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‘HMS BEAGLE TO THE RESCUE’

It was a dark, overcast night in the summer of 1944, with a slight drizzle, reasonably clear visibility and a relatively calm sea, as HMS Beagle nosed its way out of Portland harbour, an American wartime base, escorting five large landing craft, destination Omaha Beach. Everything was proceeding normally when suddenly there was an enormous explosion and it became obvious that one of the landing craft had been torpedoed. A prepared plan came into operation and whilst 'Beagle' stood by to rescue survivors, the other LST's proceeded on their way to the French Coast.
Can you imagine a worse nightmare scenario than being a crew member aboard a destroyer drifting into a minefield, with a blazing landing craft and searchlights silhouetting it against the night sky, with German submarines and 'E' boats lurking to make a kill, the crew of the destroyer in the process of rescuing some 150 American sailors from a torpedoed LST (landing craft) including some corpses, thus doubling the personnel aboard the destroyer, with the resulting chaos?
Whilst serving as a 21 year old Leading Seaman (Radar) DJX312195 on a destroyer, HMS Beagle from June 1943 to June 1944, part of my five years service during World War 11, I experienced convoy duty off the coast of West Africa, eight Russian Convoys with mountainous seas, horrible conditions, freezing weather, U-boats etc., but one episode during the 'D' Day Landings (Operation Neptune) is etched on my memory.
The detail of the experience can be found in my book, 'From Africa to the Arctic', which is based on a Diary I kept throughout the year I was on board. 'Beagle' anchored in the Solent during preparation for the big event - there were vessels of all shapes and sizes as far as the eye could see. It is a well-known fact that the 5th. June was the original day for the invasion of France, but the weather was poor and the sea too rough for the landing craft etc. It was also touch and go on the 6th.due to the weather conditions being little better. Further delay would have been disastrous there being no improved weather conditions forecast for another month, and so the die was cast. HMS Beagle went across with the initial armada of battleships, cruisers, destroyers, landing craft in the early hours of 6th.June and, sailing backwards and forwards between England and France for a couple of days, little did we know what a momentous day June 9th. would prove to be!!
Desmond Tighe, quite by chance, was aboard the 'Beagle' throughout the trip on the 9th.June as a Reuter's correspondent, and he wrote this report for The Evening News under the title, 'HMS BEAGLE IN RESCUE DRAMA': 'Steaming inside an enemy minefield off the peninsular of Cherbourg, a British destroyer, HMS Beagle, Lieutenant Commander Norman Murch RN saved the lives of some American soldiers from a blazing tank landing craft. It was the most courageous and cold-blooded rescue venture I have seen at sea.' He goes on to say: 'It was 2am.with rain falling, when the craft was struck, and as we began rescue work the destroyer's searchlights were deliberately switched on, illuminating the grey waters and the struggling figures. The blazing hulk of the landing craft made us stand out an easy target. The bravery of the 'Beagle's' officers and ship's company was something I shall never forget.'
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The Diary refers to this event in some detail, filling in further details such as the fact that, after the LST was torpedoed we had to chase off some German 'E' boats, causing us to nearly ram a convoy travelling in the opposite direction!! The decision to enter the minefield was an instant but conscious one on the part of the Captain and, either because of programmed behaviour established over many months serving on the 'Beagle', or because of the crew's confidence in the 'Skipper' (built on the memory of his skill and seamanship in avoiding torpedoes and mines etc.) we entered into this highly dangerous exercise with a certain amount of trepidation but, more importantly with an overwhelming desire to save as many American personnel as possible. Sadly we had to bury the non- survivors (at sea} on the way back to Portsmouth where there was a welcoming party of doctors, nurses and friends, ready to attend to our American friends; some were stretcher cases, some walking wounded and some were able to disembark unaided.
The picture is a drawing by William McDowell that he did for the Illustrated London News at the time, and it captures the moment dramatically. The caption used by the magazine was as follows, '- INSIDE AN ENEMY MINEFIELD OFF THE CHERBOURG PENNINSULAR. The destroyer 'Beagle' saves the lives of American soldiers from a tank landing craft.' A well-worded description follows. This incident was one of 'the most courageous and cold-blooded rescue ventures' that one war correspondent had ever seen at sea. American landing craft were going in to the beaches when one was hit by a shell. (My Diary records a torpedo!) The British destroyer's searchlights were switched on, illuminating the struggling American soldiers in the water. The blazing hulk of the landing craft made the destroyer an easy target. Men swarmed down the ladders, plunging waist-deep into the sea hauling out the soldiers, some of them required six or seven men to pull them out, so sodden were their battle kit and life-jackets.
I can still visualize the scene, albeit with the help of William McDowell's picture, and a kind of surrealism pervades my memories of this stark episode in the life of a 21 year old sailor. It is only in retrospect that one starts to consider how dangerous the situation had been and perhaps experience some of the feelings that were sublimated at the time. Lady
Luck must have had a hand in the proceedings at some point!
Peter Ward.

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