| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | LST-420 |
| Ordered | as a Type S3-M-K2 hull,MCE hull 940[1] |
| Builder | Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard,Baltimore, Maryland |
| Yard number | 2192[1] |
| Laid down | 6 November 1942 |
| Launched | 5 December 1942 |
| Commissioned | 15 February 1943 |
| Stricken | 2 June 1945 |
| Identification | Hull symbol: LST-420 |
| Fate | Lost in action, 7 November 1944 |
| General characteristics[2] | |
| Class & type | LST-1-classtank landing ship |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 328 ft (100 m)oa |
| Beam | 50 ft (15 m) |
| Draught |
|
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Range | 24,000 nmi (44,000 km; 28,000 mi) at 9 kn (17 km/h; 10 mph) while displacing 3,960 long tons (4,024 t) |
| Boats & landing craft carried | 2 or 6 xLCVPs |
| Capacity | 1,600–1,900 short tons (1,500,000–1,700,000 kg)cargo depending on mission |
| Troops | 16officers, 147enlisted men |
| Complement | 13 officers, 104 enlisted men |
| Armament |
|
LST-420 was aRoyal Navytank landing ship ofWorld War II, built as aLST-1-class tank landing ship (LST Mk 2) in the US that was transferred to UK. She was lost on 7 November 1944, after hitting amine in heavy seas offOstend, Belgium, sinking with great loss of life, particularly amongst herRoyal Air Force passengers. It was the greatest loss of life on a British landing craft duringWorld War II.[3]
LST-420 was laid down on 6 November 1942, underMaritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 940, by theBethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard,Baltimore, Maryland;launched 5 December 1942; then transferred to the United Kingdom andcommissioned on 15 February 1943.[4]
She was a purpose designed "tank landing ship" capable of transporting vehicles and personnel to anywhere in the world. She had served in the Mediterranean and in Invasion of Normandy.[5] From 20 July 1944, she was commanded byLieutenant Commander Douglas Harold Everett,Royal Navy Reserve, a 30 year old professionalMaster Mariner serving with the Royal Navy for the duration of the war.[6]
The weather was very poor and had resulted in a relative lull in aerial fighting in North West Europe. This presented the2nd Tactical Air Force with an opportunity to conduct necessary servicing, repairs and overhaul of radar installations in North West Europe as "partial downtime" was unavoidable in the process and the defences could not be "down" when theLuftwaffe was active. The process involved taking a radar installation "off line" but leaving the site still functioning on its alternative systems.[citation needed]
All such major maintenance after the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, until November 1944, had been accomplished by small "Mobile Signals Servicing Units" (MSSU) which had been enormously successful. The tactical plan was for the "No. 1 Base Signals and Radar Unit" (BSRU), which had completed eighteen months training at theSignals Battle Training School, to land in France once theNormandy bridgehead was sufficiently stable but due to the MSSU's success and the greater rate of territorial advance than expected, the BSRU had been held in England until a more suitable time.[citation needed]
After meetings at theAir Ministry in London and the 2nd Tactical Air Force HQ in North West Europe, it was decided to move the unit, its vehicles and personnel to a site atGhent, Belgium where workshops were set up and equipment began to arrive. On receipt of movement orders in the marshalling area inEssex, the 303 men of the unit began boardingLST-420 which took aboard 19 officers and 250 personnel of No. 1 BSRU (some sources say 263 officers and men) with their 50 vehicles, equipment and supplies, the remaining officer and 33 men boarded another LST with several of their vehicles.[7]
On 7 November 1944, a small convoy of vessels comprisingLST-200,LST-320,LST-367,LST-405 andLST-420 crossed theEnglish Channel bound for Ostend, Belgium. The weather had been very poor for a week and a severe storm was rising. By mid-afternoon when they arrived off the Belgian coast conditions were terrible, and as a result they were refused permission to enter port at Ostend due to concerns that an accident in the harbourmouth might cause considerable disruption in the supply line for land forces. The convoy duly altered course back towards England planning to shelter overnight in theThames Estuary before returning to Ostend on the following day.[7]
At approximately 15:00, within sight of Ostend the bow section ofLST-420 struck a German mine which tore a large hole in the ship's hull causing it to break into two parts. The ship's galley fires were lit at the time due to the evening meal being prepared and gallons of petrol from the damaged fuel tanks of the vehicles caught fire enveloping the stern section of the ship in flame.LST-420 sank very rapidly and due to the heavy seas only larger vessels were able to attempt to rescue survivors in the water.[6] Only 31 or 32 men of the BSRU were saved from life rafts.[7]
The position of the wreck is recorded as51°15.033′N2°41.798′E / 51.250550°N 2.696633°E /51.250550; 2.696633.[8]A section of the bow ofLST-420 was raised in 1990.[9]A yellow marker buoy is located above the wreck today.[10]
At least 292 persons were killed, with the total loss of life probably being over 320.[a] The dead were washed ashore as far north as the north German coast,[14] on the beaches of the Netherlands, Belgium, England and as far south asCalais, France.[15]
Online resources
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in November 1944 | |
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