21Sagardhara

The Royal Indian Navy and the Battle of the Atlantic

Professor Derek G Law, University of Strathclyde

Introduction

It is a mantra – or more accurately a myth – of English history that in 1940 “We stood alone”. This is manifestly untrue as Norwegian, Polish, Dutch, Free French and even Belgian escorts served in the Battle of the Atlantic. But what has gone almost totally unremarked is the service of the sloops of the Royal Indian Navy in the Battle, an involvement which resulted in three of them winning the Atlantic Battle Honour.

The Official History of the RIN dismisses the Atlantic service in literally two short paragraphs of the 385-page volume. (Collins, 1964, p. 248). Similarly, Hastings, in his standard history of the RIN, mentions its Mediterranean service, but makes no mention of the Atlantic (Hastings,1988). The most recent comprehensive history fully acknowledges the Atlantic service of the sloops, but even its account is brief and demonstrates just how little material is available (Johnson, 2013).

The story revolves around six modified Bittern and Black Swan Class sloops built for the RIN in the United Kingdom. Sutlej, Jumna, Kistna, Cauvery, Godavari and Narbada were ordered in 1939-40 and built at the Denny Yard in Dumbarton, the Yarrow Yard in Glasgow and Thornycroft’s in Southampton. They displaced between 1300 and 1400 tons and had a top speed of 19 knots. Four were modified Bittern Class, while two more were modified Black Swan Class. (Hague, 1993, pp.71-76, 114-116). In terms of numbers their impact was, indeed, small and their service not exceptional. What is exceptional is that the previously largely untold story of these vessels took place over several years some ten thousand miles from their homeland.

The Crews.

Each sloop had a crew of just under two hundred men. Officers were almost entirely European, while the ratings were all Indian and drawn from all over the country (Hall, 1945, p.74).

Little is recorded about their experiences, and what few personal memoirs exist come almost exclusively from the bridge with nothing from the lower deck. Advanced parties for Cauvery and Kistna sailed on troopships via Durban, where they marched to the War Memorial to lay a wreath. The fact that they were Indian surprised the NOIC Durban, who’s eyes “were on stalks” (Hastings, 1986, p.72). On reaching Scotland they were accommodated in a castle at Loch Lomond.

There is a collection of oral accounts of service from merchant seamen. This gives a clear picture of a similar close-knit but now anonymous community facing remarkable new experiences.

“In the official history of the war, the names of their ships have been recorded. But when they made the list of human losses, only the name of the captain and often names of some white crew are shown, hardly any names of crewmen from the Indian sub-continent were quoted.” (Choudhury, 1995, p. ix)

Godavari had many Muslim ratings and the officers were understanding of this. The ratings resolutely observed the fasting for Ramadan, although offered a dispensation while on active service. Then while repairing at Devonport in 1943, a live sheep was delivered to the ship in order to celebrate the festival (Hastings, 1986, p.100). Nonetheless, it was seen as a matter of some pride that whatever their religion, ratings messed together from common galleys, a fact made clear at the time of recruitment (Hall, 1945, p.78).

Images in the IWM collections show ratings from Narbada working up at Scapa as gun crew. Another series shows Godavari at Scapa, including one with her Sikh navigating officer Lieutenant Pritam “Peter” Singh Mahindroo on the bridge. Initially denied entry to the RIN for refusing to cut his hair (Chandigarh Tribune, 1999}, he retired as a Rear Admiral after a glowing career. He is the only Indian officer of non-European descent listed during the service of the sloops in British Waters.

Service in the Atlantic and in Home Waters in 1941

In 1941 the Clyde blitz took place over two nights in mid-March, shattering factories and killing or wounding over 2000 people in the Glasgow area (Jeffrey,1993, p.55-80). The anti-aircraft defence was limited, and even ran out of ammunition, but was supplemented by warships on the river Clyde. The Polish destroyer Piorun famously defended the then building battleship Duke of York in dock at Clydebank. Further down river at the Denny Yard, Sutlej and Jumna were within days of completion and performed in the anti-aircraft defence against the 236 German bombers in the first wave.

In late April, Sutlej moved to Tobermory on the Isle of Mull to work up, followed by Jumna in mid-May. Over one thousand vessels worked up there under the tutelage of Vice-Admiral Sir Gilbert ‘Monkey’ Stephenson, known as ‘The Terror of Tobermory.’ This involved a fourteen-day training course, as much aimed at binding the crews into a team as teaching new skills (Baker, 1972, pp.120-124). Both ships then moved on to Scapa Flow to complete their work up. Sutlej arrived first and was almost immediately on active service as the hunt for the German battleship Bismarck took place.

Convoy HX 127 sailed from Halifax in Canada bound for Liverpool on 16th May 1941, with the ocean escort led by the battleship Ramillies. As the hunt for the Bismarck widened, Ramillies detached to cover one possible escape route. Sutlej was ordered at short notice to lead a force of three destroyers and two other escorts to take over the convoy escort. Although the action was over by the time they reached the convoy, they had played a useful if peripheral role.

