About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . Lancastria was attacked, apparently by five Junkers Ju 88 dive bombers, and the ship capsized, and sank within twenty minutes mid-afternoon on June 17 off the French port of St. Nazaire. And the cowboys eating around campfires.. Battleships accompanied by other surface warships did directly engage carriers one more time in World War II during the Battle of Samar, though this time the U.S. carriers air wings participated in the fight leading to a very different, though no less dramatic outcome. But the battlecruisers retaliatory fire was devastating, and the Acastas blazing wrecked dipped stern-first into the water after 6 p.m. By then, the starboard-listing Glorious had also sunk. For the scuttling of HMS Mashobra on this day, see the entry for 25 May 1940. As it hovered over the waves, it suddenly lurched, then one end jerked downwards and was smashed by a wall of water. Owners and gross tonnage (G.T.) Those who succumbed to sleep soon joined the growing numbers of the dead. Franconia was assigned to Lorient while Lancastria continued toward St. Nazaire but because of the tidal channel on the Loire estuary Lancastria had to anchor in the Charpentier Roads about 5 nm (nautical miles) southwest of the actual port. World War II: The water carrier (107 GRT) was scuttled at Lorient, France. Not a member of the Naval Institute? Meanwhile, Lifeboat 5 was making an uneven descent. She was carrying between 800 and 1,200 people, mainly refugees, and most were lost when her ammunition cargo exploded. Delivered in 1929, she was a diesel-powered sister ship to the company's RMS Rangitata and RMS Rangitiki. World War II: The cargo ship was scuttled in, World War II: The tanker (4,995 GRT, 1913) was partially sunk by British commandos in the, World War II: The tanker (6,101 GRT) was scuttled at, World War II: The cargo ship (6,470 GRT) was scuttled at, World War II: The trawler (203 GRT) was bombed and sunk in the. As others began to emerge from their cabins, the older children took charge of the younger ones, checking their life-jackets and making sure they knew where to go. You may quote material on this Families of men from both ships have attended an annual maritime commemmoration . Heres how to join! World War II: The cargo ship (2,483 GRT, 1894) was scuttled in Churchill Sound, World War II: The cargo ship (5,403 GRT, 1919) was torpedoed and sunk in the, World War II: The naval trawler (357 GRT, 1928) struck a mine and sank in the, World War II: The dredger (1,832 GRT, 1903) struck a mine and sank in the, World War II: The tanker (8,215 GRT, 1931) was torpedoed and sunk in the, World War II: The cargo ship (6,466 GRT, 1924) was intercepted in the, World War II: The cargo ship was sunk in the port of, World War II: Operation Juno: The tanker (5,978 GRT, 1929) was torpedoed and sunk in the, World War II: The cargo liner (13,212 GRT, 1939) was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Finisterre (. All six crew survived. The 1,300-ton ship sustained a multiple hits from the two 40,000-ton battlecruisersbut on her second run, one of her torpedoes slammed into the Scharnhorst, ripping a 12-meter wide hole into her hull that let in over two thousand tons of water, knocked her aft Caesar turret out of action, killed forty-eight crew, and disabled her starboard propeller shaft. Lifeboat No. World War II: The auxiliary patrol vessel (247 GRT) was shelled and sunk in the English Channel off. All nine crew were rescued by the trawler, The coaster (270 GRT) ran ashore on Kalder Steel, off, The cargo ship (3,303 or 3,240 GRT, 1913) struck a submerged wreck in the, The coaster (121 GRT, 1918) sank off the mouth of the. . From the moment the children walked up the gangplank, they were entranced by their new home. However, some information about the Lancastrias sinking was made public within a matter of days, particularly six individual death notices in local newspapers. Those who survived the incident were instructed not to speak about their experience. Therefore, destroyers, fishing boats, and other small craft had to ferry the evacuees to Lancastria while being bombed and machine-gunned by the Luftwaffes Junkers Ju 11 bombers of Kampfgeschwader 30. World War II: The cargo ship (3,546 GRT, 1906) struck a mine and sank in the, The cargo ship (5,393 or 5,106 GRT, 1918) ran