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. 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 . 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. Colin was assigned to Lifeboat 2. SS Express was a Type C3-E cargo ship of American Export Lines that was sunk by Japanese submarine I-10 in June 1942 in the Indian Ocean. However, on June 8 DOyly-Hughes received permission to depart independently for Scapa Flow escorted by just two destroyers. Published: 00:26 GMT, 10 March 2012 | Updated: 00:27 GMT, 10 March 2012. She was subsequently salvaged by the Germans and re-entered service as. 1,596 Royal Navy and Air Force personnel died, many freezing to death awaiting rescue. The evacuees were in several western French ports including Lorient and St. Nazaire on the Loire River. 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. Officially, the Royal Navy maintains this was to save fuel. Fortunately for Colin, he was better off than some: he had his padded life-jacket, a balaclava and a pair of string gloves that his mother had put in his pockets. The date was September 17, 1940. In a matter of minutes, the British sailors would discover to their horror that the innocuous little dots constituted the worst threat conceivablethe German battlecruisers Gneisenau and Scharnhorst. Only Colin stood out, because he was dressed in a bright red jacket. The RMS Queen Mary is now a floating hotel located in . With his red life-jacket already on over his pyjamas, he headed up the stairs. Only one crew member from the Ardent, two from the Acasta, and thirty-six from the Glorious survived to be picked up by Norwegian and German forces. 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 . She was subsequently salvaged by the Germans and re-entered service as. 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. If a ship had a former name this would be written in brackets. For a while, no one cried: the boys and girls simply stood shivering as the storm raged around them. It was like sitting in a giant bathtub full of freezing water, he recalls. A German submarine torpedoed the ship hours after Britain declared war on Hitler in 1939 - more than 100 people, including many Americans, were killed. It was there that, suddenly, he began to relive the horrors of the sinking. 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. The site of the sinking is not an official War Grave safeguarded by The Protection of Military Remains Act of 1986 because the British have no jurisdiction over the French territorial waters where Lancastrias wreck lies, but the French government has provided an appropriate level of protection to the site, prohibiting diving on the wreck, for example. Then, one day, he developed an infection and had to be sent to an isolation ward to recover. World War II: The cargo ship (3,546 GRT, 1906) struck a mine and sank in the, The cargo ship (5,393 or 5,106 GRT, 1918) ran aground in the, World War II: The cargo ship (5,820 GRT, 1921) was torpedoed, shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean west of. Couple find note in chimney that reveals their 290,000 house was 100 times cheaper 50 years ago. 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. Rangitane left Auckland on Sunday 24 November 1940, en route to Britain via the Panama Canal. 2 held about 800 RAF personnel. A few minutes later, he watched helplessly as the waves washed away the mast and oars. As the night progressed, body temperatures began to fall. A camera crew onboard the Scharnhorst filmed the engagement, and the Gloriouss sinking, which you can see here. 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. Two chapters briefly detail the extraction of Allied forces from Europe in Operations Cycle (Le Havre, France), Operation Dynamo (Dunkirk); and Operation Aerial (St. Nazaire, Nantes, Cherbourg, and seven other French ports). The date was September 17, 1940. 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. Theyd just woken up.. There was no emotional farewell. Empress of Ireland: Directed by Stephan Parent. British Summer Time begins in March but do you wind your watch forward Sickening CCTV footage shows the moment two trains collided and burst into flames in horror smash Greek PM MPs demands the menopause is made a 'protected characteristic' like race or religion - but Equalities Commando, 28, 'told woman he met on dating app "I love it when you keep telling me to stop" as he raped and Charles evicting Harry and Meghan is the act of a King putting his country first: REBECCA ENGLISH reveals A royal princess at Eton? 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. Object description. Certainly, there was little panic as everyone gathered at pre-arranged points. The X-class lighter (160 t, 1915) was wrecked on this date. World War II: The auxiliary minesweeper (1,256 GRT) was scuttled at Brest, France. His spirits lifted as he spotted a light but it was only the conning tower of the U-boat, which had surfaced to check out the scene. Four chapters are personal accounts from survivors or their close relatives. I was barefoot, wearing pink pyjamas and my life-jacket, when I walked into the Central Hotel in Glasgow. 