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NAVY NEWS. NOVEMBER 2000
Tribute is paid to casualties of Malta Convoys
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THE SHIP'S company of HMS York have commemorated those who died in the Malta Convoys and the Battle of Crete during the destroyer's current NATO deployment. The cruiser HMS York, commissioned in 1930, was irreparably damaged in March, 1941, before the beginning of
the Battle of Crete, but three cruisers and six destroyers were subsequently sunk and several other ships were badly
damaged. While on passage to Tunis with the Standing Naval Force Mediterranean (SNFM), a short service was held on the flight deck of York, at which the ship's Commanding Officer, Cdr Paul Porter, laid a wreath
given to the ship by the Royal Naval Association of York, of whom a number served in the
old cruiser. The service was led by the Rev Nicholas Pnematicatos, chaplain of the Third Destroyer Squadron.
Music was provided by officers and Musn Lee Whitworth, of the King's Division Band, who played the Last Post on the ship's bugle, presented to HMS York in 1930 at her commissioning by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, who was then Duchess of York. • While the destroyer was on a ten-day visit to La Spezia in Italy, 25 members of her ship's company, led by the Rev Pnematicatos, visited Rome, camping in the grounds of the British Embassy within the walls of the Eternal City. They attended a papal audience in Vatican City, during which their ship was mentioned in the introduction of the pilgrims to Pope John Paul II. A letter from Cdr Porter, and a ship's crest, were presented to officials to be passed on to the Pope.
• From left: Lt Pete Kenshole RAN, Rev Brian Fairbank, POSR Twiggy Birch, CPOWEA Glynn Griffiths, SR1 Amy Elliott, SR1 Ruth Draper and SR1 Andrew Lane hold a service in memory of those who died when an explosion wrecked the armoured cruiser HMS Natal in 1915.
Natal is remembered ONE OF the Royal Navy's current survey ships has been paying her respects to those who lost their lives in a warship disaster in Scotland almost 85 years
Surveyors honour victims of explosion Cromarty Firths.
While the ship was surveying a reported shoal in a deep-water ago. As part of the Hydrographic anchorage in the Moray Firth, her motor boat was tasked to Survey Squadron's commit- survey carry out a survey of the wreck of ment to the United Kingdom HMS Natal, in the Cromarty Firth. civil hydrographic programme, The wreck of the cruiser lies in HMS Roebuck was pro- the centre of the busy waterway, grammed to carry out two sur- where a number of commercial oil
veys
in
the
Moray
and
rigs are kept anchored during peri-
ods of maintenance and upkeep. HMS Natal was a 13,550-ton
Cochrane and Warrior enjoyed a very high reputation - Jane's Warrior-class armoured cruiser, Fighting Ships of 1914 reported completed around seven years that in the opinion of those who served in them they were "the best before the start of the First World cruisers ever turned out". War. But the ship was reduced to a As part of the 1903 four-ship Warrior programme, she was smoking wreck within minutes of a devastating explosion in the middle regarded as a steady ship and of the afternoon of December 31 excellent gun platform, and she although other accounts of the
and her sister ships Achilles,
Action planned against warship 'grave robbers' A ROYAL Naval Association official says it is time to prevent "latter-day grave robbers" pillaging warship wrecks around the world. John Kill, chairman of Newton Abbot RNA, said that gatherings to remember those who died in defenee of freedom are being overshadowed by "the actions of a comparatively small group of people whose thoughtlessness, selfishness and greed threaten the continued sanctity of certain of our Naval war graves, and threaten the very existence of others." Mr Kiff told Mm News: "I refer to the activities of divers, both recreational and commercial, who it seems are virtually free to invade our Naval war graves at will in the pursuit of pleasure and/or profit. "We have received a spate of reports concerning unauthorised diving activity in HM ships Prince of Wales and Repulse, both sunk by the Japanese on December l(), 1941, with the combined loss of 840 men, and now lying 50 miles off Malaysia on a site which I understood to be officially designated as a Naval war grave.
