General Discussions
This is the place to discuss general issues related to the U-boat war or the war at sea in WWII.
Submarine Bomb Hero Dies
Posted by:
Ralph
()
Date: December 12, 2001 06:24PM
<HTML>I just came across this interesting story on www.navynews. It presents a vivid portrait of the character and bravery of a submariner doing his duty.
regards to all, Ralph
Petty Officer Thomas Gould, who won the Victoria Cross when he crawled through beneath the casing of his submarine in enemy waters to remove an unexploded bomb, has died at the age of 86.On February 16, 1942, the submarine HMS Thrasher, commanded by Lt Hugh Mackenzie, was patrolling off the coast of Crete when she attacked and sank an enemy supply ship of 3,000 tons.Before she had a chance to sip away Thrasher was herself attacked by the supply ship's escorts and supporting aircraft, at least one of which dropped a stick of bombs.Three of the enemy ships dropped depth charges - a total of 33 were recorded on the British submarine, "the majority too close to be pleasant," according to those on board.But when the attackers lost contact Thrasher took the opportunity to surface after dark and recharge her batteries. Keeping a close watch in case of further attack - the boat could be closed up in an emergency dive to 30ft deep within a minute.As the submarine rolled in the swell, a strange banging sound was heard from the casing, so the boat's First Lieutenant, Lt Peter Roberts and PO Tommy Gould went on deck to take a look.On the side of the casing, just in front of the boat's 4in gun platform, they found a jagged hole, and lying on the deck was a 100lb bomb, around 4ft long.Because of the profile of the hull, the bomb could not be dropped directly over the side, but would have to be carried to the bow - and that is what the two men did, cautiously wrapping the slippery, smooth bomb in a potato sack and carrying it 100ft along the wet casing, on the rolling submarine, where they rolled it carefully into the water as the boat went astern to keep clear.The two men then did a quick check inside the casing - and found, to their horror, a second unexploded bomb, this time around 50lb, which had pierced the casing and was lying in a very inaccessible position against the pressure hull.If it had exploded, the submarine - still within easy range of the enemy as she was not far offshore - would either sink or be easy prey to aircraft and surface warships.The space between the pressure hull and the casing was cramped - headroom was about 3ft - and full of valves, pipes, ropes and other equipment, and the bomb could not be pulled back up out of the hole.So, in the pitch dark, the two men entered a grating 20ft from the bomb and wriggled into the tight space, which flooded when dived. If the submarine had come under attack, both men would have quickly drowned with no hope of escape as their boat crash-dived.By the dim light of a shaded torch, they approached the bomb, which appeared relatively undamaged, and the firing mechanism seemed to be still primed - there was a sinister twanging noise to be heard from inside the bomb every time it was disturbed.Tommy Gould lay flat and held the bomb in his arms, while Roberts pulled him slowly back towards the grating by the shoulders, negotiating the obstacles carefully as they went.Progress was painfully slow, as the decks and bomb were very slippery, but after around 40 minutes they had reached the grating, and could take the second bomb to the bow and dispose of it.Both men were awarded the VC.Tommy Gould was born in Dover on December 28, 1914, and his father Reuben was killed in action in 1916.He joined the Navy in September 1933, serving in submarines Regent, Pandora and Regulus, and was discharged in December 1945.He later became lieutenant of the Sea Cadet Corps in Bromley, Kent, and worked in business and personnel.In 1943, shortly after his investiture, he was asked what was going through his mind as he worked to remove each bomb. He replied: "I was hoping the bloody thing would not go off."HMS Thrasher, a T-class submarine, survived the war and was broken up in 1947
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regards to all, Ralph
Petty Officer Thomas Gould, who won the Victoria Cross when he crawled through beneath the casing of his submarine in enemy waters to remove an unexploded bomb, has died at the age of 86.On February 16, 1942, the submarine HMS Thrasher, commanded by Lt Hugh Mackenzie, was patrolling off the coast of Crete when she attacked and sank an enemy supply ship of 3,000 tons.Before she had a chance to sip away Thrasher was herself attacked by the supply ship's escorts and supporting aircraft, at least one of which dropped a stick of bombs.Three of the enemy ships dropped depth charges - a total of 33 were recorded on the British submarine, "the majority too close to be pleasant," according to those on board.But when the attackers lost contact Thrasher took the opportunity to surface after dark and recharge her batteries. Keeping a close watch in case of further attack - the boat could be closed up in an emergency dive to 30ft deep within a minute.As the submarine rolled in the swell, a strange banging sound was heard from the casing, so the boat's First Lieutenant, Lt Peter Roberts and PO Tommy Gould went on deck to take a look.On the side of the casing, just in front of the boat's 4in gun platform, they found a jagged hole, and lying on the deck was a 100lb bomb, around 4ft long.Because of the profile of the hull, the bomb could not be dropped directly over the side, but would have to be carried to the bow - and that is what the two men did, cautiously wrapping the slippery, smooth bomb in a potato sack and carrying it 100ft along the wet casing, on the rolling submarine, where they rolled it carefully into the water as the boat went astern to keep clear.The two men then did a quick check inside the casing - and found, to their horror, a second unexploded bomb, this time around 50lb, which had pierced the casing and was lying in a very inaccessible position against the pressure hull.If it had exploded, the submarine - still within easy range of the enemy as she was not far offshore - would either sink or be easy prey to aircraft and surface warships.The space between the pressure hull and the casing was cramped - headroom was about 3ft - and full of valves, pipes, ropes and other equipment, and the bomb could not be pulled back up out of the hole.So, in the pitch dark, the two men entered a grating 20ft from the bomb and wriggled into the tight space, which flooded when dived. If the submarine had come under attack, both men would have quickly drowned with no hope of escape as their boat crash-dived.By the dim light of a shaded torch, they approached the bomb, which appeared relatively undamaged, and the firing mechanism seemed to be still primed - there was a sinister twanging noise to be heard from inside the bomb every time it was disturbed.Tommy Gould lay flat and held the bomb in his arms, while Roberts pulled him slowly back towards the grating by the shoulders, negotiating the obstacles carefully as they went.Progress was painfully slow, as the decks and bomb were very slippery, but after around 40 minutes they had reached the grating, and could take the second bomb to the bow and dispose of it.Both men were awarded the VC.Tommy Gould was born in Dover on December 28, 1914, and his father Reuben was killed in action in 1916.He joined the Navy in September 1933, serving in submarines Regent, Pandora and Regulus, and was discharged in December 1945.He later became lieutenant of the Sea Cadet Corps in Bromley, Kent, and worked in business and personnel.In 1943, shortly after his investiture, he was asked what was going through his mind as he worked to remove each bomb. He replied: "I was hoping the bloody thing would not go off."HMS Thrasher, a T-class submarine, survived the war and was broken up in 1947
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| Subject | Written By | Posted |
|---|---|---|
Submarine Bomb Hero Dies
|
Ralph | 12/12/2001 06:24PM |
|
Re: Submarine Bomb Hero Dies
|
Torlef | 12/13/2001 05:09AM |