He ended the war working for the Royal Military Police. Ancient Rome used the navis lusoria, a small vessel powered by rowers and sail, to move soldiers on the Rhine and Danube. Two destroyers turned back to pick up cruiser survivors. Edward Sunley (Teddy). As his body was never recovered he is also commemorated on Portsmouth Naval Memorial. So glad I found this. they were told not to tell anyone what happened about that or anything else they were involved in or places they were going so that the Germans wouldn’t find out. He was 20 years old. My “uncle” Harry Ellis survived the collision. Acadia Your email address will not be published. Since she was the fastest ship in the… She was nicknamed the "Gray Ghost" because nobody could find her. He told me the story back in the 60’s . This was 22 days before I was born. Another piece discusses the war-time role of the Queen Mary: Eventually, the ship’s troop-carrying capacity was increased to 16,000 men. He was an Able Seaman on H M S Curacoa Service number P/JX258837. It does appear that your wife’s grandfather was indeed my father’s brother. His theory is that the Curacoa likely/possibly detected a german submarine and was trying to guard the QE1. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I have found out that several (quite a few) bodies washed up in various places on the Western Scottish coast and are buried in nearest small graveyards including |Lower Breakish and Arisaig.. My address is gordonwilson2@hotmail.com. His ship was instructed to continue and even though there were soldiers who needed help they were not able to stop. She had the right of way, and the cruiser was in her lane of traffic. My Grandfather Royal Marine Ernest Davis also perished on Hms Curacoa. He was born in Ireland in 1912 but came to Australia in 1925, could he have served aboard the QM? Thousands of Jews worshipped in the ship’s temple from 1936-1939, as did hundreds of Jewish soldiers once the ship was converted to a troop carrier. As I watched him till the story I can tell how Vivid this memory was to him as if he was there again. The Queen Mary just carried on going (we were doing about 25 knots). "According to our [U. Given his station on the ship, he was certain that he too would have perished . My dear late mother Rose – she passed away nearly 6 years ago – her dearly beloved husband William Charles Roach Petty Officer on HMS Curacoa sadly did not survive the tragic incident. War is such a terrible thing. 1944 World War II … Queen Mary as troop ship (Part 1) After tea up to Prom deck, terrifically crowded -—RAF dance band in operation — very hot with... Queen Mary as troop ship (Part 2) I forgot to add that Churchill was on the Queen Mary 3 times, once in May 1943, twice in August 1943. After the end of WWII, the Queen Mary began a 10-month retrofitting process, … As a troopship, Queen Elizabeth left Singapore on 11 February, and initially she carried Australian troops to operating theatres in Asia and Africa.After 1942, t… He also shared that part of his “nervous” condition post WWII was from awakening to the screech of the ship being cut in half and his going topside to see it go down, and the men disappearing from sight, his feeling of helplessness the Queen unable by rule to stop and rescue. Plus, anyone who has ever gone to the Queen Mary can’t help come away impressed by the chapter of the ship’s life when it was a troopship — including accidentally and tragically slicing another ship in two during a foggy convoy run. With her running mate Queen Mary, she provided luxury liner service between Southampton, UK and New York City, USA via Cherbourg, France.She was also contracted for over twenty years to carry the Royal Mail as the second half of the two ships' weekly express service.. It was too dangerous as the threat of U-Boats was always present. Such a waste of life. Ship is really rocking and rolling. However she was not in Bletchley Park; she was a wireless/telegraphist based at Western Approaches Command in Liverpool. If I remember: correctly, there was a war on . $5.99 + $0.99 shipping . It was a large 81,237-ton liner, 1,019.4 ft (310.7 m) in length and 118 ft (36.0 m) in width. God bless them all. "According to our [U. S. National Archives] records, in 1951 the Department of the Army destroyed all passenger lists, manifests, logs of vessels, and troop movement files of United States Army Transports for World War II." Missed him all of his life. (total of 14,777 troops & 893 crew) Task unit 31.29.1 escorted by US McClelland (DE-750) Berth L-52, Saipan, Marianas Islands: 45-06-20: S. Harding R.M.S. In the intervening four months the ship visited West, South and East Africa, the British East Indies and Australia, steaming nearly … The limited number of other troop ships were smaller, and usually had to travel in slower escorted convoys because of the submarine threat. Queen Mary: 735th Military Police Battalion, as part of 12,326 American troops and 2,200 Navy personnel, and one lone Congressman. He was a stoker from Hull. Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary were used as troop transports during the war. My Uncle, George Jones, was lost when the Curacoa was sunk. He was a stoker. Two destroyers turned back to pick up cruiser survivors. Could I request your permission to use your images of the QM and Curacao? The Queen Mary was on a standard zig zag course – it may have been difficult for HMS Curacoa to interpret what phase of the zig zag she was on when they met or it may be that the HMS Curacoa just didn’t have the speed. July to December: The records of ships used to carry troops to their theaters of operations were destroyed intentionally in 1951. Met by cruiser at 9:00 A.M. and three destroyers at 10:00 A.M. Now within easy bombing distance of Norway. His name was Arthur Blott. johnbk1@blueyonder.co.uk, My brother thinks are father was aboard the curacoa in ww2 he was merchant seaman Dutch and was stationed in Scotland, he Was on the volendamwhen it was torpedoed around Ireland by u boat My Grandpa Donald William Hoffman was in the Army and was upon the HMS Queen Mary when it struck the Curacoa and split that cruiser right in half. My late father Walter Hull’s best friend was on The Curacao he often spoke about how sad he felt about loosing him that way. The RMS Queen Mary ‘s Long Voyages of World War II. Gone but not forgotten. He was on board when she hit HMS Curacoa and believed the reason they didn’t stop was becaus Churchilll