Post by Dave Homewood on May 26, 2023 19:33:26 GMT 12
IN SEA DRAMA
TWO NEW ZEALANDERS
PLANE-CARRIER'S FATE
Hit by four torpedoes
(0.C.) LONDON, Jan. 6
Two New Zealanders who have been friends since they worked as teleprinter operators in the Post Office in Wellington spent two hours together swimming in icy Atlantic water after the auxiliary aircraft-carrier, H.M.S. Audacity, had been hit by four torpedoes while accompanying a convoy from Gibraltar to Britain.
They are Telegraphists J. W. W. Rutledge (Christchurch) and J. G. Stapleton (Invercargill). With other survivors they were picked up in an exhausted condition by a corvette. Known in their ship as "The Cobbers," they were the only New Zealanders on board. They spent six weeks training in Auckland before arriving in Britain over a year ago. After a wireless course together at Chatham they were posted to the same ship and were on their second voyage when torpedoed.
H.M.S. Audacity was one of the ships sunk during a five-day assault on a convoy by a fleet of U-boats and bombers, the Admiralty has announced. The attack was described as "exceptionally determined and sustained," but over 90 per cent of the merchant shipping tonnage in the convoy arrived in a home port, and serious losses were inflicted on the enemy by the convoy escorts.
U-Boats Sunk
It is known that at least three of the attacking U-boats were sunk, since prisoners of war from these three U-boats were taken. Two of the German long-range Focke-Wulf aircraft were shot down into the sea and a third was severely damaged and may not have regained its base.
The attack began on December 17 and before noon the first U-boat was sunk. That afternoon two Focke-Wulf aircraft approached the convoy. They were engaged and driven off by naval aircraft from H.M.S. Audacity. On December 19, three Focke-Wulf aircraft approached the convoy and endeavoured to attack it. They were at once engaged by aircraft from H.M.S. Audacity. Two of the Focke-Wulfs were shot down into the sea and the third was badly damaged and driven off. For the next two days the enemy continued to attack the convoy with U-boats.
During this time H.M.S. Audacity was torpedoed and sunk. Audacity was formerly a German merchant ship, the S.S. Hannover, 5537 tons, and was intercepted and taken in prize by a British naval patrol in March, 1940.
"We were hit by the first torpedo at about; 9 p.m.," said Rutledge. "I had come off duty in the wireless room at 8 p.m., and Stapleton had relieved me. I was in the mess having supper when there' was a terrific explosion. I shall never forget it. The noise was murderous.
Injured Men Drowned
"All the lights went out immediately, and there was a reek of fumes, petrol fumes I believe. We were ordered to stations for abandoning ship. The engines stopped, and apparently water got into the dynamos because there was no power. We had to work the wireless with batteries sending out SOS massages. Everything seemed to be under control and several men who had been injured were picked up and put in a cutter, which was let down over the side. Then three more torpedoes hit the ship one after another. One of them struck right under the cutter and most of the injured men were flung into the water and drowned.
"Stapleton and I made our way to the ship's side and jumped in together. We were wearing lifejackets over light overalls, and the only personal possessions we had with us were our wrist watches. We've still got them, but they'll never go again.
"It was pitch dark, and the water was icy. We were only about 20 yards from the ship when she went down. Her bows went under first and we could hear what seemed to be a lot of crashing inside the ship. Spray seemed to come from all directions, but to our surprise there was no suction. Stapleton and I swam to a cutter and got aboard, but she sank eventually and we found ourselves back in the water. Men were hanging to floats, petrol drums, bits of board and panels, and anything they could find. We began to tread water, and to drift away from most of them.
"Just Kept Hoping"
"It was very lonely in the darkness by ourselves, and the cold made us miserable. We had no energy to talk. We just kept hoping to be picked up. Eventually three corvettes arrived, just as we were thinking that we couldn't hold on much longer, and we began to swim toward one of them.
"We made it and they hauled us aboard. We just collapsed, and they gave us rum, wrapped us in blankets and put us into bunks. We heard afterwards that one of the corvettes got the submarine which sank us. While we were on the water we heard them letting off depth charges some distance away. We were glad they were not near us.
"I must admit that I thought we were 'goners' at one time. The strange part was that we didn't catch a chill or a cold of any kind and were soon all right physically. But it was an unnerving experience and the memory of that first torpedo explosion is still vivid."
Rutledge and Stapleton spent their 14 days survivors' leave in London.
