Friday

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Friday, January 07, 2005

*Top 10 waterfront stories of 2004
-Coast News

*Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton will take a second look at turning the half-demolished Fuller Warren Bridge into a "river pier,"
-Flirida Times Union, 1-7-05

*Four Polish lifeguards credited with keeping Pensacola Beach free from drownings last year could return this summer
-Pensacola News Journal, 1-7-05

12.

returning fishermen to assist him to recover a body, but they declined, and he had to struggle alone to pull it half on to the stern of his boat, and then make his way back home.

When the boat reached the shore the Marine Judge, Pascual El Rafeno was sent for, he inspected the corpse and gave approval for its transport via a donkey to Punta Umbria where a small ferry took Major Martin's body to Huelva.

Judge takes possession of the locked briefcase.
Pascual El Rafeno went off with the locked briefcase, and taking it to Huelva, he offered it to his friend, the British Vice Consul F K Hazeldene, who was aware of Operation Mincement but he could not accept it, instead advising the Judge to hand it over to the Spanish authorities.

German agent in Huelva.
Here the German agent, Adolf Clauss, was the son of the German Consul in that city his cover being an agriculture technician on a farm outside the city, but close to the sea. He was chief of the Abwehr for the province of Huelva. He was soon on the scene, and noted the contents of the briefcase, but returned them unopened, but just knew he had become aware of something of very great importance.

The body was entrusted to the British Vice Consul, but no mention was made about the fact that when found there was a brief case fastened to a wrist, in fact, this case and its contents were already on their way to the Spanish Foreign Ministry in Madrid.

The Vice Consul arranged for a Spanish pathologist Eduardo Del Torno to carry out a Post Mortem at the Heuelva Mortuary next to the cemetery.

Lord Austin  was a steam trawler in the escort group of JW 53 Which left loch ewe Feb. 15 1943 for the Kola Inlet north Russia. I was on the SS City of Omaha and the Austin tied up next to us for a while at Molotovsk.
Naturally we got aquainted but lost track after oct when we headed back. I have heard the Lord Austin was lost at Normandie by a mine. I would like to find some information on her and possibly a picture. I can still see her in my mind still on station in mountainous seas that sent I believe 5 cargo vessels back to the UK with sea damage. Those trawlermen and corvette people were a sight to behold. Right there in all kinds of weather and fought those small vessels like they were some kind of destroyer. I found a picture of the flower class corvette Bluebell. Another heroic vessel lost with all hands I believe at Normandie. a veteran of the Murmansk run. She kept the "boogers" away from me in two convoys in 1942.

I'd love to have a picture of the Lord Austin to put side of the Bluebell. any help to head me in the right direction would be a God send.

S.C. Bushnell retired ch. eng. usmm

Hello,

Thank you for your interesting mail. HMS Lord Austin was indeed sunk by a mine in Seine Bay, Normandy on the 24th. of June in 1944. I have been unable to run down a photo, but she was a coal burning Trawler, built in 1937, of 473 tons, and was taken over by the British Admiralty in September 1939, and converted into anti/Submarine
Trawler.

I will send separately a photo of the Northern Gem, also a Trawler, very similar to Lord Austin, and also with you on Convoy JW53.

I hope that is of some help to you.

Best wishes for the New Year, 2005 and beyond.

Mackenzie. Gregory.