Launch of River-class submarine HMS Severn (N57) at Vickers Armstrong, Barrow-in-Furness on 16th January 1934. She was completed in 1935 and served in the Royal Navy throughout the Second World War.
A short newsreel from British Pathé.
70-years ago today…
There were 72 U-boats at sea. The Battle of the Atlantic was most definitely not over.
U-617, a Type VIIC U-boat, on its 7th war patrol, Kptlt. Albrecht Brandi commanding, attacked HMS Puckeridge (L108) with two torpedoes approx. 40-miles east of Gibraltar. There were 62 killed and 129 survivors. Puckeridge’s wreck lays at 36º06´N, 04º44´W.
U-515, a Type IXC U-boat, on its 5th war patrol, Kptlt. Werner Henke commanding, after tracking the merged convoys OS-54 and KMS-25 for the whole day, closed in to attack but was sighted and had to dive. Accurate depth charging by the River-class frigate HMS Tavy (K272) drove the boat down to 820ft (50m), and caused severe damage. Henke managed to escape and broke off the patrol, reaching Lorient on 12 Sept.
HM submarines strike back in the Mediterranean.
HMS Sportsman (P229), Lt. R. Gatehouse, DSC, RN commanding, sank the Italian fishing vessels Angiolina P (39 GRT) and Maria Luisa B (37 GRT) with gunfire in the port of Aléria, Corsica, France.
HMS Universal (P57), Lt. C. Gordon, RN, sank the Italian auxiliary patrol vessels V 130/Ugo (114 GRT) and V 134/Tre Sorelle (178 GRT) with gunfire west of La Spezia, Italy.
70-years ago today…
The bloody U-boat war dragged on:
U-199 (Kptlt. Hans-Werner Kraus), a Type IXD U-boat on its first war patrol, was sunk by a US Navy Martin PBM Mariner aircraft from VP-74 in the South Atlantic east of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There are 12 survivors from the crew of 61 and these are picked up by USS Barnegat (AVP-10).
HMAS Nizam (Cdr. C. H. Brooks, RAN commanding) picked up 6 survivors from the British merchant ‘Cornish City’ that had been torpedoed and sunk on 29th July.
In the Pacific:
USS Pogy (Lt. Cdr. George Herrick Wales, USN commanding), a Gato-class submarine on her second war patrol, torpedoed and sank the Japanese aircraft transport Mogamigawa Maru (7469 GRT) northwest of Truk.
USS Saury (Lt. Cdr. A. H. Dropp, USN commanding), a Sargo-class submarine on her seventh war patrol, was rammed by a Japanese escort in the Philippine Sea and, sustaining damage, was forced to return to Pearl Harbor.
HMCS St. Catherines (K 325), a River-class frigate built at Yarrows Ltd in Esquimalt, British Columbia was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy, Lt. Cdr. Herbert Coates Reynard Davis, RCNR commanding.
On this day in history…
19th July 1943 was a yet another good day for HM Submarines…
HMS Safari (Lt. R.B. Lakin, DSO, DSC, RN) sank the German barges Maria, Paula and the Italian armed yacht Margherita (88 GRT) with gunfire in the port of Favone, Corsica, France.
HMS Sickle (Lt. J.R. Drummond, DSC, RN) sank the Italian auxiliary minesweeper V 131/Amgiola Maria C. (65 GRT) with gunfire off Porto Vecchio, Italy.
And a good day for US Navy submarines…
USS Porpoise (Lt. Cdr. C.L. Bennett, USN) torpedoed and sank the Japanese troop transport Mikage Maru Nr.20 (2718 GRT) south of Wake Island.
And a good day for the Soviets…
Soviet submarine S-56 torpedoed and sank the German auxiliary patrol vessel NKi 09 / Alane (466 GRT) off the Tanafjord near Gamvik, Norway. (Incidentally, S-56 is preserved as a museum ship in Vladivostok if you’re ever out that way.)
Also on this day…
The Tribal class destroyer HMCS Huron (G24) was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy under command of Lt. Cdr. H. S. Rayner, DSC, RN.
The River class frigate HMS Inver (K302) was commissioned into the Royal Navy under command of Lt. F. H. Gray, RNR.
