The possible "friendly fire" of the Ukrainian air defense missiles which exploded on the Polish ground with deadly effect of killing two Polish citizens triggered me to reveal to the respected members some more information about a historical unfortunate accident of the same type (assuming the missiles today were Ukrainian)..
As a result of the well executed attack on the Polish submarine Jastrzab in May 1942 the sub was severely damaged and five personnel (including two British HM Liaison team members) were killed.
The popular knowledge as spread in written form in many books is that the accident was caused of by Jastrzab wandering too far north and crossed her course with a convoy.
Detected and attacked by two escort ships HMNoS StAlbans and HMS Seagull the sub as abandoned and sunk.
None of the information about cause of sinking the sub has been apparently based on original document which is HM Board of Inquiry - an ultimate document and not easily accessible copy of which I had chance to see personally and through my own eyes.
The Board (all three members HM Captains (N) and a PN officer as observer) concluded that Navigation of the submarine (actually with support of as primitive assets as it was in Nelsonic times) was proper in the circumstances of lack of sightings.
The Board grilled to smallest details the navigation process on the PL ship and found the CO not quilty for straying so much off the planned sector.
On the opposite - might be much to surprise of readers - StAlbans was blamed for continuing her attacks despite a signal candle was fired immediately by the sub and - seen by the Norwegian officers .
None of the Nor personnel was trained to recognize the flare/candle signals of friendly vessel.
Full description of the attacks on Jastrzab is in former WNSF and from the Norwegian side in the report of the CO of StAlbans as included in the superb <halcyonclassminesweepers> page. The latter I recommend for writing.
There was no resentment from the Polish to the attackers.
The CO of Jatrzab Romanowski who had been evacuated on the deck of HMS Seagull and who was visited by the minesweeper CO said that he did not blame the escorts for their attack by saying .."that was war and things like that may always happen..."
The Polish surviving crew joined the British in action station, watches time and gave their highest remarks on the
minesweeper CO.
gd
Frendly fire - sinking of ORP Jastrzab
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greendragon
- Posts: 189
- Joined: Sat Sep 14, 2019 6:16 am
Re: Frendly fire - sinking of ORP Jastrzab
Damn laptop (????!!!!) or damned me !
Correction.
I have recommended the halcyonclass page for READING of course.
gd
Correction.
I have recommended the halcyonclass page for READING of course.
gd
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greendragon
- Posts: 189
- Joined: Sat Sep 14, 2019 6:16 am
Re: Frendly fire - sinking of ORP Jastrzab
Couple of more might be interesting facts from the HM BOI proceedings.
As said before the CO of HMNoS StAlbans was absolutely not blamed for his initial attack when they got a positive Asdic echo from a submarine.
The BOI said "...the attack was inevitable..." .
LtCDR Crombie , the SOE also stated in his post action report on events during escorting the convoy that actions of the Norwegian was justified and right.
While first two DCs attacks (the first was just one DC described as "test") carried out by StAlbans brought little damages to the submarine actually it was the third attack carried out by HMS Seagull which joined the hunt and attacked "...with full pattern of DCs .." That almost sunk Jastrzab and caused unrepairable damages to her.
Cdr S.F. Storeheill explains and it should be clearly understood why he immediately opened fire at the submarine:
"...knowing the German as I do, from the war in Norway, I considered them quite capable of torpedoing one ship whilst crying "Kameraden" to the other". He also intended to stop the crew - still thought to be Germans - of manning the gun and also to prevent them from abandon and scuttle the sub with confidential materials on her deck.
Polish submarine losses in crew members were limited because it was BLNO (British Naval LO) who quickly noticed pendant number on the sub and was shouting to cease fire.
Anyway the other discovery of the BOI was that in the time of the action the line of sectors of screening submarines was moved up North and was dangerously close to the planned convoy route (20 Nm) which gave pretty high chance of meeting friendly forces themselves and possibility of friendly fire.
This signal apparently never reached the escort ships.
Jastrzab CO Lt Romanowski was invited by ADM Horton who wished to hear the course of action.
He was surprised that the old ex USN submarine survived such a heavy beating, did not sunk and gave chance to abandon her by the crew.
"It was good ship" stated Romanowski - all the technical problems of the "old lady" were apparently forgiven and forgotten.
Romanowski and most of his crew very soon took over a brand new British made U class sub launched as HMS P52 and named while under Polish flag ORP Dzik (Wild Boar).
The ship in spring 1943 joined the famous 10th Submarine Flotilla based on Malta and sunk couple of axis ships on the Med.
But this is another story.
gd
As said before the CO of HMNoS StAlbans was absolutely not blamed for his initial attack when they got a positive Asdic echo from a submarine.
The BOI said "...the attack was inevitable..." .
LtCDR Crombie , the SOE also stated in his post action report on events during escorting the convoy that actions of the Norwegian was justified and right.
While first two DCs attacks (the first was just one DC described as "test") carried out by StAlbans brought little damages to the submarine actually it was the third attack carried out by HMS Seagull which joined the hunt and attacked "...with full pattern of DCs .." That almost sunk Jastrzab and caused unrepairable damages to her.
Cdr S.F. Storeheill explains and it should be clearly understood why he immediately opened fire at the submarine:
"...knowing the German as I do, from the war in Norway, I considered them quite capable of torpedoing one ship whilst crying "Kameraden" to the other". He also intended to stop the crew - still thought to be Germans - of manning the gun and also to prevent them from abandon and scuttle the sub with confidential materials on her deck.
Polish submarine losses in crew members were limited because it was BLNO (British Naval LO) who quickly noticed pendant number on the sub and was shouting to cease fire.
Anyway the other discovery of the BOI was that in the time of the action the line of sectors of screening submarines was moved up North and was dangerously close to the planned convoy route (20 Nm) which gave pretty high chance of meeting friendly forces themselves and possibility of friendly fire.
This signal apparently never reached the escort ships.
Jastrzab CO Lt Romanowski was invited by ADM Horton who wished to hear the course of action.
He was surprised that the old ex USN submarine survived such a heavy beating, did not sunk and gave chance to abandon her by the crew.
"It was good ship" stated Romanowski - all the technical problems of the "old lady" were apparently forgiven and forgotten.
Romanowski and most of his crew very soon took over a brand new British made U class sub launched as HMS P52 and named while under Polish flag ORP Dzik (Wild Boar).
The ship in spring 1943 joined the famous 10th Submarine Flotilla based on Malta and sunk couple of axis ships on the Med.
But this is another story.
gd