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. The wording was puzzling: at 11, hed obviously never served in the Merchant Navy. Seager Co. Tempus Shipping Ltd). Wynn states that there were 2,488 survivors and a minimum of 2,385 perished. In 1940, these included Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers, Gloster Sea Gladiator fighters, as well monoplane Blackburn Skua monoplane bomber/fighters. Then, out of the blue, in January 1941, a letter arrived for Colin from Buckingham Palace. The maritime disaster resulted in the deaths of 51 people46 from the Andrea Doria and 5 from the Stockholm. All six crew survived. Chris Pleasance explains how Do not sell or share my personal information. The other ten or so whod been with them had drowned. After being pulled up by a rope to the Hurricane, Colin was still so cold he could feel nothing below the waist. Below the waves, however, the convoy was being trailed by U-48, a German U-boat. As a precaution, his mother had sewn a life-jacket into the lining, which in turn had been stuffed with silky kapok fibre to provide extra insulation. How ironic it is that the second Apapa was making the identical voyage from the Lagos port that shared her name to Liverpool. Whatever the case, this event likely remains the largest single-ship loss of life in British maritime history, more than the RMS Titanic, which had an estimated 2,224 passengers and crew aboard and suffered over 1,500 fatalities. Later, as the light began to fade, even the strongest began to lose hope. She was converted to a troopship in 1940, and was used to transport the British Expeditionary Force to Norway following the German Invasion. Kenneth and Raymond Lewis are commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial in London on Panel 49. World War II: The auxiliary minesweeper (675 GRT, 1911) was scuttled at Cherborug, France. Every type of ship is here, warships, submarines, MTBs, tankers, cargo, passenger, troopships and so on, totalling over 3,000. World War II: The tug (239 GRT) struck a mine in the North Sea and sank. Her classs lead ship, the Courageous, had launched the first carrier-launched naval air strike in history near the end of World War I. She once described him affectionately as a big child. Enough was enough, his parents decided, as the bombs began to fall. Splinters also pierced one of the carriers boilers, slowing her down. 11, two out of 11 children remained. An elderly nurse beckoned him to her side, so he switched places. Sbastien Roblin holds a masters degree in conflict resolution from Georgetown University and served as a university instructor for the Peace Corps in China. The BBC is not responsible for the content of any external sites
Some survivors claimed that a bomb had gone straight down a funnel, others thought bombs hit No, 4, 2, and 3 holds. The ship was apparently equipped with sixteen lifeboats and 2,500 life jackets, but many of the boats were damaged from the air attacks while others were unusable because of the ships starboard list and hull angle. List of shipwrecks in June 1940 - Wikipedia List of shipwrecks in June 1940 View history The list of shipwrecks in June 1940 includes ships sunk, foundered, grounded, or otherwise lost during June 1940 . Colin acted quickly. Afterwards, he says: We were all becoming very sleepy, delirious. You must stay awake., Safe: Survivors of the torpedoed S.S City of Benares passenger ship huddle together on one of the life rafts awaiting rescue. Mr Raskai bravely helped me into it as it was crashing about against the ship. Taking Vitamin D each day could cut your chances of getting dementia, study claims. As HMS Hurricane approached Lifeboat 2, Colin and the remaining passengers started singing Rule Britannia. 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. The Lancastria Tragedy comprises an introduction, eleven numbered chapters, and a concluding chapter titled In Closing, as well as endmatter including an About the Author section, Sources, and a three-page Index of proper nouns. World War II: The cargo ship (7,886 GRT, 1938) was scuttled at Gibraltar to prevent capture by British forces. She was later salvaged by the Germans and entered service as. World War II: The Type M-1935 minesweeper (682/874 t, 1939) struck a mine and sank in the Norwegian Sea north of Kristiansand, Norway (, World War II: The tug (400 GRT, 1919) was scuttled at Brest, France. 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). 