大象传媒

One of the Misfortunes of War.

It was June 5th 1944 and M.L.292 was leaving Falmouth bound for the rendezvous with the First Assault Convoy that had left Liverpool the previous day. I was made aware of this event after we had cleared the Boom and we were heading south-eastward out of Falmouth. The Captain called me into the Wheelhouse where together with the 1st Lieutenant, the Navigator he explained what was about to happen within the next twenty-four hours. He said鈥� you all know that there have rumours and buzzes concerning the possibility of an Invasion. Well, this is where you will have ringside seat and first hand knowledge of one but far from spectating at such an event we have a job to do and there will be little time to admire the contestants. Our task and that of the 23rd ML.Flotilla is to form part of the Escort for the 1st Assault Convoy which is due to land its cargo on Gold Beach which I can now tell you is off the coast of France at a place called Arromanches. We shall, for most of the night, be 5 miles south of the Convoy and our main purpose is to give early warning should we encounter any hostile shipping in the area. On completion of our first task and provided that all goes well, we shall then return to the Isle of Wight to collect another Convoy and take it back to Arromanches. We shall continue with this task until such times, as we are required to do other operations.鈥�

It must be remembered that the time required to take a convoy across from the Solent to Arromanches depended upon three very important items. The maximums speed of the slowest craft, the weather and of course the threat of enemy action. The route across the Channel had been buoyed and clearly marked and for us on the Escort Duties it was comparatively easy, we had the equipment and the knowledge to know where we were whatever the weather. Regretfully the various types of craft involved in these convoys were only equipped with a magnetic compass and a very young inexperienced Officer. These conditions led us to perform on occasions, many-unexpected task, but like a shepherd looking after a flock of sheep this was our function.

M.L.292 had completed 10 such journeys there and back again without any serious incidents but as the time had passed we were conscious that events were beginning to overtake us, we were unable to do the required maintenance concerning the normal running of the ship. Due, in most cases to the weather, and that a considerable number of hours at sea were we in darkness. The Motor Mechanic a (Hostilities Only) Petty Officer had worked wonders with the two Hall Scott Petrol Engines which was our power source (In civilian life he was a London Bus Driver) but his efforts were almost exhausted. We needed a much longer time at our base in order to keep the ship running and to prevent us from becoming a liability in mid Channel. The Motor Mechanic and I had discussed our problems with the Captain and he had indicated that on our return to Hornet he would endeavour to obtain a 12-hour, maintenance period.

It was 鈥淒鈥漰lus 11 Day Saturday 17th June and we had successfully shepherded our 11th Convoy into the Mulberry Harbour at Arromanches. We received the required signal to cease our present assignment and to return to our base at HMS Hornet at Gosport. I had made the necessary arrangements for the Watches for the night, and as agreed with the Captain I went below to my Cabin to consult with the Motor Mechanic as to our priorities as and when we arrived at Hornet. We had virtually arrived at agreement on the majority of our problems, when Fate played its hand and our carefully thought out plans were completely shattered, and we really did have a Defects Lists, The time was approximately 1930 there was an almighty bang and everything changed in a second. The ship seemed to lift out of the water and come back down into the sea again with another terrific crash. It was some little time before the Motor Mechanic and I could get ourselves clear of my cabin as the lockers had fallen on top us and we were in a state of shock. Our first thought was to go on deck to try and find out what had happened. On arrival on deck there was complete chaos, the Captain, the 1st Lieut and the Helmsman were trying to get to their feet after clearing themselves from the bunting and the Twin 303鈥� guns that had fallen on them, but thankfully no one was injured just badly shocked.

The Motor Mechanic went down to his engine room and I did the rounds of the remainder of the crew to see if we had suffered any casualties, We were extremely fortunate in that although everyone was badly shocked there were no visible injuries. I reported my findings to the Captain, by which time he had regained his composure somewhat and we realized that we must have run over an Acoustic Mine. It took a little time to comprehend the damage, but my first priority was to ensure that the Depth Charges of which we carried twenty was set to safe. Some had been blown out there racks and those that had been at the ready on the 鈥淵鈥� Gun had been blown off the mounting and were rolling around the deck.

