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By *An "old salt' sets sail for new horizons *Mac Kitchens won first place and $1,000 in Bull River Marina's debut CCA trout and redfish event earlier this month *Swimmer dies in ocean near Dunlawton approach *Beach Lifeguard Fired *Lifeguard Flap Making Waves *Lightning kills man surfing off island Edinburgh P10 found the British ships. At 2100 ( 9 PM ) Trinidad's radar found waves of aircraft coming in from the south and the south-east at a distance of 60 miles, the screen was choked with aircraft. A sense of foreboding swept through the cruiser, she carried survivors from Edinburgh, and merchant sailors who had been sunk, plus Poles who had been sunk. At 2200 ( 10 PM ) the first JU88's fell upon Trinidad and the destroyers, a furious AA barrage met them, no hits were achieved by the attackers, but many near misses resulted. At 2237 ( 10.37 PM ) the Heinkel torpedo bombers joined the affray, the intense fire from the British destroyers forced them to abort, and go after the cruiser, eight let go their deadly cargo of torpedoes, but adept ship handling by Captain Saunders had them pass harmlessly down both sides of his command. A moment later a lone JU88 let go a cluster of four bombs, the starboard pom pom shifting too late to this latest menace, Trinidad was turning to port evading three torpedoes on her starboard side, the four bombs went off with dreadful effect. One missed, but blew up under the port side of the bridge, ripping off plates and flooding compartments below B gun. A second bomb went through the Admiral's sea cabin, on through several compartments to blow up in the mess decks and open up the port side of the ship, the last two bombs had exploded outboard, showering the ship's side with splinters admitting the sea, and shook apart the repairs made at Rosta, the wounded ship began to settle by the bow as water rushed into her. Too late the starboard pom pom shot down this JU88. The ship developed a 14 degree list to starboard, but was still able to make 20 knots, the Walrus aircraft ablaze in its hangar. A gun was out of action, but B gun still operable. Counter flooding reduced the list, but increased the dip of the bow, by 2330 ( 11.30 PM ) the enemy aircraft had departed, but Trinidad had become untenable, it was time for Bonham-Carter to abandon yet another of his flagships, Matchless edged alongside, taking the walking wounded and stretcher cases, now it was the turn of the other destroyers to remove the crew. To the amusement of many, the Captain's steward leapt off the steeply canting deck clutching his Captain's No. 1 uniform intact on its hanger. The Commander, the Admiral and finally Captain Saunders left, HMS Trinidad was abandoned. Bonham-Carter ordered Matchless to sink her, and three torpedoes crunched into her starboard side, she shuddered, and at 0120 ( 1.20 AM ) on the 15th. of May 1942, sank, finally out of her misery, one more victim of the notorious Arctic run to Russia. The destroyers made off to the north, on the deck of Somali, a small figure, in a large duffle coat covering any sign of a uniform, was amongst a group of ratings, sucking on a cup of boiling hot tea,
But it was not yet all over, JU88's again attacked, but to no avail. It seemed they were to meet heavy German units, but fortunately they became Rear Admiral Burrough's cruiser squadron. HM ships, Nigeria, Kent, Norfolk and Liverpool. Still more JU attacks, some 25 dived bombed the combined force without any damage, the destroyers made it back to Scapa Flow to transfer the wounded to hospital ships, and the fit to the Firth of Clyde, the ordeal at last over, until the next time ships needed to be escorted off to Russia. Gold finally recovered from HMS Edinburgh. The full story of the trials and tribulations of recovering this treasure from the cold depths of the ocean north of Russia is another story in its own right.
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