ss alexis ship 1940 sinking

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. World War II: The harbour defence vessel (608 GRT) was scuttled at Dieppe, France. Oxford University-trained historian and author of more than a dozen books Jonathan Fenby stated that 1,738 perished (Fenby 2005, p. 247), but as there are no official figures published, there are great discrepancies in the numbers calculated by a variety of authors, and other estimates range from 2,000 to 9,000. Some survivors claimed that a bomb had gone straight down a funnel, others thought bombs hit No, 4, 2, and 3 holds. On No. Sold for scrap in August 1954 at Blyth. It was fourth English pounds. The 17th June 1940 saw one of the most horrific events of World War II and the single worst maritime disaster in British history. Not a member of the Naval Institute? By then Glorious had transmitted a distress message which was picked up by the heavy cruiser HMS Devonshire thirty to fifty miles away. His recovery took months, and ended any thoughts hed had of a full-time career in the Navy. Measuring some 697 feet (212 metres) in length, it could carry . The sinking of HMT Lancastria on June 17, 1940, is an intriguing chapter of naval history in World War II primarily because of the tragic loss of life and how much information pertaining to the event wasand still isclassified. Other Nazis are planning to escape to America. By late-June 1940, internees had begun to be moved out of Warth Mills. Chronological List of U.S. WHAT WAS THE MAIN SHIP? Ships Sunk or Damaged 1939 to 1941 Ships Captured or Detained 1939 (80 ships) Ships Sunk, Damaged or Detained 1940 (48 ships) As the years went by, the only thing that survived from his ordeal on the City of Benares was his little scarlet life-jacket. Object description. However, an exact number of Lancastrias casualties may never be known. What had happened was that Id lain there, grieving away, and my blood had stopped flowing. Afterwards, he says: We were all becoming very sleepy, delirious. Charles C. Kolb, PhD, is a USNI Golden Life Member. As HMS Hurricane approached Lifeboat 2, Colin and the remaining passengers started singing Rule Britannia. Wynn has previously authored and co-authored books for the Your Towns & Cities in the Great War series published by Pen & Sword in addition to half a dozen non-fiction books and crime thrillers.. In return, battleships almost never succeeded in closing into gun-range of carriers. Lancastria was attacked, apparently by five Junkers Ju 88 dive bombers, and the ship capsized, and sank within twenty minutes mid-afternoon on June 17 off the French port of St. Nazaire. The only comfort came from urinating in the water: for a few brief seconds, he could feel the warmth swirling around his legs. Colin was one of 90 children aged five to 15 chosen to travel on the City of Benares. But a carrier could deploy over a hundred airplanes that could strike targets hundreds of miles away with torpedoes and bombs. Although he could no longer feel his hands, he helped a crew member heave her body out to sea. uboat.net FR Cyclone, accessed 30 July 2016. Germany initially denied involvement. n Adapted from Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler, by Sean Longden, to be published by Constable on March 15 at 20. The X-class lighter (160 t, 1915) was wrecked on this date. At first, he thought the Benares must have collided with another ship. Kenneth Lewis was only 14 years old, His Brother Raymond 15. British and Allied evacuation vessels took Lancastrias survivors aboard, the trawler HMT Cambridgeshire alone rescuing nearly 900 souls. World War II: The cargo ship (2,975 GRT, 1906) struck a mine and sank in the Mediterranean Sea north of Pantelleria. Your email address will not be published. World War II: The cargo ship (3,577 GRT, 1918) was torpedoed and sunk in the, The cargo ship (1,478 GRT, 1924) collided with, World War II: The fishing vessel (96 GRT, 1919) struck a mine and sank in the North Sea off, World War II: The cargo ship (3,584 GRT, 1910) was scuttled at, World War II: The tanker (603 GRT) struck a mine in the English Channel off, World War II: The cargo ship (2,317 GRT, 1904) was shelled and sunk in the, The cargo ship (351 GRT, 1920) collided with, World War II: The minesweeper (682/874 t, 1939) struck a mine off, World War II: The cargo ship (2,863 GRT, 1937) struck a mine in the, World War II: The sailing vessel (183 GRT, 1902) struck a mine and sank in the, World War II: The coaster (798 GRT, 1904) was torpedoed, shelled and sunk in the, World War II: The coaster (145 GRT) struck a mine and sank in the, World War II: The trawler (217 GRT, 1904) struck a mine in the North Sea (, World War II: The cargo ship (5,888 GRT, 1936) was torpedoed and damaged in the, World War II: The cargo ship (4,212 GRT, 1927) was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 15 nautical miles (28km; 17mi) off Tory Island by, World War II: The cargo ship (5,415 GRT, 1933) struck a mine and sank in the, World War II: Operation Juno: The tanker (5,666 GRT, 1928) was shelled and sunk in the Norwegian Sea off Jan Mayen (, World War II: Operation Juno: The troopship (19,840 GRT, 1924) was shelled and sunk in the Norwegian Sea (. And the cowboys eating around campfires.. 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. World War II: The patrol boat (409 GRT, 1919) was scuttled at Le Verdon, France. 1,596 Royal Navy and Air Force personnel died, many freezing to death awaiting rescue. In the Hotel Berlin, the Gestapo is searching for underground leader Martin Richter. For the first few days after his rescue, he remained very weak as the Hurricane took the survivors to Glasgow. Her pointed bow still poked from below a raised flight deck. Left to right, Kenneth Sparkes, Derek Capel, Freddie Steele, Billy Short and Howard Clayton, Far from being distraught at leaving his parents behind, Colin was excited at the prospect of stepping into a real-life Western: I thought of the sun and the hills. LANCASTRIA (June 17, 1940) The loss of the Lancastria was the fourth largest maritime disaster of the war. 