T HE CANADIAN STAR ESCAPES ~ July 19^th, 1941

The Canadian Star, of 2,300 tons, was a new motor ship when war broke out. In July, 1941, commanded by Captain C. J. W. Jones, she sailed independently from Liverpool for Curaçao. At midnight on, July 19-20^th, she was well out in the Atlantic about 650 miles west of Lands End zig-zagging on a mean south westerly course for her destination.
The Chief Officer, Mr. P. H. Hunt, was keeping the middle watch. The lookouts had been relieved at midnight. It was a very dark night, with a gentle breeze and a slight sea swell, and probably a good deal of phosphorescence in the water. Anyhow, half-an-hour later Mr. Hunt suddenly saw the luminous track of a torpedo coming in from abaft the port beam. Shouting for the helm to be put hard a’ starboard, he rang down for full speed and summoned the ship’s company to action stations. The torpedo missed. The U-boat was on the surface, and Hunt could see her. He steadied the ship to keep the enemy astern.

The U-boat fired a second torpedo which passed under the Canadian Star’s stern, and then proceeded to chase. The big ship, meanwhile was steaming at well over 16 knots, and realising she was escaping the U-boat opened fire with her gun. We are not told how many rounds were fired before the Canadian Star was hit in the funnel, which set it ablaze, a most unsatisfactory beacon during a night action.

It was very difficult to see but the Canadian Star’s gunlayer at the weapon mounted right aft, William Charles Goody, was returning shot for shot, firing at the flash of the enemy weapon. How long this continued the report does not tell us but the U-boat was quite close, apparently within a few hundred yards. The German gun flashed, and the British gunlayer replied. Almost simultaneously there came a larger and redder flash from the U-boat which may have meant a hit. The result was not conclusive but the submarine gave up the chase and disappeared.

It was a very satisfactory action for which Captain Charles James Whatley Jones and his officers and men received congratulations from the Admiralty. As the official letter said:

“The defensive equipment was used with such effect that damage may have been inflicted on the enemy. It is evident that the skilful handling of the ship and the spirited defensive action caused the enemy to break off the attack”

The Canadian Star was hit several times. It was later discovered that a shell entering on the port quarter had exploded in the after peak tank causing damage to the ship’s structure. The shell that struck the funnel damaged the engine silencer while a third shell bursting on the forecastle head damaged the superstructure, paravane gear and some of the deck cargo. Yet no member of the crew or any passenger was so much as scratched. There is no doubt that the Canadian Star her people had lucky escapes, and would not have escaped at all but for the prompt and efficient action of her bridge when the attack took place.

Captain Jones paid a particular tribute to his Chief Officer, Mr. Percival Herbert Hunt, who first sighted the torpedo and the submarine, and at once took the necessary avoiding action, and Able Seaman W. C. Goody, the gunlayer. He also mentioned the gallant work of the Chief Engineer Mr. Edgar G. Buckwell, and the Second Engineer, Mr. Bruce G. Sherratt, for trying to get into the funnel after it had been hit in an effort to find out and make good the damage and to put out the fire. The funnel at the time was full of exhaust fumes and gas.
For this most spirited and successful action it was announced in the London Gazette of January 6^th, 1942, that Captain Charles John Whatley Jones; Chief Officer Percival Herbert Hunt; Chief Engineer Edgar George Buckwell; and Second Engineer Bruce Graham Sherratt had been commended, while the gunlayer, William Charles Goody was awarded the British Empire Medal.

Canadian Star at Capetown  ~  Photograph © Tom Rayner

LOSS OF THE CANADIAN STAR ~ March 8^th, 1943

The Canadian Star has already been mentioned in this narrative on the occasion when, in July, 1941under the command of Captain C. Jones, she fought a spirited engagement with a U-boat on surface at night and escaped after being several times hit. By March, 1943, Captain Jones had been relieved by Captain Robert David Miller, t Mr. P H. Hunt was still in the ship as Chief Officer and Mr. E.G. Buckwell as Chief Engineer.

On March 8th, carrying 22 passengers and a crew of 69, with a refrigerated and general cargo of about 8,000 tons, the Canadian Star sailed from New York for the United Kingdom as one of a convoy of 42 ships. For the first four days, steaming north-eastward, they had fine weather. Reaching a position off the Newfoundland Banks, the convoy turned northward, and on March 12^th swung eastward for the passage home. The weather had started to deteriorate, and he forecasts indicated a heavy blow from the north-westward.

