Thread: A nautical story

Ah ha, things now start to fall into place. I have wondered about these circumstances.

EDIT.

After Cape Matapan, Warspite was sent to the United States for repairs and to receive upgraded anti-aircraft guns. She arrived at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Washington state and was under repair when the Japanese Navy attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 - thrusting America into the war. Warspite was completed at the end of December and joined the British Eastern Fleet in the Indian Ocean

About that time HMS Warspite was on her way back to UK/Europe the long way around etc after being repaired in the USA.

A Nip Sub warning was current & she apparently moored off Victor Harbor/Coorong/Kangaroo Island until the threat subsided, then she proceeded on.

It seems possible this Ore Carrier event was the reason she hung about Victor Harbor in 1942.


HMS Warspite (03) Dreadnought Battleship - United Kingdom

Talking of finding shipwrecks - low water in the Barwon River has revealed the remains of the "Wandering Jew" riverboat, which reportedly caught fire (for the third time) and burnt to the waterline in 1914.

" I've had enough of big ships " A stoker, a Titanic survivor, after being torpedoed whilst serving on Lusitania. Must say I don't blame him.

Incredible story of only man to survive Titanic disaster AND the sinking of the Lusitania before telling his family 'I've had enough of large ships' is revealed nearly 75 years on

Merchant ship losses in Australian waters in WW2. I had a friend who used to attend Anzac Day services at Sandgate, an ex Merchant seaman who survived a sinking of a torpedoed ship off the East coast. Haven't seen him for a while, must check up on him. Also have a friend who is a post war merchant sailor, a card carrying member of the communist party. Conscripted during the Vietnam War, he had an interesting time in the Army. Refused to go to Vietnam, spent more time in detention than any where else, the Army didn't know what to do with him. In the end he was quietly asked to leave, services no longer required. An interesting man.

Merchant Ship Losses in Australian Waters in WW2 | Naval Historical Society of Australia

The loss of HMAS ARROW, Darwin 1974.

HMAS Arrow | Royal Australian Navy

Originally Posted by bob10

Yes, the ubiquitous Wessex. A very popular helicopter. I was present when the RAN lost one of them, with no fatalities , thank goodness. Was about 1968/9 in Jervis bay on Vampire, Wessex was delivering mail/ stores in rough weather, when the hook of the winch hooked onto something on X deck, [ that was the messdeck talk, anyway] the winch wire parted and wrapped itself around the rotor, and the aircraft lost power. I was just leaving the stokers mess to go fwd when the engine noise of the helicopter went from normal to intermittent. I looked out one of the scuttles on the port side and saw the man in the right hand seat looking up at Vampire, his eyes as big as dinner plates, no more than about 20 yards away. Curious, I thought. The aircraft's floats activated, and kept her afloat long enough to get the occupants out. This aircraft was lost because Melbourne stuffed up the recovery.

A second helicopter [ this time a Sea King]was lost was when Brisbane was operating with NATO in the North Sea, latitude 64N Operation Highwood. The Sea King flew into the sea at night, pilot lost his night vision , or something similar. The aircraft broke up, both crew members were picked up by Brisbane's boat [ we were RESDES] Both men were badly injured, but alive. This was one time I was glad I was working in an Engine room with steam at 1275 PSI and 950 degrees superheat, we kept warm off Iceland.

EDIT. found the story on the Wessex and Vampire. Wessex N7-211

Wessex N7-211 was lost on 13 November 1969 in dramatic circumstances east of Jervis Bay. While conducted a stores transfer to the destroyer HMAS

Vampire

the helicopter winch cable snagged on a projection on the destroyer’s upper deck. Moments later the ship rolled, and the cable snapped and rebounded into the helicopter’s rotor head, causing the Wessex to ditch. The aircrew were all rescued.

The oldest Dutch shipwreck, found by accident. An important discovery in the history of Holland.

That makes the ship representative of three major elements of Dutch history—the transition to Golden Age shipbuilding, the expansion of the economy in the 1500s, and the introduction of copper coinage. All things they were able to confirm, Manders tells Tom Metcalfe at LiveScience, “without having dived on the ship yet.”





Salvagers Accidentally Found the Netherlands' Oldest Shipwreck
|
Smart News
| Smithsonian

Originally Posted by bob10

The loss of HMAS ARROW, Darwin 1974.

HMAS Arrow | Royal Australian Navy

Two years after this incident, I was Divisional Officer to three of the Arrow survivors - all suffered major PTSD and had major issues sleeping - unfortunately while in theory recognised as a condition at the time, in reality it wasn't. Thankfully they gained a lot of understanding and support from their shipmates that was missing from the system.

A lot of bad memories returned when we went to Darwin 3 years after the incident to take over HMAS ATTACK which was the second boat badly damaged - still having the wreck of the Arrow on the mudflats didn't help matters - it should have been taken to a suitable place, left in the condition as it is in the pics and turned into a memorial.

This story did not end well as one of the three when posted to another vessel later took his own life.

While PTSD is now treated better, we still need to do far better and look after our ex servicemen and women better.

Garry