´óÏó´«Ã½

This story was contributed by David Robert Griffiths, who has given his permission, to use the story and is fully aware of the sites terms and conditions.

HMS Achates: the secret documents.
Top secret report on the loss of HMS ACHATES December 31st 1942 on Convoy
No. JW 51B has been released from the Admiralty. It can now be seen and spoken about after so many years.

The report from the Senior Surviving Officer highlighted the destroyer’s damage and the casualties sustained, together with the heroic attempts by the Trawler Northern Gem to pick up some of the eighty ACHATES crew who were saved from the sinking ship (in such appalling weather). Forty officers and crew were killed in action. The badly hurt, and the worst of the wounded sailors went down with the ship, there were many acts of bravery that day. (Captain Tyndale Johns was also lost).

The original press release and notification to the sailors’ families was made on 8th January, 1942. Mr David Wood, and Joan Wood, whose Uncle Don served on the ACHATES have been researching the ship for a very long time, contacting families and exchanging information with them. David lives in the Tyne and Wear area.

I know of only one other sailor who served on the ACHATES, this was Petty Officer David Flowers. His son Ken lives in the Bristol area with his wife Diane. Ken still talks about the ship with pride, he remembers his dad although he was only a little lad when he was lost.

There are more stories about HMS Achates and HMS Bramble, see story titles: ‘Russian Convoy JW51B OFFICIAL REPORT’, ‘HMS Onslow on Russian Convoy’, and story title: ‘Petty Officer Morgan Griffiths, RN’

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.