The Edsall class destroyer escort USS Keith (DE 241) was commissioned into the United States Navy under command of Lt. D. Cochran, USN.
Atlantic Patrol Task (South) is the Royal Navy’s standing deployment in the South Atlantic and comprises 1 frigate or destroyer – currently the Type 23 frigate HMS Argyll – supported by 1 fleet auxiliary – currently RFA Black Rover.
Black Rover is all white as she visits snowy South Georgia
Just days after sailors from HMS Argyll trekked across South Georgia, the crew of tanker RFA Black Rover were treated to a visit to the snow-laden paradise.
The tanker, which has recently taken over from her sister Gold Rover in the South Atlantic, spent four days anchored in Cumberland Bay off the capital Grytviken.
IN THE middle of the UK’s heatwave, here’s something to perhaps cool you down: tanker RFA Black Rover within sight of the snow-capped ridges and peaks of South Georgia.
Hot (or should that be cold?) on the heels of frigate HMS Argyll’s visit to the remote South Atlantic island chain, the veteran tanker anchored off the capital Grytviken as she takes up her duties as Britain’s ‘floating petrol station’ south of the Equator.
The 39-year-old auxiliary has recently relieved her slightly-older sister Gold Rover, charged with providing black gold to sustain RN vessels on patrol in the South Atlantic (such as the permanent presence HMS Clyde, and whichever frigate or destroyer is assigned to the region – currently Argyll), as well as generally flying the flag for the UK around its territories in the region…
…of which South Georgia is among the most remote and least populous (about 30 souls).
The tanker spent four days at anchor in Cumberland Bay, in sight of glaciers calving into the ocean and the snow-laden mountains.
The 50 or so crew were briefed about the importance of the island’s wildlife and eco-systems before stepping ashore at Grytviken, where experts from the British Antarctic Survey were their hosts and guides.
Once a thriving whaling station, Grytviken has now become a haven for wildlife: large numbers of seals and sea birds lined the foreshore. Despite being out of season – it’s slap bang in the middle of the Austral winter right now – the island’s museum was opened for the visiting RFA sailors. Others inspected the wreck of the whaler Petrel, driven ashore decades ago, and no visit to South Georgia is complete without paying homage at the grave of explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, buried in Grytviken’s small cemetery alongside crew from merchant ships and some casualties of war.
To thank the island’s small populace for their hospitality during the tanker’s stay, Black Rover invited the locals aboard for an ‘all requests considered’ lunch.
Islanders listed the foods they had been unable to obtain for many months given their isolation, and Black Rover’s galley strove to meet their requests.
In the end, the menu consisted of beef steak and fresh salad, plus the odd glass of red wine. All the victuals were gratefully received by the South Georgians, whilst the RFA sailors were glad to provide not just some fresh food but also fresh faces and good company.
Here’s an old drum that I like to pick up and bang. Nobody else really wants to hear the tune any more, but it’s still a personal favourite.
Let’s crunch some basic numbers.
- F/A-18E/F Super Hornet £44m ($67m)
- F-35B Lightning II £130m ($197m)
Price per (36 aircraft) carrier air wing:
- F/A-18E/F Super Hornet 1584m ($2412m)
- F-35B Lightning II 4680m ($7092m)
So the savings to the British taxpayer (remember them… the people that elect the
clowns politicians that make these mistakes decisions) on a carrier air wing of 36 aircraft would have been £3276m ($4680m). Two air wings (1 for each carrier) would amplify the savings to £6552m ($9360m).
SIX-POINT-FIVE BILLION POUNDS!
That’s enough to fund the entire Type 26 frigate programme of 13 vessels and increase that programme to an operationally-efficient 16 (16x £350 = £5600) and build an eighth Astute-class submarine (£800m) and order 3 more River-class OPVs (£150m).
Yes, I am aware that my accounting is simplistic. Yes, I am aware that folks in the Fleet Air Arm and Royal Air Force want shiny new F-35 aircraft and would consider the F/A-18 as a “make do.” Yes, I am aware that money was already wasted redesigning the carriers for “cats & traps” then back again. Yes, yes, yes. But I still like my old drum and I still like the simple tune I play on it.