THE FORGOTTEN OPERATION
by
Pat Godwin
July 2004

U 826 Surrenders
click photo for a larger view
Whilst all eyes were turned to the celebrations of "VE Day" on the 50th anniversary on 8 May 1995, one of the last operations of the war in Europe by the Royal Navy had, it
would seem, been forgotten.
As the war was drawing to a close at sea, after six horrendous years it was being run down. To this I refer to the war against the German U-boats. On 4th May 1945, u- boats were
ordered to cease attacking and sinking ships at sea, the U-boats were also ordered not to damage or scuttle their boats in any way. This order, however, was disobeyed and many
U-boats scuttled themselves in various harbours in Norway and Germany.
On 6 May 1945, all U-boats at sea were told to surrender themselves at British Ports from 8 May.
On 6 May the 21st Escort Group, under the command of the then Lt/Cmdr. Raymond Hart, DSC and Bar, were in Milford Haven for refuelling after escorting a convoy into the Bristol
Channel.
On 7 May shore leave was cut short and the ships of the group were ordered to sea. As yet we had no news that the war at sea was over and the group was ordered by Admiral Max
Horton, DSO, C-in-C Western Approaches to proceed to Loch Erinbol off the North West Coast of Scotland, to secure the anchorage and prepare for the surrender of the U-boats.
Loch Erinbol is a large lonely Loch with sparse and rugged surroundings, with very few roads or houses, just a few crofts and hills. After a full speed run the group arrived at
Erinbol on the early afternoon on the 8th May. By this time, by an Admiralty signal we knew the war was over, not however for the 21st, although the ships of the group enjoyed the
signal 'Splice the Mainbrace'.
The five ships were HMS CONN (SO. 21st E/G)- Lt/Cmdr Raymond Hart - HMS BYRON- Lt. J. Burfield, RN. - HMS RUPERT- Lt. Petrie Black, RN - HMS
DEANE- Lt. Cook, RN. and HMS FITZROY-
Lt/Cmdr. O. G. Stuart, RCNVR. The C-in-C's yacht Philante joined the 21st on 9 May as a replacement for HMS REDMILL, Lt. John Denne, RN, which had been torpedoed in Donegal Bay on
the morning of 27 April 1945. She was laying up in Lisahally with 60ft of her stern missing, and suffered 32 fatal casualties.
The first 'guard-ship' was the S/O ship HMS CONN which sent her motor boat loaded with an armed boarding party to await the first U-boat to come in, it was anti-climax - nothing
was sighted! On the morning of 10 May, with BYRON as guard-ship, the first u- boat hov into sight. It was 0940hrs, on a grey and dull morning, flying the obligatory Black Flag, U-1009 crept slowly into the Loch, the boarding party of
BYRON scrambled aboard to take the surrender and secure the boat. The Commander of the boat Korvettenkapitan Hilgendorf and
his boat were escorted into the Loch and anchored near BYRON. All ships were on full alert until U-1009 was made safe, no repeat of the Grand Fleet surrender of 1918 in Scapa.
Two more surrendered to the 21st on 10 May. The third was U-1105 which surrendered to CONN, Korvettenkapitan Schwartz was the commander who had tried to sink REDMILL. It was the
one and only operation that U-1105 had sailed on. The U-boats continued to come in at regular intervals over the next few days, with boarding parties having to be put on boats
and then escorting them to Loch Alsh for complete disarmament, the crews taken off and the officers on their way to POW camps. The boats after cleansing, with a few German seamen
left on board with the armed guards were escorted over to their despersal point at Lisahally where they would await their fate.
By 18 May, eighteen U-boats had surrendered in Loch Erinbol to the 21st E/G, for the next two days nothing of note happened and the group were able to get themselves sorted out
for it had been a hectic 8 days for them. On the night of the 19 May a signal was received from the 9th Canadian E/G of HMCS's Loch Alvie - Mantane - Monnow - St. Pierre - Nene and
Caister Castle, they had been detached from returning from a Russian Convoy to make their way home. They had spotted a whole group of U-boats, took them over and escorted them to
Loch Erinbol turning them over to the 21st E/G and the procedure of surrender was again set in motion.
At 1800hrs on 22 May, with Philante and BYRON already in Lisahally, CONN, FITZROY, DEANE and RUPERT escorted the last of the U-boats to their dispersal point, the escorts and
ten U-boats arrived in the Foyle at 1630hrs on 23 May. Thirty three U-boats had availed themselves of the surrender in Loch Erinbol, by far the largest number of seagoing U-boats to surrender in any one port in the UK. The 21st E/G returned to their Belfast base for the last time.
The 21st E/G had been involved in many incidents since they were first formed in August 1944 in Belfast. They were the first Captain Class Frigates to be used on a Russian Convoy,
later joined by 15th E/G also out of Belfast. They sank four U-boats, three in 36 hours at the end of March 1945 and the first week in April. They were the last and youngest group
formed for Western Approaches. As individual escorts they had taken part in Channel actions and the invasion on "D"-Day. Some had taken convoys through the Mediterranean.
Their S/O, Raymond Hart, had been CO of Vidette at the height of the Battle of the Atlantic and during the invasion was CO of Havelock. Previously he had seen service in the
Mediterranean.
After his retirement from the Royal Navy, where he reached the rank of Captain, Hart was made a CBE to go with his DSO - DSC and Bar, now 81 he lives in retirement at Southampton.
