"...A Bloody Great Bang"

Discussion in '1940' started by Jonathan Ball, May 1, 2018.

  1. Jonathan Ball

    Jonathan Ball It's a way of life.

  2. timuk

    timuk Well-Known Member

    dbf likes this.
  3. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    I'd like to know the source, as great a story as it is, I'm not convinced :lol:
     
  4. Jonathan Ball

    Jonathan Ball It's a way of life.

    I didn't have time, Andy but perhaps if you do have some time maybe pop in to the museum in Dunkirk and ask? I'd be really interested to know more.
     
    Drew5233 likes this.
  5. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Another picture from their site shows little of the ship left

    [​IMG]

    But are these 2 photos of the same ship??

    [​IMG]

    TD

    HMS Grenade, destroyer

    29th Return passage to beaches from Dover with HM Destroyers GALLANT and JAGUAR. Under air attacks without damage. During evacuation from East Pier, Dunkirk came under further air attacks and hit by three bombs that caused significant damage and started fires. Attempt to tow ship clear was unsuccessful and ship was abandoned as fires could not be controlled.
    When fire reached magazines later the ship blew up.


    uboat.net - Sinking Of HMS Grenade
     
    Last edited: May 2, 2018
  6. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    we were told we had to make ourselves as comfortable as possible and there would be transport to take us home. We were wading out to this boat and some German planes came over and they bombed the boat. They bombed everything that was around. One of these bombs went down the funnel of this boat – we at least thought it looked very much like that. It just went bang. And that was it. Our transport home had gone.”

    On May 29th, Grenade was attacked by Ju87 Stukas while berthed in Dunkirk. Two direct hits killed 14 with a further four seriously wounded; fire now swept through the ship. Fearing that Grenade might sink blocking the berth, she was cut free from her moorings and drifted into the main channel of the harbour, where the trawler John Cattling took her under tow to the western side of the port, in order to move her out of the way. It was here that she later sank, following the explosion of her magazines during the evening.

    'We thought the war was lost': readers' stories of Dunkirk
     
    Tricky Dicky likes this.

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