By the morning of March 16^th, the convoy was almost in mid-Atlantic, nearing that fatal gap some 600 miles east of Greenland where it was difficult for aircraft to operate from either side of the ocean and where the U-boats were still hunting in packs. The highest surface speed of the submarines was 18 knots, faster than most of the escorts. Shadowing the convoys at extreme range during daylight, they closed in at dusk. Flooded down with little more than their conning- towers showing they were extremely difficult to spot, particularly as their attacks usually came from the side of the darkest horizon. If necessary they could always dive but creeping up slowly astern or one of the escorts to avoid being discovered by their wash, U-boats would fire their bow torpedoes at selected ships in the convoy and then turn to escape at full speed. If unmolested, torpedo-tubes would be reloaded and another attack made the same night. Convoys might be dogged and attacked at over periods of three and four days on end.

During daylight on the 16^th U-boats were in contact with the convoy of which the Canadian Star formed a part. The first attacks came when two ships were torpedoed at about 10.0 pm. At 3.0 am, on the 17^th more ships were torpedoed, and the convoy made the usual emergency turn away, but the submarines were present in a thick concentration, for at 9.30 am- two more ships were hit in quick succession, the first sinking in less than two minutes and the other settling fast as she fell astern and disappeared from the view of those in the Canadian Star. How many ships of that convoy were actually torpedoed on March 16^th – 17^th I have no means of knowing. In the official Admiralty return of British merchant vessels lost during the war, however, I note that eight British ships—exclusive of any Allied vessels, which the return does not include listed as having been sunk in this relatively small area on March 17^th .To those in charge of the convoy, no less than to those who were responsible for the organization, this loss was sufficiently perturbing.

The convoy escorts, meanwhile, were counter-attacking by all the means in their power, though here again the Escort Commanders were in their usual predicament. The U-boats were obviously present in force. Was it the duty of the escort vessels to concentrate their efforts on protecting the ships of the convoy that remained; to stand by and rescue the lives from the ships in distress and sinking; or to go all out on a counter-offensive against the U-boats?

It would be presumptuous for anyone not actually on the spot and knowing all the circumstances to venture any opinion as to what ought to be done by the escorts at any given moment. But this much can be said. Because of the heavy strain on our resources in many widely-scattered areas, there were insufficient escort vessels to do all three jobs at once.

To add to their difficulties and perplexities, the weather was steadily becoming worse. By the evening of the 17^th it was blowing a roaring gale from the north-west, with a high, tumbling, steep sea and heavy swell with occasional heavy squalls of sleet and hail. The Canadian Star was a ship of more than 8,000 gross tons. Steaming at the revolutions for 10 knots she was making good no more than between six and seven. If this was the case in a big ship, the conditions in the much smaller destroyers and corvettes must have been indescribable.

The convoy steamed on, and at 2.38 p.m. on March 18^th the ship ahead of the Canadian Star was suddenly torpedoed on the port side. Alarm bells were rung, and Mr. Keyworth, the Third Officer, who was on watch, shouted “Hard ‘a starboard! Everyone off the port side of the deck! “. At much the same moment the periscope of a U-boat was sighted about 100 feet away on the port beam. The ship started to swing to starboard; but it was too late to do any more. Almost immediately the ship was hit simultaneously by two torpedoes on the port side, one in the engine-room and the other in Number 5 hold.

The engines stopped at once, one torpedo actually striking one of the cylinders of the main engines. Two boats, which were swung out, were blown into fragments. The hatches were blasted off Number 5 hold and the ship was partially wrecked amidships, half the chartroom being demolished and blown upwards on to the “monkey island’ overhead. The ship settled rapidly by the stem, and the after deck was soon awash with the great seas breaking and surging over it. Orders were given to abandon ship. There was nothing else to be done.

Mr. Hunt, the Chief Officer, took charge of the passengers and crew, and as Captain Miller did not survive, here it seems the appropriate place to quote what Hunt afterwards said of him:

‘‘I should like to mention the calm gallantry of Captain D, R, Miller, who did everything possible for the safety and welfare of his passengers and crew. His only concern was to see that everyone abandoned ship successfully, without the slightest consideration for his own safety He was an exceptionally fine seaman, and his quiet, cool behaviour set a magnificent example to all.”