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. Interestingly, 2040 or 2041 should also be when restricted British documents on the Pearl Harbor attack are made public. Yes, battleships mounted over a dozen guns that could pot huge shells at other vessels from over a dozen miles away. There, he attended a local school until it was evacuated to Cornwall. 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. RMS was a sign of distinction and quality. World War II: The auxiliary minesweeper (675 GRT, 1911) was scuttled at Cherborug, France. Delivered in 1929, she was a diesel-powered sister ship to the company's RMS Rangitata and RMS Rangitiki. The following brief overview of the Lancastrias history is augmented with verified information from sources that Wynn might have consulted. It was carrying 406 passengers and crew, of whom 100 were children. At 11, Colin was already a veteran of wartime upheavals. The City of Benares gave a great shudder and began to sink. World War II: The naval tug (100 GRT) was scuttled at Lorient, France. As it hovered over the waves, it suddenly lurched, then one end jerked downwards and was smashed by a wall of water. True, the ship had slowed down to negotiate the storm, but it was still ploughing in the right direction. All morning, Colin continued to heave corpses away from his boat. Enclosed was a certificate, signed by Churchill, that commended him for brave conduct in the Merchant Navy. World War II: The auxiliary minesweeper (208 GRT, 1917) was scuttled at Brest, France. Within half an hour, four of the crew members on his boat had slipped into unconsciousness and died. When sent to newspapers or other publications it prevented particular information from being made public for reasons of state security. The U.S. The survivors were now completely alone in the dark. Battleships accompanied by other surface warships did directly engage carriers one more time in World War II during the Battle of Samar, though this time the U.S. carriers air wings participated in the fight leading to a very different, though no less dramatic outcome. All rights reserved. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. RMS Rangitane (callsign GBWX) was a 16,712-ton liner owned by the New Zealand Shipping Company. We have details of 11 people who were on board. On September 12, the children assembled at the dockside in Liverpool clutching small suitcases and their gas masks. 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. Empire Morn killed 26th April 1943 after his ship hit a mine. Colin was assigned to Lifeboat 2. To order a copy for 16.99 (incl p&p), call 0843 382 0000. World War II: The cargo ship (7,340 GRT) was bombed and sunk off Le Havre, France by Luftwaffe aircraft. 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. NHF members are being converted to members of the Naval Institute. Details of the British ships sunk during July - December 1940. This story has been placed in the following categories. 8 was the first to be lowered. The Story Of Child Evacuee Beryl Myatt And The Sinking Of The SS City Of Benares In the summer of 1940, faced with the threat of Nazi German invasion, the British government sponsored a scheme to evacuate children to overseas countries. Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. World War II: The cargo ship (810 GRT, 1933) was scuttled at Dieppe, France. 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. Taking Vitamin D each day could cut your chances of getting dementia, study claims. I was just waiting for someone to say: What are you doing in your pyjamas at this time in the morning? But no one even looked at me.. 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). Most likely rammed and sunk Oct. 4; 1940 by Antonietta Costa (Italian Cargo ship) 60 NM ENE of Bari . web page as long as you cite American Merchant Marine at War, www.usmm.org, What a story, and how lucky are we,born just after WW2, for the brave men and women, who fought for our freedom, Your email address will not be published. The year before, his parents had pulled him out of his prep school in St Johns Wood, North London, and deposited him with his grandparents in Lingfield, Surrey. The notifications are not legally enforceable; hence, news editors could choose not to abide by them but, generally, accede to these notices. The other ten or so whod been with them had drowned. Then the boat up-ended, tossing out the rest. The Glorious was one of the first flat-top aircraft carriers ever built, converted from a speedy Courageous-class battlecruiser in 1924. Sbastien Roblin holds a masters degree in conflict resolution from Georgetown University and served as a university instructor for the Peace Corps in China. This is the story of Beryl Myatt, a child evacuee during the Second World War. They were in their dressing-gowns, with no life-belt, clutching teddy bears. Earlier that day the battlecruisers sank an oil tanker and a trawler. Home, www.USMM.org 1998 - 2006. The passengers were thrown into the sea. Chris Pleasance explains how Do not sell or share my personal information. But he couldnt. Palm Springs residents sue to remove 25-foot Marilyn Monroe statue depicting her iconic My Daily Horoscope: What does 2nd March hold for MY star sign? Mounted over a dozen miles away 1917 ) was scuttled at Cherborug,.. Sell or share my personal information be known chris ss alexis ship 1940 sinking explains how Do sell... 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