I set the hands to work to replace the Depth Charges in their racks whilst I removed the Pistols from the Charges. We then did a more intense check on our damage. With two of the hands I went below in the forehead mess deck and found it in complete chaos with water making its way through the Asdic Dome Housing. Everything that had been either in lockers or stowed away securely for sea had been scattered around in a very chaotic way. We rescued the W.T. Rating from his caboose where the W.T.Sets had collapsed on him and because of the smallness of this compartment it was not easy for him to lift them off himself so that he could get up, fortunately he was not injured. We next went into the galley, which had disintegrated, completely there was very little we could salvage and fortunately the blast had not blown the Galley fire around the compartment.

We then heard the cry of 鈥淔ire in the Engine Room鈥�. The two Junior Stoker Mechanics were checking the Petrol compartment. Consequently the Motor Mechanic was on his own in the Engine Room. I went down into the Engine Room to assist, sending those of the crew handy for more fire extinguishers, and eventually we managed to put out the fire before it could take a firm hold, but as one can imagine the crew were now decidedly out of sorts, Shock distress and now the weather was beginning to take its toll.
When we had left the Mulberry Harbour the weather had been reasonable at force 3-4 but by this time it had become much worse and reaching force 4-5 gusting at times to 6, The Captain and the Officers had checked down at the after end in the Wardroom and although the damage was still bad it was not posing a threat to the stability of the ship, but by now it was obvious that we taking in water somewhere forward of the Engine Room. I and three of the crew then went forward down into the Mess Deck and salvaged as much of the crews belongings and the fittings as was possible and what food we could find. This consisted of what bread we had left and was not contaminated with coal dust and what other things that the blast had not destroyed. I then shut the watertight door sealing off the forward part of the ship from the WT Cabin the Coxswains Cabin the Galley and Galley Flat.

Whilst we had been seeing to the safety and seaworthy state of the ship the Captain, and the 1st Lieutenant had been investigating our options in the event of our getting back to base. They had managed to contact a 鈥淒鈥� Class M.T.B., who鈥檚 Captain was prepared to take us in tow, but after several attempts and finally ramming us amidships decided that due to the weather and that he was doing us more harm than good. Plus, he had other operational commitments he would leave us and contact the Admiralty who no doubt would deal with us. And so we sat like a sitting duck and wallowed in a very rough sea. Due to the damage we had already sustained from the M.T.B. we now had a hole in the side of the Coxswains Cabin which meant that if it got any rougher we would be shipping water through this friendly damage. Our next watertight compartment was the Petrol Compartment aft of the engine room. This was not a happy situation to contemplate. I had prepared the towing slings ready for whatever should come along to tow us back to base. Eventually a Landing Craft (Infantry) managed to get alongside to take up our towing wire but in doing so sliced off the starboard quarter, but he did eventually take us in tow, and so we started our long journey home slowing sinking by the bow.

M.L.292 arrived back at HMS Hornet Gosport at approximately 0030 on Monday 19th June some 30 hours after we had run over the Acoustic Mine. A week later the Crew and I were on our way to the East Coast of Scotland to commission a new boat. We arrived in a little fishing village St. Monance now known as St.Monans on the East coast of Scotland , some 30 miles north of Edinburgh at 0530 on a Monday morning where we were met by the village Bobby. He checked our identities and farmed us out to the villagers who gave us a breakfast and then he escorted us down to the quay. We boarded our new home and I then met our Officers our old Skipper was there but unfortunately he was not to be our new Commanding Officer. We sailed that afternoon for Leith and then the next day down the East Coast and so to Hornet where we immediately proceeded to do the same task as before.

