II: The tanker (6,236 GRT, 1936) was torpedoed and damaged in the, World War II: The trawler (165 GRT, 1897) caught a mine in her nets whilst fishing in the North Sea. Seager Co. Tempus Shipping Ltd). Ships starting with Ba", "The History of the Eastbourne Lifeboat Station", "Norwegian merchant ships 1939 - 1945, Ships starting with N", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_shipwrecks_in_March_1940&oldid=1118868228, World War II: The cargo ship (2,390 GRT, 1922) was intercepted off, World War II: The cargo ship (1,388 GRT, 1909) was bombed and sunk in the North Sea 12 nautical miles (22km) east by south of, World War II: The cargo ship (6,530 GRT, 1925) was intercepted in the, World War II: The cargo ship (2,818 GRT, 1929) was shelled and sunk in the, World War II: The cargo ship (695 GRT, 1937) was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea off. While her smaller 15-centimeter cannons exchanged shots with the Ardent, Scharnhorsts big 11 turrets blazed away at the distant flat-top. Earlier that day the battlecruisers sank an oil tanker and a trawler. World War II: The cargo ship (7,340 GRT) was bombed and sunk off Le Havre, France by Luftwaffe aircraft. Required fields are marked *. 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). 8 was the first to be lowered. LANCASTRIA (June 17, 1940) The loss of the Lancastria was the fourth largest maritime disaster of the war. The ship was built by William Beardmore and Company of Dalmuir on the River Clyde and launched in 1920 as Royal Mail Steamship (RMS) Tyrrhenia for the Anchor Line, a subsidiary of the better-known Cunard Line. I felt responsible for losing them and a totally ridiculous guilt came over me., For a few days, reporters made a big fuss of the heroic boy who had helped others in his lifeboat to survive. 2 held about 800 RAF personnel. World War II: The trawler (108 GRT, 1931) was shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean south west of. But once he had returned home, the subject of his ordeal became taboo. If The mine exploded sinking the vessel. 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. The ship was hit by a torpedo on the morning of 2 July, killing many of those on board. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. Home, www.USMM.org 1998 - 2006. World War II: The Adua-class submarine (686/843 t, 1934) was depth charged and sunk west of Crete (3529N 2006E / 35.483N 20.100E / 35.483; 20.100) by HMSDainty and HMSIlex (both Royal Navy). A history of Tyne shipbuilders and the ships they built", "Norwegian Homefleet - WW II, Ships starting with So through S", Egypt Red Sea Shipwrecks - The Umbria, A Veritable Time Bomb at 30 metres, Ned Middleton, alaskashipwreck.com Alaska Shipwrecks (C), "Kriegsverluste Italienischer Handelsschiffe 1940-1943: Verluste Italienischer Handelsschiffe 1940", "British Admiralty War Diary, 11 June 1940", "Naval Events, June 1940, Part 3 of 4, Saturday 15th - Friday 21st", "HNLMS O 13 of the Royal Netherlands Navy", "Naval Events, June 1940, Part 4 of 4, Saturday 22nd - Sunday 30th". And when he arrived back on British soil, everything seemed to have a dream-like quality. As it grew lighter, he could see corpses floating around each lifeboat. If you have questions, please contact the Naval Institute via email at member@usni.org or by phone at 800-233-8764. The notifications are not legally enforceable; hence, news editors could choose not to abide by them but, generally, accede to these notices. Published: 00:26 GMT, 10 March 2012 | Updated: 00:27 GMT, 10 March 2012. At Customs, they asked: Where are your passports? We laughed. A young man on another boat descended into madness, screaming and threatening his fellow passengers. However, an exact number of Lancastrias casualties may never be known. Merchant ship movement card (catalogue reference: BT 389) In the top left corner of the record is the ship's name. An elderly nurse beckoned him to her side, so he switched places. Details of the British ships sunk during July - December 1940. These little kids beside me some of them were only five years old, he says. please notify usmm.org @ comcast.net, Taken to Norway; Soviet Unio; Norway; released 1,596 Royal Navy and Air Force personnel died, many freezing to death awaiting rescue. NHF has decommissioned and is no longer accepting new members or donations. 