vi NAVY NEWS – PALESTINE PATROL, MAY 2008
Newborn Chicken
baby left wire was
ship in ships’ new
shoebox defence
BRIAN Purrott was a boy seaman
DAVE Wallace was a sparker in
drafted to HMS Phoebe in
HMS Troubridge during1947-
October 1947, and he still recalls
9, and took part in various
the squalor of the vessels which his
interceptions and boardings.
cruiser intercepted.
“Because of the resistance to
“My first memory of Palestine
being boarded we had to acquire
was intercepting a ship called the
and rig up wire netting – chicken
Pan Crescent when she entered
wire – along the sides of our ship
the limit off Haifa,” said Brian.
to protect ourselves from ragged
“There were 7,500 illegal
opened tin cans and other objects
immigrants aboard, and we sent
thrown at us from the people on
a boarding party of 30 ratings and
two officers to take over the ship.
their decks,” he said.
“The living conditions were
“We also had to acquire and
terrible, but even worse were the
wear cricket batsmen’s testicle
smaller ships.
protectors when boarding after a
“The Abdul Hamid was an
rating was attacked by a woman
unseaworthy wooden vessel which
with knitting needles through his
had been at sea for two weeks.
testicles when he boarded from
“They were packed in so tight
HMS St Brides Bay.
that they had to stay in the same
“We had strict instructions not
place during the entire trip.
to shoot unless shot at.
“Babies were born during the
“These ships, being overcrowded
trip, and we brought one out in a
with people, were dangerous and
shoebox.”
top-heavy, and it required two RN
Once in Haifa the Phoebe
ships, one either side at the same
tied up alongside transport ship
time, because one little nudge
Ocean Vigour, with Abdul Hamid
would have capsized them.
outboard of the cruiser.
● The decrepit immigrant ship Moledet lists heavily to port as Royal Navy warships stand by to take passengers off and pump out water
“Boarding them was also
“The immigrants transferred
Picture supplied by C Milner difficult, as when you jumped you
to the Phoebe, going aft to be
could only land on top of the
deloused and the luggage went
people lying or sitting on their
forward,” said Brian.
Narrow escape
decks.”
“My first job was emptying the
Mr R Pote, who served in HMS
luggage; the items went into three
Venus, also remembers the Heath
piles – jewellery, knives and tinned
Robinson boarding platforms
food.
rigged from scaffolding poles and
“The jewellery was for resale,
planks of wood.
the knives for protection – and the
“They enabled the boarding
tinned food to throw at us.
party to be more or less level with
“Although they were half-
on rust bucket
the bridge of the Jewish immigrant
starved, they did not open the ship,” said Mr Pote.
tinned food. “The reason was that, owing
“The only clothing they had to international law, we were not
was what they stood up in. allowed to board until inside the
“I couldn’t hazard a guess at the three-mile zone.
value of the jewellery, but I should “They would go at full speed
imagine it was millions in today’s when near the coast, so boarding
money.
“Three items came to mind
which I emptied out of bags – one
T
HE ships of the
an 18 degree list to port which
parties had to be quick in taking
Royal Navy were,
suddenly became a 23 degree list
over the wheel and engine room
naturally, regarded as
to starboard, with water pouring
controls.”
gross of metal cigarette lighters,
in through insecure scuttles.
one gross of condoms and one
‘the opposition’ by those In 90 minutes the salvage party
gross of small brown vials which, on board the blockade-
had cleared engine spaces of water,
Diving legend
I think, were morphine – these
runners, but hundreds of
which caused the Moledet to list
were obviously for resale.
immigrants owed their lives
even further, leaving a partial
“All the sacks containing
evacuation as the only prospect of
spotted on
jewellery etc were passed to the
to the Senior Service. easing the situation.
captain of the Ocean Vigour.”
One such cohort was aboard With HM ships St Brides Bay
the Moledet (also known as
and Octavia (a minesweeper) now
jetty at Haifa
Gangway
the San Phillipo), an ancient,
in attendance, there was fighting
decrepit 750-ton wooden
between immigrants, some trying
‘STOKES’ Petts, of HMS
was clear
steamer struggling towards
to prevent others from leaving.
Peacock, recalls three men from
But eventually 550 immigrants
Palestine with around 1,600
his ship being run down in a
– including 49 pregnant women
whaler by a Bulgarian Landing
souls on board.
and 18 children – transferred to
NOT all boardings featured
Ship Tank when they crossed its
She was spotted by a patrolling
the Charity and 265 to St Brides
vicious fights, injuries and the risk
bows in Haifa Bay.
RAF aircraft on March 29 1947
Bay via Octavia; all were fed and
of death.
“The whaler went under the
and HMS Charity intercepted her
quickly settled down.
Bill Jackson, who was a member
LST and came out of the stern,”
almost 90 miles north-west of
There was still a significant risk
of the boarding party of HMS
said Mr Petts.
Haifa, with HMS Haydon joining of capsizing, but Octavia managed
Mauritius, recalls the interception
A CPO was badly hurt, while
Charity later the same day. to set up a tow and slowly nursed
of the Pan York on New Year’
one of the other two men – an
The Moledet was clearly the old steamer into Haifa, where
Eve in 1947 – “for once we were
officer and an AB – said he saw all
in trouble, being dangerously she was arrested.
of the ship’s bottom as it passed
allowed up the gangway,” he said.
unstable, but although the crew C Milner was a rating on board
over.
