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World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII
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H.M.S. Cairo was launched in 1918, she was built by the Cammell Laird Shipyard in Birkenhead, U.K. In 1938/9 she was converted to Anti-Aircraft cruiser at Chatham dockyard in 1938-1939. She saw active service during World War Two, being damaged by German aircraft off Narvik, Norway, on the 28th of May 1940 and as part of the Malta convoys.
HMS Cairo was sunk by a torpedo from the Italian submarine "Axum" on the 12th of August 1942, whilst escorting the Pedestal convoy, in the Mediterranean, north of Bizerta, Tunisia.
Then came, after four years of being in the navy without a uniform, the great day when I had to report to R.N. Barracks to be kitted out, but what was even better I could now wear my No 1 suit which was bought for the big day. Before being sent to a ship it was felt that we should spend about six weeks in "square bashing", using a rifle, swimming test in full kit, and even boxing which I hated, the only bout that I won was when my opponent was disqualified for a low blow. I suppose, looking back that it was inexperience and lack of imagination that caused one to want to go to sea at such a time, but there was no turning back now, I was drafted to H.M.S. Cairo, originally a 5 inch gun cruiser but converted in 1938 in to a 4 inch anti-aircraft cruiser, primarily to be employed in the middle of convoys to protect them against air attacks. Together with an old classmate I set out from Portsmouth Station complete with kitbag, hammock and suitcase to join my first ship H.M.S. Cairo at Devonport. It was then I discovered that being an E.R.A., (Engine Room Artificer) was a bit different from being in one of the other branches, I was very junior, still under training in fact, but on arriving on board I was met by the Chief and taken to the "E.R.A's Mess". In any of the other branches the living quarters depended upon ones rate but with E.R.A's we all lived together and made for a very close community, on Cairo an especially friendly one.
The early days under training were spent mainly in the boiler rooms, tracking systems, following pipelines, crawling in the bilges and even one day, for a change, I was allowed to refit the siren on the funnel. Whilst this was going on we were steaming in and out of Belfast doing convoy runs down the Irish sea calling into Bangor in Wales and on one occasion we were sent out into the Atlantic to escort the "Queen Mary" back to Liverpool, we met her but she had no intention of waiting for us, we turned but she soon left us far behind. Then came the big one, we called into Greenock and picked up members of a Russian Trade Delegation to take them home to Murmansk. What could have been a perilous task turned out to be a comparatively uneventful journey, we did see what we thought was enemy spotting planes a couple of times but the worst problem was the cold and the ice forming on the upper deck, it was nice and warm in the boiler room. We went alongside the jetty in Murmansk, we did have Russian armed guards at the bottom of the gangway but we were allowed ashore and that was certainly something different. The rate of exchange was such that it was not worthwhile changing pounds into kopek, the best currency was packets of cigarettes and bars of "nutty" (chocolate). Not that there was much to buy, in fact the shops did not have shop windows, it was a question of trying the doors but it was all a wonderful experience.
The journey back to Greenock was again uneventful, we took on fuel, stored ship and we were soon on our way to the Mediterranean. During my first few months aboard Cairo we had been operating as a single unit on specific projects now it was different, we had joined up with the big boys. The first few tasks consisted of acting as anti-aircraft protection and as escort to aircraft carriers ferrying aircraft to Malta, our job finished as soon as the aircraft were in fuel range. We used to call these "club runs", the carriers doing the runs were the "Eagle" and the big American carrier the "Wasp".
In mid-June 1942 came the, what has become known as the forgotten operation, "Harpoon". With Cairo's Captain Hardy in command we left Gibraltar with an escort of seven destroyers and in the convoy six merchant ships, and very soon came the first of the air attacks. Then on the horizon were sighted two cruisers, at first we thought it was back up for our small force but as splashes appeared in the water around us and the sound of gunfire we soon realised that they were enemy cruisers and that we were under fire. Cairo received a hit from a 6" shell on the forward super-structure, luckily with little damage. The destroyers carried out torpedo attacks and one of the enemy cruisers was hit amidships, but two of our destroyers were hit by 6" shells and were stopped and eventually sunk. The Italian cruisers kept up the attack on the convoy and Cairo was again hit but by good fortune survived. The 6" shell ruptured the double bottom and penetrated the oil fuel tank ending up in the engine room but failed to explode. The Italian cruisers then rather surprisingly withdrew, especially as our heavy armament was 4" guns firing RDF and anti-aircraft shells, it appeared that the Italian admiral was under orders not to engage superior forces and he had mistakenly believed that the convoy was protected by two cruisers. From then on we came under continuous air attacks during which time we lost four of the merchantmen and it was a matter of concentrating on getting the two remaining through to Malta. Darkness fell with a feeling of relief as we neared our destination, a daylight arrival had been planned but when we arrived it was dark and so started the series of catastrophes which resulted in five ships falling victims to mines, one being sunk and four damaged. After days of fighting our way to Malta it was tragic that there was to be further loss of life through what was believed to be an error in one of the swept channel positions given in a signal to all ships from the office of Vice Admiral Malta.
