Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 21, 2010 13:02:48 GMT 12
Whilst searching for something else entirely I came across this amazing article on the loss of the Union Steamship Company's luxury liner RMS Awatea, which in WWII became the HMT Awatea (HMT standing for His majesty's Troopship). I had come across the name Awatea before in terms of various airmen being shipped overseas on her, but I never knew she was lost in the Mediterranean with all guns blazing after taking part in British Commando and US Rangers raids on Algiers in Operation Torch. Quite a story. Here's the wartime article:
LOSS OF AWATEA
OFF NORTH AFRICA
ATTACKED BY PLANES
The loss of the Union Steam Ship Company's former trans-Tasman passenger liner Awatea in Bougie Bay. on the coast of North Africa, last November was announced officially last night. Her end came s after she had landed a party of advanced assault troops. It was a gallant end. She was set upon savagely by enemy planes, and although her crew fought back with all they had the ship was so damaged that finally it had to be abandoned. She "fought the battle of a battleship" was the tribute paid by the admiral commanding the naval forces engaged in the North African expedition.
Carrying commando and other troops, states the official account, the Awatea occupied a leading position in the great United Nations' convoy of liners and lesser ships that sailed from the United Kingdom at the end of October for North Africa. The ship's company were proud of the position of Honour given the ship in carrying the commandos which placed her in the vanguard of the great venture. The first assault, that on the forts about Algiers, was made successfully in. the early hours of Sunday, November 8, and at daybreak the ship anchored off the beach where the remaining troops and their stores and equipment were landed. On the following morning the ships of the convoy steamed into Algiers Bay to the accompaniment of an enemy air attack which was repeated at dawn on Tuesday.
During the forenoon the Awatea proceeded into harbour, where she embarked assault troops for an attack on a forward aerodrome at Jijelli. Escorted by destroyers, the ship sailed late that night and proceeded eastward at full speed. On arrival at her destination at daybreak next morning, it was found that the rough sea and other unfavourable conditions precluded landing operations there, so the ship proceeded to Bougie, where she anchored in the roadstead.
THE FIRST ATTACK.
The troops had disembarked and stores and equipment were being discharged when enemy aircraft attacked and dropped two bombs close by the Awatea. The attack was driven off by concentrated fire from the ships, but soon afterwards four bombers came in from seaward at low level. One aircraft was definitely shot down by gunners from the Awatea, and another was badly damaged by other ships.
Having completed discharging, the Awatea was actually under way for sea when an attack by an unknown number of aircraft developed. With all her anti-aircraft armament firing the ship had proceeded about a mile when she was hit in Nos. 1 and 2 hatches by a stick of bombs which set the fore end of the ship ablaze. The helm was ordered hard-a-port with" the object of beaching the ship if necessary. Two hits by torpedoes on the port side caused damage and flooding to the after engine-room and put the firefighting appliances out of action.
One bomb, thought to be a dud, went through the officers' dining-room and another struck into the fire raging in No. 2 hatch. One bomber hit by the ship's gunners crashed into the face of a cliff and theft fell into the sea. Other aircraft were seen to have been hit, but did not crash. All guns continued in action till the attack ceased. SHIP BLAZING. By this time the flooding of the engine-room had caused a list of nearly 40 degrees. The ship carried her way for a considerable time, but not sufficiently long to reach shoal water. Before she finally stopped an explosion in the ship was felt. It was thought to have been caused by the believed dud bomb detonating.
The vessel was now well ablaze from under the bridge to the bows. When the first bombs hit the ship both the steel lids of Nos. 1 and 2 hatches were blown into the air, one landing on the starboard side of the bridge and. the other close to No. 4 hatch on the after deck. When this hatch lid was in flight one gunner mis-, took it for a dive-bomber and opened fire on it. Several near misses by bombs were observed, two of which shattered much of the forward firstclass passenger accommodation. The Awatea was stopped and blazing furiously when she was abandoned. The ship's medical staff evacuated the sick men from the hospital aft and the crew carried them and injured men to the boats.
CREW TAKE TO BOATS.
The ship's company were taken off in the five remaining serviceable lifeboats, and a destroyer which placed herself alongside the starboard quarter. There was no sign next morning of the ship, which sank in deep water. Everything possible for the comfort of the Awatea's personnel was done by the companies of several of his Majesty's ships, and of a Netherlands liner that had been in the convoy.
The survivors taken aboard the latter ship were witnesses of another heavy air attack which shook the ship with a number of near misses. The attack was beaten off by gunners. During the passage to England Captain G. B. Morgan, D.5.0., D.S.C., master of the Awatea, presented the master of the Netherlands ship with an illuminated address recording the appreciation of himself and his crew of the many courtesies and the great kindness shown them by the Dutch seamen in this the tercentenary year of the discovery of New Zealand by Abel Tasman.
As was announced last week, Captain Morgan,and several of his officers and men were awarded decorations for their services, and others were mentioned in dispatches.
