"No amount of spin can turn the story of the Lancastria into something triumphant.". In a letter to The Times last month, campaigners said the government should do more. 4 hold. He was a very quiet man, and his recalling of the Lancastria tended to come only after a couple of pints.". Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. The Lancastria Association names 1,738 people known to have been killed. [44], The missing British military dead from the sinking of Lancastria (those whose bodies were not recovered or were unable to be identified) are commemorated on a number of Commonwealth War Graves Commission memorials (those identified were buried in cemeteries and are marked with Commission headstones). There are no actual transcripts of these speeches, but they have been reconstructed from Churchills notes given to Charles Eade. A third boat had its bottom stoved in by landing too fast. RMS Lancastria was a British ocean liner requisitioned by the UK Government during the Second World War. Survivors were taken aboard other evacuation vessels, the trawler Cambridgeshire rescuing 900. View the catalogue description for. The 'Lancastria' - a Secret Sacrifice in World War Two At the end of the day, some 2,477 survivors were picked up from the sea. RMS Lancastria Cunard 1940617 4000 Titanic Lusitania [ ] In fact the casualty figures, especiallyin perspective, are moreshocking and although 59 merchant seamen were lost on theLancastria(4), 126 merchant sailors perishedduring the whole of the previous fortnights Dunkirk evacuation. In April 1940, she was reconstructed as a troopship and under the command of Captain Rudolph Sharp, she was sent off to aid the evacuation of British troops and citizens from France. Four chapters are personal accounts from survivors or their close relatives. Lancastria survivor Charles Napier with a copy of the newspaper which reported the news of the Lancastria sinking. The Lancastria was the largest loss of life from a single engagement for British forces in World War Two and is also the largest loss of life in British maritime history - greater than the Titanic and Lusitania combined. It was a few weeks after the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) from Dunkirk, and Walter and Charlie were still in occupied Europe with an estimated 150,000 other British servicemen. She was 578 ft. in length and 16,000 gross tons, designed to accommodate 2,200 passengers in three classes. The late edition of The Scotsman on July 25 1940 featured a six-paragraph story buried on the middle of page five. We'd like to use additional cookies to remember your settings and understand how you use our services. The government feared what the news would do the British nation in the midst of its darkest hour. Wynn states that there were 2,488 survivors and a minimum of 2,385 perished. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The Germans ordered their submarines to dive, abandoning many survivors. But despite the crammed conditions for most, earlier onthere was a certain surrealism to the operation as some army officers were quoting it was almost like a cruise with people going to the restaurant, ordering from the menu and enjoying alcoholic beverages in the lounges. (2), One steward reported that the cocktail bar was reserved for Warrant Officers and Sergeants who were all shouting for drinks andcomplaining that it difficult to find enough change.(3). Two chapters briefly detail the extraction of Allied forces from Europe in Operations Cycle (Le Havre, France), Operation Dynamo (Dunkirk); and Operation Aerial (St. Nazaire, Nantes, Cherbourg, and seven other French ports). Furthermore, some believe the British government have not revealed all documentary evidence of what happened. [56][57] The site of Lancastria wreck lies in French territorial waters and is therefore ineligible for protection under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986; however, at the request of the British Government, in 2006 the French authorities gave the site legal protection as a war grave. S.S. "LANCASTRIA" : Lists of R.A.F. Many drowned, were choked by the oil, or were shot by the strafing German aircraft. What a story, and how lucky are we,born just after WW2, for the brave men and women, who fought for our freedom, Your email address will not be published. Their names may be lost to history, but they are not forgotten. Officials at the time chose to ignore the Lancastria disaster, as it was deemed a failed evacuation, and it was almost overshadowed by the news of the French surrender to the Germans. Wesalute them all. Nevertheless, within hours of disembarking troops at Liverpool on June 14th, Lancastria was reassigned, along with the 20,341 gross tons liner Franconia, to Operation Aerial, the evacuation of British civilians, embassy staff, and support troops from France. [3][4], The ship was launched in 1920 as Tyrrhenia by William Beardmore