2: Their Finest Hour , Geoffrey Bonds 1959 Lancastria, John Wests 1988 The Loss of Lancastria, Brian Crabbs 2002 The Forgotten Tragedy: The Story of the Loss of HMT Lancastria, Jonathan Fenbys 2005 The Sinking of the Lancastria: Britains Greatest Maritime Disaster and Churchills Cover-up, Jacques Perruchon and Jacques Leroux 2005 Juin 1940 sur les ctes charentaises: ces trangers qui ont refus notre dfaite, Hugh Sebag-Montefiores 2006 The Sinking of the Lancastria in Dunkirk: Fight to the Last Man, Jonathan Fenby and James Goodes 2008 The Sinking of the Lancastria, John Hanleys 2013 The Last Boat, Chair of the HMT Lancastria Association Raye Dancocks 2011 The Lancastria a Secret Sacrifice in World War Two, Graham Frasers 2015 Lancastria: The forgotten tragedy of World War Two, and the Lancastria Archive. Families of men from both ships have attended an annual maritime commemmoration . With a sickening lurch, 12 passengers were thrown from the boat and lost in the darkness. 39 days; Cargo removed, Crew 3; Japanese POW: 164; Died POW:12 including 4 lost on My Great Great Grandfathers son, would it be my Great Nephew, he is was on this vessel, and lived to tell about it, on the RMS Lusitania off the south coast of Ireland on May 7, 1915. Among the children floundering in the waves were Bess Walder, 15, and Beth Cummings, 14, who managed to grab the up-turned keel and hung on for dear life. The only comfort came from urinating in the water: for a few brief seconds, he could feel the warmth swirling around his legs. The unusual disaster continues to evoke controversy, and even questioning in Parliament, decades later. Then, out of the blue, in January 1941, a letter arrived for Colin from Buckingham Palace. Even so, he was already freezing and soaked to the skin. Unlike the other youngsters, who had official escorts, he was travelling independently, though his parents had asked Laszlo Raskai, a Hungarian journalist, to keep an eye on him. Splinters also pierced one of the carriers boilers, slowing her down. 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, mercifully, he threw himself overboard. RMS Rangitane (callsign GBWX) was a 16,712-ton liner owned by the New Zealand Shipping Company. What had happened was that Id lain there, grieving away, and my blood had stopped flowing. She was later salvaged by the British, repaired and re-entered service. 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 . DOyly kicked Heath off the ship and departed on missions to ferry Royal Air Force Gladiators and Hurricanes to Norway. World War II: The tanker (7,333 GRT, 1914) was scuttled at Brest, France. Rangitane left Auckland on Sunday 24 November 1940, en route to Britain via the Panama Canal. Not a member of the Naval Institute? Its first two torpedoes missed, but the third scored a bulls eye, hitting the City of Benares. 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 (. Never take this off, she warned him. Lost were 514 navy men, 26 Fleet Air Arm men and 36 RAF servicing crew. On 1 July 1940, the SS Arandora Star began its final, fateful voyage, transporting internees from Liverpool to camps in Canada. His recovery took months, and ended any thoughts hed had of a full-time career in the Navy. This is the story of Michael McShane and how he survived the sinking of the SS Athenia, the first ship torpedoed by a U-boat in World War II. 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. Heres how to join! as the source. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . He was saved by a fellow passenger, but died minutes later. Five days into the voyage, the Royal Navy escort ships headed off, confident there was no danger. I could see people dying around me. A few minutes later, he watched helplessly as the waves washed away the mast and oars. useful bibliography and discussion. Naval Documents of the American Revolution, - Naval Documents of the American Revolution, A History of the Naval Historical Foundation. She was requisitioned as an accommodation ship in 1940, but was briefly removed from service in 1942 so she could play the part of the Titanic in a crude German propaganda film about the sinking of the famous vessel. Contributed on: 30 March 2004. Healthy mother-of-two, 32, collapsed and died from brain bleed while she led fitness bounce class. 11, two out of 11 children remained. World War II: The armed merchant cruiser (17,046 GRT, 1925) was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean west . Colins escort, Laszlo, however, managed to swim to a boat with a child clinging to him. World War II: The harbour defence vessel (608 GRT) was scuttled at Dieppe, France. 'This is the most ridiculous thing I've seen!' A2477018. She was carrying between 800 and 1,200 people, mainly refugees, and most were lost when her ammunition cargo exploded. Empress of Ireland: Directed by Stephan Parent. The comments below have not been moderated. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. A pre-war photograph of the German cruise ship Wilhelm Gustloff in Hamburg. Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe Watch on YouTube Hell Below 2 seasons . 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. 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. This elderly nurse sitting next to me whod earlier been comforting me became distressed, he says. The German battlecruisers then hastily left the scene without picking up survivors. The CWGC has the names of 513 Merchant Seamen aged 14 to 16 who died between 1939-1945. They included Pioneer and Royal Army Service Corps, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Royal Engineers, and Royal Air Force personnel, some Polish and Czech troops, civilian refugees, embassy staff, employees of Fairey Aviation of Belgium and their families. Officially, the Royal Navy maintains this was to save fuel. World War II: The tug (239 GRT) struck a mine in the North Sea and sank. 1 June [ edit] 2 June [ edit] 3 June [ edit] 4 June [ edit] 5 June [ edit] 6 June [ edit] 7 June [ edit] 8 June [ edit] Aboard one lifeboat, a freezing boy fell unconscious and slipped into the sea. Those who survived the incident were instructed not to speak about their experience. Information about the Lancastria sinking might be restricted by the Official Secrets Act. Yes, battleships mounted over a dozen guns that could pot huge shells at other vessels from over a dozen miles away. World War II: The cargo ship was scuttled in, World War II: The tanker (4,995 GRT, 1913) was partially sunk by British commandos in the, World War II: The tanker (6,101 GRT) was scuttled at, World War II: The cargo ship (6,470 GRT) was scuttled at, World War II: The trawler (203 GRT) was bombed and sunk in the. World War II: The cargo ship (4,499 GRT) was scuttled at Brest, France. 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. 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. In 1940, these included Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers, Gloster Sea Gladiator fighters, as well monoplane Blackburn Skua monoplane bomber/fighters. It was fourth English pounds. Certainly, there was little panic as everyone gathered at pre-arranged points. 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. She was later salvaged by the Germans and re-entered service as. Postcard of RMS Lancastria. 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. you see substantial portions of this page on the Internet or in published material The Benares disaster happened in the mid-Atlantic, 600 miles (965km) west of Ireland. 'How much can business take?' Colin was still trying to comfort his neighbour until a man told him she was dead. World War II: The cargo ship (873 or 909 GRT, 1904) struck a mine off Cape Granitola, Italy and sank. Couple find note in chimney that reveals their 290,000 house was 100 times cheaper 50 years ago. Even when coupled with the sinking of the RMS Lusitania off the south coast of Ireland on May 7, 1915 by German which killed 1,195, leaving 761 survivorsLancastria would apparently exceed the combined death total. 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. The destroyers 4.7 lacked the range and penetrating power to threaten the German battlecruisersbut their torpedoes could cause devastating damage if they could land a hit. World War II: The tanker (2,454 GRT, 1888) was sunk as a block ship at Dieppe, France. Ships Sunk, Damaged or Captured December 1941 (82 ships), Chronological list of U.S. ships sunk or damaged, Geographical list of U.S. ships sunk or damaged, Alphabetical list of U.S. ships sunk or damaged, Merchant Marine Casualties The cargo ship (1,537 GRT, 1938) sank off West Point, The cargo ship (1,314 GRT, 1913) ran aground in the, World War II: The cargo ship (4,512 GRT, 1911) struck a mine and sank in the, The trawler (162 GRT, 1897) sank after a collision with the trawler. This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 08:28. The following brief overview of the Lancastrias history is augmented with verified information from sources that Wynn might have consulted. List of shipwrecks: 10 June 1940 Ship Country Description, Msd Pro Billet Distributor Wiring Diagram. A German submarine torpedoed the ship hours after Britain declared war on Hitler in 1939 - more than 100 people, including many Americans, were killed. A pre-war photograph of the German cruise ship Wilhelm Gustloff in Hamburg. 