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. Enclosed was a certificate, signed by Churchill, that commended him for brave conduct in the Merchant Navy. This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 08:28. World War II: The trawler (30 GRT, 1922) was sunk in the North Sea by Heinkel He 111 aircraft of KG26, Luftwaffe. I could see people dying around me. Once his infection had cleared, he was told to get out of bed. Many thanks. Within four months of the outbreak of World War II, Lancastria was requisitioned by the Admiralty as His Majestys Troopship (HMT) Lancastria under the command of Captain Rudolph Sharp. Lifeboat No. Alexia British Motor tanker The Alexia after conversion to the MAC ship HMS Alexia. 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). You may not use more than a few lines without permission. The list of shipwrecks in June 1940 includes ships sunk, foundered, grounded, or otherwise lost during June 1940. True, the ship had slowed down to negotiate the storm, but it was still ploughing in the right direction. Afterwards, he turned his attention to the woman beside him. Most of the content on this site is created by our users, who are members of the
A pre-war photograph of the German cruise ship Wilhelm Gustloff in Hamburg. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Naval Historical Foundation 1306 Dahlgren Avenue, SE Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374 1-202-678-4333 info@navyhistory.org. Then, mercifully, he threw himself overboard. 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. Meanwhile, hail and rain continued to fall. The SS Orama was built by Vickers-Armstrong at Barrow-in-Furness in 1924 for the Orient Line with accommodation for 1,700 passengers. Estimates of the loss range between 3,000 and 5,800 fatalities. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This left Colin sitting up to his chest in water with only the lifeboats buoyancy tanks preventing the boat from vanishing beneath the waves. : Carron United Kingdom World War II: The Admiralty-requisitioned cargo ship . This is a revised edition of the book published in 1985 as Who Will Take Our Children? This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Warships, submarines, tankers, cargo, passenger, troopships and so on. 'How much can business take?' If it can be proved that Captain Sharp ignored the Ministry of Defence instructions not to exceed the maximum loading capacity of 3000 persons, grounds for compensation claims could be enormous. These little kids beside me some of them were only five years old, he says. The Lancastria Tragedy: Sinking and Cover-Up, June 1940. The SS Athenia was the first ship sunk by Germany in World War II and resulted in the death of 118 civilians. 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. Chronological List of U.S. Merchant ship movement card (catalogue reference: BT 389) In the top left corner of the record is the ship's name. Wynn cites seven online sources (p. 181), namely the British Newspaper Archive, the Britain at War website, the British section of Ancestry.com, the Militarian Forum, the Forces War Records, the Wartime Memories Project, and the War Graves Records, which appear to have been mistakenly recorded as a .com website rather than .org. referenced. 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. The ship was hit by a torpedo on the morning of 2 July, killing many of those on board. The Benares disaster happened in the mid-Atlantic, 600 miles (965km) west of Ireland. Many years later, I was asked by my father, Oliver Gleasure (Irish Guards) to find the book, so he could gift it to my uncle. Fateful: The S.S City of Benares, passenger ship is launched in 1936 and would later be sunk while carrying 90 children aged five to 15. Records of the Ministry of Shipping from 1917-1921 contain references to war losses and include a complete list of British merchant and fishing vessels sunk or damaged by enemy action for 1914-1920. Of the 38 people in his boat, only 14 remained. It was in the 1970s a challenge, but I eventually, after many disappointing follows, found a second hand copy, with a book dealer. By then the crippled Glorious was listing and turning in circles while being relentlessly pounded by German guns. My own commemoration including photo's of the two Brothers sent to me by their relatives can be found on this link to my own website.http://www.british-merchant-navy.co.uk/TOWER.htmAbout links. World War II: The auxiliary minesweeper (208 GRT, 1917) was scuttled at Brest, France. The notifications are not legally enforceable; hence, news editors could choose not to abide by them but, generally, accede to these notices. World War II: The armed merchant cruiser (17,046 GRT, 1925) was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean west of. She was 578 ft. in length and 16,000 gross tons, designed to accommodate 2,200 passengers in three classes. But a carrier could deploy over a hundred airplanes that could strike targets hundreds of miles away with torpedoes and bombs. On Lifeboat 10, just one child had survived and 14 had died. 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