The Cruel Sea Retold

The Cruel Sea Retold PDF Author: Bernard Edwards
Publisher: US Naval Institute Press
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
Bernard Edwards recounts the history that Nicholas Monsarrat used as the basis of his famous adventure novel, The Cruel Sea, which tells the tale of British ships trying to evade destruction by U-boat wolf packs hunting them in the North Atlantic. This work--a factual retelling--describes the actions of the three British convoys featured in the novel, first detailing the experiences of Convoy OG 71 when it attempted to sail from Liverpool to Gibraltar on 14 August 1941 with twenty-two merchantmen and eight escorts. During the trip, ten ships were lost without a single U-boat being sunk, and the convoy had to seek refuge in Lisbon. A month later, Convoy HG 73 sailed from Gibraltar with twenty-five merchantmen and thirteen escorts. Ten more ships were lost and only one U-boat was damaged. British fortunes began to improve when Convoy HG 76 sailed from Gibraltar in December with thirty-one merchantmen and a heavy escort of fifteen warships. During a six-day running battle, five U-boats were sunk and seven British ships lost.

The Cruel Sea Retold

The Cruel Sea Retold PDF Author: Bernard Edwards
Publisher: US Naval Institute Press
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 240

Get Book Here

Book Description
Bernard Edwards recounts the history that Nicholas Monsarrat used as the basis of his famous adventure novel, The Cruel Sea, which tells the tale of British ships trying to evade destruction by U-boat wolf packs hunting them in the North Atlantic. This work--a factual retelling--describes the actions of the three British convoys featured in the novel, first detailing the experiences of Convoy OG 71 when it attempted to sail from Liverpool to Gibraltar on 14 August 1941 with twenty-two merchantmen and eight escorts. During the trip, ten ships were lost without a single U-boat being sunk, and the convoy had to seek refuge in Lisbon. A month later, Convoy HG 73 sailed from Gibraltar with twenty-five merchantmen and thirteen escorts. Ten more ships were lost and only one U-boat was damaged. British fortunes began to improve when Convoy HG 76 sailed from Gibraltar in December with thirty-one merchantmen and a heavy escort of fifteen warships. During a six-day running battle, five U-boats were sunk and seven British ships lost.

A Study Guide for Nicholas Monsarrat's "The Cruel Sea"

A Study Guide for Nicholas Monsarrat's Author: Gale, Cengage Learning
Publisher: Gale Cengage Learning
ISBN: 1410343480
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 34

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Book Description
A Study Guide for Nicholas Monsarrat's "The Cruel Sea," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Novels for Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Novels for Students for all of your research needs.

The Decoys

The Decoys PDF Author: Bernard Edwards
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1473887100
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 247

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Book Description
In November 1942, Britain and America launched Operation TORCH, the ambitious invasion of French North Africa.To convey 70,000 troops and their equipment required 600 merchant ships crossing the U-boat infested North Atlantic. The need for their protection meant withdrawing escorts from the routine convoys. Amongst those left without adequate defence were RB 1 and SC 107, both eastbound from America, and SL 125, northbound from Freetown. All three were at sea at the same time as the TORCH convoys.

Survivors of Enemy Action

Survivors of Enemy Action PDF Author: Bernard Edwards
Publisher: Pen and Sword Maritime
ISBN: 1399042246
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 210

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Book Description
The war years 1939 – 1945 were the most perilous in the long history of the British Merchant Navy. The figures speak for themselves. With 2,535 ships sunk and 36,749 merchant seamen lost, the proportional casualty rate was higher than any branch of the Armed Forces except for Bomber Command. The danger to the lightly armed merchant ships came from enemy air attacks, surface warships, raiders and, of course submarines. Prisoners were seldom taken so the crews of stricken vessels had to fend for themselves. Those who survived enemy action faced death by drowning, exposure and lack of food and water. Compiled mainly from experiences related direct to the author, this inspiring book draws on first-hand accounts of the lucky few who survived. With extraordinary honesty and modesty their stories describe the events leading up to the enemy attack, the actions and the aftermath. Readers will be struck by the courage and fortitude of these men who often suffered extreme hardship and privation. Too many died before reaching land or being rescued. These men are without doubt the unsung heroes of the Second World War and this fine book is an overdue recognition of their sacrifices and courage.

