General Discussions
This is the place to discuss general issues related to the U-boat war or the war at sea in WWII.
U 1209 and the Wolf. Part 1.
Posted by:
Vin
()
Date: October 17, 2002 12:04AM
<HTML>Hello all,
Found this article at www.thisisplymouth.co.uk
The Day A U-Boat Hit The Wolf. 15/ Oct/ 02.
(Type, uboats, into the search.)
The wartime battle for supremacy in the Atlantic has been rekindled by
recent television series, and there are those in Cornwall who can recall
that real drama on the high seas.
But not many can tell of the day the German submarine U 1209 ended
up perched on the Wolf Rock and overlooked by the lighthousemen.
One who can is Richard Perrin of Stithians, who went to the scene,
and the rescue, in Rescue Marine Launch 542, operating out
of the naval base at Newlyn harbour.
" I had a good crew and three of us still meet," said this 86 year old, who
is still "Skipper" to his crew and who has also had contact with a few of the surviving Germans who were bought back to the Cornish port on the
December 18, 1944.
Out of the crew uboat launch at Danzig only ten months earlier, there were 44
rescued and nine Germans "killed in action".
"I find it great that i have the chance, after more than 50 years, to be confronted
with the events of the past and to refresh my memories and to make contact with
the men who saved our lives," wrote one of the rescued Germans to
Skipper Perrin.
During his three and a half years in command of RML 542 he and his crew
also saved many British airmen and mariners.
Yet that dramatic episode when the tide of war was turning the Allies' way
will always remain vivid to him.
"We were based mainly at Falmouth and carried out rescue work from there
as well as from Newlyn, St Mary's in the Isles of Scilly,
Appledore and, for a time, at Padstow."
At that time he was Lieutenant Perrin but went on to become Lieutenant Commander.
"On this December day we were at Newlyn, moored at the end of the North Quay.
I would regularly go up to the Naval Office, up the steps in the current harbour office block. That morning i went in and there was a lot of confusion going on.
They had recieved a message from Trinity House at Penzance that there was
a submarine on the Wolf, jammed between the lighthouse rock and the rock
parallel to it. It was a million to one chance that this could happen.
A lighthouseman had come outside that morning to spend a penny and
found he was doing it on a uboat. There was no submarine believed to be near
Cornwall. Of we went at the rate of knots and after passing Mousehole
we could see an aircraft carrier coming across through a 'swept channel'
that had been cleared of mines, togeather with two destroyers.
As i got nearer the Wolf i could see part of a sub disappearing under the water
and also two Canadian destroyers. One of them was dropping depth charges.
The tide had come in and she had floated off. The crew tried to get a hatch open.
Submariners were bobbing up in the water.
We picked up some and were told to bring them to Newlyn where our intelligence
corps came and took them away.
The whole incident was absolutely shattering: that is why no one in the
Newlyn office could believe it at first.
It was years later that Skipper Perrin learned that contact had been made with his gunner on RML 542 by a survivor. His crew member was Ken Morley- who has
since died- od St Marys. Later one of the Germans rescued, who was 19 at the time, told Mr Perrin about the fate of the U 1209 that had been seeking a
British aircraft carrier in the English Channel.
The U 1209 was off the Shetlands and came down the coast through St Georges
Channel in its quest. Then it lay at the bottom for four days, in not very deep water.
"The commander decided to go to periscope depth but found the sea so rough,
so went down again. Thats when it happened. We landed on a rock and water was coming in all over the place. Still the commander decided to go up again,
periscope depth. However, the leading engineer was of a different opinion:
the boat had to be blown up or else we would all drown.
My job was to destroy the secret documents and then abandon ship.
When i climbed up to the tower a half of the boat was already under water.
I could see the aircraft carrier and other ships as well as several aeroplanes.
I wondered what to do now. A big wave came along and that was me in the water.</HTML>
Found this article at www.thisisplymouth.co.uk
The Day A U-Boat Hit The Wolf. 15/ Oct/ 02.
(Type, uboats, into the search.)
The wartime battle for supremacy in the Atlantic has been rekindled by
recent television series, and there are those in Cornwall who can recall
that real drama on the high seas.
But not many can tell of the day the German submarine U 1209 ended
up perched on the Wolf Rock and overlooked by the lighthousemen.