Source: Evening Post, Volume CXXXV, Issue 83, 8 April 1943, Page 4
paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=EP19430408.2.41&cl=search&srpos=30&e=-01-1939--12-1945--10--21-byDA---0zealand+commando--&st=1
I did a Google and found very little indeed about this loss. However Wikipedia has a little about the raid thatthe Awatea was involved in before her sinking on their No. 6 Commando page, which is pretty interesting, thus:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._6_Commando
Operation Torch
Because of these disappointments, No. 6 Commando's first major action as a formed unit came in November 1942 when, along with No. 1 Commando, it formed part of the spearhead for the Allied landings in Algeria as part of Operation Torch.[22] Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Iain McAlpine, the commando embarked upon HMT Awatea in October 1942 in Glasgow along with some United States Army Rangers that were also taking part in the operation.
Tensions were high between the British and the Vichy French at this time because of a number of clashes and as a result the decision was made for the commandos to be equipped with American weapons and uniforms in an effort to placate the defenders.
A map depicting the Allied landings that took place around Algiers on 8 November 1942. The voyage from the United Kingdom took approximately three weeks and on 7 November 1942 Awatea arrived at its assigned station off the coast near the harbour of Algiers. At 10:15 pm No. 6 Commando took to their landing craft.
The launch did not go smoothly. From the outset they were hampered by the inexperience of the crews lowering the landing craft into the water and this, along with other factors that arose later including poor weather, breakdowns and navigational errors meant that the majority of No. 6 Commando's landing craft missed the rendezvous with the motor launch that was to guide them to the landing beaches. As a result many landed at the wrong spot and the schedule was ruined.
In the end the first landings took place at 3:00 am on 8 November, two hours later than planned, while the last wave came ashore in broad daylight at 6:30 am.
Nevertheless, in most places resistance was light and the first landings experienced only desultory artillery and machine gun fire from the defenders as they came ashore. Faulty navigation, however, meant that No. 9 Troop attempted to land on the Ilot de la Marine, which was described as "the most heavily fortified part of Algiers harbour", and it was here that the majority of the commando's casualties for the day—two killed and 19 wounded—were suffered.
Once ashore the commando's first task was to secure four beaches between Cape Caxine and Ras Acrata for the main force. This was achieved with relative ease as the defenders surrendered almost immediately.
After this part of the commando secured Pointe Pescarde, about 3 miles (4.8 km) from the town while another force, consisting of about three and a half troops under the second-in-command, Major Jock MacLeod of the Cameronians, moved on towards their main objective, which was to capture Fort Duperre, from where French artillery was firing upon the ships anchored offshore.[26] MacLeod's men reached the fort with no trouble, however, armed with only small arms, they were unable to capture it.
At 1:30 pm, after the forward observer, a captain from the Royal Canadian Artillery directed an air strike on the fort from a number of Fleet Air Arm fighter-bombers, a dialogue was opened between the attackers and the defenders and after threats of a naval bombardment were made the fort’s garrison finally surrendered.
LOSS OF AWATEA
OFF NORTH AFRICA
ATTACKED BY PLANES
The loss of the Union Steam Ship Company's former trans-Tasman passenger liner Awatea in Bougie Bay. on the coast of North Africa, last November was announced officially last night. Her end came s after she had landed a party of advanced assault troops. It was a gallant end. She was set upon savagely by enemy planes, and although her crew fought back with all they had the ship was so damaged that finally it had to be abandoned. She "fought the battle of a battleship" was the tribute paid by the admiral commanding the naval forces engaged in the North African expedition.
Carrying commando and other troops, states the official account, the Awatea occupied a leading position in the great United Nations' convoy of liners and lesser ships that sailed from the United Kingdom at the end of October for North Africa. The ship's company were proud of the position of Honour given the ship in carrying the commandos which placed her in the vanguard of the great venture. The first assault, that on the forts about Algiers, was made successfully in. the early hours of Sunday, November 8, and at daybreak the ship anchored off the beach where the remaining troops and their stores and equipment were landed. On the following morning the ships of the convoy steamed into Algiers Bay to the accompaniment of an enemy air attack which was repeated at dawn on Tuesday.
During the forenoon the Awatea proceeded into harbour, where she embarked assault troops for an attack on a forward aerodrome at Jijelli. Escorted by destroyers, the ship sailed late that night and proceeded eastward at full speed. On arrival at her destination at daybreak next morning, it was found that the rough sea and other unfavourable conditions precluded landing operations there, so the ship proceeded to Bougie, where she anchored in the roadstead.
THE FIRST ATTACK.
The troops had disembarked and stores and equipment were being discharged when enemy aircraft attacked and dropped two bombs close by the Awatea. The attack was driven off by concentrated fire from the ships, but soon afterwards four bombers came in from seaward at low level. One aircraft was definitely shot down by gunners from the Awatea, and another was badly damaged by other ships.
Having completed discharging, the Awatea was actually under way for sea when an attack by an unknown number of aircraft developed. With all her anti-aircraft armament firing the ship had proceeded about a mile when she was hit in Nos. 1 and 2 hatches by a stick of bombs which set the fore end of the ship ablaze. The helm was ordered hard-a-port with" the object of beaching the ship if necessary. Two hits by torpedoes on the port side caused damage and flooding to the after engine-room and put the firefighting appliances out of action.