and Company of Dalmuir on the River Clyde for the Anchor Line, a subsidiary of Cunard. Brogden's account states that one bomb landed close to the funnel and entered No. Over 1,400 tons of fuel oil leaked into the sea and was set partially ablaze, possibly by strafing. It was not an official government order, but the British media followed Churchills lead. Lancastria was free to depart and the captain of the British destroyer HMSHavelock advised her to do so; but, without a destroyer escort as defence against a possible submarine attack, Sharp decided to wait for Oronsay before leaving. Your email address will not be published. About 4,000 men, women and children lost their lives when the Lancastria sank 20 minutes after it was bombed by the Germans near the French port of Saint-Nazaire on 17 June 1940. However, some information about the Lancastrias sinking was made public within a matter of days, particularly six individual death notices in local newspapers. Maintained by Sapere Software. The medal is in recognition of the endurance of survivors and ultimate sacrifice of the victims. Walter ended up in the water and saw a dog swimming away from the wreckage. [19] By the mid-afternoon of 17 June she had embarked an unknown number (estimates range from 4,000 up to 9,000)[4] line-of-communication troops (including Pioneer and Royal Army Service Corps soldiers) and Royal Air Force personnel, together with about forty civilian refugees, including embassy staff and employees of Fairey Aviation of Belgium with their families. By the mid-afternoon of 17 June, she had embarked an unknown number (estimates range from 4,000 up to 9,000) of civilian refugees (including embassy staff and staff of Fairey Aviation of Belgium), and line-of-communication troops (Pioneers, RASC etc), and RAF personnel. Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Lancastria Association names 1,738 people known to have been killed. Moutiers people never talk, never talked about the Lancastria, but about the cemetery of the British. It was not until 2006 that the French government afforded the site official legal protection as a war grave. Winston Churchill issued a D-Notice on the day of the sinking of the RMS Lancastria. Upwards of three thousand men perished. ; had they seen them perish or had they seen them escape?. LANCASTRIA (June 17, 1940) The loss of the Lancastria was the fourth largest maritime disaster of the war. When Nazi planes dropped their bombs, Walter and Charlie were separated in the chaos. Heres how to join! Following the sinking of the Lancastria, Prime Minister Winston Churchill imposed a media blackout. The Lancastria was carrying up to 9,000 troops when it was bombed by German planes and sunk outside the port on 17 June 1940. British and Allied evacuation vessels took Lancastrias survivors aboard, the trawler HMT Cambridgeshire alone rescuing nearly 900 souls. Because of the losses of the other requisitioned transports, Captain Sharp postulated, based on the figure of 2,653 men he had rescued during Operation Alphabet that his ship could accommodate 3,000 persons. [53] St Katharine Cree church in the City of London has a memorial window to Lancastria. They question why, after all this time, the area of the sinking - which is in French waters - is not designated a British war memorial site. Remembrance. Is climate change killing Australian wine? Those who survived the incident were instructed not to speak about their experience. 5621230. A fresh air raid began before 4 pm. This list of sources is concerning as there are at least a dozen sources that would have provided additional information to flesh-out his brief narrative, namely Winston Churchills 1949 The Second World War, Vol. It was used until 1993, when the name was changed to DSMA-Notice (Defence and Security Media Advisory Notice). Gruppe/Kampfgeschwader 30. (accessed 30.05.2020), 5)www.lancastria.org.uk(2019)We will remember them(accessed 02.06.2020), 6) The Independent (p.4 16.06.2015)Families still refused memorial. Grace's Guide web site design is Copyright 2021 by Grace's Guide Ltd. Yes,it was a long time ago but tokeep football supporters stillinterested perhaps there are parallels between the 1939-40 season and this years 2019-20 competition for both were abandoned early. The 17th June 1940 saw one of the most horrific events of World War II and the single worst maritime disaster in British history. Though more people died on the Lancastria than on Titanic and Lusitania combined, the story is little more than a footnote in the history of WWII. With the outbreak of the Second World War, she carried cargo before being requisitioned in April 1940 as a troopship, becoming the HMT Lancastria. The following brief overview of the Lancastrias history is augmented with verified information from sources that Wynn might have consulted. I of course ,read it before giving it to my father. [47] The Lancastria Association