Thursday news

By
Thursday, December 11, 2003

*The former Charles-ton Naval Shipyard, once the largest industrial employer in the state, will be sold to a private company despite
-Charleston Post and Courier, 12-10-03

*Hilton Head Island's first nest of eggs laid by a green turtle could hatch in time for the holidays
-Beaufort Gazette, 12-11-02

*Coastal officials should have a better idea about which marsh islands need bridges now that they know for the first time where they are
*Turtle eggs moved in hopes of a holiday hatching
-Hilton Head Island Packet Online, 12-11-03

*Tybee braces for condo battle
-Savannah Morning News, 12-11-03

TK,

In preparation for our piece about Walter, I have been researching HMS Fame, she was in the group of ships that sank U-767, and then rescued Walter. She was an old RN Destroyer commissioned in
June 1934, and had a chequered career before Walter's time. She had in 1939 been with a group of
ships that sank the first U-Boat in WW2 on the 14th. of September, she was at Narvik in 1940.  In March of 1940 she sank U-353 in the North Atlantic.Then in October 1940 in a dash up the channel to clear a path for the new Battleship King George V, at almost full speed in murky drizzle, and
a navigational  buoy moved, with another ship Ashanti, they ran straight onto the beach. Ashanti winding up alongside Fame starting a fire which the local firebrigade put out.

This put Fame out of action for two years, she then was involved in 1943, in ramming and sinking a U-Boat reported in many references to be U-201, about the same time another destroyer Viscount sank a U-Boat, reported as U-69. But The U-Boat Net site says these should be reversed, ie, Fame sank U-69, and Viscount sank U-201.

Then we come to 1944, and Fame credited with hitting Walter's U-767 with 2 to 3 of her Hedgehog projectiles, the German Sub finished off by two very deliberate Depth charge attacks by other ships in Fame's Group. She was quite a U-Boat killer, then post war the old girl was sold off in 1948 to the Dominican Republic and renamed General Issimo.

I am not suggesting you publish this yet Terry, I will cover it all with details of all the U-Boats Fame got involved with later. Just a little bit to whet your appetite, with Walter hopefully answering
the questions, and taking more from Leigh's finding and photographing the wreck of U-767, I would hope we have a fine scoop in due course, all very exciting!!

You will note from your copy I have written to Jigs.

Bye,

Mac.