By
Saturday, November 27, 2004

hi Mac,

My journey along the trail of  the Wolf continues. Recently I uncovered some press reports on the crews of the American ships captured by Wolf. I am following up with research into what the Danish press had to say about Wolf's prisoners ( women children and sick) who were released in neutral Denmark, just before Wolf returned to Kiel.

However, my present focus is on the various ships that hit Wolf's mines. especially off Cape Town,  Colombo, and Bombay.

I have seen the list on your website, but I want to look for any human interest stories that might arise from the damage to these ships.

Press reports at the time in those countries are of special interest. But I wonder if any naval history buffs have details about any of these victims of Wolf.

In reading about's wolf's achievements, it is easy to become distracted by the captured ones and the prisoners. But the victims of Wolf's mines were pretty significant troop ships.

Hope someone may be able to assist with any memoirs, photo's or press clippings.

With thanks,
Peter Hohnen

TK, and Chris,

Peter is chasing any news about victims of the mines laid by Wolf. His comment about Danish press reports is interesting, I have asked him if there is any mention of J Turner.

Terry will you please add Peter's message to our site, in case it draws any comments from our readers.

Thanks,
Mac.

parzifal@bigpond.com

Peter,

Here is an E-Mail that recently came my way about J Turner a stoker from SS Matunga sunk by Wolf, being buried in Switzerland. In the Danish press reports are there any mention of names of prisoners from Wolf, if so, was Turner mentioned please?

We will add your E-mail to AHOY, and hope it may draw some comment.

Nice to hear from you, and although its early days, all the best for Christmas and 2005.

Best regards,
Mac.

TK and Bob,

I have already commented about the expression knots per hour.

There are some typographical corrections.

Three paras above the segment starting Dear Mac Gregory:-

Second line delete' and after operation, move a map, a space left.

Third line, no space between island, moving.

4th line, after Indonesian chain, delete cfr The Heroes by Ronald mcKee 1960 Panther Books.

It is repeating the title on line 1 ( but in line 1 add Panther Books 1960 after The Heroes )

5th. line, move highlights a space left, and move Thinking a space left.

6th. line, move one can learn a space left.

Next para, 1st. line after returned add in, 1st. line retuned should read returned.

2nd. line, move in our class a space left.

3rd. line, he Queen Mary should read the Queen Mary.

5th. line I I win the lottery, should read If I win the lottery also move will book a space left.

next para 1st. line, no space between other, from Last para 3rd. line, he place should read the place.

5th. line just beginning o should read just beginning to

8th. line, Secretary,Ron no space between them.

Next line, remendous should read tremendous.

third last line, move out and all both one space left.

I think thats it, but I may have missed something.

Cheers,

Mac.

Dear Mac.

I had been discussing the loss of HMS Edinburgh with a member of our local club who was a survivor when the ship was lost. Naturally we both enjoyed  your Mac's Web Log on the subject and this survivor actually learned some new information concerning the events leading up to the loss.

He is however upset by what he swears is an untruth concerning the ship's actions prior to loss.  (This particular survivor was a submariner who had spent some time onshore in Russia and was returning to the U.K. on the Edinburgh - he was not a member of ship's regular company).

He states that the claim that an ASDIC contact report was ignored by an officer(s) is completely untrue and he has first hand evidence to prove this.

To establish historical fact would you be interested in his first hand account of his side of the story?  He was a regular non enlisted man so he has nothing to hide.  He is now over 80 years old but has  vivid memoirs of what happened prior to, during and after the sinking - also life onshore in Russia. I would be happy to write his account for you and you could then judge for yourself.

He is adamant in his belief that there was no asdic contact.

Thanks for a great article and best wishes,

Yours sincerely,  Ernie Wide, Poynton, Cheshire, England.

Dear Ernie,

Thank you for your message, yes indeed!! I would love to hear any account of the Edinburgh and her sinking, particularly if it throws new light on any segment I may have used or quoted on AHOY in my piece about the ship's loss etc.

I always aim to be as factual as is possible from the research I do, and sources I may quote, but never claim infallability.

Please have your friend relate as fully as possible his story as a survivor of that sinking, and fully relate the piece about  any ASDIC contact, and his life ashore as a Submariner in Russia. Post war in UK schools, over 1947 and part of 1948 I qualified as a Specialist Torpedo Anti-Submarine Officer, hence I have a special interest in Submarines, and the Anti Submarine tactics, and weapons used against the U-Boats.

How did he come to be taking passage home in the cruiser Edinburgh?

Please ensure that he will be happy for us to publish his story on AHOY, it is important that we have his approval.

With all WW2 veterans getting older, I myself am 82, it is important to get as much history as is possible recorded for posterity, and from my viewpoint, that particularly applies to our Naval History.

I await your next instalment with pleasure.

Thanks again for getting in touch.

Kindest Regards,
Mac. Gregory.

Ahoy Mac,

I discovered your website whilst searching for photographs of the Gordon River in Tasmania. Dear friends of mine are
on holiday in Tasmania for three weeks and mentioned that they were going to cruise the river today.

To my delight as I was perusing the available photographs I found your site. I have added it to my favorites so that
I can go back when I have more time and really dig into it!

I have always had a love of the water, guess I came by it natural as my Uncle and his wife lived on a sailboat for
some 23 years and in fact raised two girls while calling their boat home. Uncle Bill was a master woodworker and in
fact built the sailboat that they lived on. My Aunt having a great sense of humor christened the vessel "The Daffy
D's" being that my uncle's last name was Daniels. In addition to the boat, they had a very large barge that they had towed to wherever they moved so that my uncle could have his woodworking shop with him. During WW2, Uncle Bill was in Florida and was in charge of a large marina, and performed repair work on U.S. Navy vessels.

Again, I wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your site, and I look forward to hearing back from you as to what
your newest adventure may be.

Ed Cushman

Hello Ed,

Thank you for your encouraging words about AHOY, it is a combined effort with a US side too, my very good friend
Terry Kearns from Atlanta Georgia, came to my rescue some time ago when I needed help, and offered assistance, without his work as my Web Master our site would not exist. I do all the research and writing, but Terry converts all my scribblings, into the site you stumbled upon, and is out there for anyone on the net, with an interest particularly in Naval History to find, and hopefully enjoysome aspect.

Tasmania is indeed quite a magical island, and the west coast around the Gordon River is quite wonderful, my
descriptions would hardly do justice to this unique area.

At age 82, although I have many other places in this wonderful world of ours I want to explore, other adventures may be limited.

Denise and I are recently back from three weeks in theMediterranean, and I have yet to complete my Travel Diary in that regard, as soon as I allocate time to finish that story, some other day to day questions or another subject takes my interest, and I am off on another tangent.

But then that is what is wondrous about living in this time. I have been most fortunate to have had my life when
I have, so many new inventions, and the coming of both the computer and its Internet is one of the most incredible experiences I have known, you have just popped up, and half an hour ago we had not met, or known about each other.

Thank you again for your nice remarks, both Terry and I get tremendous pleasure when some one, such as yourself,
takes the trouble to say Hello, and indicate something on AHOY has given you momentary pleasure.

Best regards,
Mac.