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By *An ordinance regulating live-aboard boaters within Beaufort city limits will make its first pass before the Beaufort-Port Royal Joint Municipal Planning Commission tonight *Rose Island owner gambles on no-minimum auction HI THERE MAC, WHAT AN INTERESTING SITE YOU HAVE, I HAVE JUST FOUND IT AND WAS HOOKED. I HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING MY DADS TIME IN THE D.E.M.S. HE WAS A GUNNER, HE WAS IN REGARDS, JACKIE MARSH...A VERY PROUD DAUHAMERICA IN SEPTEMBER 1942, AND HIS FIRST TRIP WAS IN CONVOY RB1. THIS WAS A CONVOY OF SMALL RIVERBOATS, BEING BROUGHT TO ENGLAND FOR SHALLOW DRAFT WORK. HE SAID WHEN THEY WENT TO JOIN THE BOAT , SS SOUTHLAND, THE CREW OF A LARGE SHIP WITH AN OVERHANGING STERN, WHERE SHE WAS PARKED BENEATH, ALL SHOUTED "DESERT YOU WILL NEVER MAKE IT ACROSS THE ATLANTIC " . HOWEVER HE DIDNT.. THEY WERE ATTACKED BY UBOATS AND SOME BOATS WERE LOST, INCLUDING HMS VETERAN AN ESCORT SHIP. SINCE I HAVE BEGUN MY RESEARCH I HAVE DISCOVERED A BOOK WRITTEN BY A MEMBER OF THE OTHER ESCORTS CREW, HMS VANOC, IT IS CALLED CONVOY MANIAC RB1. APPARENTLEY THESE LITTLE BOATS WERE A DECOY FOR A LARGER CONVOY, AND 17 U BOATS WERE SENT TO SINK THEM!!!!!!!!! DAD IS NOW 81 AND WAS SHOCKED TO READ THE BOOK, AND FIND OUT THIS INFORMATION. HE SERVED ON MANY OTHER MERCHANT SHIPS AFTER, AND THANKFULLY RETURNED IN ONE PIECE. I HAVENT FOUND ANY MENTION OTHER THAN THE BOOK OF THIS LITTLE CONVOY OF RIVERBOATS, HAVE YOU ANY KNOWLEDGE PLEASE?? REGARDS JACKIE MARSH..A VERY PROUD DAUGHTER OF..EDWARD ( LOFTY ) FULLWOOD WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND
How nice to have your E-mail. I fought in the Battle of the Atlantic over 1940/1941 in the Australian cruiser HMAS Australia, working out of Scapa Flow, the Clyde and Liverpool. At that time, I was an 18 year old midshipman, I am just a touch older than your Dad, being 82 on the 9th. of February. Convoy RB1 was made up of Great Lake Steamers bound for UK, on the 26th. of September, 1942, in mid Atlantic they were attacked, and one of their escorts, an old WW1, V & W Class destroyer, HMS Veteran was struck by a torpedo fired by German U- Boat U-404. She sank and there were no survivors. The Royal Australian Navy had a sister ship HMAS Vampire, when I was a 13 year old Cadet Midshipman at the Royal Australian Navcal College in 1936, in fact, Vampire was the very first ship in which I went to sea. In a separate E- Mail, I will send you a photograph of HMS Veteran. You have every reight to be very proud of your Dad, please give him my kindest regards. With best wishes for 2004. G'day Mac, I was looking for a bit of info on "Niobe", Luckner's first ship and came across your page. I thought you might be interested in a couple of postcards I have of the wreck of the "Seeadler". No, you are not getting the postcards but I can scan them for you, or even copy them for your files and snail mail them to you, if interested. Salaams
Thank you for your message, yes, I would like copies of the post cards please. The Count was truly an amazing character and sailor, and his exploits continue to attract attention around the world, even today. My snail mail address: M. J. Gregory. Parklake Towers, 301/598 St Kilda Road Melbourne. Victoria. 3004. It is very kind of you to offer to copy them for me. With good wishes to you for 2004. Dear Mr Cole, I was delighed to have your E-Mail, and thank you foryour kind remarks about my site, it is a combined effort with my friend Terry Kearns in Atlanta Georgia, who is responsible for putting all my writings up on AHOY. At Vilu Village, there is a Plaque commemorating the loss of HMAS Canberra, at the Battle of Savo Island on the 9th. of August 1942. I have attached a photograph of this plaque to my message. I happen to be the President of the HMAS Canberra/ HMAS Shropshire Association in Victoria, and assure you Sir, we thank you for your interest and intent should no recognition of the loss of Canberra and 84 of her crew having been made. I wish you well in your appointment in the Solomons, Australia is surely required in this area to give support to a people who assisted us in a time of dire need. In my view, if the Solomons had not been held in 1942/43, we may well have not gone on to the victory we enjoyed. The holding of these islands and the bloody Naval Battles fought around these Islands turned the tide in the Pacific, and put us on the road to Tokyo. Again thank you, and best wishes for 2004.
Thank you most warmly for such a quick response and such generous sentiments. I regret to say that I visited Vilu just over a week ago, and was told by the lady who takes care of the privately-owned war museum there that the "Australian plaque" had been looted during the recent ethnic tensions. Certainly the stone she pointed out to us looked just like the block in your photograph, but had just the bolts still protruding from bare rock. Other memorials beside it had also been looted, leaving only the very biggest engraved stone blocks set there by the Americans and the Japanese still standing, along with the various wrecked aircraft and guns. Very sad. If you have no objection, I might just drop AVM Gary Beck of the Office of Australian War Graves a quick line to see if they have anything in mind themselves (and to sow the idea should it not yet have occurred to them). Given the prominence of the Solomons in Australian foreign and defence policy at present, the timing might be rather propitious. Once again, thank you very much for so prompt and helpful a response. Best regards
Dear Mr Cole, How sad to find that looters have desecrated the Canberra Memorial. Of course, I have no objections to your approaching the Australian War Graves Commission about a suitable replacement. It seems an appropriate time to start lobbying. Are you able to make the Prime Minister aware of what has happened? I know he recently visited our troops in the Solomons, and I was instrumental in initiating the moves that led to the US President giving the bell from USS Canberra, to our PM at the Washington Navy Yard on Monday the 10th. of September 2001. My son Raymond was christened in Melbourne in May of 1967, using that bell as the font, the ship's Captain his God Father, and Lady Dixon who launched USS Canberra, his God Mother. My wife Denise and I were there as guests of our Embassy in Washington DC. We both met George W. Bush, and John Howard that morning, and have a photo of the four of us. So, the PM is aware of our Canberra, and Savo. Please do not think I am trying to big note ourselves, I add this comment, so you are aware about the PM knowing all about our Canberra, and truly believe if you can involve him, you may well strike a favourable chord. Good luck. I would be grateful to learn in due course how you are received. With kindest regards, Mac First of all Happy New Year to you and yours. Secondly may I ask your advice please? I am actively seeking a patron for our society and would be grateful if you could please advise me as to who might be approachable/suitable in the Merchant Navy. I have of course already tried HRH The Prince of Wales and HRH The Duchess of Kent but alias they are fully committed. Thank you regards Director and Online Editor
Andy, I reciprocate your wishes for 2004. How about the Chairman of the Merchant Navy Association, you will find his name and address on the attachment here. Mac. macden@melbpc.org.au AHOY. Mac's Web Log. http://ahoy.tk-jk.net --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.mna.org.uk - The National Merchant Navy Association
The official National Merchant Navy Association website.
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