British Coastal Convoys WWII

[cappy]

I lived with my gran and ernie smallin the 50s and 60s during my seagoing career....he was chief officer on the coastal vessel ss new minster....the convoy going south from the tyne in 1940 .......the SS leo of hul was bombed and sunk in a large attack from stuka aicraft the master of the newminster asked for volunteers to go in the jolly boat ....he stepped up along with the steward and iether an AB or a fireman ......the jolly boat picked up some seaman but they then had to put some already gone to pick up some still alive and needing help ......the jolly boat a clinker built boat mainly used for sculling fro vessel to jetty was machine gunned by a stuka who was so low he could see the pilots face ......the boat was leaking ....the life jackts of the time were cork ...the cork was cut and forced into the holes in the jolly boat.....he was awardedMBE LODS MEDAL FOR BRAVERY AT SEA AND ROBIN EMILE AWARD FOR RESCUE OF SEAFARERS AND FISHERMEN .......SADLY THESE WERE SOLD AFTER HIS DEMISE BY Afamily member to pay an electric bill ......i tied to buy then but found another member of his family had purchased them from the medal collector ....so it should be ...he told me this as we shared a docking bottle of brandy his favourite in the late 50s or 60s....i was in ore carriers at that time.....he was a fine man....sadsly ending up firewatching on the norske mailboats in the tyne ......wrack.ed with bronchitis ......and eventually setting fire to his sofa while falling asleep with his pipe from which he sadly passed......the jolly boat was picked up later by a RN destroyer .....he was a great mentor to me and is sadly missed......his sense of humour was endless ...ie on coming ito the tyne from seven islands my girlfriend who is now my wife had come to my grans house ...we were canoodling in the best room whengranny knocked on the door ans asked did i want fish fingers for tea......much to my suprise he shouted they have been in there half an hour and if he hasnt got fish fingers i will eat my hat.....cappy from shields

[John S Martin]

#1. Patricia although you point out the fact of non protected coastal convoys you forget to mention they had air coverage , much more formidable than corvettes with a much more greater striking power against u boats and e boats . Coastal command had a good success rate I believe and were within minutes of any such convoys. JS

My father was a Spitfire pilot based on airfields in Cornwall and Dorset (10 Group). Although in 1941 fighter squadrons started to get more involved in offensive operations most of the 'bread and butter' operations were patrols including the support of our shipping against aerial attacks from German planes based in France. Many of his operational flights recorded in the squadron's ORB 541 were convoy or shipping escorts. For individual ships they were at section strength, patrolling a nominated vector in which ships were - for convoys these were at flight strength. They would rotate the cover with other squadrons in the same wing. He was Duty Pilot at RAF Warmwell in July 1941 when he was 'sent up' to help a flight that was on convoy escort duty and had got into a scrap with German aircraft. He never found them, but returning to base he saw something in the water and went to investigate. A barrage balloon floating on the water, probably still attached to a sunken ship. He was bounced by a couple of ME109s and shot down. Thankfully, only a month earlier fighter pilots were given K type (inflatable) dinghys attached to their parachutes. He spent many hours in one before being picked up by a German patrol boat. Without a liferaft, life expectancy in the water was very limited. He spent the rest of the four years of WW2 in German prison camps for airmen.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

I have the official book of all Naval and Merchant ships lost during the second world war. This incudes Warships and auxiliary craft, every barge, Landing craft ,ships and barges. Motor torpedo boats, etc. Every British Merchant ship, fishing vessels, even those lost through miscellaneous war causes other than enemy action.
Don't know if it is available now
Des

[j.sabourn]

What does it say for the Blythmoor Des think I got the year right 1944. ? JS

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John.
The Blythmoor of 6,580 tons was attacked by aircraft and bombed on the 10 of April 1940 at Narvik and was was sunk or seized. For some reason she is listed twice in the book, but with the same write up.
Des

[WG Smith]

Members may find the attached of interest in describing early arrangements for coastal convoys including the role played by the RAF.

https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/...N-I/index.html

[DeepSea]

After the fall of France in 1940, the war was literally on Britain's doorstep. As the Convoys in the North Atlantic continued to be decimated, now came the turn for the Coastal Convoys to suffer severe losses. The power stations in London relied on 30.000 tons of coal per week as well as coal for homes and the railways. This was the job of the collier fleet, affectionately known as the "Coal Scuttle Brigade." The two main routes ran from the East coast down from Scotland and the coal ports of the North East to the London Docks. These ships had to pass through what became known as "E-boat Alley" where German E-boats would dash out of the occupied French ports at some forty knots to attack the slow eight knot colliers. The West coast Convoys would traverse from the Welsh coal ports around Lands End, through the English Channel into the Dover Straits and along to the Thames Estuary. These ships would come under attack in what was known as "Hell Fire Corner" as fifteen guns from four German shore batteries would open up on them from Cape Gris Nez. It would take an average of five hours for the ships to pass this area and if lucky enough to get through then had to navigate the thirty mile long stretch of Goodwin Sands which was over flown by German Ju-87 dive bombers, E-boats as well as being continuously mined. As well as all these continuous attacks the Masters of these ships had the job of navigating the shallow narrow stretches of water with its many shoals and sandbars, made more difficult by the colder North Sea mixing with the warmer water from the Gulf Stream causing fog. Over five hundred of these Convoys took place during the war, with the average of one sailing every three days.

[DeepSea]

Hi John.
The Blythmoor of 6,580 tons was attacked by aircraft and bombed on the 10 of April 1940 at Narvik and was was sunk or seized. For some reason she is listed twice in the book, but with the same write up.
Des

Information from "The Red Duster at War" states:

"During April, the majority of action took place off the coast and in the fjords of Norway following the invasion by German forces on 9 April. Landings were made simultaneously at Oslo, Kristiansand, Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim and Narvik. Many British merchant ships were trapped, the greatest loss being at Narvik. Lying at anchor waiting to load and taken completely by surprise were the Blythmoor (6,582 grt, North Shipping Co. Ltd), Mersington Court (5,141 grt, Court Line Ltd), North Cornwall (4,304 grt, North Shipping Co. Ltd) and the Riverton (5,378 grt, R Chapman and Son) Prize crews took over the ships at anchor but in the following action by Norwegian, French and British forces, all were sunk"

Lloyd's War Losses Vol.I also state the Blythmoor was "Sunk by British Destroyers"

[Erik Vind Frost]

Hi! Do anyone know which flag the small boats (fishing boats and yachts) the Admirality overtook in 1940 e.g. as balooner-boats were put under? The red duster or something else?

[j.sabourn]

#29 Good question ! But I would imagine they flew the flag of the country they were registered with the same as any other vessel. Barrage balloons were also tethered to designated vessels in a convoy of ships , the purpose of a balloon apart from being an article of defence were the wires leading from it which were an approbation to low flying aircraft . JS
On the other hand they would have been the first thing to be sighted by a surfaced U-boat so would have a dual and adverse result to any secrecy of trying to go unnoticed to the enemy. So would be a toss up which gave away the convoys position the smoke they made or the barrage balloons. JS