"Pieces of these ships, from mantlepiece trin-
kets to eight-ton propellers, have and arc being systematically removed and stolen. "I now believe that these reports, as shocking and outrageous as they are, represent only the tip of a very large iceberg. "We have received a great deal of documented evidence, from a variety of sources, which proves beyond doubt that diving activities on sunken warships is fast becoming a very popular recreation for the private diving fraternity, and an extremely profitable occupation for commercial diving enterprises. "Furthermore, the problem is not restricted
to the UK or to British ships. Since the world's seas provide a final resting place for the crews of naval ships of all flags, this callous practice knows no boundaries and must, therefore, now be a basis for international concern. "As an ex-long serving Royal Navy man, a branch chairman within the RNA and a branch committee member of the Royal British Legion, I have pledged my unreserved help to a campaign recently formed within my locality, with
These ships are war graves, whether designated as such or not. They are not playgrounds neither are they sources of business opportunity for commercial diving firms...' the aim of redressing this sad issue. "Divers are entering our Naval war graves, often for personal gain. Even more distressing, and certainly more astonishing, is the apparent lack of enforceable legislation to prevent this. "Existing legislation designed for the protection of Naval war graves is, to say the least, illdefined, and what legislation there is certainly
does not appear to be controlled or upheld in any significant way. "It is not even clear to me at this time which of our sunken warships, if not all of them, are officially classed as Naval war graves, which arc classed as controlled sites - or is this the same tiling? - and which, if not all, come under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986. "It is, of course, appreciated that effectively to police Naval war graves is not an easy matter,
and this is possibly the reason why these latterday grave robbers are allowed to continue their nefarious practices largely unhindered or
unchallenged by Government. "But can you imagine the public outcry if these people, who apparently have the freedom to desecrate and rob our war graves at sea, dared to encroach upon our land war cemeter-
ies armed with metal-detectors and shovels? "Perhaps the most important initial step is to raise public awareness. Organisations such as the RNA, the RBL and survivor associations will continue to carry the baton. "But this is not just a matter for the exService associations - this is a matter which requires and deserves a howl of indignation from every fair-minded voice in the country. "We have sufficient evidence strongly to back what we are saying. All we need now is the ear, and the subsequent action, of Parliament. "High priority must now be given to setting up an international agreement which will provide legislation to give our Naval war graves the same protection which is so rightly afforded to our land war cemeteries.
"Furthermore, as an interim measure, surely there should be some immediate consideration given to the introduction of legislation which will provide protection to the many warships of all nations which lie beneath our coastal waters. "We can, and must, protect and continue to protect those who died in action with their ships, and now lie within these ships beneath the waters of the world. "These ships are war graves, whether designated as such or not. They are not playgrounds - neither are they sources of business opportunity for commercial diving firms."
accident give a date of December 29 or 30. One version of events states that
the
cruiser,
at
anchor
off
Invergordon, first caught fire and then blew up within five minutes.
Of her complement of 704, more
than 400 were killed, one casualty being her Commanding Officer,
rets fell from their mountings and smashed boats trying to escape the burning warship. He helped rescue men from the water, but believed no survivors were found from a party of children and nurses from a local hospital who, with a group of officers' wives, were on board for a concert
and film show.
At the time it was thought the explosion had been caused by an enemy submarine in the firth, but later examination of the wreck showed no signs of external explosion, and the focus of attention shifted to the possibility of unstable ammunition in a magazine.
Before starting the survey on the
wreck, the detached survey team Capt Eric Back. held a short service in memory of An account of the incident by those who died, conducted by the CPO Bob Tanner, who was in the Hydrographic Survey Squadron Natal's sister ship HMS Achilles, padre, the Rev Brian Fairbank, two cables distant from the strick- who was visiting Roebuck at the en cruiser, tells of a loud bang after time. which his ship shuddered. Initial results of the survey show He rushed to his emergency sta- that Natal has all but completely broken up, and now consists of a tion astern, and saw the Natal burning, her mainmast buckling field of unrecognisable debris. and tilting in the heat as the ship There is a depth of at least 10.7 metres of water, in average depths started to roll. CPO Tanner said guns and t u r - of 14 metres, found over the wreck. •
A buoy now marks
the
spot
where
the
armoured cruiser HMS
Natal
sank
in
the
Cromarty Firth in 1915.