The Quiet Heroes

The Quiet Heroes PDF Author: Bernard Edwards
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1783036788
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 219

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Book Description
The men of Britain's Merchant Navy, although unarmed civilians going about their lawful business were the first to be involved with the enemy in the Second World War. Less than nine hours after the declaration of war on 3 September 1939, the Donaldson liner Athenia was sunk without warning by a German U-boat off the west coast of Ireland. From that moment onwards, British merchant seamen were constantly in the front line in all quarters of the globe. For almost six years they faced, without flinching, their own private hell of torpedoes, bombs, shells and mines, all the while fending off their old arch-enemy, the sea. Sorely pressed, and often tired near to death, they kept open Britain's tenuous lifelines, bringing millions of tons of raw materials, food, oil, arms and ammunition, without which the country could not have survived. As always, their spirit was indomitable, their professionalism unchallenged. The price they paid for their bravery and dedication was horrendous: 2,246 ships lost, 29,180 men killed, and countless hundreds maimed and wounded. This book tells the story of just a few of these quiet heroes.

The Wolf Packs Gather

The Wolf Packs Gather PDF Author: Bernard Edwards
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1844689778
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 229

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Book Description
The capture by the German surface raider Atlantis of the British steamer City of Baghdads secret code books in July 1940 enabled the Nazis to de-cypher Admiralty convoy plans with deadly effect. This book describes the resulting appalling Allied losses suffered by four convoys during the Autumn of 1940. Admiral Donetz, aware of the movements of the Allied convoys, marshaled as many of his U-boats as possible. The first convoy, SC2, consisting of 53 merchant men was attacked in early September by four U-boats. Due to poor weather only five ships were lost. Shortly after HX72, with 41 ships, sailing from Nova Scotia, lost eleven ships to five Type VIIC U-boats. Top Aces Otto Kretschremer and Joachim Schepke, who penetrated inside the columns, accounted for nine. No less than nine U-boats attacked SC7 in October 1940. Of 35 merchant men a staggering 20 were lost. HX79 also fared terribly despite being a fast convoy with ten escorts, losing twelve ships. In total forty-eight merchant men were sunk and seven more damaged without any U-boat losses at all. The Wolf Packs Gather is an authoritative account of the darkest hours of the War in the Atlantic. It describes not only the German tactics but the inadequacies of what few escorts there were and the heartbreaking loss of defenseless life.

Scotland's Cruel Sea

Scotland's Cruel Sea PDF Author: Robert Jeffrey
Publisher: Black & White Publishing
ISBN: 1845028872
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 175

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Book Description
High cliffs jutting out into the Atlantic and the North Sea, many hundreds of rocky skerries, deep sea lochs, dangerous unseen reefs, powerful tides and gales that batter the land fiercely from all points of the compass...Scotland has a coastline of immense beauty and danger, and its cruel sea has claimed many lives down the years. Disaster at sea is a poignant part of Scotland's history, and in this chilling and awe-inspiring book, bestselling author Robert Jeffrey tells the compelling stories of the victims of the ocean deeps. Car ferries, fishing boats, troopers, pleasure yachts and Navy vessels of all sorts, including submarines, have gone to the bottom. And in brave attempts to save those in danger with lifeboats, many have died. Including the famous tales of the Princess Victoria, the ill-fated Kl3 submarines, the Longhope lifeboat and the Iolaire, Scotland's Cruel Sea remembers the maritime tragedies that made headlines and became part of the folk memory of a seagoing nation.

Convoy Will Scatter

Convoy Will Scatter PDF Author: Bernard Edwards
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1473828341
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 183

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Book Description
A naval historian reveals the full story of the HMS Jervis Bay and the merchant ships that valiantly saved lives during the WWII Battle of the Atlantic. On November 5th, 1940, the thirty-eight merchant ships of Convoy HX84 were making their way across the North Atlantic, escorted by the armed cruiser HMS Jervis Bay. In mid-ocean, they were attacked by the German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer. Though the Jervis Bay charged at the enemy, she was hopelessly outgunned. Within twenty-two minutes, the ship was destroyed. Meanwhile, the merchantmen scattered under the cover of a smokescreen. But the radar-equipped Admiral Scheer was still capable of picking them off one at a time. Captain Hugh Pettigrew, commanding the highly armed Canadian Pacific cargo liner SS Beaverford, began a desperate game of hide and seek with the Scheer, which continued until the Beaverford was sunk with no survivors. Thanks to this sacrifice, thirty-three merchantmen were able to escape. Later the neutral flag Swedish freighter Stureholm, commanded by Captain Olander, picked up survivors from the Jervis Bay. While Jervis Bay’s Captain Edward Fegen was rightly awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery and sacrifice, the history books only mention the Beaverford and the Stureholm in passing. This thrilling book puts the record straight.

World Stories Retold

World Stories Retold PDF Author: William James Sly
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Bible stories, English
Languages : en
Pages : 332

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Book Description


The Cruel Sea

The Cruel Sea PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 444

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Book Description