Both Sutlej and Jumna then joined the Irish Sea Escort Force, a part of Western Approaches Command, escorting convoys from Milford Haven to Belfast at a time of great Luftwaffe activity. He111’s based in Paris carried out regular reconnaissance flights over the Irish Sea, while Condors of I/KG 40 made many minelaying flights (Allen, 1996, pp.112-122). In April and May four major raids on Belfast killed or wounded hundreds of civilians and destroyed or damaged thousands of houses. As a result, the defence of the Irish Sea consumed significant resources that summer to ensure the safe transit of men and materials to Northern Ireland, as well as covering convoys to and from Liverpool and Glasgow. Little has been recorded about the Irish Sea Escort Force, but it operated at a time of great activity and danger.

After this active service, Sutlej was ordered to India via Capetown and Aden to join the Eastern Fleet, sailing firstly in the escort of the troop convoy WS.11 (Munro, 2006, pp203-212). This “Winston Special” convoy assembled in the Clyde area on 31 August carrying almost 25,000 troops for the Middle East, Iraq and India. Eighteen troopships and storeships were escorted by nineteen warships ranging from a battlecruiser to two ex-US Coast Guard cutters. On 4th September the convoy split into a fast and a slow section some 450 miles north of the Azores. Sutlej, Sennen and Totland and the AMC Derbyshire escorted the slow section of six ships, re-designated WS11A arriving at Freetown on September 15th. From the 11th onwards Sutlej, Sennen and Totland reported and attacked U-boat contacts. We now know that there were no U-boats in the area at that time, but the contemporary threat would have seemed all too real. On 18th September the reorganised convoy now of seventeen vessels sailed from Freetown with a seven ship escort, in which Sutlej provided A/S protection until the 20th. She then detached to make a rather circuitous voyage via St Helena, Durban (including boiler cleaning) and Mombasa arriving at Suez on 4th November and briefly joining the Mediterranean Fleet as an A/A guardship. On 11th December she finally sailed east arriving at Colombo on the 23rd.

Meanwhile Jumna had also been ordered to join the Eastern Fleet. In September she joined the escort of the thirty ship convoy OS.6 which had sailed from Liverpool on 12th September arriving at Freetown on the 29th. She then went on to Capetown and arrived at Suez in November staying there until 2nd January 1942 when she sailed with troop convoy DM1 arriving at Singapore on 13th January. The first section of the trip from Liverpool was shared with what was to become the famous 36th Escort Group of Cdr F.J. “Johnnie” Walker. Jumna would have been familiar with at least some of the escorts as Walker’s ship HMS Stork had been part of the Irish Sea Escort Force. Fortunately, it was an uneventful voyage.

And so after a frantic year, the first two sloops had safely left the Atlantic. There was then a year of quiet. The remaining four sloops were building and it was to be 1943 before the next spell of serious activity commenced.

1943

Narbada was to have the shortest stay in northern waters. She completed her trials at Southampton in May 1943 then sailed in the escort of convoy PW.342, from Portsmouth to Milford Haven arriving on the 23rd, then proceeded to Tobermory to work up. In June she moved to Scapa for further work-up. After repairs at Greenock, on 18th August she joined the escort of troop convoy KMF.22 from the Clyde for Algiers. The convoy was attacked by U-410 on 26th August and two merchantmen were sunk. On the 28th she joined UGS.14 arriving at Port Said on 2nd September. She next sailed with convoy AB10 on 8th September from Aden to Bombay arriving on the 14th to join the Eastern Fleet.

June saw Godavari commission. She sailed from Cowes Roads with a westbound convoy as an additional escort on 14th July, but detached at Lundy Island and headed north for Scapa, sinking floating mines off Milford Haven and Cape Wrath en route. She arrived on 17th July and received a number of distinguished visitors during her six week work up.

On 5th August A.V. Alexander, First Lord of the Admiralty and Sir Bruce Fraser, C-in-C Home Fleet inspected the ship. A week later she anchored near the flagship, HMS Duke of York, to act as AA guardship. That afternoon she was visited by King George VI himself – even touring the engine room - and briefly flew the Royal Standard, the only ship in the fleet apart from the flagship to do so. Next day she led the fleet out to sea – the Guide of the Fleet. This was the first time for centuries that a monarch had sailed with the battle fleet in wartime (Hastings, 1986, p.97) and was a huge honour for Godavari.

On 1st September she sailed for Londonderry and joined Western Approaches Command. The sloops would now form part of the escort for the OS/KMS Series of outward bound convoys and the inward bound SL/MKS series on the UK-West Africa route. At this time, two convoys sailed together from the UK, splitting when close to Gibraltar, with the KMS section going there, while the OS convoy continued to Freetown.

