|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
On May 24, 1941 while en route to Boston, only hours after the HMS Hood was sunk, the battleship HMS Rodney received orders to break off and join the hunt for the German battleship Bismarck. Rodney was en route for repairs and escorting the Britannic with four destroyers, HMS Somali F-33, HMS Eskimo F-75, HMS Tartar F-43 and HMS Mashona F-59. Britannic and Eskimo continued on while the others began the search. Bismarck was found and sunk on May 27, 1941 and the destroyers, now low on fuel, began their return home. On May 28 HMS Tartar and HMS Mashona were found by German aircraft of KG-77 about 100 miles west of Ireland. The bombing began around 09:30 and one of the bombs crashed through the deck of the Mashona exploding in her boiler room blowing a hole in her side. All efforts to save the ship failed as she continued to take on water and list further and further to port. It was finally decided she could not be saved and the order to abandon was given. The HMS Tartar picked up about 170 of the men, but 35 men died in the attack. HMS Sherwood I-80 and the HMCS St. Clair I-65 arrived on the scene to find the Mashona still afloat on her side, refusing to go under. In order to avoid a floating derelict to collide with at a later date the two ships were ordered to sink her. Tartar had tried earlier by firing a torpedo but it missed however, the deck guns from the two new arrivals managed to send her to the bottom around noon. |
© 2007 Michael W. Pocock MaritimeQuest.com |
 |
In memory of those who lost their lives in HMS Mashonia F-59 "As long as we embrace them in our memory, their spirit will always be with us" |
Name |
Rate / Rank |
Notes |
|
Bliss, Frederick |
Able Seaman |
||
Boorman, George A. |
Stoker 1st Class |
||
Brownie, Oswald C. |
Able Seaman |
||
Bruce, Robert C. |
Ordinary Coder |
||
Cole, Frank |
Canteen Assistant |
NAAFI |
|
Cruttenden, Albert |
Ordinary Seaman |
||
Elliot, William A. |
Lt. Commander |
Mentioned in Despatches |
|
Entwistle, Francis J. |
Engine Room Artificer 4th Class |
||
Farthing, Walter |
Able Seaman |
||
Hardy, Ronald E. W. |
Able Seaman |
||
Hindmarsh, William H. |
Leading Stoker |
||
Johnson, Jack S. |
Leading Seaman |
||
MacLean, Norman |
Ordinary Seaman |
||
MacPherson, James |
Petty Officer Steward |
||
Mainwaring, Harold |
Able Seaman |
||
Marsh, William E. |
Able Seaman |
||
McGlade, Peter C. |
Boy 1st Class |
Age 17 |
|
Mitchell, Albert H. |
Canteen Manager |
NAAFI |
|
Morford, Robert A. |
Leading Steward |
||
Murphy, John |
Assistant Steward |
||
Paterson, George H. |
Able Seaman |
||
Payne, Harold L. |
Leading Seaman |
||
Price, George D. |
Chief Petty Officer |
||
Rice, Terence |
Able Seaman (RNVR) |
||
Rogers, Thomas E. P. |
Leading Telegraphist |
||
Scott, Colin W. |
Able Seaman |
||
Sims, George T. |
Able Seaman |
||
Stainton, Charles R. |
Engine Room Artificer 4th Class |
||
Theaker, Alfred |
Petty Officer |
||
Tweed, Jubilee J. |
Petty Officer |
||
Watkinson, Alfred S. |
Stoker 1st Class |
||
Wheeler, Frederick G. |
Electrical Artificer 1st Class |
||
Whiley, Joseph E. |
Leading Seaman |
||
Woodward, Ronald |
Ordinary Seaman |
||
Yardley, Harold |
Ordinary Seaman |
||
| NAAFI= Navy Army and Air Force Institute. | |||
To submit a photo, biographical information or correction please email the webmaster. |