大象传媒

At the outbreak of World War Two the Second Destroyer Flotilla Leader HMS Hardy was stationed in the Mediterranean based in Malta. When hostilities broke out she was diverted to the South Atlantic to search for the German prisoner of war ship Altmark.

Early in the New Year, 1840, Hardy berthed in Devonport Dockyard for a few days, exchanging a few of her ship's personnel. One of those joining was "Tubby" Cock, the ships new "Chief Buffer", so called because he was an enormous rotund man weighing probably twenty stone or more. He was told by the skipper, Captain Warburton-Lee, to return to R.N. Barracks but apparently replied - "I'm here, and here I want to stay". And stay he did.

In the next few months the Hardy and part of her flottilla carried out exercises with units of the Home Fleet including Battleship Rodney and were based on the Clyde.Scapa Flow had become unsafe since the Royal Oak was torpedoed by German U Boats there.

THE FOLLOWING IS THE PERSONAL STORY OF F.A. MASON, ONE OF THE HARDY'S COMPANY AND IS ACCURATE AS FAR AS HE CAN RECOLLECT.

I was a Leading Seaman and Leading Torpedo Man (L.T.O for short) and my job on board was the care and maintenance of the after set of quadruple torpedo tubes. I was classed as No.One of the Tubes. This was my action station, cruising station and general work station. The Tubes Crew also formed part of the Depth Charge Watchkeepers. We could change positions very quickly.

The No.One of the Foremost Tubes was a Welshman, Able Seaman Joe Sweetland, also a L.T.O. Joe came from Tonypandy and we were very close mates. Sadly, at a later date Joe was lost on HMS Hecla, a Destroyer Repair Ship, when she was sunk whilst on passage in the South Alantic.

A Tubes Crew consisted of a No.One in charge,a Bridge Communication Man using a telephone and four Training Numbers, two eitherside, to train and lock tubes on the beams for firing port or starboard side. We had a Petty Officer Torpedo Gunners Mate in charge, an Irishman, called Micky West. We also had a young Gunner "T", Allen Talboys and further up on the ladder our Torpedo Officer Lieutenant Georg Hepple R.N., also classed as a Flotilla Torpedo Officer.

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