The stricken Canadian Star was sinking fast. The signal of distress had already been sent off by wireless, Mr. Hunt directed passengers and crew to the starboard side of the boat- deck, where Numbers 1 and 3 lifeboats were, turned out and ready for lowering. While Number 3 was being lowered with people in it, the after fall unfortunately took charge and the boat descended with a run. Hung by the bows three passengers were tipped out and lost. It was eventually lowered 12 people in it, but capsized in the raging sea.

After this sad mishap Mr. Hunt, to quote his own report:

“Went once again to the after deck to make, sure the ship was sinking before launching Number One boat as I considered the chances of a safe launching to be small. I found the after deck under water, with port life rafts smashed away by the high seas. Number One boat was then launched with as many people as the davits would support, and orders were given by the Captain to I and launch he starboard rafts. All four starboard life rafts were successfully  launched and saved many lives, while Number Three boat was successfully righted and manned with the Third Officer in charge.’’

All the survivors were clear of the ship by 2.55, Captain Miller having last been seen on the boat deck. The ship finally sank stern first at 3.10, her bows rearing up and remaining vertical for nearly five minutes before they plunged under.

There were 26 people in Number 1 boat. It was numbingly cold, and everyone, particularly those on the rafts, suffered terribly from exposure. As Hunt writes:

“Practically the whole crew were accommodated in the two boats and the rafts, and the large loss of life was due to the weather. Number One boat picked up all they could from the water until it was crowded. Number Three boat capsized twice and many were lost there. The rafts that were properly manned stood up to the weather, while the ones with few people in them were capsized by the top of the waves, causing loss of life.”

Within two hours all the visible living survivors were picked up by the corvettes H.M.S. Anemone and Pennywort. Rolling, pitching and plunging dizzily these two little ships went about the work of rescue. It required the greatest nicety of judgment and good seamanship. One of the corvettes went alongside the waterlogged Number 3 boat, Kenworth’s, in which only five or six people remained, all the others having been washed away. As a result of their experiences one of the lady passengers, and Mr. E. G. Buckwell, the Canadian Star’s Chief Engineer, died soon after being rescued. Nothing more could be done. After rescuing all the survivors they could find the Anemone and Pennywort steamed on at their best speed to rejoin the, convoy ahead. By this time it was dark. They encountered U-boats on the way, running in to attack with guns and depth-charges. More attacks were made on the convoy during the night of March 18^th   though so far as my records show no further ships were sunk. For the last part of the voyage the sorely-tried escorts were reinforced by two American destroyers from Iceland, while further east they had the additional protection of aircraft.

Mr. Hunt was on board the Anemone, which carried in all 154 survivors from various ships. How they fared in vile weather in the limited accommodation of a small corvette we are not told; but at 2.30 p.m. on March 22^nd they were landed at Gourock with thankfulness in their hearts. Of the total of 91 people in the Canadian Star 32 had perished.

The experiences of this convoy and of the Canadian Star were by no means exceptional. They were typical of what was happening all over the North Atlantic at this particular period of the U-boat war, a struggle in which the seamen of the Royal and the Merchant Navies, working together, were pitting their strength, their resource and, above all, their courage, against the craftiest and most deadly of opponents. It was a fight which knew no mercy or quarter, a struggle which that past-master of the apt phrase, Mr. Winston Churchill, described as a war of groping and drowning, of ambuscade and stratagem, of science and seamanship.”

It is pleasing to know that in the official London Gazette of August 31^st, 1943, the gallant Captain Robert David Miller of the Canadian Star, was posthumously commended. (This the equivalent of “mentioned in despatches” is the only recognition, apart from the Victoria Cross or the George Cross, that can be awarded to a dead person for gallantry in death).

In the same Gazette, Mr. Percival Herbert Hunt and Mr. Reginald Herbert Keyworth and Chief and Third Officers were both awarded the M.B.E. After describing how the Canadian Star was torpedoed and sunk, the citation continues:

“On abandonment the Third Officer took charge one of the boats, and, under his direction was twice righted after it had best, capsized by the heavy seas. Eventually six survivors in this boat were picked up and saved. But for Mr. Keyworth’s courage, determination and seamanship these lives would probably have been lost.

The Chief Officer set an outstanding example by his courage and coolness. He assisted in getting away the boats in the space of time available and by his organization and efficiency, ensured the safety of many lives.”

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