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By * Frustrated with the politics of fishing catch limits, South Carolina conservationists are pushing legislation that would give state biologists greater say over the future of saltwater fisheries * The Ashley Marina’s move to “dockominiums” has pushed out boaters and created something of a crunch in slip space in Charleston * Fishermen should do well this weekend at Nassau Sound for excellent eating whiting and hard-fighting black drum * PANAMA CITY BEACH A project that will add about 30 feet of width to a 16-mile stretch of Bay County beaches should begin late this week or early the next — just as the tourist season gears up Dear Mac, You defined DEMS as Defensively Equipped Merchant Shipping. But there was a big notice at the entrance to one of our shore bases, ' Don't Expect Much Sympathy'. More widely known, however, was ' Dirty Minded Evil Seamen'. After basic training at HMS Collingwood, a shore establishment near Portsmouth, I was sent to Chatham for a gunnery course. From there, knowing so little about gunnery or,indeed, about anything else connected with the sea, I went with sixteen others to the DEMS base at Avonmouth, near Bristol. We went to seventeen different ships. I went to the Regent Panther, an average sized tanker and in February, 1941, we sailed for New York. Panther already had a gunner. John Bull, how appropriate a name, had been recalled to the Colours in 1939 being an ex-12 years service man. He was about 35 years old, a jovial, happy-go-lucky man and, in the best sense of the word, a tough man. It was my fortune to be with him to learn about the sea. I did hear that he got a DSM serving on a ship that limped in in the convoy that relieved Malta. Panther had a 4" Breech-loading gun and a 12 pounder high-angle gun mounted aft, of course, to comply with International rules which laid down that Merchantmen could only be defensively armed. But because of the increased threat from aircraft the Navy decided that additional armament was needed and supplied two Marlin machine-guns, the mountings for them being on either wing of the bridge. A shore party dumped the guns and ammunition on the deck and departed. Johnny and I looked at the strange weapons. We had no instruction book. The first thing was to find out how they worked. Three screws on one side of the body of the gun appeared the right approach to dismantling the gun. As the third screw came away there was an echoing 'Boinggg' as the gun fell apart and springs and many odd-shaped bits flew in all directions. It took us a day and a half to reassemble the gun. The Marlin, a left-over from World-War 1, had a webbing-belt feed which soaked up water, shrank and refused to let go of the .30" bullets; it was useless. The Navy must have had a store of remaindered weapons which they put on Merchant ships - but that is a story in itself. On Regent Panther we gunners dined in the Engineer Officers' mess - the sort of honour which never came my way again. About two days out, in convoy, I was at breakfast when a solid double-thump shook the ship. The Chief Engineer, at the head of the table, said casually that it was probably mines going off. I said that I would like to see this and walked to the door of the mess-room. Once outside, I fled along the alleyway and arrived on deck in time to see a Heinkel 111 passing astern and two bombs gracefully falling. They burst just astern of the Norwegian tanker behind us which seemed to be partially lifted from the water. However, it settled back and continued with us, presumably without serious damage. I rushed to the gun-deck and found Johnny laying the 12 pdr and a merchant seaman training it. Johnny, as Captain of the gun, was calling "Left, left,left" to the trainer. The gun was protected by a 3 1/2 foot high 'zareba' of 3" thick mastic. I climbed over and as I dropped down Johnny shouted "Fire". Automatically, I slammed down the firing plate and the 12 pdr yelped - that is the only way I can describe it. It did not have the deeper boom of bigger guns. The Heinkel was by now half-a-mile away but our shell-burst appeared to be in the angle between the fuselage and the wing. The plane gave off a cloud of black smoke and lost height to sea-level. We lost sight of it and whether we had in fact damaged it we do not know. That was the only shot from the convoy even though we had a destroyer ahead and one on either wing. Johnny must have been fast off the mark to get the shell, set the fuse, load the gun and get the shot away in so short a time. The escorts did not stay long. At that time, U-boat