FISHERMAN OF BRITAIN

Southland Times, Issue 24650, 23 January 1942, Page 5

FISHERMAN OF BRITAIN

FIGHT WITH ENEMY AIRCRAFT MANY STORIES OF GALLANTRY (HD.W.) RUGBY, January 21. The continuous gallantry of the crews of trawlers in the face of enemy attacks is recognized by many appointments to the Order of the British Empire. Three trawlers found a merchant ship bombed and sinking. The skipper of one trawler, realizing that his boat could not make enough journeys to rescue the crew before the ship went down, slid his starboard bow along the port bow of the ship, and called to the crew to jump. He made fast a wire to the ship’s bow and by heaving on this brought the trawler's port quarter up to the ship’s starboard bow. He repeated the operation three times until all the crew were rescued. Five minutes later the ship sank. The skipper of another ship opened fire on enemy aircraft attacking his trawler at masthead height. The enemy seemed to be hit, half rolled over, fouled the ship’s aerial and flew off erratically at half speed just skimming the water. On another occasion two trawlers five miles apart were attacked by German aircraft, which made low-level runs. Both- trawlers replied with Lewis guns. One was fishing and could not manoeuvre quickly, and, consequently, received minor damage, but the accurate gunnery of the two small ships brought the aircraft down flaming into the sea after the third attack.

The skipper of another trawler came upon a burning steamer when returning from fishing. In spite of the risk of a crippling collision because of the drift of the burning vessel, the skipper, after several attempts, laid the trawler against the lee-side and passed ropes fore and aft. For 40 minutes the vessel lay alongside and all the ship’s hands were taken off.

Yet another trawler skipper lashed his wheel and kept firing with a rifle while his gunner used a Lewis gun on two enemy planes bombing and machine-gunning the vessel. One plane I limped away with its port wing dipping and disappeared apparently out of control. A little later, while still fishing, the trawler was attacked by two more enemy planes and the skipper, although wounded, kept firing until the enemy disappeared. COOK AND SKIPPER When another trawler was attacked the cook, although wounded and bleeding profusely, stayed at his gun firing steadily. The enemy was hit and part of the fuselage fell away. The skipper took the cook’s place at the gun and succeeded in piercing the plane’s un-der-carriage during a very close attack in which three bombs only just missed the trawler, the steering gear of which was damaged. After being hit a second time the enemy flew away. Even greater success was obtained by another trawler which fought a spirited action with a large enemy aircraft, which dropped two bombs and repeatedly attacked with cannon and ma-chine-gun fire. The gunner, by cool, steady fire, stopped the enemy from coming low and eventually hit him. The aircraft crashed and the crew of five were captured. Another trawler’s gunner shot down an enemy attacker which was barely clearing the trawler’s masthead. When the German plane fell into the sea the vessel hauled in her trawl and tried to rescue the survivors, but the bomber disappeared in a burst.of flame and black smoke.