was on board. Margaret Fay Shaw said in her 1993 book that one of the bays in Sanday was full of ratings caps, but it wasn’t until after the war that they learned what had happened. My Grandfather was a stoker on the Curacoa who died in the collision. My father’s brother, Donald Eaton, was one of those lost. I bought a brooch with H.M.S.Curacao on it.Names are on memorial at Chatham.Every year I lay a wreath in memory of my Dad and all the crew who died.It was kept secret for 10 years until the case went to court . They thought they had been hit by a torpedo, but no one would tell them what happened because the voyage was top secret with radio silence. "According to our [U. S. National Archives] records, in 1951 the Department of the Army destroyed all passenger lists, manifests, logs of vessels, and troop movement files of United States Army Transports for World War II." It was sold to the city of Long Beach, USA, and on 31 October 1967 Queen Mary ferried the last 1,040 passengers to its final destination in California. Zig-zagging through North Sea at over 40 mph. $1.31 0 bids + $3.31 shipping . Ship signaled S.O.S. Today the ship serves as a tourist attraction featuring restaurants, a museum, and a hotel. 1944 World War II Troop Ship Crossings Last updated: February 23, 1999 - What's New? Selected Troopships of WWII - Scroll down to see total list. He had a picture of the Queen Mary that my sister still has. Hi there, My mother in law also i am sure would be too. My great uncle, James Docherty, Royal Marine, went down as a result of this collision. There is a tree commemorating the men lost on The Curacoa. . He can remember bodies flying through the air in pieces. Did I read of acommemorative memorial to all lost in the tragedy on one of the Met by cruiser at 9:00 A.M. and three destroyers at 10:00 A.M. Now within easy bombing distance of Norway. She was known as the ‘Grey Ghost’ during this period when she conveyed tens of thousands of men across the Atlantic. The Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary, which had been called into service at the beginning of WWII, and had swapped their usual bold colours for drab grey camouflage. He was lucky to return to his family, which he found had moved house and he didn’t get their letter! Queen Mary, along with RMS Queen Elizabeth, were built as part of Cunard's planned two-ship weekly express service between Southampton, Cherbourg and New York. Wiki: In March 1940 Queen Mary and Normandie were joined in New York by Queen Mary's new sister ship Queen Elizabeth, fresh from her secret dash from the Clydebank shipyards in Scotland. She always spoke so fondly of him and I’m always very interested to read what happened to these men, such a traffic accident in the war. Gone was the famous black and white hull with orange-red stacks. All Digitized Passenger Lists For the RMS Queen Mary Available at the GG Archives. That's a princely sum of men by any stretch of the imagination I would say. The Queen Mary was under strict orders not to stop for anything and continued on to Scotland, where she was outfitted with a concrete plug and sailed to Boston for more permanent repairs. This is troopship Queen Elisabeth. My Uncle Wilfred Willmott -nicknamed Bunny-was an engineering artificer on board and went down with her but his body was found later on Arisaig. The RMS Queen Mary then embarked on one of the greatest troop delivery shuttles in her career. My great uncle Alexander (sandy) Ferguson was a stoker on the coracoa. News of the collision was suppressed until after the war. Crew on the much larger Queen Mary felt only a small bump. My father was 22 and on the Queen Mary when it struck the Curacoa. My elder brother was one of the unfortunate ones to perish. We only learnt what had happened after the war. Our ship is taking on water to the first bulkhead. Sadly, there is little recognition of the incident here so I’m writing a small item for the local community magazine. R.I.P. Thank you for your reply. Our ship really jarred at the impact and we all thought we caught a torpedo. RMS Queen Mary Passenger Lists 1936-1960. During one trip across Atlantic, the ship crossed the ocean with record 16,683 troops aboard. She had the right of way, and the cruiser was in her lane of traffic. Rushed out on deck in time to see stern part of cruiser turn up on end and go down in icy waters. ... During World War II, Queen Mary would transport more than 750,000 troops in total, including several instances of more than 10,000 soldiers on a single voyage. I think it gave him some closure after almost 60 years. He could not remember how it happened. They all saw a gigantic hole in the Queen Mary. Although she was originally constructed as an ocean liner, in February 1940, the RMS Queen Elizabeth entered service as troop transport ship and was released from war duty about six years later. Beginning in December 1942, it did not end until April 1943. More information. He entered foreign service September 27,1942. What a shame the names of the people in the images above are not recorded. My father, James Rand, was the ship’s electrical officer. HMT Queen Mary 10,389 troops and 950 crew sailed alone Gourock, Scotland 42-12-14 S. Harding R.M.S. He was the 7th of 8 children and is remembered. John Brown & Company in Clydebank, Scotland, built it for Anglo-American cruise line Cunard. Queen Mary and J. Holman, 735th MP Bn who was aboard : 45-06-19 HMS Queen Mary used as a troop ship in WW2 New York Harbor 5x7. HMS CURACOA reunions until they stopped….I believe there was a Society at one time but that stopped in the70’s or 80’s due to lack of numbers. She could move an entire army division in one voyage. They were traveling in a zigzag pattern and the Queen Mary was going so quickly that the cruiser could not get out of the way. I have just visited the National Arboretum in Staffordshire. I said to my mate “You know she’s zig-zigging all over the place in front of us, I’m sure we’re going to hit her.” And sure enough, the Queen Mary sliced the cruiser in two like a piece of butter, straight through the six inch armoured plating. R.M.S. ... Queen Mary: 74th General Hospital and other Army personnel (total of 11,950 troops & 1,190 crew) sailed alone: Gourock, Scotland: 44-03-07: Ordered to not mention what they felt or saw when they docked and started.. Website in this browser for the Allies as World War II WW2 Photo 51, once May. 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