- Contributed by听
- lowestoftlibrary
- People in story:听
- George A Smith
- Location of story:听
- The Atlantic Ocean off the Outer Hebrides,
- Background to story:听
- Royal Navy
- Article ID:听
- A4029923
- Contributed on:听
- 08 May 2005
George A Smith 1945 Naval Base; Lowestoft Service Number: LT/JX 454682
Tuesday the eighth of May, 1945, turned out to be a memorable day for me, a 21 year old Royal Naval telegraphist aboard a minesweeper (the Beaumaris Castle)at the top of the Minches in the Atlantic, near the Butt of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.
Our flotilla was on its second day out from Stornoway, with the ships stretched out on a routine sweep in full lookout for mines, but the ship's crews and officers were trying to come to terms with the fact that the war in Europe had ended, when in the late afternoon "action stations" were sounded aboard our ship. To our shock and surprise a German U-boat rose menacingly to the surface, and slowly at the masthead she hoisted a black flag. The German High Command had ordered all U-boats to surrender unconditionally to the nearest Allied naval ships, and the hoisting of the black flag was the surrender signal.
After the panic had subsided messages were rapidly exchanged with our flotilla leader and the naval base at Loch Ewe, and finally we were instructed to order the German U-boat to follow in our wake into Loch Ewe. Hours later we steamed into this great loch where in the past few years convoys to Russia and the United States had gathered and left with naval escorts.
Formal surrender was undertaken by senior British naval officers who boarded the U-boat and interrogated her captain and officers. Apparently other U-boats were also expected there. Our crew was ultimately allowed to board this U-boat and inspect what had been the hated scourge of all Allied shipping. Ironically we had formally to salute the U-boat's officers before boarding their boat, but grudgingly we all knew this was the clente de la creme of the German navy.
As a postscript to the U-boat's surrender in Loch Ewe, it was established that several weeks before VE Day a U-boat operating in the Irish Sea had laid magnetic mines in the Firth of Clyde. Our flotilla was sent post haste from Loch Ewe to the Clyde where we swept from dawn to dusk from Ardrossan to Stranraer for nearly three months. Many mines were found and destroyed in the area around Ailsa Craig.
George A Smith,
Milngavie,
Glasgow
Naval base: Lowestoft
Service Number: LT/JX 454682
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