Mr C Martin took part in
said there were defects and the Charity, and was struck by the
Stokes also remembers picking
several patrols in HMS Phoebe,
there was no master, the ship absurdity of the situation.
a body out of Haifa Bay and
recounting how the ship lay in
refused help – and as she was “I never thought, coming
taking it to the quay.
wait in Suda Bay in Crete before
in international waters, the two through all of World War 2, that “The officer on the quay had
intercepting ships off Palestine.
warships dropped back and kept I could get my ‘come uppance’ very distinctive sideburns,” he
Scaffolding was rigged on the
watch. trying to help people,” he said. said. “Some time later, when I
fo’c’sle of the ship, creating a
● An illegal Jewish immigrant is carried from HMS Phoebe on to
But early next morning an SOS On arrival in Haifa, a delegation
boarding platform for sailors to
transport ship Ocean Vigour at Haifa Picture supplied by Brian Purrott was back in civvies, a Russian
was picked up by a shore station, of immigrants – mainly northern ship paid a visit to Portsmouth
use once their ship had gone
saying the Moledet was taking on Europeans who had set out Cdr Mowlem later said: “There Observing that those on the and a Cdr Crabb, a frogman,
alongside the target.
water, so the Navy closed in. from Stockholm – thanked Cdr is no doubt in my mind that the Moledet had no knowledge of disappeared, later found dead.
“The ships were then escorted
Haydon sent over a pump and J Mowlem, the Commanding ship was in grave danger of sinking seamanship, he added that the “There was a photo in the paper
to Famagusta or Limassol in
salvage party, while a boarding Officer of Haydon, for saving their and that those responsible for her British sailors in all the warships and it was the same officer I saw
Cyprus and the immigrants
party also boarded the 71-year- lives and their treatment while in
loading were nearly accessories to had been “magnificent, good- on the quay in Haifa.
were transferred to Phoebe’s
old ship; they found there was “Frogmen used to check
quarterdeck, where they were
the warship.
mass murder.” humoured, tireless and humane.”
the bottom of the ship in case
deloused with DDT powder sprays
somebody had stuck something
– there were literally thousands
nasty on to it.”
crowded on the merchant ships,”
said Mr Martin.
Veterans meet
“Not to be trusted...” Film-maker seeks
COMPLAINTS against the treatment with a rescue, as did Greek warships being rescued.”
Exodus contacts
VETERANS of the British
of immigrants by the British stand in Themistocles and Aegean. A deputation of passengers called
Mandate in Palestine will be
stark contrast to the dangers to which RAF aircraft dropped food, clothing on the captain to take them straight to
RESEARCHER Tal Mandel is
holding their annual reunion at
refugees were exposed by those who and medical supplies until the survivors Palestine, but the ship sailed through
working on an Israeli documentary
Eden Camp Museum in Malton,
chartered ships and organised passages could be taken off by boat – an arduous more rough weather to Cyprus – and to
fi lm about the Exodus 1947
Yorkshire, in the autumn.
to Palestine. and tricky operation in poor conditions. make their point, ringleaders ensured
operation, and is looking for
The event is on Saturday October
One example is that of the Athina, On arrival in Crete they were transferred that hundreds of items of crockery were
Royal Navy personnel and Royal
18, from 10am until 5pm.
which sailed from Yugoslavia with some to a Landing Ship Tank (LST 3016), where smashed and bedding was soaked and
Marines who took part.
Any British military personnel
800 Jews on board in late November hot food and bedding awaited them on damaged, though the bill for vandalism
Tal is keen to contact anybody
and members of the Palestine
1946. the tank deck (and it was noted that was footed by the Jewish Agency.
serving in the ships which
Police who served until the end of
Taking shelter in the lee of the island the men were quick to grab the best Activists stopped the bulk of
shadowed the President Warfield
the Mandate are welcome.
of Sirina during a storm on December accommodation until a more chivalrous passengers disembarking, so tear gas
from Sète to Haifa, or was on
And on Saturday May 10 the
7, the 270-ton ship hit rocks and sank approach was introduced by the sailors). was used, and a shot had to be fired at
one of the transport ships Ocean
Palestine Veterans’ Association will
within an hour. Ninian Stewart, in The Royal Navy the legs of 30 men who suddenly and
Vigour, Runnymede Park and
hold a wreath-laying ceremony at
Eight immigrants drowned before they and the Palestine Patrol, notes that viciously attacked two isolated sailors.
Empire Rival which carried the
1pm in the National Memorial
reached land – three of them children. most seemed to be genuine refugees, The captain of escort vessel HMS
immigrants to Hamburg via
Arboretum in Staffordshire to
Survivors found the only inhabitants with a large proportion being “modest, Stevenstone, Lt Cdr Owen, later reported
France, or one of the 11 ships
mark the 60th anniversary of the
were a Greek farmer and his family. middle-aged men and women” and that illegal immigrants should never
which accompanied them.
British withdrawal from Palestine
HM ships Chevron and Providence “many children and old men, all still be trusted as when roused they could
Contact Tal on +33 617 865980
Details from Derek Windmill,
raced through rough seas to help dazed from their ordeal and grateful for become “utterly ruthless.”
or email Mandel_tal@hotmail.
tel: 0115 9322419. com
006-007_Palestine_may.indd 1 22/4/08 11:05:40
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