大象传媒

Transcribed by Alan Brigham - Hullwebs.co.uk

The day was Christmas Eve and the OCEAN VALOUR sailed on north-eastward, with no contact with the convoy. The weather did not improve.

Next morning was Christmas Day. The cook had prepared a Christmas dinner as best he could in the circumstances. The weather had worsened with storm force winds and snow flurries.

The Scharnhorst story from German official reports On the morning of 25th December. Christmas Day, the German Battlecruiser Scharnhorst was at her anchorage in Lang Fjord, an offshoot of Alten Fjord, Norway.

Shore leave was suddenly cancelled. At 1300 hours, the crew was instructed to 鈥淧repare for sea鈥� Sailing in three hours time. At 1700 hours 鈥淧repare to weigh anchor鈥�.

OPERATION CODE 鈥淥STFRONT鈥�

The intention was to intercept the convoy (JW55B) at 1000 hours on the morning of 26th December, (Boxing Day) At 1900 hours (nearly two hours late) the Scharnhorst, accompanied by five destroyers sailed from Alten Fjord. There were 1968 men on board, including 40 young cadets. There had been no recent reconnaissance reports, as the weather had been too bad.

Next day was Boxing Day. The weather report was Southerly gale force 8鈥�9 increasing. Sea 6鈥�7 veering to Southwest 6鈥�8 with heavy Southwest swell. Overcast with rain. Visibility 3鈥�4 miles only intermittently improving to ten miles. Snow falls in Barents Sea.

On Boxing Day at 0800 hours the five destroyers were despatched at full speed to the Southwest to search for the convoy.

At 0955 hours the Scharnhorst reported under fire from (believed) cruisers.

Decca Don, who was serving of one of the destroyers, on radar watch, (the destroyers had 3.2 cms Radar fitted) recounted the course of the battle, with the Scharnhorst, which was eventually sunk by the British warships, as he saw the action on the destroyer鈥檚 radar screen. (From official reports) The Bait The convoy (JW55B) was sailing at 8 knots, followed by German U-boats, in the cold dark arctic waters. It was escorted by eight destroyers and two corvettes. There had been two changes of course, but was thought to be very exposed, so four more destroyers were diverted from the returning (to U.K.) convoy (RASSA) for extra protection. At one point the convoy was only about 30 miles from the Scharnhorst, but was not detected.

The naval force, FORCE 1, the three cruisers (10th cruiser squadron) Norfolk, Belfast and Sheffield, under the control of Rear Admiral R. L. Burnett in the cruiser Belfast, were sailing towards the convoy. At 0840 hrs, they found a blip on the Radar screen, it was the Scharnhorst, they shadowed the vessel until 0929 when they opened fire. (The Scharnhorst鈥檚 Seetakt Radar was hit, but she was reported not operating it). She now had to use the aft radar. The British ships had been tracking her for fifty minutes on their superior 3.2 cms radars.

At 0940 they ceased fire. Contact was then lost, due to the Scharnhorst鈥檚 superior speed. (32 knots). This was the first encounter.

Meanwhile the German destroyers and U-boats were searching for the convoy.

At about 1200 hours, the cruiser Belfast again picked up the blip on the radar screen. The Sheffield made visual contact later. This was the second encounter with the Scharnhorst.

At 1221 they opened fire. The Scharnhorst again replied with her guns, and the Norfolk was hit. It was at this point the Scharnhorst gave up searching for the convoy, exchanging fire until 1241. Action was broken off when she changed course south to return to Alten Fjord at 28 knots, followed by the three cruisers

At about 1650 hours, the Scharnhorst now came under fire from another direction. It was FORCE, 2. Admiral Sir Bruce Frazer in command of the battleship Duke of York, with the cruiser Jamaica accompanied by four destroyers. At 1820 hours the Scharnhorst stopped firing.

At 1945 hours, destroyers and H.M.S. Jamaica firing torpedoes finally sank her.

There were only 36 survivors picked up, due to the arctic weather conditions.

The British force was not without casualties. One officer and six ratings were killed and five wounded, when the Norfolk was hit at the second encounter. Later, one officer, ten ratings were killed and eleven ratings were wounded when the destroyer Saumarez was hit.

On the OCEAN VALOUR. At about 9.30 in the morning of Boxing Day, we had heard some distant rumbling in the noise of the strong gale and bad weather. Then it all happened. At about 12.20 to the south behind us the low thunder-like rumble of gunfire, low at first then louder. We had our Boxing Day dinner under gunfire. We could see the flashes on the southerly horizon now showing in the darkness, now lit up by star shells. Obviously a naval battle was taking place.

However we knew nothing of these course changes. We could not decode the naval signals. We carried on sailing north-easterly. The captain was on the bridge continuously, All hands keeping a lookout into the darkness. We had no Radar, being a merchant ship, it was then secret. The warships had the Radar equipment fitted. It was superior to the German equipment, because we had the magnetron, (now used in microwave ovens), whereas the Germans only had the klystron, which could not handle so much power. The 3.2cm radars were secretly built in America, in several factories each making a separate unit, for security purposes. All the units were then assembled in one large piece of equipment. Then placed in a special steel cabin which could be hoisted on board a naval vessel and then welded or bolted down. It was then connected to power supplies. This saved time in a quick installation. It had a range of 40 or 50 miles, detecting vessels in fog or darkness and bad weather; this gave allied warships the edge over the German vessels.