of Scotland was formed in 2005 and holds its annual service at St George's West Church in Edinburgh. The RMS Lancastria was a British ocean liner, owned by the Cunard Line. Lancastria was sunk on 17 June 1940 off the French port of St. Nazaire while taking part in Operation Aerial, the evacuation of British nationals and troops from France, two weeks after the Dunkirk evacuation. Many lifeboats could not be launched as they had been damaged, and there were only 2,500 life jackets on board. Even then, the British newspapers toed the patriotic line. This of course would mean ignoring virtually all safety rules and regulations. A transcript and podcast are available from The National Archives website. Read about our approach to external linking. Official notice of this disaster may not be forthcoming, but the descendants of those who died still honor the victims today and you can find some interesting history here www.lancastria.org.uk, For Sale: English Electric Lightning Jet Interceptors. She was first used to ferry men and supplies between Canada and the United Kingdom. Information about the Lancastria sinking might be restricted by the Official Secrets Act. NHF members are being converted to members of the Naval Institute. RMS was a sign of distinction and quality. And at15:55 on the 17 June the first bombs fell almost simultaneouslyfrom a German bomber causing theLancastriato catch fire and capsize; hundreds would have been killed immediately whilst others struggled in the oil-coveredsea.In a act of pure evil JU 88s weremachine-gunning survivors from the air many of them women and children but amidst the carnage smaller vessels did their best to assist,the anti-submarine trawlerCambridgeshirepicking up no less than 900. There are a number of Commonwealth war graves (some with named dead soldiers from the Pioneer Corps but many commemorated as unknown) in fishing ports on the French islands of le de R and le d'Olron (cemeteries at Saint-Martin-de-R, Saint-Trojan-les-Bains, Saint-Clment-des-Baleines, Ars-en-R and others) with graves dated 17 June 1940. Frank Holden Snr was on board the luxury transatlantic cruise liner Lancastria in 1940. [24] The ship was equipped with sixteen lifeboats and 2,500 life jackets;[19] but many of the boats could not be launched because they had been damaged in the bombing or because of the angle of the hull. Many of those in the water drowned because there were insufficient life jackets, or died from hypothermia, or were choked by fuel oil. [3] It is the greatest ever loss of life in the sinking of a single British ship, claiming more lives than the combined losses of the RMS Titanic (1,523 passengers and crew) and RMS . The loss of the LANCASTRIA was also the most . In 1924 she was refitted for two classes and renamed Lancastria after passengers complained that they could not properly pronounce Tyrrhenia; (viz: RP /tjurini/ as per the crew's nickname of the ship: the "Old Soup Tureen". Captain Rudolf Sharpe later lost his life when the ship he commanded, the Laconia, was sunk. The immense loss of life was such that the British government banned any public announcements of the disaster through the D-Notice system, but the story was broken by the New York Times and The Scotsman newspapers on 26 July. Returning to Glasgow, the captain requested that surplus oil in her tanks be removed, but there was insufficient time before she was ordered to Liverpool for a refit. However, he was told to embark as many as possible. RMS Lancastria - Encyclopedia Britannia Grace's Guide To British Industrial History, https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/index.php?title=RMS_Lancastria&oldid=1038523, Creative It was fourth English pounds. At midday Captain Sharp was advised to sail immediately but due to navalreports of a U-boat in the area he decided to await fora destroyer escort,a decision whichwas to seal the fate of manyevacuees. Lancastria was attacked, apparently by five Junkers Ju 88 dive bombers, and the ship capsized, and sank within twenty minutes mid-afternoon on June 17 off the French port of St. Nazaire. "[37] Private Ronald Herbert Yorke (Sherwood Foresters) is quoted in the Ripley and Heanor News on 5 July: "Hundreds of my pals were imprisoned below. people who designed and built them. When they reached the water, Jacqueline was kept alive on a floating plank of wood. [55], In October 2011, the Lancastria Association of Scotland has erected a memorial to the victims on the site where the ship was built, the former Dalmuir shipyard at Clydebank, Glasgow, now the grounds of the Golden Jubilee Hospital. [18], Early in the morning, three RNVR officers came aboard to ask how many troops Lancastria could take. A large number of men who jumped over the side were killed by hitting the side of the hull or had their necks broken by their life jackets on impact with the water. She was the sister ship of RMS Cameronia which Beardmore