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NAVY NEWS, FEBRUARY 2000 Options
Greek islanders plan to honour lost crew of Perseus
TOWNSPEOPLE on an idyllic Greek island plan to unveil a memorial this year to a British submarine which in December 1941 was sunk with the loss of 59 of her crew a few miles off their shores. The Mayor and Chamber of Commerce of Poros on Cephalonia plan to unveil the memorial in May and hold a wreath-laying ceremony over the spot where HMS Perseus lies, 170ft deep. Now the town is seeking the lost crew's relatives to invite them to the ceremonies.
Also in their minds is the sole survivor of the sinking, John Capes. His adventures form one of the most remarkable escape stories of World War II. Capes, who died in 1985, was a stoker in Perseus during her last, fatal journey from Alexandria, bound for Malta. She struck a mine between the Italian-occupied islands of Cephalonia and Zante. Capes and three injured shipmates were the only ones left alive who could get to an escape hatch, but only he survived the ascent. With a broken pelvis, he swam more than seven
miles, reaching shore near Ppros where he was found by friendly fishermen. From that point Capes was cared for by the Greek resistance who hid him from the Axis occupiers for 18 months before helping him to escape to Turkey. Family members of the Perseus's crew should contact Mr Makis Totolos of Poros Chamber of Commerce, Santa Irena Hotel, Poros, Cephalonia, GR-280 86 (tel. 0030 674 72017 or 72365, fax 72117) or Mr C. L. Hunt, Secretary of Gatwick Submarine Archive Committee of the Submarine Association (tel. 01737 358674).
• HMS Perseus - only one man survived when she was mined off Cephalonia.
ZEEBRUGGE VC HANDED BACK TO BRITAIN A VICTORIA Cross awarded for one of the Royal Navy's most celebrated actions of World War I has returned to Britain after many years in the United
States.
Memorial to landing craft men will get a Royal unveiling A MEMORIAL to the Navy and Royal Marines crews of 4,000 World War II landing vessels is due to be unveiled by the Duke of Edinburgh in Normandy on June 6 - the 56th anniversary of D-Day. The memorial, in honour of those who served in landing craft operations from June 6, 1944 until the end of the war in Europe especially the casualties - will be sited at Ouistreham in the D-Day Sword Beach area. A service of dedication will be conducted by the Chaplain of the Fleet, the Ven Simon Golding, and it is hoped that a Royal Marines Band will be present. The memorial will take the form of a stone into which is engraved the image of a kedge anchor with an inscription in English and French and surmounted by the badge of Combined Operations. Project secretary, Mr Maurice Hillebrandt, said the plan had struck a chord in the hearts and minds of a wide range of exServicc people who had contributed generously to the cost. Substantial donations had also been received from ports connected with landing ships and craft during the war. He advised anyone who wishes to attend the unveiling to book hotels early in the busy resort area of Normandy. He also said that the estimated cost of £18,000 for the memorial had increased slightly, and he would grateful for any further donations to be made payable to Normandy RN/RM Memorial and to be sent to him at 2 Stoneyford Park, Budleigh Salterton, Devon EX9 6TB.
The VC presented to a sailor who took part in the Zeebrugge raid in April 1918 is now on display in the Imperial War Museum. One of five VCs to result from that action, it was awarded to AB Albert McKenzie. He was one of the few members of a storming party from HMS Vindictive to survive a last, desperate charge, amid a hail of enemy fire, along the mole at Zeebrugge. The old cruiser Vindictive was one of the vessels which took part in the raid by Royal Navy and Royal Marines units. The plan involved the use of blockships to seal off the Belgian harbour being used by German U-boats, destroy-
• The Zeebrugge VC is handed over to Commodore Derek Anthony by Victoria Buckley, neice ofAB Albert McKenzie to whom it was awarded in 1918. Picture: Fez Parker
ers and torpedo boats. McKenzie was seriously wounded and was on crutches when he received his medal from King George V on July 31 that year. But just over three months later he was
dead. Weakened by his wounds, he was a victim of the influenza pandemic which at that time was sweeping the world, killing tens of millions of people. His medal ended up in the pos-
session of McKenzie's great neice, Mrs Victoria Buckley of Arlington, Virginia. She presented it to Commodore Derek Anthony, British Naval Attache in Washington DC.
Splendid's crew win Kosovo awards IN RECOGNITION of the role HM submarine Splendid played in the Kosovo campaign, her Commanding Officer and three other members of the crew have received New Year Honours. The CO, Cdr Richard Barker has been awarded an OBE, and three ratings have been made MBEs - POCA Lee Goldhill, CPOWEA Robert Newbitt and LOM (now PO) Andrew Newey. PO GoldhilFs energy and enthusiasm went a long way to keeping up his shipmates' spirits. He organised all kinds of unusual events to raise money for charity, £1,500 being clocked up during the submarine's four months in the Mediterranean. • Full list of Naval honours and awards - page 34.
Search for new Steadfast CO TS STEADFAST, Kingston upon Thames Sea Cadet unit, is seeking a new Commanding Officer to replace Lt Cdr Peter Mould RNR (SCC), who is retiring after 12 years. In 1998 the unit moved into a superbly equipped and appointed riverside HQ.
Ulster warship link restored • HMS Bangor enters Portsmouth to become the last Royal Navy ship to enter service in the 20th century. Picture: LA(PHOT) Bunny Warren
THE NAVY'S warship name link with Northern Ireland has been restored after a break of 15 years, with the entry into service of the minehunter HMS Bangor. The Bangor, named after the Ulster coastal resort, is the first RN vessel to carry a Northern Ireland name since the County-class destroyer HMS Antrim decommissioned for sale to Chile in 1984. The ninth vessel to be completed out of a 12-ship programme, Bangor is the last British warship to have been accepted into service in the 20th century - on December 15 at Portsmouth. Her White Ensign was raised after final contractors machinery trials had been conducted put of the Southampton shipyard of Vosper Thornycroft. That demonstration and her delivery voyage were witnessed by Captain Naval Ship Acceptance, Capt Patrick Walker. The handover concluded with the ship's Commanding Officer, Lt Cdr Paul Raisbeck officially taking command. During the ceremony VT's Building Director, Bob Mulligan, presented the ship with a silver salver to commemorate the occasion. HMS Bangor was launched in April last year by Mrs Lisa Spencer, wife of Vice Admiral Peter Spencer, former Controller of the Navy and now Second Sea Lord. Bangor is only the second Royal Navy ship to bear the name, the first being a minesweeper - a class leader - which saw extensive service in home waters during World War II. In 1946 she was transferred to the Royal Norwegian Navy where she was renamed Gloma.