aground in the, World War II: The cargo ship (5,820 GRT, 1921) was torpedoed, shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean west of. A camera crew onboard the Scharnhorst filmed the engagement, and the Gloriouss sinking, which you can see here. Splinters also pierced one of the carriers boilers, slowing her down. The ship was apparently equipped with sixteen lifeboats and 2,500 life jackets, but many of the boats were damaged from the air attacks while others were unusable because of the ships starboard list and hull angle. Four chapters are personal accounts from survivors or their close relatives. A tragedy in itself made worse by the fact they should never have been onboard to begin with. The two boys are believed to of forged a letter from their Father stating he had given permission for them to join the ship. Chris Pleasance explains how Do not sell or share my personal information. "Naval Events, March 1940, Part 1 of 2, Friday 1st Thursday 14th", "Verluste Deutscher Handelsschiffe 1939-1945 und unter deutscher Flagge fahrender auslndischer Schiffe: 1940", "Naval Events, February 1940, Part 1 of 2, Thursday 1st - Wednesday 14th", "Naval Events, March 1940, Part 2 of 2, Friday 15th Sunday 31st", "Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939 - 1945. Required fields are marked *. World War II: The cargo ship (1,525 GRT, 1920) was scuttled as a blockship at Dieppe, France. This story has been placed in the following categories. 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Fateful: The S.S City of Benares, passenger ship is launched in 1936 and would later be sunk while carrying 90 children aged five to 15. Another day nearer America! he remembers thinking. Most of the content on this site is created by our users, who are members of the She looked at me and said: What have you done with all your clothes? he says. It was in the 1970s a challenge, but I eventually, after many disappointing follows, found a second hand copy, with a book dealer. Later, as the light began to fade, even the strongest began to lose hope. Britain Ship Losses 1940 This page records the details of every British ship lost during the two world wars, including pictures where possible. World War II: The cargo ship (1,522 GRT, 1923) was torpedoed and damaged in the, World War II: The cargo ship (3,554 GRT, 1920) was damaged and abandoned at Brest, France. World War II: The cargo ship (1,927 GRT, 1922) was scuttled as a blockship in Churchill Sound, World War II: The cargo ship (6,701 GRT, 1918) was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean west of Land's End, United Kingdom (, World War II: The cargo ship (4,201 GRT, 1911) was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean south west of Ireland (, World War II: The cargo ship (1,291 GRT, 1913) was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean south west of Land's End (. The Glorious first saw action in World War II providing air cover for the Allied expeditionary force seeking to support Norways resistance to Nazi invasion in April 1940, her Sea Gladiators shooting down several German bombers. What had happened was that Id lain there, grieving away, and my blood had stopped flowing. Some of the survivors later recalled feeling excited about this strange new adventure. I stayed on board the ship in 2011 and have always found the history of the ship to be fascinating. We said: If you want them, theyre 600 miles out at the bottom of the Atlantic! he recalls. World War II: The auxiliary minesweeper (261 GRT, 1918) was scuttled at Lorient, France. Two crew were killed. Lancastria was attacked, apparently by five Junkers Ju 88 dive bombers, and the ship capsized, and sank within twenty minutes mid-afternoon on June 17 off the French port of St. Nazaire. World War II: The cargo ship (4,499 GRT) was scuttled at Brest, France. He and the other children were watched over that night as they slept but despite all efforts, three more died. And when he arrived back on British soil, everything seemed to have a dream-like quality. Wynn has previously authored and co-authored books for the Your Towns & Cities in the Great War series published by Pen & Sword in addition to half a dozen non-fiction books and crime thrillers.. In seconds, they were gone. He then struck out to rescue another child but both disappeared in the swirling seas. She was