had built for the Anchor Line the previous year. The Lancastria was tasked to bring them home. Because the port has to be accessed along a tidal channel, Lancastria anchored in the Charpentier Roads, some 5 miles (8.0km) south-west of St. Nazaire, at 04:00 on 17 June,[17] along with some thirty other merchant vessels of all sizes. This web publication contains 147,919 pages of Shortly afterwards, Lancastria carried troops to consolidate the invasion of Iceland. In his memoirs, Churchill stated that he had intended to release the news a few days later, but that events in France "crowded upon us so black and so quickly that I forgot to lift the ban". Late in the afternoon, the Germans launched another air raid. Under the British Official Secrets Act, the report on the Lancastria cannot be published until the year 2040. But it is a largely forgotten chapter in British history, a fact that leaves survivors and relatives aggrieved. [52] The inscription on the rear of the medal reads: "In recognition of the ultimate sacrifice of the 4000 victims of Britain's worst-ever maritime disaster and the endurance of survivors We will remember them". Mr Napier is also wearing the Lancastria commemorative medal which was awarded by the Scottish Government in June 2008 in recognition of those who were aboard the vessel that day. She was sunk on 17 June 1940 during Operation Ariel. About 124,000 troops were assembling and the Admiralty had dispatched some 30 merchant vessels of all sizes to the rescue. Late that afternoon, she was packed with servicemen, air force personnel, embassy staff, and their families and some civilians with their families. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Naval Historical Foundation 1306 Dahlgren Avenue, SE Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374 1-202-678-4333 info@navyhistory.org. [6] The U.S. She was two and a half when the ship was attacked. The D-notice, or Defence Notice, also called DA-notice (Defence Advisory Notice), was a unique British government instruction devised in 1912. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? All Digitized Passenger Lists For the RMS Laconia Available at the GG Archives. According to some accounts, these were heard to be singing 'Roll Out the Barrel' and 'There'll Always Be an England', though some survivors strongly deny this. Chapter 5 focuses on the actual sinking of the Lancastria while Chapter 11 focuses on its aftermath. But Charlie had also survived. The Lancastria Association Victim registers 1,738 deaths. Fewer than 2,500 people survived. In 2005, Fenby wrote that estimates of the death toll vary from fewer than 3,000 to 5,800 people although it is also estimated that as many as 6,500 people perished, the largest loss of life in British maritime history. SS (HMT) Lancastria Sinking 1940 | Military History Forum Hold No. The captain said that he would be able to take 3,000 at a pinch. [2] Modern estimates suggest that between 4,000 and 7,000 people died during the sinking the largest single-ship loss of life in British maritime history. In the words of Mark, his grandfather's fight ended when the "mad man sank beneath the waves". At the outbreak of the Second World War she was requisitioned for use as a troop carrier and was refitted in New York, her company colours painted over in battleship grey. Hold No. No one can be sure of just how many lives were lost in the attack; she had spent all the morning embarking as many people as she could and estimates range from there being 5,000 to 9,000 people on board, of which less than 2,500 survived. Jun 17 1940 Sinking of the RMS Lancastria A fresh air raid began before 4 pm. She sailed scheduled routes from Liverpool to New York until 1932, and was then used as a cruise ship in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe. Many survivors perished from hypothermia or suffocated on fuel oil. The ship was apparently equipped with sixteen lifeboats and 2,500 life jackets, but many of the boats were damaged from the air attacks while others were unusable because of the ships starboard list and hull angle. The ship was among twenty others that participated in the evacuation of 2,653 British, French, and Polish troops from Norway when Operation Alphabet began on May 24,1940. This record has not been digitised and cannot be downloaded. Listing Includes Date Voyage Began, Steamship Line, Vessel, Passenger Class and Route. HMT Lancastria Association, 17 June 1988.. However, Chapter 10, Those Who Died, comprises nearly one-third of the book and lists the names of 1,431 individuals from 39 different military units along with, where possible, their ranks, service numbers and designations of regiments or corps. "Nearly 2,500 are known to have been saved - and more may be in enemy hands - from a total 5300 aboard the transport Lancastria, which, it was admitted in London yesterday, was sunk on June 17 by the enemy during the evacuation