Fleeting Images from a Bloodied Past , livre ebook

Fleeting Images from a Bloodied Past
Bernard Fredericks
Austin Macauley Publishers
2020-01-31
Fleeting Images from a Bloodied Past About the Author Dedication Copyright Information © Acknowledgments Foreword A Dimension of Laird’s Navy Illustrations The Early Past – 1865 Liverpool – The ‘Johnny Reb’ Connection World War II – Submarines HMS SAFARI: Aids Desert Victory HMS SALMON: An Act of Mercy HMS SARACEN: Sub-Sinker HMS SEALION: Ageing Sealion – No Toothless Tiger! HMS SHAKESPEARE: Epic of the Sub the Japs Couldn’t Sink HMS SPEARFISH: Pays the Penalty of Stress HMS SPEARHEAD: At the Enemy’s Communications HMS STATESMAN: Royal Navy’s Champ in the Pacific HMS STORM: The Submarine Storm Which Became a Typhoon HMS STRATAGEM: Escape from a Metal Tomb HMS STUBBORN: Workforce Heroes – One Step F’ward, March! HMS STYGIAN: British Midget’s Knock-Out, Bottoms Jap Cruiserweight HMS SUBTLE: Elusive Targets HMS TAKU: The Most Hunted HMS TEMPEST: Tragedy of the Tempest HMS THRASHER: The ‘Victoria Cross’ Submarine TRIDENT Triumphant! World War II – Destroyers/Frigates HMS ALDENHAM: Action on the High Seas HMS ATHERSTONE: Escort to Valhalla HMS BROCKLESBY: Enemy Beware! Brocklesby’s at Sea HMS FEARLESS: Death on a Hot Summer’s Day HMS FORESIGHT: Saga of a Destroyer Workhorse HMS GURKHA: Hell of the High Seas, Not Once, but TWICE! HMS HARDY: The Seaborne Armageddon HMS INGLEFIELD: Ship of Fire! HMS LIVELY: Battle-Hardened and Lively HMS SCORPION: Sting in the Tail That Killed a Mighty Fish HMS TEAZER: One Hell of a Torment for the Enemy HMS TENACIOUS: Snarls in the Face of the Enemy! HMS ZEALOUS: In Defence of Liberty Part I HMS RAIDER: Birth of the High-Seas Avengers Part II HMS RAPID: The Other Half Part III HMS RAIDER and RAPID: Rage of the Deadly Duo The Recent Past – 1982 HMS VENERABLE/HMS CONQUEROR: Sisters No Longer – In the Battle of the South Atlantic HMS CONQUEROR – Sea Action off Tierra Del Fuego Conclusion References and Bibliography ‘The Early Past’ – CSS Alabama (1865) Submarines Destroyers/Frigates ‘The Recent Past’: Falkland Islands War (1982) Articles previously published in THE LIVERPOOL DAILY POST under alternative headings: Brief Index
About the Author
Bernard Fredericks has previously written freelance, contributing a multiplicity of published articles to various magazines, newspapers and, on occasions, local radio; was also an active member of a Writers’ Club in the North West during the late ’80s and into the early ’90s; edited a monthly arts magazine published in NW, UK, during the period 1998–2002; is retired and residing in North Wales, but presently finalising completion of further scripts for future publication.
Also by Bernard Fredericks:
WRITERS’ WORLD (History of Liverpool Writers’ Club 1922 – 1994) ISBN 9781906823672 – 2013
THE GREEN GATES STORY (Escape from the Liverpool Blitz) ISBN 9781786126849 – 2017
Dedication
This script is dedicated to all those hard-working shipwrights, toolmakers, metal workers, welders, etc., most of whom were born ‘n’ bred on the banks of the River Mersey, and who—over the years—toiled at Cammell Laird shipyards to build, assemble and produce fine warships to serve the White Ensign. With equal dedication to the brave seamen who manned and sailed those ships of war into harm’s way.
It can be safely said, in conclusion, that the workforce’s commitment to excellence and craftsmanship is unexcelled.
Copyright Information ©
Bernard Fredericks (2020)
The right of Bernard Fredericks to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781788782340 (Paperback)
ISBN 9781788782357 (Hardback)
ISBN 9781528955232 (ePub e-book)
www.austinmacauley.com
First Published (2020)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LQ
Acknowledgments
For assistance with this book, I should like to thank Director D J Foulis and Frank Lindstrom of Ship Design Department, Cammell Laird Shipbuilders Ltd, who penned numerous letters and supplied detailed lists of warships and naval vessels built for the British Admiralty at their yards over the years. Also, John Taylor, acting archivist at Williamson Museum, Birkenhead; my heartfelt thanks to Paul Melton, Mike McAloon and David Ashby, Naval Staff Duties (Historical Section), Ministry of Defence, London, who readily responded and closely supported my efforts by delivery of many vital historical details at their disposal and some of which were used in the compilation of this script.
