- Contributed by听
- 26thFlotilla
- People in story:听
- 26th destroyer Flotilla
- Location of story:听
- Far East (Off the coast of Penang)
- Background to story:听
- Royal Navy
- Article ID:听
- A4009637
- Contributed on:听
- 05 May 2005
This action was the last major Naval action of the second world war, often called the forgotten fleet as everyone was celebrating the end of the war in Europe back in the UK while our guys were still fighting the mighty Japanese war machine in the Far East on Land and sea.
while there is not enough space to detail this action it can be read in 'John Wintons' book called 'Sink the Haguro' when six British navey ships H.M.S.Saumarez, Vigilant, Venus, Verulam,Volage & Virago after days of searching found the Japanese cruiser Haguro along with the Kamakazi and sank the Hugaro after a long battle on the 15th/16th May 1945 off the coast of Penang. An account and personal diary can also be seen on one of the survivors web sites of this battle and its lead up on www.stanhough.com
my father was one of the survivors and today there are approx some 70 of the flotilla left. in sept 04 we went back to the Far East under the lottery funded 'Heroes Return' and visited Singapore and Penang where they had all seen action as many of the flotilla had been the first into Singapore when liberation arrived, although many do not wish to remember some of the sites they saw on helping at places like Changi Jail.
Since our return visit we have with the help of the foreign & commonwealth office and our Embassies in malaysia and Japan been able to fist locate the wreck of the Haguro on the sea bed and get pictures of her on the bottom(She is complete and upright) also we have now located the remaining survivors off the Haguro & Kamakazi and it is now proposed we join with the Japanese in September 05 to lay a wreath over the sunken Haguro as a mark of respect for all those who died.
Anyone wishing to know more can contact me for more information if required.
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