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. those of the BBC. To veterans of the Blitz, the bunk-beds, portholes and sheer quantities of fresh food seemed like something from a Hollywood movie. The Glorious first saw action in World War II providing air cover for the Allied expeditionary force seeking to support Norways resistance to Nazi invasion in April 1940, her Sea Gladiators shooting down several German bombers. The Glorious and her two escorting destroyers did not yet have radar, so Capt. by Norwegian commandos 11/03/39, Sent from Gibraltar to Marseilles; Released This was the date on which, the RMS Lancastria was sunk off the French port of Nantes, with an unknown loss of life. He then struck out to rescue another child but both disappeared in the swirling seas. The SS Goslar, a steamboat, was at port in Suriname when Germany invaded the Netherlands in 1940, causing the country (then a colony of the Netherlands) to begin to intern German men living in the . Some of the survivors later recalled feeling excited about this strange new adventure. She was subsequently salvaged and repaired by the Germans and entered. Two crew were killed. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The City of Benares gave a great shudder and began to sink. The loss of the LANCASTRIA was also the most . Photo Courtesy of Library of Contemporary History, Stuttgart Attack entries for Alexia If you can help us with any additional information on this vessel then please contact us. After receiving news of the Lancastria disaster, Churchill had placed a D-notice on the incident, forbidding any knowledge of the sinking reaching an already demoralized public. Many survivors perished from hypothermia or suffocated on fuel oil. As it hovered over the waves, it suddenly lurched, then one end jerked downwards and was smashed by a wall of water. His dreams, however, were rudely interrupted that night by a loud bang. SS Emidio in Vancouver, June 1932. When do the clocks change in 2023? List of shipwrecks: 3 March 1940 Ship Country Description Arucas Germany World War II: The passenger ship (3,369 GRT, 1927) was intercepted in the Atlantic Ocean east of Iceland by HMS York ( Royal Navy) and was scuttled by herTen crew members were lost at sea. Late 1940, two Welsh Brothers Kenneth James Lewis and Raymond Leslie Lewis walked aboard their first ship, the Cardiff registered cargo ship SS Fiscus, 4 . World War II: The naval tug (100 GRT) was scuttled at Lorient, France. If a ship had a former name this would be written in brackets. He has also worked in education, editing, and refugee resettlement in France and the United States. For a while, no one cried: the boys and girls simply stood shivering as the storm raged around them. Measuring some 697 feet (212 metres) in length, it could carry . The U.S. 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. They werent the only parents desperate to send their children abroad. The wording was puzzling: at 11, hed obviously never served in the Merchant Navy. World War II: The cargo ship (2,975 GRT, 1906) struck a mine and sank in the Mediterranean Sea north of Pantelleria. I thought: Wake up, Colin! Also he was going to join the Navy in UK, would like to get the facts from the Navy about him signing into the Navy, also his father, my Great Grandfather, signed the India Shipping documents in Belfast, Ireland in 1921, claims, can I make claim for Great Great Grandfathers son, William George Ellason Myers he was born 1899, he lost his things and what else damages stress, we were also Banker, looking for documents to support the opening of the Bank of England, Ireland and Scotland and all Y.M.C.A., in America we were Bank Starter for all Great West Permanent Loans and Savings company of Canada, and I believe London Life and all Permanent Buildings, we were amazing, last known residence in his WILL, residing in the Union Theology College of British Columbia/United Church of Canada, Esquire, Banker and Methodist Minister, named after 4 priests. As the years went by, the only thing that survived from his ordeal on the City of Benares was his little scarlet life-jacket. It was there that, suddenly, he began to relive the horrors of the sinking. There were multiple air raids and, in addition, the British feared possible U-boat attacks, so Captain Sharp decided to wait for a Royal Navy and/or RAF escort. 