 |
Battle or Action:
HMS Jervis Bay, Sinking of
|
 |
Detail : |
| "In November 1940 the Jervis Bay was the sole escort for Convoy HX84 (the 84th convoy to leave Halifax, on route for the UK) escorting thirty-seven freighters moving from Halifax to Britain. She left the Halifax port on October 28th, 1940, crewed by a mixture of Royal Navy, Royal Naval Reserve and Merchant Navy 254 seamen, and Captain E. S. F. Fegen. Jervis Bay was 750 nautical miles in the mid-North Atlantic when she ran into trouble. Outfitted with seven, archaic, 6-inch guns and an out-of-date fire control system, Captain Fegen knew the German battleship was no match for Jervis Bay. In an effort to protect the convoy, Captain Fegen commanded the 37 freighters to scatter, as Jervis Bay dropped smoke canisters into the frigid Atlantic waves, offering some protection for the convoy. Captain Fegen heroically directed the AMC towards Adrmial Scheer, in an effort to get the enemy ship within firing distance, but also to distract its fires from the nearby two-funnelled passenger vessel, the most valuable freighter in the fleet. Shots began to fly from Jervis Bay, but each one fell short of hitting the target. Admiral Scheer retaliated with its 11-inch shells and quickly destroyed Jervis Bay's forward gun and steering gear. Fire started aboard the armed merchant cruiser, but she continued to fire port guns at the German vessel. Not long into the battle, Captain Fegen was hit and his arm was shattered. While shells tore into his ship, he continued to give orders until he was hit again and killed. At this point, Jervis Bay was ablaze. The battle lasted 24 minutes, until the command was given to abandon ship. Admiral Scheer, which was capable of sinking an entire convoy in a matter of hours, went on to sink only 5 other freighters in HX.84. Thirty-two freighters escaped safely to port. It was three hours after the attack when Jervis Bay slipped into the ocean. The lives of 190 men were taken in the battle. Miraculously, 65 men survived. Captain Fegen was posthumously given the Victoria Cross for his bravery." |
|
FIRST PREV ( Page 1 of 1 ) NEXT LAST
|
