GALLANT SHIP

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 17 November 1943, Page 4

GALLANT SHIP

CROMARTY'S END

UNDER AUCKLANDER

The sinking of H.M.S. Cromarty "by enemy action," news of which has been broadcast from London, brings to a close the career of a gallant ship, a fleet sweeper of the Royal Navy, which has especial link with New Zealand in that sne was commissioned by an Aucklanaer, Lieut.Commander C. G. (Bunty) Palmer, D.S.C., and was commanded by him in all her adventures. Lieut.-Commander Palmer was one of the survivors, and he is now a patient in a North African hospital. Word first arrived that he was seriously wounded, but since then his parents, Commander C. H. T. Palmer and Mrs. Palmer, 78, Sarsfield Street, Heme Bay, have received a personal cable from their son stating that he is "not feeling too bad under the circumstances." Distinguished Aucklander Lieut.-Commander Palmer, an old boy of King's College, a prominent Auckland yachtsman, and a member since his youth of the New Zealand Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, in the organisation of which his father took a prominent part, has had a most distinguished career.

He won the Distinguished Service Cross for his services with minesweepers in the English Channel during the Battle of Britain, was mentioned in dispatches for his part in the Madagascar landing, and took a leading part in a number of recent epic adventures in the Mediterranean associated with the North African campaign, and the landings in Sicily and Sardinia.

His active service career began, I actually, on Waitemata Harbour, where, at the outset of the war he took his first command, H.M.S. Wirihana, as senior officer of the harbour patrol. When the first contingent of New Zealand naval reservists for service overseas left here, in company with the Second Echelon, Lieutenant Palmer was with them, and, along with ten other New Zealanders in England, he was immediately given a minesweeper command. Every one of those officers has since given notable service. Hazardous Work In one of the Tree class sweepers (H.M.S. Pine was his command) he was engaged in those trying months of the blitz in the arduous and hazardous work of mine-sweeping in the English Channel, facing daily the attacks of German bombers as well as the dangers of submarine and mine. He took part in clearing three minefields in the Straits 01 Dover, as well as in escorting and other work, and his ship took part in sweeping a lane for tne first exchange of wounded prisoners of war—an arrangement which later had to be abandoned. In the New Year honours of 1041 he was awarded the D.S.C. A wider field of service lay ahead when he was appointed to tne command of H.M.S. Cromarty, which he commissioned. Of the Bangor class of "fleet sweepers," the Cromarty was a ship of /DO tons, with a complement of over eighty and six officers. In both the Pine and the Cromarty Lieutenant-Commander Palmer was associated with a number of sea rescues, but her first most dramatic exploit came with the Madagascar landing. She was the first ship into the important naval base of Diego buarez during the attack, and Lieu-tenant-Commander Palmer was mentioned in dispatches "for bravery and enterprise ... in the successful operations which led to the surrender of the important base of Diego Suarez." First Into Diego Suarez The background of that exploit is graphically told in an orriciai account of tne landing: No up-to-date charts nad been available of die shoals that guarded Courrier Bay, and perhaps me most critical moment of all occurred at 11 p.m. on May 4 when three destroyers nosed tneir way gently in to nnd a way to the chosen landing sites, 'iney discovered that the area was mined; the minesweepers were ordered in—and Lnere followed a race against time. The race was won—just—and by 4.30 a.m. on May 5, the moment selected weeks ago in London, the 'troops were disembarking. Had the landing been delayed oeyond the dawn, plans would have had to be drastically revised." j

The Cromarty and her captain caihe into the news dramatically again a few months later when, 111 company with two other sweepers, they engaged in the longest minesweep in nistory—lßoo miles from Bierut and via Alexandria along the flank qf the Eighth Army's famous advance to Tobruk, Bengasi, Tripoli and Sousse. They were honoured by a special visit Dy General Montgomery, who addressed the crew. Mr. Churchill also paid one of the sweepers a visit and expressed his congratulations. Anti-Submarine Drama Earlier, Lieutenant - Commander Palmer received accelerated promotion, and now he was further honoured by being given command of a fleet sweeper flotilla, and took part in the invasion of Sicily, H.M.S. Cromarty being the first ship into Syracuse. Actually she tooK the Admiral ashore, and was "concerned" in an attack on a submarine at that time. During the Sicilian campaign, Lieutenant-Commander Palmer, with four sweepers of his flotilla, undertook, on the initiative of the commander, to form an anti-submarine screen for about three British cruisers. Just at sunset one of the ships contacted an Italian submarine and attacked with depth charges, forcing it to the surface. With both vessels at full speed a boarding party of an officer and several ratings jumped aboard and captured the submarine, which was taken in tow.

In the next half hour two other contacts were made. One submarine was sunk, and the other disappeared after attack. The captured subma rine was then towed to Malta.