There were several Royal Engineers lost on the SS Yoma on that date...from 1010 docks Operating Company amonst others...
This ship was bound for Alexandria when she was sunk by a torpedo from U-81 on 17th June 1943. Chief Officer Mr A Olding's report on the sinking of the Yoma is in the Public Record Office. The sinking is also mentioned in the war diary of 1010 Docks Operating Company, an RE unit, which is also at the PRO. This diary records 87 ORs missing.
The Yoma had left Tripoli on 16th June in Convoy G.T.X.2, 14 ships including 3 troop ships, bound for Alexandria. The Yoma was the leading ship of the third column, with two ships astern of her. The next morning, 17th June, was fine, clear and sunny with “light airs”. Around 7.30am the ship was heading east at 6½ knots when she was struck by a torpedo from a U-boat, causing the after engine room bulkhead to collapse and the boiler room, engine room and number 5 hold to flood immediately. Chief Officer Olding continues:
“Although the explosion was loud, it was not as loud as I would have expected. The vessel was ‘lifted’ by the explosion, and settled rapidly by the stern. I was in the Wireless Room at the time. I came out onto the bridge, but could see nothing owing to the steam which enveloped the ship…Nos. 3 and 4 hatches were blown away, and clouds of coal dust were thrown high into the air, smothering everything, including myself. I heard the Master order “abandon ship” and hurried to my lifeboat…” After wrestling with the lifeboats, he found that “by this time the Yoma was well down by the stern and the next thing I knew she sank under my feet and I found myself in the water…as the boat rose I saw a lot of men on the foc’sle head: they would not jump into the water,…as the bow lifted a number of them lost their footing and fell onto the bridge, many others being dragged under by the ship.”
The convoy had to steam ahead as it was too dangerous to linger with submarines in the vicinity. So men were in the water for some time before they were picked up by a couple of mine sweepers, one of which was HMAS Lismore. According to its website, this Australian ship had been sent to the Eastern Mediterranean Fleet to take part in “Operation Husky”, the invasion of Sicily. The Lismore, several other Australian ships and some Royal Navy ships were part of the 2nd Escort Group, responsible for escorting large convoys in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. The convoys were attacked constantly both by air and u-boats based in the Italian ports.
U-81 at the time of the attack on the SS Yoma was commanded by Oberleutnant Johann-Otto Krieg [Knight’s Cross]. The U-81 was sunk by US bombs at Pola, on 9th January 1944.
Others lost in this action are commemorated at Brookwood...
Hope this helps....
Int from Peoples War, HMAS Lismore and U Boat Net....And Brookwood is just down the road from us!
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Topic: Brookwood Memorial (Read 6572 times)