It was nice to be in Malta but certainly not safe to stay too long, and after patching up the damage we were soon on our way back to Gibraltar and relatively more peaceful surroundings. It was not to last, when a number of ships began to assemble it became obvious that something big was about to happen, we were to become part of Force X, altogether comprising four cruisers, twelve destroyers and an ocean going tug and our task was to act as close escort to a convoy all the way through to Malta. The task was officially named "Operation Pedestal" and to the Maltese it became known as the "Santa Maria Convoy" because of the bedraggled arrival of the Ohio on the feast day of Santa Maria.
We left Gibraltar accompanied by an outer escort of two battleships, four aircraft carriers, three cruisers and twelve destroyers, this was Force Z. There was also Force R consisting of two tankers to replenish the warships escorted by four corvettes and another ocean going tug. Following further back was an aircraft carrier, which was to fly Spitfires off to Malta and escorted by eight destroyers. As wards of this strong escort there was the thirteen merchantmen and the tanker "Ohio" which was American but was captained and manned by a British crew.
We had left on Sunday the tenth of August, there had been spasmodic air attacks directed mainly against the aircraft carriers and on the Monday (what a way to spend one's birthday) during one particularly heavy attack a submarine penetrated the destroyer screen and torpedoed the aircraft carrier, she listed and sank quickly.
Tuesday, a beautiful day weatherwise, was a day of constant action, air attacks again directed mainly against the carriers and two more were badly damaged. Late in the afternoon we were shocked to see the battle-ships and the other ships of the outer escort turn around and steam away from us heading back towards Gibraltar.
We were now steaming through the Straits of Pentellaria, the most dangerous area for the convoy and it was here at dusk when the next heavy attack was launched, the enemy no doubt encouraged by the weaker escort and the absence of fighter cover. The first attack was by a pack of submarines, the cruiser " Nigeria" steaming alongside us was hit and slewed away listing badly, the tanker "Ohio" was hit but kept going and then it was our turn.
I was at my action station at midships damage control where I had spent many hours, in overalls waiting to take over my watch below in the after engine room when the torpedo hit us. I remember the ship shuddering and the lights going out, and the feeling of "at last", one seemed to be waiting, there was an air of almost inevitability. The stern had been blown off, we were listing but didn't seem sure of which way to go, there was nothing that could be done to save her, and yet as we made our way up to the upper deck, we had been ordered to abandon ship, tinged with relief that we were still alive, was the sadness of leaving what had been a happy home.
We gathered along the upper deck, lined along the guardrails, not wanting to jump but knowing that we would have to, when hardly able to believe our luck we saw a destroyer bearing down on us with the obvious intention of trying to steam alongside. We realised that there was no way they were going to stop so it was a question of waiting for the right moment then jumping for it. We had been lucky again and will be forever grateful to the captain of the destroyer "Wilton" who saw our predicament and even in the midst of the confusion, remained calm, and steered his ship three or four feet away maintaining a straight course parallel to our side.
The "Wilton" was carrying so many survivors, more than the number of her own crew, that she was withdrawn from her escort duty and ordered to return to Gibraltar. There wasn't any room to go below, not that one wanted to really, the weather was warm, they found enough food to feed us, there was a "tot" all round, it seemed that the enemy was only interested in the convoy, so it was time to sunbathe.
Back in Gibraltar, usually the place to buy the presents to take home, not this time - dressed in rather soiled overalls and boiler room boots and of course no money were soon on our way to joining H.M.S. Rodney and taking passage back to the U.K. The weather was fine but there was a heavy swell and in a mess which was right forward the movement of the ship was like a figure eight and for the only time during the whole time I was in the navy, I was seasick. Soon we were in sight of land but it was not going to be a quick call into Plymouth or Portsmouth, it was to be the long trek up to Rosyth. Whilst I was aboard Rodney I was given a duffle coat so at least on the train journey back to Pompey it wasn't cold and the train ended up right in the naval barracks itself, and it was a wonderful surprise to see my father there to meet me. So it was home again, meeting up with family and old friends and what stories to tell, it had only been about nine months, but we had survived an epic run to Murmansk, convoys in the Irish Sea, escorted a Queen across the Atlantic, escorted the carriers flying fighters off to Malta, met up with the Italian Navy when we tried to get six merchantmen through to Malta and then being part of the last and biggest convoy of the war.
Didn't spend much time in barracks, being kitted up again, such as it was, serge suits and boots, but we did get paid and soon we were off on "survivor's leave". That happy state of affairs was not to last long, I was recalled, told to be prepared to join the cruiser "Penelope" and it was a frantic few days arranging to get married before it was back to the old routine on a new ship.
Don Short
Prior to these events Don worked at Portsmouth Dock Yard. Read his story
After these events Don served onboard HMS Penelope Read his story
Photographs
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List of those who served on this Ship
- Leading Stoker. Stephen Charles Comben (d. 12th Aug. 1942)
- Laurence George Durnford. Royal Marines. (d. 12th Aug. 1942)
- Lt William Bashford Ettie Read his story
- Able Seaman. Frank Henry Gillson (d. 28th May 1940)
- Albert Leonard Hunt. Signal Boy. (d. 31st May 1940.)
- Leading Stoker. F.B. Lamb. (d. 12th Aug. 1942)
- Richard J. Paffett. Signal Boy Read his story
- Able Seaman. John William Preston. (d. 28th May 1940)
- Don Short. Engine Room Artificer. Read his story
- P.O. H.G.Woolley
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