subsequently salvaged by the Germans and re-entered service as. The German battlecruisers then hastily left the scene without picking up survivors. In the Hotel Berlin, the Gestapo is searching for underground leader Martin Richter. Rather than disengage from the hopeless fight, the Acasta peeled off from the Glorious and valiantly charged the Gneisenau. It was there that, suddenly, he began to relive the horrors of the sinking. Whatever the case, this event likely remains the largest single-ship loss of life in British maritime history, more than the RMS Titanic, which had an estimated 2,224 passengers and crew aboard and suffered over 1,500 fatalities. I thought: Wake up, Colin! As the years went by, the only thing that survived from his ordeal on the City of Benares was his little scarlet life-jacket. This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 08:28. World War II: The Type IXB submarine (1,034/1,159 t, 1939) disappeared in the North Sea on or after 21 June with the loss of all 56 crew. World War II: The unfinished, 84% complete, World War II: The cargo ship (1,885 GRT, 1904) was torpedoed and sunk in the, The auxiliary schooner (144 GRT) sank off, World War II: The coaster (276 GRT) was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel south of, World War II: The cargo ship struck a mine in the, World War II: The cargo ship (569 GRT, 1889) struck a mine and sank in the, World War II: The auxiliary patrol vessel (48 GRT) was scuttled at, World War II: The cargo ship (5,253 GRT, 1911) was captured in the, World War II: The cargo ship (5,968 GRT, 1921) struck a mine and sank in the, The cargo ship (7,881 GRT, 1922) ran aground south of, World War II: The cargo ship (4,005 GRT, 1924) was torpedoed and sunk in the, World War II: The tanker (2,580 GRT, 1928) was shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 160 nautical miles (300km; 180mi) south west of the, World War II: The cargo ship (663 GRT, 1897) struck a mine and sank in the, World War II: The trawler (211 GRT) was bombed and sunk by a Do17Z aircraft of 3./Kstenfliegergruppe 606 (, World War II: The cargo ship (5,053 GRT, 1929) was torpedoed and sunk in the. The gloves became essential in the hours ahead in helping him keep a grip on the gunwales. ss alexis ship 1940 sinking. At 02.15 hours on 10 Aug 1942, U-510 fired torpedoes at the Alexia and observed three hits in sequence and thought after 10 minutes that the tanker had sunk, but the ship was again salved. The Sinking of the Lancastria Stan Scislowski On Monday, June 17, 1940, the Cunard Liner, Lancastria, pressed into war service as a troopship was anchored . However, in May 24, the Allies began evacuating forces in Norway due to Germanys successful offensives into the Low Countries and France. The Lancastria Tragedy: Sinking and Cover-Up, June 1940. The coaster (350 GRT, 1909) ran aground on Fort Island, World War II: The cargo ship (3,137 GRT, 1922) struck a mine and sank in the North Sea north of, The coaster (352 GRT, 1937) sank after hitting rocks near, The cargo ship (4,859 GRT, 1912) ran aground at off, The fishing vessel (227 GRT, 1916) collided with, World War II: The cargo ship (2,248 GRT, 1916) struck a mine and sank in the North Sea off the coast of Belgium (, The trawler (219 GRT, 1915) foundered in a storm on rocks known as "The Black Waughs", The trawler (276 GRT, 1917) collided with, World War II: The cargo ship (1,229 GRT, 1911) was torpedoed, shelled and sunk in the North Sea off the north coast of Inverness-shire (, World War II: The cargo ship (2,109 GRT, 1920) was torpedoed and sunk in the, World War II: The trawler (341 or 202 GRT, 1900) was bombed and sunk in the, World War II: The cargo ship (1,153 GRT, 1893) was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea off the north coast of Inverness-shire (, World War II: The cargo ship (3,270 GRT, 1922) was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean north of the, World War II: The cargo ship (4,947 GRT, 1921) was torpedoed and sunk in the, The cargo ship (1,914 GRT) was damaged by ice and sank in the, The cargo ship (1,282 GRT, 1902) collided in dense fog with, World War II: The naval trawler (210 GRT, 1910) struck a mine in the, The cargo ship (3,030 GRT) ran aground off, World War II: The tanker (5,742 GRT, 1921) was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea east of the.