Godavari first joined the escort of OS.55/KMS.27 which sailed from Liverpool with 82 merchantmen. When the convoy split on the 28th, Godavari joined KMS.27 arriving at Gibraltar next day with 56 merchantmen. Although there was no major action, she did fire on a German reconnaissance plane (Hastings, 1986, p.99).

On 26th August Kistna commissioned on the Clyde, then moved to Scapa to work up. After repairing defects, October saw her join the 40th Escort Group based at Greenock. She first escorted OS.57/KMS.31, an eighty ship convoy from Liverpool. She fired on a German spotter plane at extreme range but saw no other action and arrived at Gibraltar on 10th November then almost immediately sailed north with the UK bound MKS.30 of over sixty ships which joined with convoy SL.139. A major U-boat attack developed after the convoy was spotted by a German reconnaissance aircraft on the 16th and Wolfpack Schill was ordered to deploy and launch an attack.

The ensuing attacks lasted several days but were repelled by the escorts, including Kistna. One escort, HMS Chanticleer, was torpedoed and damaged beyond repair. A straggler, ss Marsa was sunk and ss Delius damaged by German aircraft, while U 333 captained by Peter Cremer was rammed by HMS Exe (Cremer, 1984, pp155-60). In all three U-boats were lost and two damaged. The Kriegsmarine concluded that it had suffered a major defeat (Ministry of Defence, 1989, p.36).

Cauvery took passage to Scapa on 30th October after her acceptance trials to work up with the Home Fleet, including some local escort work. On 6th December she moved on to Tobermory for her standard work up.

In mid-December Cauvery and Kistna joined the escort of OS.62 out of Liverpool. U-boats were very active in the area, but bad weather allowed the convoy to pass on without suffering attack. The aircraft carrier HMS Striker detached on 28th December to join SL.143 as it moved north through the U-boat area, escorted by Cauvery and Kistna, which then rejoined OS.62.

On 2nd January the convoy split and the two sloops formed part of the escort for KMS.36, arriving at Gibraltar next day. Kistna stayed with the ships destined for Alexandria. She arrived on 13th January at Port Said then took passage for Aden, sailing on with convoy AB.30, finally arriving in Bombay on 15th February.

It had been discovered that Godavari’s stern was flexing in heavy seas and this required additional stiffening. She spent early December in Devonport Dockyard under repair, then sailed to join the escort of OS.62 on 17th December. This was the only occasion in which three of the sloops worked together – albeit briefly. Almost as soon as she sailed, she was diverted to search for a blockade runner. This proved fruitless and the search was abandoned on the 19th, allowing her to join the convoy as a rear escort on the 22nd just after 2200 hours on a storm-tossed pitch dark night. Almost immediately she was damaged in a collision with the merchantman ss Manchester Progress. C.P.O. Mahade of Godavari gives a very atmospheric account of the incident and the panic amongst the crew who though they had been torpedoed. (Mahade, 1970, p.25). She was slowly escorted back to the UK at four knots by HMS Clover, taking a week to reach Londonderry for temporary repair before moving to Devonport for full repair.

1944

By 24th February Godavari had completed her repairs and was ready to head for home. She sailed from the Clyde on 14th March with convoy KMF.29B, arriving at Oran on 22nd March without incident. Next day Godavari joined convoy UGS.35 for Port Said arriving on 31st March. Finally, on 19th April she joined AB.38 from Aden to Bombay arriving there on the 25th to join the RIN for convoy defence in the Indian Ocean.

On 6th January Cauvery sailed from Gibraltar with the 46 ship convoy SL.144 from Gibraltar for Liverpool. On 3rd March she sailed to join the Eastern Fleet in the escort for convoy KMS.29A. This was to be the last Atlantic convoy escorted by an RIN sloop and it was a major one, with an escort of two cruisers, two sloops and eight frigates. Some nine Fleet Air Arm Squadrons were transported in two escort carriers, two aircraft transports and one troopship carrying pilots and ground crew for service in Ceylon and India (Hobbs, 2003, pp.48-49). After two weeks the convoy arrived at Port Said. Cauvery transited the Suez Canal and on 28th March sailed in the escort of convoy AJ2 arriving at Colombo on 4th April.

Conclusion

And so ended the journey home of the six sloops. Three of them, Cauvery, Godavari and Kistna were all awarded the Battle of the Atlantic battle honour. Their participation was certainly admired at the time. In the question session after Commodore Hall’s lecture to the Royal Central Asian Society in London, Admiral Sir Howard Kelly remarked that “there was a strong reciprocal feeling of gratitude in the Navy for the valuable work done by the Royal Indian Navy…[and for] services which have lightened the burden of the Royal Navy…” (Hall, 1945 p.78).. The importance of their service was real but just as importantly symbolic. It symbolised the unity of the British Empire and the way in which the navies of the Empire were trained to common standards and shared common values. It is astonishing that it is not better known.

References

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