Hi all Is there any way of finding out the name of a ship that was attacked on 14th July 1941 off the east Coast of Scotland? It was bombed by the Luftwaffe, and it's anti-aircraft fire hit the aircraft that later crashed. Looking to see if I can find out the name of the ship. All that's mentioned it was a Naval Ship
Got the loss details for the Ju88 it that will help you but not the vessel name. No launch listed by RNLI or of rescue by shoreboat for Montrose area that day. Edit. Shipping attack did not merit entry in the NLO to Coastal Command daily watch log. Ahh...your four Luftwaffe Graves at Sleepyhillock. Ross
Hi Ross I have info that the Crew attached a Naval Vessel, the map from the plane had 3 tracks directly from Westerland to (1) Isle of May, (2) Buchan Ness, (3) Helmsdale. So the ship could have been anywhere in the 56-58 degree north area, which was at 15:22 Hrs It appears the ship was undamaged, so perhaps didn't call out a lifeboat. Yes 4 graves at Cannock Chase now (moved in 1963 from Sleepyhillock) Alan
From Naval History net: Wednesday, 14 May 1941 Destroyer BULLDOG departed Scapa Flow at 0100 for Iceland. _____ Destroyers SOMALI, BEDOUIN, and ESKIMO departed Scapa Flow at 0500 for Rosyth to escort aircraft carrier VICTORIOUS. The destroyers arrived at 1400/14th. Aircraft carrier VICTORIOUS departed Rosyth on the 15th, escorted by light cruiser AURORA, and destroyers SOMALI, BEDOUIN, and ESKIMO for Scapa Flow where she arrived the same day at 2200. _____ Destroyer BLANKNEY departed Scapa Flow at 1400 for Aberdeen to meet steamers AMSTERDAM and ARCHANGEL at 2100 off the harbour entrance. The destroyer escorted the steamers northward. Steamer ARCHANGEL was detached to Kirkwall. Steamer AMSTERDAM was escorted on to Lerwick. The destroyer and steamer AMSTERDAM arrived at Lerwick at 0945/15th and departed later at 2000 for Aberdeen. Destroyer BLANKNEY arrived back at Scapa Flow on the 16th to escort steamer ARCHANGEL from Kirkwall to Aberdeen. The two departed at 1800. _____ Anti-aircraft ship ALYNBANK departed Scapa Flow at 1045 and escorted convoy WN.26 from the Pentland Firth southwards. Early on the 15th, the ship transferred to convoy EC.Special 2 and provided cover until arrival in the Pentland Firth. Destroyer BROCKLESBY departed Scapa Flow at 1845/15th to provide additional escort for convoy EC.Special 2. Ship ALYNBANK arrived back at Scapa Flow at 2000/15th. Destroyer BROCKLESBY after escort proceeded to Plymouth for duty. _____ Examination vessel M. A. WEST (96grt) was sunk by German bombing one mile 105° from Great Yarmouth Harbour entrance. There were no casualties on the drifter. _____ Harbour defence patrol vessel MINICOY (5grt, T/Lt E. F. Pegg RNVR) was sunk on a mine eleven cables 94° from St Ann's Head. Pegg and some ratings were lost in the vessel. Not of much help I'm afraid Roy
The summary posted by Roy is for an earlier month to the action. The NLO diary was more concerned with 4 Fw nosing about WS.9C bit of the sea over on the other coast in the morning then an enemy convoy off terschelling in the afternoon on the 14th July. I would have a hard look at WN.152 as a target in your 56-58 North area at the time. Arnold Hague convoy database - WN convoys The SS St Clears certainly made it to Dunbar by the next day. JULY 15TH . - DUNBAR, EAST LOTHIAN. At 2 P.M. news was received that the steamer, St. Clears, of Newport, of 8,000 tons, had stranded at Whitberry Ness in a fog, and at 2.5 P.M. the motor life-boat George and Sarah Strachan was launched. A moderate N.E. wind was blowing and the sea was rough. The life-boat remained alongside the steamer for six hours, and helped to refloat her. The St. Clears then went on her way and the life-boat returned to her station at 8.30 in the evening. - Rewards, £7 16s. 6d. Ross
Whoops, sorry about that! Monday, 14 July Heavy cruiser BERWICK departed Scapa Flow for turbine repairs at Rosyth. En route, the cruiser experienced further engine defects. Destroyer TARTAR departed Scapa Flow at 0500 and destroyer HEYTHROP at 0600 to join the cruiser. En route, destroyer HEYTHROP was recalled and arrived back at Scapa Flow at 0030 on the 15th. The cruiser was safely escorted to Rosyth by destroyer TARTAR, which arrived back at Scapa Flow at 0900 on the 15th. _____ Destroyer WELLS arrived at Scapa Flow at 2000 from Loch Alsh to carry out a short program of practices. _____ Anti-aircraft ship CURACOA departed Scapa Flow at 0900 to carry out exercises in Pentland Firth and then join convoy WN.52 off Duncansby Head. The convoy was taken to Methil, arriving at 1100 on the 15th. _____ British cruiser minelayer ADVENTURE departed Scapa Flow for Loch Alsh, where she arrived that evening. _____ Convoy OB.346 departed Liverpool, escorted by sloop WELLINGTON, corvettes CLOVER and VERVAIN, and escort ships CULVER and LANDGUARD. On the 15th, destroyers ST ALBANS and WESTCOTT, catapult ship MAPLIN, and corvettes AURICULA, HIBISCUS, MARIGOLD, and PERWINKLE joined. Destroyers ST ALBANS and WESTCOTT were detached on the 18th, corvettes AURICULA and MARIGOLD on the 20th, corvettes HIBISCUS and PERWINKLE on the 21st, corvettes CLOVER and VERVAIN on the 23rd, and catapult ship MAPLIN on the 28th. On the 31st, destroyer WRESTLER, sloop BRIDGEWATER, and corvettes AMARANTHUS and BERGAMOT joined the convoy which arrived at Freetown on 1 August. _____ A Swordfish of 821 Squadron crashed at Ballantrae, en route from detling-Prestwick to Hatston. T/A/Sub Lt (A) S.F.J. Wood RNVR, Leading Airman F.B. Bavidige, and passenger Air Mechanician M. Robinson were killed. _____
No date, but from the War Cabinet’s Weekly Resume No.98 for week ending 17 July 1941, so probably your bird: Very few enemy aircraft crossed our coasts during daylight. Our fighters destroyed three enemy bombers and probably destroyed another. One of these was shot down by Hurricanes between two convoys off the Welsh Coast; A.A. guns accounted for another raider near Montrose. The absence of a vessel’s name makes me wonder if a Royal Artillery battery had been credited instead.
Thanks Chaps, I will revisit the info I have and figure out if it could have been coastal AA. The key to this, is at some point on the 14th two greenkeepers were strafed by machine gun fire. This could have been Montrose, Stonehaven, Nigg or Murcar. I have one name that suggests it was an Aberdeen course.