The crew of M.L.292 consisted of, a Lieutenant Commander R.N.R. .two young Sub. Lieutenants RNVR. two Petty Officers (myself the Coxswain and the Motor Mechanic) and sixteen other ranks who, apart from the Captain and myself were all people who had joined for the Hostilities Only and were then known as H.O鈥檚 and had come from all walks of life. I had been with this crew since August 18th 1942 when I joined her the day prior to the Raid on Dieppe because her original Coxswain had gone sick and I had been sent to replace him. On that day the average age of the Crew including the two Sub-Lieut, was 19. I had joined the Navy as a Boy Seaman at the age 15 and a quarter completed my training at sea on HMS, Cardiff when she was sent to China in August 1938, transferred to HMS, Dorsetshire off Woosung Flats at the mouth of the Yangtse River in 1939.and remained on board until we returned to the UK in May 1941 after being involved in the Bismarck Incident. Eventually being sent to HMS St.Christopher to train as a Coastal Force Coxswain.

Regretfully on leaving Leith we had acquired a new C.O. this did not please the Ships Company at all. Our old Skipper had been more of a father figure, and as well as an Officer he was also a Gentleman. As time went on the difference between them became very obvious and life became extremely difficult, moral suffered and eventually although having enjoyed my service in Coastal Forces I decided that it would be better for all concerned if I returned to General Service. In March 1945 I returned to the folds of General Service in the Royal Navy

Motor Launches M.Ls.鈥� as they were known were of the Fairmile Type B. Class, they were 120 ft. in length and 15ft. in the beam, they drew 6 feet of water forehead and 3,feet of water aft. These boats were powered by two Hall Scott petrol engines of 850 hp. each, the cruising speed was 12 knots with the maximum speed of 21 knots that could only be maintained for 15 minutes when it would have to revert to the cruising speed. They carried 2,500 gallons of 87 Octane Fuel and had an armament of 3Pdr.Gun on the Focsle, twin .303 Guns each side of the Bridge, a single Oerlikon Gun abaft the Funnel and a twin Oerlikon Gun at the after end. They were also fitted with an Asdic Dome and the necessary equipment to detect and follow Submarines. The normal deployment of the ships company for Action Stations was as follows Captain Coxswain and Signalman on the Bridge, 1st.Lieuteant and Navigator on the Plot in the Wheelhouse, the Motor Mechanic and two Stokers in the Engine Room, three, ratings on the after Gun, two ratings on the Midships Gun one rating on the Y Gun and as a spare loader the Telegraphist in his Cabin and the remainder on the 3pdr.forehead. The 2 Guns either side of the bridge were manned by whoever was nearest and had the time.

For those who read this story here are some statistics about 鈥淐oastal Forces鈥� (The Little Ships). At the commencement of World War II, the Royal Navy had 28 Coastal Force Craft. There was 12 at Malta, 6 at Hong Kong, and the remaining 10 in home waters. The engines installed in these craft were of Italian Manufacture from the Issoti Franceni Marine Engineering Company. At the outbreak of War we had only seven spare engines. By the end of the War 1,560 craft of various designs had been built. They consisted of Steam Gunboats, D. Class Motor Torpedo Boats, Motor Gunboats, and Motor Torpedo Boats of various designs for, Attacking Operations and Air Sea Rescue; Motor Launches for Convoy Escort and Anti Submarine Operations, Air Sea Rescue, and Harbour Defence duties.

The Crews of these boats Were involved in 780 seperate naval actions, 464 in Home Waters, the other 316 took place in other theatres of the War. In the battles around the British Isles the Enemy lost 269 vessels either sunk or presumed sunk for the loss of 76 Coastal Force Craft. In 1944 there were eight times as many Officers and ratings in Coastal Force Craft as there had been in 1939.

This is a true story and written by me in response to my two sons saying what did you do in the War Dad. As you have probably guessed this was only one incident of what eventually turned out to be many?

Yours Aye. A. A.Taylor Coxswain of ML.292 and 910 from August 1942 until March 1945.

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