大象传媒

This is the true story of two destroyers, Ashanti and Somali. They were sister ships; were, because the Somali was escorting with Ashanti, a convoy from Archangel Russia to the U.K. For seventy two hours, Ashanti and the ships company did their utmost to save their wounded sister. What happened during those hours gave me nightmares for many years afterwards.
It was nearing the end of September 1942. We had already been part of the Fighting Destroyer Escort on three previous convoys to Russia. Also, we had in August, been escorting the famous Pedestal Convoy to Malta.
We were on the homeward bound convoy and as our destroyer Ashanti was leader, we had to alternate our escort positions according to weather conditions. In the early hours of the morning we had changed positions with Somali and were about 120 feet ahead of her when she was hit in the engine room and boiler room by two torpedoes from a U-Boat. The hole in her was as large as a double decker bus.
Smoke and steam were bellowing from her and she listed heavily to starboard. We thought she was about to sink.
Ashanti immediately swept around and dropped several patterns of depth charges as a mine sweeper went alongside Somali and took off about 100 merchant seamen survivors, 140 Officers and ratings, leaving about 80 other officers and ratings still on board.
Somali didn鈥檛 sink. Commander R.G. Onslow, C.O. of Ashanti, decided to tow her to Iceland. A very long tow. Eventually, after two unsuccessful attempts, we now had Somali in tow moving at roughly five knots. Meanwhile the remainder of the convoy had gone on, leaving the two sister ships alone.
We were eight miles S.W. of Jan Mayan Island. The temperature was about 25 degrees Farenheight with and icy wind blowing and very soon the snow began to fall. As we crept along, we tried to ease Somali鈥檚 passage by pumping oil over the stern, but after an hour the tow parted again. We managed to rejoin the cables despite the weather conditions. Somali was asked, 鈥淗ow are you feeling?鈥� the reply was, 鈥淨uite well, thank you.鈥�
All hands were kept at Action Stations and except for staggered watch changing no one was permitted to sleep. At the speed which we were moving, we were a sitting target. For the next three days and nights, we plodded on. Although the orders were no sleeping, we were cat napping whenever possible.
At dawn of the second day, Commander Onslow sent myself and nineteen other ratings over to Somali in the motor cutter to help to cut loose her deck equipment, dump her ammunition, oil and as much top gear as possible. She was without lights and heat. Her steering was out of action and her port turbine had fell out making here list to starboard worse. She was by now completely water logged astern.
During the remainder of that day, we ran an emergency power cable to her. It was a hard cold job, but when we鈥檇 finished, the working party returned to Ashanti. When the light went on Somali sent us a message saying, 鈥淢any thanks sister.鈥� During the evening we also attached a telephone wire so the two C.O鈥檚 could talk.
The third day went quietly and everyone was full of hope. All we thought of was saving Somali and getting some sleep.
During the night the weather became very heavy, waves ran very high with white tops and very deep troughs causing the towing cable to part again taking with it of course the power and telephone cables. With the weather as it was, this was not altogether unexpected. Somali鈥檚 Aldis lamp flashed 鈥淐lose in. I鈥檓 sinking. Goodbye.鈥�
With our searchlight on her we watched the stern go down first. The bow lifted and pointed upwards as we watched men jumping off into the cold sea. She sank very fast. The scrambling nets were put over the side but we dared not stop the engines as part of the tow cable was still streaming astern. We all did our utmost to spot and pick up survivors. Some were throwing lifebelts and codlines. Myself and half a dozen others were at the bottom of the scrambling nets up to our waists in the icy water.
As the searchlight spotted the men in the water, (it was that clear you could see their legs and arms) we tried to grab them, when we missed, lifebelts and lines were thrown to them. They were either too frozen or dead and did not respond. Between 30 and 40 men floated past out of reach. A life raft came near us and we grabbed it. There were three men on it, one was an officer. We hooked the officer. His name was Lt Bruce. He refused to be brought aboard. He was determined that we took the men first. Sadly, by then, the raft was sucked away under the ship. If ever a man gave up his life for his men, Lt. Bruce did. We rescued thirty five survivors. The searchlights kept scanning the water for three hours but no more were found.
The last man to be pulled from the water was unconscious. He was taken to the bridge to the Captain鈥檚 sea cabin. It was Lt.Com Maud. After about twenty minutes in the warm cabin he started to sing at the top of his voice. Afterwards he told us that, that was the only way he could stop himself from freezing. He had no knowledge that he had passed out in the icy sea. There is little doubt however that a fair share of Pussers Rum helped a lot.
One of the seamen had been to the galley and taken a jug of 鈥楰ia鈥� (cocoa) on to the bridge鈥� While filling a mug to give to the frozen officer he spilled most of it onto his legs. All Lt.Com Maud said was, 鈥淢ore please.鈥�
The next morning he was on the bridge with Commander Onslow as right as rain. Although everyone was dead beat, none of us could sleep much because we were haunted by the thought of the men we had watched float by us frozen and dying, those we had been unable to save. We couldn鈥檛 forget them. It could just have easily been us.
Coming into Scapa Flow, we heard terrific cheering from the ships in harbour. I heard one A.B. say to another, 鈥淲ho getting the cheers then?鈥� He replied with surprise in his voice. 鈥淏limey, it鈥檚 us.鈥� We all went up on deck and sure enough, every ship in harbour had it鈥檚 rails lined with cheering men waving and throwing their caps in the air. It was all for us. It did make us feel a little less down hearted.

Reg鈥� Swan
Grimsby
South Humberside

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