MERCHANT CRUISER’S END

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 26 June 1945, Page 5

MERCHANT CRUISER’S END

ACCOUNT BY EYE-WITNESS Rugby, June 23. Though twice warned by the German battleship Scharnhorst to heave to, and three times ordered to abandon ship, the commanding officer of the armed merchant cruiser H.M.S. Rawalpindi, refused, and steamed full speed into action against the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau in one of the finest epics of the Royal Navy. This is revealed in the first eye-wit-ness account of the action given by Chief Petty-Officer Humphries, senior survivor, who has returned to Britain after five Tnd a half years in German prison camps. The Scharnhorst was first seen approaching the Rawalpindi at 2.23 p.m. When three miles away, she signalled | for the cruiser to heave to. The. mander. Captain Coverley Kennedy | R.N., ignored the signal and increased to full speed, making for the protection !of a fog bank on the port bow. The I Scharnhorst placed herself in a course ; between the Rawalpindi and the fogj bank, and Captain Kennedy turned toward a large iceberg about four miles away. The Scharnhorst then fired a shot across her bows and repeated the signal to heave to. The lookout on the bridge reported a cruiser to starboard, | and, as Captain Kennedy believed it to j be one of the northern patrol ships, he made toward it. This ship proved to ! be the Gneisenau. and with the Rawall pindi between the two ships, the I Scharnhorst signalled, “Abandon your ship.” j Captain Kennedy then gave the order I to open fire, and hits were scored on : the Gneisenau, but t|ie Scharnhorst wag out of range, and her first return salvo | struck the boat deck r just below the i bridge, killing nearly everyone in that | part of the ship. Number two gun on | the starboard side was put out of action, but Captain Kennedy sent Chief I Petty Officer Humphries around the gun stations with orders to continue firing independently. ' An enemy shell destroyed the am- ; munition hoist, and the crew had to hoist ammunition to the guns by hand. } As there was a great deal of woodwork in the Rawalpindi, she was soon on i fire and blazing fiercely, but her guns j continued firing. During an attempt to get a smokescreen started Captain Kennedy was killed, and those remaining commenced transferring the wounded ito the ship’s boats. This was at 3.11 | p.m. The guns continued firing, but at j 3.58 p.m. the ship was hit in the maga- ' zine and blown into two pieces. ; Chief Petty-Officer Humphries was blown into the water, and later picked up by one of the ship’s boats, which was taken by the Gneisenau, the remainder of the surviovors being taken by the Scharnhorst. As Chief Petty-Officer Humphries’ party reached the deck of the Gneisenau, they saw the after part of the Rawalpindi go down with flag flying, the fore part having disappeared while they were in the water.