activity did not reach too far into the Western Ocean. We made our way to New York and dry-dock for major overhaul. From New York we went to Trinidad. We stopped briefly at Port of Spain, the capital, then on to San Fernando to load. We were a 'company ship' Bowrings, the company that owned the Panther also owned or had a large interest in the oil installation on the island. This meant that the crew could use the company's store in the little town. Rum cost the equivalent of a pound for six bottles; everyone bought rum. We went out through the Dragon's Mouth - the narrow passage between Trinidad and the mainland of South America - and so via the Mona passage between Puerto Rica and Dominica to run up off the east coast of America to Halifax in Nova Scotia. It took ten days and was a quiet holiday cruise. No U-boats were out there at that time. A routine began. After breakfast we gathered in the cabin of one of the off-duty officers and talked and drank - rum, of course. The watches changed at midday so the afternoon was spent with a slightly different crowd in someone else's cabin. At four o'clock, another change of watch and another venue. The most junior of the Engineer Officers was a man for whom I had very mixed feelings. I think he was a fitter from a Mersey-side shipyard and, despite his age which I would think was about 50, had come to sea to 'do his bit'; for that I gave him some respect. Nevertheless, he was a thoroughly obnoxious man with deplorable manners. His watch-mate was the Third Engineer who had to put up with him but found it very hard to do so. One day. a week or so after we left Trinidad , we were in the Third's cabin. I was on the settee seated next to the Junior Engineer. Suddenly, he stood up, stiff and with his chin lifted as high as it would go. Like that he toppled to the deck. The Third cursed and lifted across his shoulder this rigid body which stuck out fore and aft as would a board. The Third carried him out to the open deck and in turning corners cracked the man's head against a (p)ipe, opening a large gash on his forehead. He did not wake until many hours later when he came to me saying," Who done this? Who done this to me? Tell me. I'll kill him". Of course I had no idea. One hears the expression 'paralytic drunk' but that is the only time that I have in fact seen it. We sailed from Halifax in a convoy of 29 ships. Our escort was the Armed merchant Cruiser 'Ascania' ( an ex-Cunard liner ) and a submarine which, I was told, was the Free French 'Surcouf'. To start with, we gunners did not keep watch; there was no danger west of 40 degrees West. Well, someone had to be first. A few days later I was roused in the night and got on deck to see our next astern, the Norman Monarch, ablaze. She dropped behind and I saw no more of her. Next day came much worse trouble. Ascania and the submarine left us; after all, they were no use against U-boat attack. In the next column, on our port beam, was the Darlington Court, a modern-looking fair-sized cargo ship. Her deck cargo was Hudson aircraft. I happened to be looking at her as she was hit; she seemed to shiver, went down slightly by the head and appeared simply to steam under water. I saw no sign of debris or survivors. One of the sixteen men that I went to Avonmouth with was on that ship. Soon after that, on the far side of the convoy, a tanker was hit and went up in flames. A second tanker pulled around the fire and was hit as it came clear. A third tanker followed and was hit.The three made one huge fire and there came a most extraordinary sight. A sphere of moving fire and smoke, red and swirling black, rose. And out of this formed a second sphere, balanced on top of the first. Then a third, a fourth, and a fifth formed above, all to become a column of fire and smoke. Using the length of the tankers as a guide, I estimated the height of the column as getting near to a mile. And the sea for hundreds of yards around was on fire. I must admit that, sitting as we were on several thousand tons of aviation and motor spirit, my attention was absorbed by the fire on the other side of the convoy. But I think I could not have failed to see if more ships had been lost before we had orders to scatter. It was remarkable how quickly all other ships were out of sight - all save the Morganen, a Norwegian tanker that followed us exactly, every zig and every zag. Regent Panther was diesel-engined and designed for 12 1/2 knots. We did 15 1/2 knots for half an hour then 14 knots for about 12 hours. During that first half-hour we had a severe shock; severe enough to have thrown me to