Hi all
since my last post I have done some searching on-line and come up with a few tidbits.
I have quoted various sites
http://www.leithshipyards.com/ships...r-class-rescue-tug-royal-navy-built-1942.html
HMS GROWLER Ship No 328 (With Deck Gun)
Other known names 1947-Caroline Moller, 1952-Castle Peak, 1958-Welshman, 1963-Cyclone (pennant A 111), 1983-Martial
Current Status Broken up in 1985
There were 8 diesel rescue tugs built during WWII by Henry Robb’s Yard: Bustler, Samsonia, Growler, Hesperia, Mediator, Reward, Turmoil and Warden.
Bustler, Growler, Mediator, Samsonia, Hesperia and Reward were ordered by the Admiralty to dimensions of 190 x 38.6 x 19 with a deadweight of 538 and speed of 16 knots.
They were built with “British Polar” diesel engines of type M 48 M with 8 cylinders. The GT of Bustler, Samson, Growler and Hesperia was 1100 and of Mediator, Reward, Turmoil and Warden 1136.
The keels began to be laid on 31st January 1941, the first launch was on 4th December 1941 and the first to sail was on 21st May 1942.
War Service
"GROWLER" was put to good use as a rescue tug first in the battle of the Atlantic. She was also one of the tugs along with her sister ship BUSTLER that took part in Operation Pluto just after D-Day, this was the operation to supply the invading armies with enough fuel to allow them to take the fight inland to Germany, and it was in fact an amazing feat.
Along with the Mulberry Harbours that were constructed immediately after D-Day, Operation Pluto is considered one of history's greatest feats of military engineering. The pipelines are also the forerunners of all flexible pipes used in the development of offshore oil fields
Operation Pluto was the name given to the giant spools (floating drum) that carried the pipeline from the British mainland to the coast of France, the way that all future underwater pipe lines would be based on, GROWLER and BUSTLER along with another smaller tug towed the drums around 72 miles and they were escorted by two "Flower Class" Corvettes one of which happened to be another ship built in the Leith Shipyards of Henry Robb, she was the Corvette "DIANTHUS".
After the war she was based in Singapore from 1946, then in 1947 she was chartered to Moller Towages Ltd., Hong Kong, she was then renamed Caroline Moller. 1952 Re-chartered by Moller to Hong Kong Salvage & Towage Co Ltd., renamed Castle Peak.
In 1954 she returned to UK Admiralty, re-renamed RFA Growler (pennant A 111).
1958 Chartered by United Towing Co Ltd., Hull renamed Welshman. Then in 1963 she returned to Admiralty service at Devonport, renamed Cyclone (pennant A 111). RMAS from 1970.
1977 Laid up at Gibraltar. she was then sold in 1983 to Eagle Tugs Ltd., Georgetown, Cayman Islands, and based in Mombasa, renamed Martial.
1985 Arrived Gadani Beach, Karachi for scrapping by Adam Hardware Industries, Karachi.
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I remember hearing this story when I was a child.
Another of the big tugs, H.M.S. ” Growler,” was, with her sister ” Samsonia,” well to the fore in the landings in Normandy. They towed over large hulks and moored them into position off-shore to provide jetties behind which our ships could discharge their cargoes on the beaches. Both tugs lay off-shore doing all kinds of helpful jobs for the invasion armada for some days. At one period ” Growler’s ” guns were in action the whole night, but there were no casualties and no damage. Returning for their next trip, ” Growler ” and ” Bustler ” brought back some of the first of the wounded.
One incident shows the character of the men who man these ships. ” Growler ” was assisting a trawler which had been badly damaged by submerged ice in an eighty mile-an-hour gale. The donkeyman sent to man the pumps of the trawler was washed overboard into the raging,
ice-cold sea, and by a miracle was washed back on board. He went quickly on pumping, told no one, even after he had been returned to the ” Growler,” and no one would have known had not the Commander of the trawler reported the incident.
In the first twelve months of her service ” Growler ” steamed 25,000 miles, chiefly in Atlantic convoys, and never lost a ship through enemy action.
On one occasion ” Growler” rescued an 8ooo-ton American freighter carrying valuable army stores and armaments. The ship, abandoned, sinking by the head and shipping water over the fore deck, was brought safely to Scotland by the ” Growler.” She was repaired and by an interesting coincidence sailed twice afterwards in convoy with the ” Growler.”
Commanding Officer of the ” Growler” was then Lieut.-Commander W. M. Dobbie, R.N.R., of Glasgow.
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I have since found out that my Grandad also served on the Empire Curlew (A cargo ship).
SS Robin Doncaster (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Empire_Curlew_(1940))
Built in 1940 by Bethlehem Steel Co, Sparrows Point, Maryland, United States for the United States Maritime Commission (USMC). On completion in April 1941, she was transferred to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and renamed Empire Curlew. In 1942 she was transfered back to the USMC and renamed the Robin Doncaster
Courbet, Free Naval French Forces, old battleship sunk as a blockship in "Gooseberry" breakwater
''Courbet'' sailed for Portsmouth on 20 June. She was seized there, as part of Operation Catapult, by British forces on 3 July and a week later was turned over to the Free French, who used her as a depot and an anti-aircraft ship in Portsmouth until 31 March 1941 when she was disarmed. Up to April 1944 she was deployed as a target ship in Scotland. At Loch Striven she was initially used as a target vessel for the "Highball" trials. Mosquito bombers would drop their stores and use Courbet as a target. "Highball" was a smaller version of "Upkeep" used in the Dambuster Raid. She left Loch Striven under tow from HMRT Growler and Thames on 6 April 1944 (15). She remained in use as a depot and target ship until she was earmarked for use as a "Gooseberry" breakwater+ at Sword Beach+ during the Battle of Normandy+. She had to be towed from Weymouth+ on 7 June 1944 by the British Rescue tugs ''HMRT Growler'' and ''HMRT Samsonia'' as her engines and boilers had been removed earlier and replaced with concrete. She was scuttled+ in place on 9 June and was hit by Neger+ manned torpedo+es during the nights of 15–16 and 16–17 August. She was scrapped in place after the war.