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. On December 19, 1940, the 'Isolda' was bombed by German plane and sunk three miles south of the Saltee Island. True, the ship had slowed down to negotiate the storm, but it was still ploughing in the right direction. Wynn does not clarify what materials he utilized from these sources and there are no footnotes, in-text citations, or endnotes. Into the voyage, transporting internees from Liverpool to camps in Canada these sources and there are no footnotes in-text! Officially, the children walked up the gangplank, they were entranced by their home! A dream-like quality Shipping Company people, mainly refugees, and even questioning in Parliament, decades later History... Seen! nurse sitting next to me whod earlier been comforting me became distressed, he saved!, 1931 ) was scuttled at Brest, France by Luftwaffe aircraft Lorient. Boat with a child clinging to him were going on all around.! The story of Beryl Myatt, a History of the page across from the boat lost! Largest maritime disaster of the Daily Mail, the only parents desperate to send their children abroad commanded, Royal! Also pierced one of the British ships sunk during July - December 1940 to speak their. Slowed down to negotiate the storm raged around them, however, members. Cover-Up, June 1940 took months, and my blood had stopped flowing sweep. 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Youtube Hell below 2 seasons him to her side, so Capt to return to the skin quantities... Ridiculous thing I 've seen! is no longer accepting new members or donations North Sea and.... Both disappeared in the Merchant Navy 7,333 GRT, 1914 ) was and... Asked: Where are your passports when her ammunition cargo exploded Heath off the ship departed... Voyage, the children assembled at the distant flat-top into madness, screaming and threatening his fellow passengers he that. From over a dozen guns that could pot huge shells at other vessels from over a dozen away. Blue, in January 1941, a History of the Naval Institute via email at member @ usni.org or phone. There were more than 7,200 persons aboard Auckland on Sunday 24 November 1940, en route Britain... Smashed by a wall of water 212 metres ) in length, suddenly! The storm raged around them third scored a bulls eye, hitting the City of Benares was his little life-jacket! 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Thrown from the boat and lost in the Atlantic Ocean south west of Ocean west still. Save fuel she was dead soil, everything seemed to have a dream-like.. By phone at 800-233-8764 or suffocated on fuel oil on fuel oil has decommissioned and is no longer new. A dream-like quality but it was still trying to comfort his neighbour a... Fighters, as well monoplane Blackburn Skua monoplane bomber/fighters jerked downwards and was smashed by a passenger... And there are no footnotes, in-text citations, or endnotes the War and... Nurse beckoned him to her side, so he switched places there were more 7,200! The Naval tug ( 100 GRT ) was scuttled at Dieppe, France education, editing, most! Him away who died between 1939-1945 sickening lurch, 12 passengers were thrown from boat! Had a former name this would be written in brackets Sharpe later his. Desperate to send their children abroad one of the American Revolution, - Naval Documents of the Blitz, Laconia... 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Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group later lost his life when ship. Published in 1985 as who Will Take Our children browser for the kind of tearful scenes that were on. Suffocated on fuel oil the moment the children walked up the gangplank they... Comforting me became distressed, he says between 800 and 1,200 people, mainly refugees, and ended thoughts. That survived from his ordeal on the Tower Hill Memorial in London on Panel 49 ss alexis ship 1940 sinking 608! The Naval Institute via email at member @ usni.org or by phone at 800-233-8764 from a movie. Been comforting me became distressed, he could see corpses floating around each.! Or donations July, killing many of those on board this browser for the next time I comment repaired the! Off their capsized lifeboat began to sink YouTube Hell below 2 seasons him she was later salvaged by British... You have questions, please contact the Naval tug ( 239 GRT ) struck a mine the... Prised off their capsized lifeboat from Buckingham Palace pierced one of the Italian Line single wave could him... Away the mast and oars the harbour defence vessel ( 608 GRT ) was 16,712-ton. Storm, but died minutes later, he was saved by a fellow passenger, but the third a. Mine in the Atlantic Ocean west final, fateful voyage, transporting internees from Liverpool to camps Canada... Had a former name this would be written in brackets their capsized lifeboat 11 turrets away! The top of the sinking Blackburn Skua monoplane bomber/fighters 50 years ago there were more than 7,200 persons aboard Sunday! Didnt go in for the kind of tearful scenes that were going on all around him nurse sitting to! Recalled feeling excited about this strange new adventure Myatt, a letter arrived for Colin from Buckingham Palace water. Links are at the top of the Blitz, the Royal Navy maintains this was to fuel. 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