the deck if I had not grabbed a stanchion. My first thought was that we had been hit and I looked forward expecting to see a fire; there was no sign. We wondered if by chance we had rammed a U-boat. Morganen must have had the same experience for at Avonmouth she had her hull examined - with no result. We made our way to the re-assembly point where we joined fourteen of the original convoy plus three 'strangers' With dawn we saw great grey shapes approaching at high speed. It was King George V, Victorious and Repulse with three cruisers and a number of destroyers. So this convoy of 18 ships was the convoy HX 126 " whose bows Tovey" ( the Admiral with the fleet ) "crossed on the morning of 24 May " ( Ludovic Kennedy's book 'Pursuit' ) The fleet's port screen of destroyers had to zig-zag diagonally through the covoy in order to maintain station. We lined the rails and cheered them on. The battleships made a brave sight as they forced their ways through the considerable swell and green seas broke over them. Of course, later we learned that they were looking for the Bismarck and that Hood had been lost. Was the shock that we had felt caused by Hood's explosion? We made our way back to Avonmouth. The Chief Petty Officer of the DEMS base was there to greet us as we came ashore, He was a fatherly figure and obviously sincerely affected when he shook my hand and said, " There are six of your crowd left." Regards
My thanks, a few notes about HX126 follow: Convoy HX 126. Halifax/New York- UK. Attacked by a pack of U-Boats over 19 May - 22 May 1941. This convoy made up of 28 ships was only escorted by the Armed Merchant Cruiser HMS Aurania, with such a paltry escort it was only asking for trouble, and that is exactly what it received. Nine U-Boats have a picnic. HMS Aurania was given a hopeless task, with no escorting destroyers, or corvettes, the attackers were not going to be harassed by a close escort, they went in for the kill, and accounted for the following 9 ships: Barnaby, a romper, meaning she had rushed ahead of the main body making her very vulnerable. Carrying 7,250 tons of flour she was accounted for by U-111, but fortunately only 2 sailors died. Northern Monarch with a cargo of 8,300 tons of wheat, 26 crew were killed, and U-94 sank her. Darlington Court also with wheat, 8,116 tons, lost 25 crew in the attack by U-556. British Security went in a blaze, her 11,200 tons of benzine and paraffin killing 53, with U-556 again the successful German boat. Cockaponset had 6,250 tons of steel in her hold, it helped her sink after being torpedoed by U-556, her triple victim, but her crew were all saved. Rothermere, a romper, another too anxious to steam ahead of her convoy, and she paid the price, being nailed by U-98, to lose 22 crew members. John P, Pederson, also romped off ahead, to be easily picked off by U-94, her second ship sunk, and 22 died. Harpagus joined those ships to be sunk, this time by U-109, losing 32 crew. Elusa was the final ship to be sunk from HX 126, claimed by U-93, luckily, only 3 crew members were killed. Too many sailors die. So, nine ships to total 51,862 tons were sunk, in the main from a lack of escorts, it was a tough time on the North Atlantic run. The U-boats, and their astute commander, Gross Admiral Karl Donitz were at the zenith of their power, the gap in the middle of the Atlantic devoid of Allied air cover. It was during this period, I spent time as a young Midshipman in the Australian heavy cruiser Australia, convoying in the Atlantic. It was always cold and cheerless, and when one returned home to base, air raids and bombs raining down were often the welcome awaiting. Remaining ships in HX-126. British Riberia, Crnegic, ( sunk June 1941 ) Baron Elgin, Empire Kudu, ( Sunk September 1941 ) British Splendour ( sunk April 1942 ) Tongariro, Dorelian, Nicoya ( Sunk May 1942 ) Gretavale ( sunk November 1941 ) Bente Maersk, British Freedom ( sunk January 1945 ) Regent Panther, Rarabagh, Rowewood, Eemland, Havsten ( sunk August 1942 ) Hade County ( sunk December 1941 ) and Morgenen. Thus from a total of 28 vessels that started out as Convoy HX126, only 10 of them were to see out the remainder of WW2, such was the attrition due to the operation of the German U-Boat arm. On this convoy, the British DEMS gunner, Cyril Hill sailed in Regent Panther, both fortuituosly to go the distance with Convoy HX126, and then to survive until the end of the 1939/1945 conflict. And Cyril now 89, is still going strong, sharing his memories with me, and our AHOY readers. Thanks to Cyril Hill.
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