The Wartime Memories Project - D.E.M.S - Defence Equipped Merchant Ships.

If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation. Search this site:     Home     Index of Memories.     Index of Photographs  Features     Airfields     Allied Forces     Axis Forces     Home Front     Prisoner of War     Secret Places of WW2     Ships of WWII     Women at War     World War One  Submissions     How to add Memories     Add Your Memories     Can you Answer?     Message Board     View the Guestbook     Sign the Guestbook     Printable Memories Form  Schools     School`s Study Center     Children's Bookshop  Information     Your Family History     Contact us     News     Bookshop     About     Links    Newsletter. World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII

Information. At the outbreak of war in 1939 merchant ships were fitted with a 4" gun on the poop deck and for defence against surface craft. The gun was already outdated and fired a 4" shell by means of a cordite charge which was loaded separately. Ex-Royal Marine gunners were recruited and one merchant seaman gunner was trained. The RM Gunner then trained members of the ship's company in the operation of the gun to form his gun crew. Later the guns were replaced with new 4" LA/HA guns with new safer ammunition. Some ships were also eqipped with the Lewis machine gun After Dunkirk the ships were also fitted with Marlin or Hotchkiss machine guns firing .303 ammunition as a defence against the Luftwaffe who had beguun to target shipping, some ships were also fitted with the 12 Pdr. Anti Aircraft gun. Later they were replaced by 20 mm Oerlikon guns. Various other air defence measures were devised some more sucessful than others, these included: The Parachute Aerial Cable. The Fast Aerial Mine: a rocket trailling a wire was sent up into the path of an aircraft, if the aircraft struck the wire, a grenade shot up the wire and exploded on contact with the aicraft. The Holman Projector: a steam or air pressure fired grenade launcher. Small barrage balloons. Pillar Box; a 12 tude rocket launcher with limited range. Depth charges. Degaussing coils and minesweeping paravanes; as a measure against mines. I have a copy of a book called 'A watershed in Navel History' written by an old family friend The Revd. C.A.Grant M.A,R.N who was at HMS Collingwood from 1939 to 1945. In it he mentions my father - William Wilfred Gray who was a founding member of the 'D.E.M.S' - Defence Equipped Merchant Ships. My father apparently was a survivor three times in the month of May 1941. He never told me anything about the war and I would like to know more about him. Photographs If you have any Photographs you would like to share please get in touch. If you have a story which you would like to share, or a website dedicated to a ship or sailor, please get in touch. Send an E-mail to Links The Arming of Merchant Ships in WWII Ships Index Website and ALL Material © Copyright MMII - All Rights Reserved