NEW ZEALAND HERALD, 23 MARCH 1942
TWO NEW ZEALANDERS
PLANE-CARRIER'S FATE
Hit by four torpedoes
(0.C.) LONDON, Jan. 6
Two New Zealanders who have been friends since they worked as teleprinter operators in the Post Office in Wellington spent two hours together swimming in icy Atlantic water after the auxiliary aircraft-carrier, H.M.S. Audacity, had been hit by four torpedoes while accompanying a convoy from Gibraltar to Britain.
They are Telegraphists J. W. W. Rutledge (Christchurch) and J. G. Stapleton (Invercargill). With other survivors they were picked up in an exhausted condition by a corvette. Known in their ship as "The Cobbers," they were the only New Zealanders on board. They spent six weeks training in Auckland before arriving in Britain over a year ago. After a wireless course together at Chatham they were posted to the same ship and were on their second voyage when torpedoed.
H.M.S. Audacity was one of the ships sunk during a five-day assault on a convoy by a fleet of U-boats and bombers, the Admiralty has announced. The attack was described as "exceptionally determined and sustained," but over 90 per cent of the merchant shipping tonnage in the convoy arrived in a home port, and serious losses were inflicted on the enemy by the convoy escorts.
U-Boats Sunk
It is known that at least three of the attacking U-boats were sunk, since prisoners of war from these three U-boats were taken. Two of the German long-range Focke-Wulf aircraft were shot down into the sea and a third was severely damaged and may not have regained its base.
The attack began on December 17 and before noon the first U-boat was sunk. That afternoon two Focke-Wulf aircraft approached the convoy. They were engaged and driven off by naval aircraft from H.M.S. Audacity. On December 19, three Focke-Wulf aircraft approached the convoy and endeavoured to attack it. They were at once engaged by aircraft from H.M.S. Audacity. Two of the Focke-Wulfs were shot down into the sea and the third was badly damaged and driven off. For the next two days the enemy continued to attack the convoy with U-boats.
During this time H.M.S. Audacity was torpedoed and sunk. Audacity was formerly a German merchant ship, the S.S. Hannover, 5537 tons, and was intercepted and taken in prize by a British naval patrol in March, 1940.
"We were hit by the first torpedo at about; 9 p.m.," said Rutledge. "I had come off duty in the wireless room at 8 p.m., and Stapleton had relieved me. I was in the mess having supper when there' was a terrific explosion. I shall never forget it. The noise was murderous.
Injured Men Drowned
"All the lights went out immediately, and there was a reek of fumes, petrol fumes I believe. We were ordered to stations for abandoning ship. The engines stopped, and apparently water got into the dynamos because there was no power. We had to work the wireless with batteries sending out SOS massages. Everything seemed to be under control and several men who had been injured were picked up and put in a cutter, which was let down over the side. Then three more torpedoes hit the ship one after another. One of them struck right under the cutter and most of the injured men were flung into the water and drowned.
"Stapleton and I made our way to the ship's side and jumped in together. We were wearing lifejackets over light overalls, and the only personal possessions we had with us were our wrist watches. We've still got them, but they'll never go again.
"It was pitch dark, and the water was icy. We were only about 20 yards from the ship when she went down. Her bows went under first and we could hear what seemed to be a lot of crashing inside the ship. Spray seemed to come from all directions, but to our surprise there was no suction. Stapleton and I swam to a cutter and got aboard, but she sank eventually and we found ourselves back in the water. Men were hanging to floats, petrol drums, bits of board and panels, and anything they could find. We began to tread water, and to drift away from most of them.
"Just Kept Hoping"
"It was very lonely in the darkness by ourselves, and the cold made us miserable. We had no energy to talk. We just kept hoping to be picked up. Eventually three corvettes arrived, just as we were thinking that we couldn't hold on much longer, and we began to swim toward one of them.
"We made it and they hauled us aboard. We just collapsed, and they gave us rum, wrapped us in blankets and put us into bunks. We heard afterwards that one of the corvettes got the submarine which sank us. While we were on the water we heard them letting off depth charges some distance away. We were glad they were not near us.
"I must admit that I thought we were 'goners' at one time. The strange part was that we didn't catch a chill or a cold of any kind and were soon all right physically. But it was an unnerving experience and the memory of that first torpedo explosion is still vivid."
Rutledge and Stapleton spent their 14 days survivors' leave in London.
NEW ZEALAND HERALD, 23 MARCH 1942