I would also like to thank Defence Attaché Brig General M Meyara, Israel Embassy, London, for assisting in obtaining photographs of Israeli vessel Eilat (ex HMS Zealous ); Commander B A Groenendijk, RNLN, Royal Netherlands Embassy, London, for his detailed notes of the Dutch aircraft carrier Karel Doorman (ex HMS Venerable ); Rear Admiral José M T P Germano, Naval Attaché at Portuguese Embassy, London, with reference to Portuguese navy submarine Neptuno (ex HMS Spearhead ) and forwarding of relevant photographs, plus an accompanying booklet ‘Esquadrilha De Submarines’ .
Eternal thanks to Peter Surridge, Senior Assistant Editor, Liverpool Daily Post & Echo Ltd, who kindly gave me the opportunity to submit my early scripts, for his professional guidance and invaluable editorial advice which subsequently led to publication within various later issues of the Daily Post.
Grateful acknowledgement and thanks to Chris Walker, Senior Managing Editor, Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales Ltd, for allowing reprint of articles which were previously published in past editions of the Liverpool Daily Post newspaper.
Liverpool Central Libraries for assisting me in researching this subject through the use of historical microfilm.
Colin M Simpson, Principal Museums Officer, Wirral Museums Service, Williamson Art Gallery & Museum, Slatey Road, Birkenhead, Wirral CH43 4UE.
William Meredith, Archivist, Wirral Archives Service, Transformation & Resources Dept, Information & Central Services, Canning Street, Birkenhead, Wirral CH41 1ND.
Ken J Milne, Legal Counsel BAE Systems Plc, Warwick House, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 6YU.
Thomas ‘Andy’ Anderson, ex-submariner, for his recalled war service experiences.
Special thanks to Helen, Senior Computers, who helped towards solving computer technical problems which arose during the production of this script.
Last but not least, the whole Production Team at Austin Macauley for their patience, advice and support in the completion of this script.
Foreword

A Dimension of Laird’s Navy
The following collection of Royal Navy historic anecdotes and associate notes (not a naval history) and including historical fiction (based on fact) is introduced in support of continuity for this script are in the main short articles, involving some of the warships built at Cammell Laird, Birkenhead, especially to provide Britain’s Navy with the weapons of sea power to defeat the axis naval might of World War II. These articles were compiled during the late ’80s and early ’90s. Abridged and selected specific reports, during their separate operational activities, reveals salutary and responsible wartime service under the constant threat of total and instant annihilation and subsequent painful death. Some of these scripts (where indicated) were reproduced with the kind permission of Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales Ltd, from previously published centre-page articles in the Liverpool Daily Post.
The script is split into four sections:
The EARLY PAST (American Civil War)…
The PAST
Submarines (WWII)…
Destroyers/Frigates (WWII)…
and
The RECENT PAST (Falklands War)
The EARLY PAST: Concerns an early political decision and subsequent construction of the CSS Alabama , which became an armed high-seas raider. It was built with earnest intent of serving the cause of the Southern Confederacy of America, in order to challenge and combat the Union Service Fleet during the American Civil War of 1861–65
The PAST:
Submarines: speedy construction and launch onto the fast-flowing Mersey, prior to and including the Second World War years. Provides a glimpse into the daring and hazardous naval warfare service undertaken and experienced by these valiant undersea vessels and their crews, built at the yard during and before this period, together with their death-defying exploits.
Destroyers/Frigates: this collection of WWII surface vessels is a short history of their gallant wartime expeditions, showing enormous endurance, enterprise and valour in naval actions across the globe against tenacious enemy forces on land and sea. The inclusion of HMS Shakespeare , built at Barrow-in-Furness, is the one exception to this collection of Cammell Laird built vessels.
These lists, of course, are not exhaustive.
THE RECENT PAST: is concerned with a partial but significantly major sea actions of the Falklands War of 1982 by warships constructed and launched down the slipway at Cammell Laird Shipyards, in earlier years. Describes how fate brought these former Royal Navy vessels together after many years of absence and use, being sold-off, to then provide continued service in foreign naval forces and under different flags but coming full-circle and subsequently, to face each other on opposing sides during this recent conflict.
Conclusion: The following articles, flagging up some of the warships built and launched from this famous British shipyard,