One who can is Richard Perrin of Stithians, who went to the scene,
and the rescue, in Rescue Marine Launch 542, operating out
of the naval base at Newlyn harbour.
" I had a good crew and three of us still meet," said this 86 year old, who
is still "Skipper" to his crew and who has also had contact with a few of the surviving Germans who were bought back to the Cornish port on the
December 18, 1944.
Out of the crew uboat launch at Danzig only ten months earlier, there were 44
rescued and nine Germans "killed in action".
"I find it great that i have the chance, after more than 50 years, to be confronted
with the events of the past and to refresh my memories and to make contact with
the men who saved our lives," wrote one of the rescued Germans to
Skipper Perrin.
During his three and a half years in command of RML 542 he and his crew
also saved many British airmen and mariners.
Yet that dramatic episode when the tide of war was turning the Allies' way
will always remain vivid to him.
"We were based mainly at Falmouth and carried out rescue work from there
as well as from Newlyn, St Mary's in the Isles of Scilly,
Appledore and, for a time, at Padstow."
At that time he was Lieutenant Perrin but went on to become Lieutenant Commander.
"On this December day we were at Newlyn, moored at the end of the North Quay.
I would regularly go up to the Naval Office, up the steps in the current harbour office block. That morning i went in and there was a lot of confusion going on.
They had recieved a message from Trinity House at Penzance that there was
a submarine on the Wolf, jammed between the lighthouse rock and the rock
parallel to it. It was a million to one chance that this could happen.
A lighthouseman had come outside that morning to spend a penny and
found he was doing it on a uboat. There was no submarine believed to be near
Cornwall. Of we went at the rate of knots and after passing Mousehole
we could see an aircraft carrier coming across through a 'swept channel'
that had been cleared of mines, togeather with two destroyers.
As i got nearer the Wolf i could see part of a sub disappearing under the water
and also two Canadian destroyers. One of them was dropping depth charges.
The tide had come in and she had floated off. The crew tried to get a hatch open.
Submariners were bobbing up in the water.
We picked up some and were told to bring them to Newlyn where our intelligence
corps came and took them away.
The whole incident was absolutely shattering: that is why no one in the
Newlyn office could believe it at first.
It was years later that Skipper Perrin learned that contact had been made with his gunner on RML 542 by a survivor. His crew member was Ken Morley- who has
since died- od St Marys. Later one of the Germans rescued, who was 19 at the time, told Mr Perrin about the fate of the U 1209 that had been seeking a
British aircraft carrier in the English Channel.
The U 1209 was off the Shetlands and came down the coast through St Georges
Channel in its quest. Then it lay at the bottom for four days, in not very deep water.
"The commander decided to go to periscope depth but found the sea so rough,
so went down again. Thats when it happened. We landed on a rock and water was coming in all over the place. Still the commander decided to go up again,
periscope depth. However, the leading engineer was of a different opinion:
the boat had to be blown up or else we would all drown.
My job was to destroy the secret documents and then abandon ship.
When i climbed up to the tower a half of the boat was already under water.
I could see the aircraft carrier and other ships as well as several aeroplanes.
I wondered what to do now. A big wave came along and that was me in the water.</HTML>
| Subject | Written By | Posted |
|---|---|---|
U 1209 and the Wolf. Part 1.
|
Vin | 10/17/2002 12:04AM |
|
U 1209 and the Wolf. Part 2.
|
Vin | 10/17/2002 12:27AM |
|
Re: U 1209 and the Wolf. Part 2.
|
Joe Brennan | 10/17/2002 07:33AM |
|
Re: U 1209 and the Wolf. Part 2.
|
Vin | 10/17/2002 08:11PM |
|
Re: U 1209 and the Wolf. Part 1.
|
Scona | 01/05/2006 09:02PM |
|
Re: U 1209 and the Wolf. Part 1.
|
michael thomas | 08/07/2013 10:45PM |
|
Re: U 1209 and the Wolf. Part 1.
|
smark23 | 05/20/2012 07:30PM |
|
Re: U 1209 and the Wolf. Part 1.
|
vito | 05/21/2012 09:00AM |
|
Re: U 1209 and the Wolf. Part 1.
|
Elaine Trethowan | 10/23/2015 07:36AM |