One bomb, thought to be a dud, went through the officers' dining-room and another struck into the fire raging in No. 2 hatch. One bomber hit by the ship's gunners crashed into the face of a cliff and theft fell into the sea. Other aircraft were seen to have been hit, but did not crash. All guns continued in action till the attack ceased. SHIP BLAZING. By this time the flooding of the engine-room had caused a list of nearly 40 degrees. The ship carried her way for a considerable time, but not sufficiently long to reach shoal water. Before she finally stopped an explosion in the ship was felt. It was thought to have been caused by the believed dud bomb detonating.
The vessel was now well ablaze from under the bridge to the bows. When the first bombs hit the ship both the steel lids of Nos. 1 and 2 hatches were blown into the air, one landing on the starboard side of the bridge and. the other close to No. 4 hatch on the after deck. When this hatch lid was in flight one gunner mis-, took it for a dive-bomber and opened fire on it. Several near misses by bombs were observed, two of which shattered much of the forward firstclass passenger accommodation. The Awatea was stopped and blazing furiously when she was abandoned. The ship's medical staff evacuated the sick men from the hospital aft and the crew carried them and injured men to the boats.
CREW TAKE TO BOATS.
The ship's company were taken off in the five remaining serviceable lifeboats, and a destroyer which placed herself alongside the starboard quarter. There was no sign next morning of the ship, which sank in deep water. Everything possible for the comfort of the Awatea's personnel was done by the companies of several of his Majesty's ships, and of a Netherlands liner that had been in the convoy.
The survivors taken aboard the latter ship were witnesses of another heavy air attack which shook the ship with a number of near misses. The attack was beaten off by gunners. During the passage to England Captain G. B. Morgan, D.5.0., D.S.C., master of the Awatea, presented the master of the Netherlands ship with an illuminated address recording the appreciation of himself and his crew of the many courtesies and the great kindness shown them by the Dutch seamen in this the tercentenary year of the discovery of New Zealand by Abel Tasman.
As was announced last week, Captain Morgan,and several of his officers and men were awarded decorations for their services, and others were mentioned in dispatches.
Source: Evening Post, Volume CXXXV, Issue 83, 8 April 1943, Page 4
paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=EP19430408.2.41&cl=search&srpos=30&e=-01-1939--12-1945--10--21-byDA---0zealand+commando--&st=1
I did a Google and found very little indeed about this loss. However Wikipedia has a little about the raid thatthe Awatea was involved in before her sinking on their No. 6 Commando page, which is pretty interesting, thus:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._6_Commando
Operation Torch
Because of these disappointments, No. 6 Commando's first major action as a formed unit came in November 1942 when, along with No. 1 Commando, it formed part of the spearhead for the Allied landings in Algeria as part of Operation Torch.[22] Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Iain McAlpine, the commando embarked upon HMT Awatea in October 1942 in Glasgow along with some United States Army Rangers that were also taking part in the operation.
Tensions were high between the British and the Vichy French at this time because of a number of clashes and as a result the decision was made for the commandos to be equipped with American weapons and uniforms in an effort to placate the defenders.
A map depicting the Allied landings that took place around Algiers on 8 November 1942. The voyage from the United Kingdom took approximately three weeks and on 7 November 1942 Awatea arrived at its assigned station off the coast near the harbour of Algiers. At 10:15 pm No. 6 Commando took to their landing craft.
The launch did not go smoothly. From the outset they were hampered by the inexperience of the crews lowering the landing craft into the water and this, along with other factors that arose later including poor weather, breakdowns and navigational errors meant that the majority of No. 6 Commando's landing craft missed the rendezvous with the motor launch that was to guide them to the landing beaches. As a result many landed at the wrong spot and the schedule was ruined.
In the end the first landings took place at 3:00 am on 8 November, two hours later than planned, while the last wave came ashore in broad daylight at 6:30 am.
Nevertheless, in most places resistance was light and the first landings experienced only desultory artillery and machine gun fire from the defenders as they came ashore. Faulty navigation, however, meant that No. 9 Troop attempted to land on the Ilot de la Marine, which was described as "the most heavily fortified part of Algiers harbour", and it was here that the majority of the commando's casualties for the day—two killed and 19 wounded—were suffered.
Once ashore the commando's first task was to secure four beaches between Cape Caxine and Ras Acrata for the main force. This was achieved with relative ease as the defenders surrendered almost immediately.
After this part of the commando secured Pointe Pescarde, about 3 miles (4.8 km) from the town while another force, consisting of about three and a half troops under the second-in-command, Major Jock MacLeod of the Cameronians, moved on towards their main objective, which was to capture Fort Duperre, from where French artillery was firing upon the ships anchored offshore.[26] MacLeod's men reached the fort with no trouble, however, armed with only small arms, they were unable to capture it.
At 1:30 pm, after the forward observer, a captain from the Royal Canadian Artillery directed an air strike on the fort from a number of Fleet Air Arm fighter-bombers, a dialogue was opened between the attackers and the defenders and after threats of a naval bombardment were made the fort’s garrison finally surrendered.
