大象传媒

In a number of years I have not read any notes by ex-servicemen regarding the small but very essential ships attacked and forced called MSRT (His Majesty's Rescue Tug).

I transferred to this service from the Merchant Navy and completed 4 sailings to Newfoundland and back by the Atlantic Route. Our duties were to escort convoys and tow to the nearest point of land ships, which were attacked by U-BOATS and severely crippled but not sunk.

I was First Officer on board 鈥淗MRT Destiny鈥� on one such mission, and carried out the "connecting up" and towing of another escort ship namely 鈥淗MC (Canadian) S Lagban鈥� from the Mid Atlantic to Liverpool a of 980 miles after she had been torpedoed by the first ACOUSTIC Torpedo used by U-BOATS, she had a ships complement of over 80.

I viewed a documentary on Channel 4 concerning lease-lend ships built in USA by KHISER Shipyards and although the majority of ships were pre-fabricated merchant ships they also built tugs to carrying out escort and rescue duties for Atlantic Convoys and were in fact sea based at Cambletown and called HMS Minonia also in many other bases worldwide especially South and West Africa.

I served as an officer on quite a number of these Tugs namely Danube V (North Sea Convoys) thence transferred to HMRT Destiny which was based in Campletown at HMS Minonia and served in 3 or 4 Atlantic convoys to Halifax NS and saw a lot of action of rescue at sea and towing duties during my commission in this Tug. I was then transferred to Portsmouth Base just before D-Day and was on board HMRT Champion and Sea Giant before being sent to HMRT Advantage in Bermuda. This duty was specifically used for target practice for RW ships built in US and lend leased to UK, and before going to UK called in at Bermuda to do training in use of their armaments. We towed the target for them to use for gun training. Not a pleasant job but very essential for training. We who were on constant standby to proceed to sea and go to the assistances of any ships which happened to be in trouble in S. Atlantic area due to enemy U-BOAT activities. I might add that the mountainous seas were nearly as bad as the N. Atlantic convoys and our job was basically to go to the rescue of the torpedoed ship and take off ship's personnel then connect up our 6" steel tow rope and tow the ship back to the nearest point of land.

I might add that a number of tugs were built and manned by UK personnel and were approx 300 tons in weight and were subjected to very unpleasant weather conditions, but thousands of tons of shipping was saved also hundred of lives.

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