It was not until the afternoon of the following day, in the darkness, in between the squalls and the snow flurries, that the lookouts reported a warship sighting. Was it the enemy? or our navy? It was a destroyer. Now it was flashing with its Morse lamp. Asking for our recognition signal. Hastily we flashed back the correct code for the date and time of day. It was one of the escorts. Back came the signal to follow him back to the relative safety of the convoy. We regained or convoy position. We sailed on to Murmansk. (As radar was then secret, it as not until some years later that I realised that the destroyer would have searched and found us using his radar.)

It was a few days later; we were anchored in the Kola Inlet, Murmansk Russia. Rest and sleep was a relief, but no. an air raid on the Russian port. Alarm bells were sounded. Ack-Ack fire and shell bursts filled the sky. Were they attacking planes, or just reconnaissance, to find out how many ships had arrived? Finally they flew off, leaving us to rest.

It was only after we arrived in Murmansk that we were told that it was the Scharnhorst that was sunk in the battle with the British warships but we had little detail of the events.

Now we were in port, the Chief Officer decided to issue the naval rum ration. One sailor aft, drunk with rum, was reported to have chased the chief Officer with a fire axe, and had to be restrained. The Chief Officer himself having drunk some of the high strength naval rum, was later found to have gone to his bunk to sleep off the affects. I found his cabin door open, on the retaining hook. He was asleep, with the white enamel pail half full of naval rum on the cabin floor. I went back to my cabin for a glass tumbler, and filled it from the pail. I did not want to miss our rum ration for the three 鈥淪parks鈥�. It was so strong, we had to dilute it with water or lemonade before we could drink it. It was only sometime afterwards, that we found out that the Chief Officer, on his previous voyage had ended with his ship being torpedoed and sunk. Later he was rescued. This was after some forty days ordeal, surviving on an upturned lifeboat.

We received orders from the shore, to proceed from the anchorage to the discharging berth. There we were to unload our cargo of munitions and war materials for the Russia front. We were issued with naval 鈥淒readnaughts鈥� to go ashore.

There was not a lot to see in Murmansk. The buildings were built of wood, with double windows because of the extremely cold temperatures. We did however, get some marvellous views of the Northern Lights. They were always changing colour, right through the spectrum, at the same time changing shape like a dancing curtain.

We found the Russian 鈥淚ntourist Club鈥�, the wooden buildings were very warm inside. The Russians had provided English speaking hostesses, to entertain us. They were to read good books on the Russian heroes and communism. We could keep these books. For a couple of days we all became 鈥済ood communists鈥� for the Hostesses. We had a showing of an old film in Russian about one of their past heroes, with sparse translations in English from the girls 鈥渃ontroller鈥�. However, someone brought some dance records from one of the merchant ships, which could be played on an old record player and amplifier at the 鈥淚ntourist Club鈥�. Now we could dance with the girls. This was much more interesting for both the Hostesses and the sailors, much to the despair of their communist 鈥渃ontroller鈥�. She did not approve.

During our stay in port, it was then I received first one and then another later, the two telegrams sent by my mother. These were via the naval radio. I knew
that my family were OK. I could not reply back. Having discharged our cargo of war materials, we now had to return to the anchorage. This was to await a convoy to return back to Britain. The naval commanders decided to put about six naval ratings onboard, as passengers to take back to the U.K. On of these was a magician, an illusionist. No one would play cards with him, we were told. He could play tricks with cards, that meant that he could win any game. These men stayed with us for a few days. Then, just as we were leaving to take up our convoy station, a destroyer came bows on to the side of our vessel to take the ratings off again. (They would return by destroyer). We were returning 鈥渓ight ship鈥�. We had done our job of getting the war materials to Russia.

We had a fairly uneventful passage back to Liverpool. There were warnings of German aircraft patrols. A few times when destroyers would drop depth charges on shadowing submarines.

Arriving at Liverpool, we were boarded by what seemed like 鈥渉ordes鈥� of young men in pin-striped suites. (I thought that they should have been in the forces). They all wanted us to sign up for 鈥渓ife insurance鈥�, after our Russian Convoy experience. I said 鈥淣o way鈥�, 鈥淵ou should have come and seen me before the voyage, not afterwards鈥�. I have never liked insurance salesmen since then. I was discharged from the OCEAN VALOUR in Liverpool, on the 13鈥濃�� February 1944, and returned to Hull for some leave. By chance, I met up with the naval rating, who was the magician. It was in the city centre. He was from Hull. After exchanging greetings, I enquired how he had got on with the voyage home on the destroyer. The destroyer had been torpedoed on the way back to the U.K., they had taken to the boats, and then been rescued. 鈥淥h!鈥�, I said. You should have stayed with us!. We were lucky.

After reporting to Marconi鈥檚 and a few days leave, I was told to sign on at the shipping office on the 28th February 1944. For an appointment to another vessel. Ah!, but that鈥檚 another story!.

After Decca Don and I had finished recalling our wartime experiences and finishing our mug of coffee. We discussed the folly of war. We could apply for the Russian 鈥淧olar Star鈥� medal, but that was frowned upon by our Government at the time, as Russia was a communist country. Later this was permitted when Russia became a Democracy, but only as a diplomatic award. I have not applied. In my opinion, it is all past history, survival was a matter of luck.

Decca Don and I now returned to our respective work. In my case, carrying on testing the communications equipment and Don his radar equipment. We did not get back to the docking berth until the early hours of the morning.
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Transcribed by: Alan Brigham Hullwebs.co.uk

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