WITH CONVOY TO RUSSIA

Southland Times, Issue 24891, 3 November 1942, Page 3

WITH CONVOY TO RUSSIA

Former Invercargill Man’s Account Here is a graphic account of the perils which beset the British convoys carrying munitions to .Northern Russia. It has an added interest for Southland readers in that the writer was born in Invercargill ana has relatives here. Since the voyage described, in which his ship was lost, he has been promoted and is .now Acting Sub-Lieutenant Allan R. Pritchard, of the Royal Navy. His parents, Mr and Mrs I. Pritchard, now of St. Clair, Dunedin, formerly lived in Invercargill, and Mrs Pritchard is a sister of Mrs J. L. Lennie and Mr J. D. Campbell. Sub-Lieutenant Pritchard was in Russia on his twenty-first birthday. “About the middle of March,” he writes, “we received word that it was our turn to take a convoy to Russia, and I can assure you we did not like the thought of it. However, the day arrived, and we set off to rendezvous with the convoy and destroyers. Escorting a convoy is a very tedious and a tiring job, as it travels so slowly. As a cruiser we had to protect the convoy against surface craft and the destroyers protected it against submarines and air attack. After about two days out we began to strike intensely cold weather, and this, together with tremendous seas, made filings very miserable. At times it was 20 degrees below zero. You have no idea what cold is like until you go to Russia. The ship was a mass of icicles, and everything was under snow, Boiling water brought up on the upper deck would freeze into solid ice in two minutes. No matter what you had on in the way of clothing you could not keep warm. Chaps who grew beards found they became one mass of icicles. To breathe through the nose was difficult, as occasionally it froze up, and then when you breathed through your mouth your breath was just a misty thick cloud. PERSPIRATION FREEZES “I had four pairs of socks on, and with those on my feet now and then perspired, and when they did this the perspiration froze inside and caused untold agony. In fact, it was necessary to take your sea boots off and chip the ice away. You just got so cold that you could do nothing about it, and simply had to put up with the agony. Even the mess decks, which were heated by steam and hot air, had an inch of ice on the walls, so this will give you an idea of what it was like.”

The voyage was made in 24 hours’ daylight. Every few miles there would be heavy snow storms. “Nothing like a fall of snow back home, but like a big sheet of white snow that seemed to cover you completely. Then all of a sudden a clearing would appear, and so it went on. . . . One day we got separated from the convoy in a terrific storm; the seas were tremendous, and once the ship listed over to an angle of 45 degrees. Imagine yourself on the upper deck in this weather, clad in a bundle of clothes, the icy cold wind chilling you to the bone. To keep yourself upright was a task, let alone try and keep warm.” AIR ATTACK The cruiser searched for the convoy, in and out of intermittent storms, rounding it up in a few hours. The writer continues: “Suddenly came the warning: ‘Action stations, action—repel aircraft!’ We then knew we were about to be attacked by aircraft. We were ready at the guns, and the first warning we had was a whistling noise, then ‘rat-a-tat-tat-tat’ (we were being machine-gunned), followed by ‘whoof, whoof, whoof, whoof.’ Four bombs landed quite close, and the ship seemed to shudder and shake. ‘A near miss.’ Our guns opened fire, and a heavy barrage of anti-aircraft fire was put up . .. I did not have time to think, and perhaps it was just as well, for this was my first action. It was a terrifying experience . . . Once I looked up and saw three huge planes right overhead. One of them seemed to side slip and then dive at us. Four black objects came hurtling down towards the ship, then another would do the same, and so it went on.” NAVAL ATTACK That attack was made by 20 planes, and it ended only when the convoy ran into a heavy snowstorm, but peace and quietness did not reign long. “A few hours later,” the writer continues, “three destroyers loomed up as we emerged from a clearing. They were about 2000 yards off, and were German. Jerry knows any ships he meets in these waters are enemy, but it is different for us, and we had to make sure. In the meantime he got in a couple of salvoes; no hits being scored. “We brought our 12 guns to bear on the first destroyer. We got a direct hit, and the top of the destroyer just disappeared into thin air, a mass of burning wreckage. In due course she sank. We then gave chase to the second destroyer, hit her, and set her on fire—and similarly with the third. Our ship received damage and some casualties —3l killed and wounded. During the action shells were whizzing all round the ship. Shrapnel fell everywhere, and you had to keep under cover.” REPAIRS AT MURMANSK The cruiser put into Murmansk for repairs. During the eight weeks there there vzere continual air raids, and to make matters worse, the Russians were fighting the Germ,ans only 30 miles away. Repairs were eventually effected to a point, and, under an escort of destroyers the cruiser set out for an American port where repairs would be completed. A day or so later, in a wilderness of icefields and icebergs, the Germans attacked again. “It was hell let loose. Bombs fell everywhere, the ship shook and shuddered, shrapnel fell all round and there was deafening noise and blinding flashes. Our barrage of A.A. fire was terrific.

“Torpedo bombers were reported on each side of us, and later submarines were sighted on the surface. We had a terrible time trying to keep them at bay. . . .

“I saw the machine that bombed our ship. It suddenly appeared out of the clouds, and as it turned and went into the clouds again, it let go four bombs, which came hurtling down at us. I thought they were going to hit the ship where I was, but they hit us further forward. There was a terrific explosion, and dense smoke blasted its way towards the heavens. The ship seemed to stand still, then to leap forward at her normal speed. Flames poured from all parts, and ammunition started going off. Three of the four bombs had hit us, and a number of men were killed and v.'ounded. I saw some terrible sights . . . Made you wonder what we were all fighting for and what mankind is coming to. SHIP GOES DOWN “Eventually the ship sank after we had all been taken off by destroyers. It was a sorry sight to see her go. Fortunately for us the bombers must have let go all their bombs, for they did not return. I would hate to think what would have happened if they had—it would have been sheer murder. They attacked us next day on board the destroyers, and it was with a sigh of relief that we eventually got beyond their range. During the action we shot down some planes, but how many I do not know. The cruiser went down at 1.30 a.m. in broad daylight. She had had a short and active life, but full of experience, and she certainly lived up to the tradition and honour of the British Navy. The captain, officers, and men all behaved marvellously, and they

were a credit to the British nation. “I hope this will give you some idea of what one goes through while on board his Majesty’s ships of the Royal Navy during this fight for freedom, justice, peace, and the right of men to live as mankind should.”