June 24, 1942 the minesweeper HMS Gossamer J-63 was sunk by German aircraft in the Kola Inlet. Gossamer
was a Halcyon class minesweeper built in Scotland
and launched in 1937. She was involved in the evacuation
of Dunkirk in 1940 making at least six voyages removing 3,214 troops from the beaches. She also conducted
minesweeping duties and was attacked at least twice by German aircraft. For the efforts at Dunkirk the C.O. Cmdr. Ross was awarded the DSO.
In Sept. 1941 Gossamer was assigned to convoy escort duty. Escorting the Russian convoys from Iceland to
Archangel and Murmansk. On March 29, 1942 the Gossamer and the HMS Hussar J-82 attacked what they
believed was a U-boat and claimed to have sunk it however, there does not seem to be any evidence that
any U-boat was in the area and none were lost on that day.
On May 2, 1942 she came alongside the torpedoed HMS Edinburgh and removed 440 crewmen before the
Edinburgh was scuttled.
At about 09:08 five German JU-88 bombers were sighted in an attack formation nearing the Kola Inlet,
one of them attacked the Gossamer hitting her with one or two bombs. Within eight minuets she rolled over and
sank taking twenty three men with her. Several Russian motor boats reacted and saved the remainder of the
crew, later transferring them to the HMS Hussar.
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