of the BEF from France,' it read. Lancastria 17th June 1940 & Operation Aerial", "NMC Lay a wreath at the Memorial for The Lancastria", "The 75th anniversary of the sinking of HMT Lancastria", "Lancastria: Service for Britain's worst maritime disaster", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=RMS_Lancastria&oldid=1152389814, Sunk by German Bombers on 17 June 1940 off, This page was last edited on 29 April 2023, at 23:38. "[50], In June 2008, the first batch of commemorative medals was presented to survivors and relatives of victims and survivors; the HMT Lancastria Commemorative Medal, which represented "official Scottish Government recognition" of the Lancastria disaster. RMS Lancastria | Cunard whitestarline Wiki | Fandom Captain Sharp estimated he had loaded 5,500 people, but his officers put the count at nearer 7,200. privacy policy, Need more context? [22], A fresh air raid began at 15:50 by Junkers Ju 88 bomber aircraft from Kampfgeschwader 30. The British government had requisitioned the Cunard ocean liner to continue bringing British Expeditionary Force troops back to Britain following the evacuation of Dunkirk. The Lancastria, a pre-war Cunard cruise liner, was requisitioned by the Admiralty and turned in to a war-time troop ship. Having received an emergency order to evacuate British nationals and troops from France the ship was loaded well in excess of its capacity of 1,300 passengers. [28], Survivors were taken aboard other British and Allied evacuation vessels, the trawler HMTCambridgeshire rescuing 900. She was ordered to sail from Nassau to New York for refitting as she had been requisitioned as a troopship, becoming HMT Lancastria. Enter the tag you would like to associate with this record and click 'Add tag'. Thefirst due to the declaration of war against Germany and the 2020 season scrapped because of the pandemic; in 1939 Blackpool were in first place whilst Liverpool and Everton were fourth and fifth respectively. Osborne said of the sinking: "It was kept secret at the time for reasons of wartime secrecy, but I think it is appropriate today in this House of Commons to remember all those who died, those who survived, and those who mourn them. Charles C. Kolb, PhD, is a USNI Golden Life Member. However, an exact number of Lancastrias casualties may never be known. An estimated 400 Scots were amongst the 4,000 killed with the Lancastria was attacked and sunk. The MoD has said it does not plan to send a representative to France. These were dangerous journeys, along roads blocked with refugees and under bombardment by enemy aircraft. [10][11][12] The passengers on this voyage included Admiral of the Fleet Roger Keyes, Field Marshal William Birdwood and Commodore Edward Unwin. People were ferried from the mainland all day. The Story of RMS Lancastria (Historic Document) | RallyPoint You will need a reader's ticket to do this. It was only attended by 10 people. All service personnel killed during the Second World War are recorded by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and where known that they lost their lives on the Lancastria. Introduction:Aday which isprobably more in peoples minds due to resumption of the Premier League footballseasonrather than the commemoration of Britains worst maritime tragedy a disaster which took the lives of an estimated 3000 to 5800 sailors, soldiers, airmen and civilians. . Estimates of the loss range between 3,000 and 5,800 fatalities. Lancastria memorial plaque at Liverpool Pier Head. She was sunk on 17 June 1940 during Operation Aerial. Read tagging guidelines. Amanda Holden discovers story behind her grandfather's suicide on BBC Mark - a former broadcast journalist and co-founder of the Lancastria Association of Scotland - has studied the life of his grandfather Walter Hirst, who survived the sinking. Crew members were either discharged or sent on leave.[15]. Others told of retrieving the corpses that washed up on the beaches a few days later. I think Churchill was right when he said 'we don't broadcast this'. Around lunchtime, on the 17th, there was an air raid. If you provide contact details, we will be in touch about your request within 10 working days. Required fields are marked *. [21], At 13:50, during an air-raid, the nearby Oronsay, a 20,000-ton Orient Liner, was hit on the bridge by a German bomb. The ship's official capacity was 2,200 including the 375 man crew. The RMS Lancastria was a British Cunard liner sunk by enemy action on 17 June 1940 with the loss of an estimated 4,000 plus lives. (5). Other British newspapers then covered the story, including the Daily Herald (also on 26 July), which carried the story on its front page, and Sunday Express on 4 August; the latter included a photograph of the capsized ship with her upturned hull lined with men under the headline "Last Moments of the Greatest Sea Tragedy of All Time".
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