Ahoy - Mac's Web Log

Hi,

for the past couple of years I have been reserching my grandfathers war service with the Royal Navy leading up to his death in april 1941. He was killed aboard the destroyer hms volunteer as a result of a collision with hms newark. As there is very little written about this incident or the volunteer's war service, I am trying to put together some of her history. In a record of her movements that I have managed to trace there is a mention of the volunteer being a local escort for operation medium august 1940, escort to hms fiji sept 1st after she was torpedoed,and sept 23rd ship damaged in Dakar area. Can you shed any light on these events and was hms volunteer part of the Dakar task force?

Calvin Merry

Calvin,

Here is the history of HMS Volunteer web site, as you will see, she was involved in escorting HMS Fiji back to the Clyde after she was torpedoed. But she was not in the actual force that went off to Dakar as Operation Menace.

Now to the Fiji, a light cruiser, she was built on the Clyde by John Brown and Co in 1938, launched in 1939, but not completed until May of 1940. On the 23rd. of August 1940 she was allocated to the Dakar expedition, and sailed from Scapa Flow with Force M, made up by the Battleships, Barham, Resolution, the two County Class Cruisers, Devonshire, and Cumberland, the Aircraft Carrier, Ark Royal, with a seven destroyer escort.

HMS Fiji

On the 31st. of August they met up with the transports, Sobieski, Kenya, and Ettrick. On the evening of the next day, German U-Boat U-32, commanded by Leutnant H. Jenisch, about 100 miles west north west of the Island of Saint Kilda, in the Outer Hebrides group, sighted this group, and torpedoed Fiji in the forward boiler room, but the ship managed to make the Clyde.

Because of this damage to Fiji, my ship, the Australian 8 inch heavy cruiser HMAS Australia, was named to take her place. Thus by fate, I was in the naval force that went off with General de Gaulle in Operation Menace to Dakar.

 Lt. Jenisch, Captain of U-32

On the 30th. of October 1940, U-32 was herself sunk by Royal Navy destroyers, Harvester and Highlander, north west of Ireland. 9 German sailors died, and 35 survived.

Hope this helps you Calvin.

Mac.

Calvin,

Some details about HMS Volunteer over 1939-1945 including some photos, her Ship's crest, her convoy duties, her participation in the Norwegian Campaign in 1940.

http://groups.msn.com/LifeinNavyBlue/hmsvolunteer193945.msnw

Hope it helps you a little.

Mac.

Mac,

Many thanks for the info on the volunteers involvement with operation menace and hms fiji. My
reason for asking was in the information I have on the ships movements are: volunteer - sept 1st 1940, at sea escort for hms fiji - having torpedoed, escorting as far as river clyde. on the 23rd ship damaged in dakar area (was this volunteer? or hms fiji?).The info you sent me about volunteer`s collision with hms newark was what I had posted, W.E. Coleman one of the men killed was my grandfather.

Once again many thanks,

Regards-Calvin Merry.

Calvin.

HMS Fiji, was not at Dakar on the 23rd. of September 1940, as I indicated earlier,  my ship, HMAS Australia took her place after she was torpedoed. HMS Volunteer, was also not present at Dakar, the 10 Royal Navy destroyers in Operation Menace were: HM ships, Echo, Eclipse, Escapade, Faulknor, Foresight, Forester, Fortune, Fury, Greyhound and Inglefield.

Mac.

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