history
by Reg Reynolds
HMS Broke
Who was that Gibraltar Sailor? It was one of the most daring sea rescues of World War II and a sailor from Gibraltar was one of the brave lads aboard the destroyer HMS Broke who did his duty and helped save dozens of lives.
HMS Broke (formerly HMS Rooke) was a Shakespeare Class Flotilla Leader with a complement of 134 men and she was sleek and fast with a top speed of 38 knots. From the outbreak of war she was a very busy ship almost constantly on submarine patrol or escorting convoys. From October 1939 to October 1942 she escorted 63 convoys and 36 of those involved Gibraltar as a destination. Her crowning moment came in early April 1941 when she sailed out from Gibraltar to meet Convoy HG 057. A strong south-east gale was blowing when at 1600 on 6th April the Broke’s skipper received a signal ‘HMS Comorin seriously on fire’. Broke responded immediately but it was 8 o’clock at night by the time she reached the distressed armed merchant cruiser. By then destroyer escort HMS Lincoln (an old American lend-lease four stacker) using Carley floats (a type of life raft) in a ferry system had already rescued a good portion of the crew of the Cormorin. The Cormorin was a P&O Liner conscripted and converted for the war effort and in his book on the history of P&O These Splendid Ships David Divine described the scene that greeted Broke’s crew: “Comorin, with flames belching from her afterfunnel and beginning to break through on her super-structure, was lying out of control, beam on to the sea and rolling heavily… it rapidly became obvious that the ferry system was too slow and in darkness and with a rising wind Broke’s captain, Commander Scholfield, determined to take his ship alongside.” It was an incredibly risky maneuver. Lieutenant-Commander Peter Scott, who was aboard Broke at the time, later wrote: “To go alongside Comorin seemed an impossibility. The waves were 50 to 60 feet from trough to crest and the liner’s cruiser stern lifted high out of the water at one moment showing rudder and screws and crashing downward in a cloud of spray the next. I thought a destroyer could
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not possibly survive an impact.” Broke did survive several impacts as Commander Scholfield courageously steered her alongside time and time again so that crew from the Comorin could jump from deck to deck. With both ships rolling crazily the jumps had to be timed to the split second. Broke’s foredeck had been covered with locker cushions in an attempt to soften the blow as the sailors thumped down and her side was festooned with fenders to provide some protection from the hull of the much larger cruiser. About half a dozen men would jump each time and Commander Scholfield would pull Broke away in order to assess damage and get the injured below before returning for more. Some of the Comorin crew managed to land unhurt or suffering only minor cuts and bruises but many were badly injured and a few mistimed their jumps and went over the side never to be seen again. Wrote Lt-Com. Scott: “By now some of the injuries appeared to be pretty bad. There were a good many broken legs and arms and one chap fell across the guard-rail from about 25 feet.” According to Scott’s report at least one injured jumper disappeared in odd circumstances. “Letty [Navigating Officer Angus Letty] came aft to me and said, ‘That fellow’s finished — cut his guts to bits.’ It appears that Able Seaman George, a young Gibraltar seaman who was doing excellent work on the fo’c’sle, had put a
Able Seaman George was a young Gibraltar seaman who was doing excellent work on the fo’c’sle
hand on his [the jumper’s] back — felt what he thought to be broken ribs and when he withdrew his hand it was covered with blood. No such case ever reached the doctor and although there is a possibility an injured man could have gone over the side owing to the heavy rolling, I am inclined to think that the account was an exaggerated one.” It was past midnight when Broke was finally able to signal: “Ship now clear of officers and men.” By brilliant seamanship, which included an astonishing 685 engine-room telegraph orders, the captain and crew of HMS Broke had saved 180 of Comorin’s crew. The Lincoln had rescued another 121 and the merchant vessel Glenartny 104 for a total of 405 saved out of the 426 on board. Following this dramatic rescue, which earned Commander Scholfield an OBE, Broke underwent repairs — one bashing from Comorin had stoved a hole in her side and her skin plating was battered and twisted — and returned to convoy duty. Her valiant career came to an end during Operation Torch (the invasion of North Africa) in November 1942. Typically she went down fighting. She was allowed one last day at Gibraltar before sailing in the dark of night on her mission to offload US troops near Algiers. Under fierce bombardment Broke made three attempts to break through defensive booms before finally succeeding on the fourth try. The troops disembarked successfully and reached their objectives but Broke was disabled by gunfire and sunk under tow with the loss of nine lives. In praising Able Seaman George, Lt.-Com. Scott doesn’t say if it that was his first or his last name and no other names are given. Hopefully a Gibraltarian can remember a brother, father or even grandfather who served aboard HMS Broke and can solve the mystery and contact Gibraltar Magazine with the information. n
GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 2009