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Topic: PT 515 Cherbourg |
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Arjan Wiskerke |
MASTER
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Posted on: Dec 26, 2018 - 11:49am
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Hi Ted,
Thanks a lot for your reply, I really appreciate this. The photo can be found here (and quite a few other ones) :
https://www.ww2online.org/image/deck-pt-519-england-or-france-circa-1944
There are some pics showing the transport ship. As far as I know this must be Landing Ship Dock HMS Oceanway but maybe other transport ships were also involved.in ferrying the PT boats to Britain.
edit: the pics of the transport vessel definitely do not show HMS Oceanway, in the caption an attack transport ship is mentioned carrying four PT boats :
https://www.ww2online.org/image/us-attack-transport-ship-carrying-four-pt-patrol-torpedo-boats-europe-circa-1944
Regards,
Arjan
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TED WALTHER |
TOP BOSS
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 Posted on: Dec 26, 2018 - 2:15pm
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Arjan;
Some years ago I started a list titled PTs Transported via Ship.
RON 34 boats were transported to the UK several ships according to the RON 34 War Diary.
RON 34: 26 April 1944: DIVISION A was divided up between 3 ships, DIV A Group A (PT 498, PT 499) hoisted aboard SS BENJAMIN HOYT. DIV A GROUP B (PT 500, PT 502) hoisted aboard SS BILLY SUNDAY. DIV A Group C (PT 501, PT 503) hoisted aboard SS CYRUS T. BRADY, they departed with a convoy on 1 May 1944. 3 May 1944: DIVISION B was divided into two groups, DIV B Group A (PT 504, PT 505, PT 508, and PT 509) was hoisted aboard SS MCCELLAND CREEK, and the DIV B Group B (PT 506 and PT 507) was hoisted aboard SS BILLY MITCHELL. They arrived in Liverpool on 14 May 1944, and off DIV B Group A was loaded at Langham Docks. PT 501 and PT 503 on SS CYRUS T. BRADY, arrived a few days earlier and were already in the water moored in Liverpool. 16 MAY 1944; SS BILLY SUNDAY offloaded DIV A Grp B (PT 500 and PT 502) at Prince’s Dock Glasgow, Scotland. 17 MAY SS BENJAMIN HOYT off loaded and DIV A Grp A (PT 498 and PT 499) were waterborne and moored at Gladstone Dock, Liverpool. 1600 23 MAY 1944 all RON 34 Boats are moored to East Pens HM Dockyard Portland England.
This is from the RON 35 War Diary:
RON 35; SS BENINGTON, DIVISION A (PT 510, PT 511, PT 518, PT 512), SS STONEY POINT, DIVISION B (PT 513, PT 514, PT 517, PT 521), and SS SAN DIEGO, DIVISION C (PT 515, PT 516, PT 519, PT 520). 0825 May 21, 1944 departed Brooklyn Navy Yard for Scotland with convoy CU 25, arrived Scotland on May 31, 1944. Finally, 2020 4 June 1944, all RON 35 Boats moored at East Pens HM Dockyard Portland.
Take care,
TED
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JerseySandy
New Member
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Posted on: Dec 28, 2018 - 11:25am
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Hi Arjan, I live on Jersey and have done much research into the action which took place on that fateful day. Let me know what info you would like and I will try to assist you. I have details on the German convoy and the commander, troops etc. Awesome pic by the way !
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Arjan Wiskerke
MASTER
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Posted on: Dec 28, 2018 - 12:46pm
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Hi, are you one of the people behind the section on PT 509 on The Jersey Bunker Tours site ? Really nice site, the artifacts of PT 509 are also very impressive.
I was especially interested in the impact the engagement had on the Germans. Apparently all the people of the German Historisches Marine Archiv could find is that it was considered a " fierce engagement" by the Germans :
"Jacques Mordal (Handstreich auf Granville) schreibt nur kurz "Am 9. August war die 46. M.S.F. vor Jersey in hartem Kampf gewesen."
I wonder if you know whether there were any casualties on the German side ?
Regards,
Arjan
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JBG327
Advanced Member
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Posted on: Dec 28, 2018 - 7:59pm
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Look at the pages for A Hero Among Millions. Towards the end, there is a shadow box with LtCdr Sherertz's awards. I cannot find any reference for the awarding of a Navy Cross to him.
At Close Quarters lists his highest award as a Bronze Star.
Am I missing something?
JBG
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Arjan Wiskerke
MASTER
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Posted on: Dec 29, 2018 - 12:36am
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Thanks for your reply.
To return to a subject I raised earlier, the park bench like racks on the foredeck keep puzzling me. Could it be that these had been specifically designed for rescue operations ? Perhaps carrying out rescue operations was one of the roles that had been envisaged for the Channel PTs ? I wonder if there are any references to these "cradles" in the war diaries of the Rons in question.
Regards,
Arjan
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JerseySandy
New Member
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Posted on: Dec 29, 2018 - 6:11am
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Hi Arjan, I run Bunkers in Jersey Facebook page and I am a member of the Channel Islands Occupation Society. I have been able to collect quite a significant amount of research on this subject. I undertake a ceremony on or around the annual anniversary of the action to tell the story at the site of the memorial on the island. So, to answer your question as to the German side, 4 were killed including one Army engineer, 1 missing (German Army), 41 were wounded. 3 German minesweepers, which formed part of the convoy on that fateful day, the M4621, 22 and 26 were so severely damaged that they were taken out of service.
The German dead were as follows:
M4626
Chief Boatswain Hans Buchhoilz, Leading Machinist Heinz Hildebrandt
M4622
Leading Seaman Herman Reinhardt
Engineer Battalion 319
Lance Corporal Herman Schwen
All were buried at St Brelade's Military Cemetery, Jersey. In 1962 their remains were transferred to the large German cemetery at Mont-des-Huisnes, near Mont St Michel, Normandy, France.
As you know it was the M4626 which was rammed by the PT-509.
Let me know if you require any more information.
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Arjan Wiskerke
MASTER
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Posted on: Dec 29, 2018 - 6:47am
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Thanks a lot for this detailed info ! Strange that no detailed mention of the German casualties and damage appears to have been made in German war diaries (it is merely mentioned that 4 ships were damaged and that the losses were light). Or perhaps the people of the German forum just didn't look in the right places. I will pass on the info you've provided.
Regards,
Arjan
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