After the disbandment of the 21st E/G in early June, CONN, BYRON and FITZROY were ordered to Norway to help in the relief of Bergen and joined the Victory Parade. A few months
later, like many of these ships they were returned to the USA where they were broken up. A pity for they were excellent ships.
On their way to Lisahally on 21 May 45 the following signal was received by 21st E/G from Admiral Max Horton. Viz;
Signal to 21st E/G. Number 2041. T/B/S/P/L. T/O/R 2015/21/5/45
"GOODBYE. MY MOST SINCERE THANKS FOR THE WHOLE HEARTED AND EFFICENT CO-OPERATION YOU HAVE GIVEN. WHEN I KNEW I WAS COMING TO THIS JOB I ASKED FOR THE BEST GROUP THEY COULD
FIND. I GOT IT. YOUR FINAL ESCORT OF TEN U-BOATS TO LISAHALLY IS A FITTING TRIBUTE TO YOUR CAREER IN WESTERN APPROACHES" HORTON C in C WA.
Reply from 21st E/G SO CONN Viz;
YOUR EXTREMELY GENEROUS AND KIND SIGNAL IS MUCH APPRECIATED, WE ARE PROUD TO HAVE BEEN SELECTED FOR THIS JOB AND FORTUNATE TO WORK UNDER YOUR ORDERS, WE WILL DO OUR BEST TO
DELIVER THEM SAFELY.
HART CONN SO 21st E/G, 21/5/45
U-boat Surrender to 21st Escort Group loch Erinbol
Viz; K509 HMS CONN (S/O) Lt.Cdr. Raymond Hart.
K508 HMS BYRON – K551 HMS DEANE –
K561 HMS RUPERT K553 HMS FITZROY
May 10-May 22, 1945
21st later supplemented by Canadian 9th E/G.
K428 HMCS loch Alive – K444 HMCS Mantane – K270 HMCS Nene
K441 HMCS Monnow – K608 HMCS St. Pierre – plus MLS??
Overall command HMS Philante Flag Officer Western Approaches Admiral Max Horton
|
U-boat #
Dept, L/E. |
Captain |
Arr/L.E. |
B/Party |
Esc. L/A |
U-1009
1300/10th |
Lt. Hingendorf |
0940/05-10-45 |
Byron |
Byron |
U-1305
1300/10th |
Helmut Christiansen |
1048/05-10-45 |
Deane |
Byron |
U-1105
0730/11th |
Lt. Schwartz |
1930/05-10-45 |
Conn |
Rupert |
U-1058
0730/11th |
Hermann Bruder |
1700/05-10-45 |
Rupert |
Rupert |
U-826
1300/11th |
Cpt. Olaf Lubcke |
1745/05-10-45 |
Fitzroy |
Fitzroy |
U-293
1300/11th |
Lt.Cdr. Klingspor |
0935/05-11-45 |
Fitzroy |
Fitzroy |
U-802
0700/12th |
Lt.Cdr. Schmoekel |
1445/05-11-45 |
Philante |
Deane |
U-1109
2300/12th |
Freidrich van Riesen |
1500/05-12-45 |
Conn |
Conn |
U-825
1300/13th |
Lt. Stoeiker |
0730/05-13-45 |
Byron |
Fitzroy |
U-956
1300/13th |
Lt. Ohling |
0730/05-13-45 |
Byron |
Fitzroy |
U-532
2300/13th |
Cdr. Jinker |
0730/05-13-45 |
Rupert |
Rupert |
U-1231
2300/13th |
Cpt. Lessing |
1330/05-13-45 |
Rupert |
Rupert |
U-516
2030/14th |
Cdr. Wiebe |
1400/05-14-45 |
Fitzroy |
Fitzroy |
U-1010
2030/14th |
Cpt. Gunther Strauch |
1425/05-14-45 |
Philante |
Fitzroy |
U-764
0600/15th |
Lt. V. Bremen |
2000/05-14-45 |
Fitzroy |
Deane |
U-244
0600/15th |
Lt. Fischer |
2030/05-14-45 |
Deane |
Deane |
U-255
1200/17th |
Lt. Piening |
0800/05-15-45 |
Byron |
Byron |
U-2326
1850/18th |
Lt. Jobst |
1200/05-18-45 |
Fitzroy |
Fitzroy |
The following were escorted into
Loch Erinbol and turned over to 21st E/G
by Canadian 9th E/G as above for disposal |
U-294 |
Heinz Schutt |
Loch Alvie |
9th E/G |
U-968 |
Lt. Westphalen |
Matane |
9th E/G |
U-481
2000/20th |
Lt. Andersen |
Monnow |
9th E/G |
U-997 |
Lt. Lehemann |
Nene |
9th E/G |
U-716 |
Lt. Dunkelberg |
St Pierre |
9th E/G |
U-992 |
Lt. Falke |
MLS |
. |
U-668 |
Lt. Eickstadt |
Byron |
Conn |
U-1165
2002/21st |
Lt. Homann |
Byron (Skel. 2) |
Fitzroy |
U-427 |
Lt. Gudenus |
Conn |
Caister Castle |
U-278 |
Lt.Cdr. Franze |
Philante |
Arrived Loch Alsh 0815/05-22-45 |
U-318 |
Lt. Will |
Conn (Skel Guard) |
. |
U-363 |
Lt. Cdr. Nees |
Deane |
Rupert |
U-312 |
Lt. Cdr. K-H-Nicolay |
Rupert |
Deane |
U-313 |
Lt. Schneigger |
Fitzroy |
Byron |
U-295 |
Lt. Wieboldt |
Fitzroy (Skel Guard) |
2030/05-21-45. Arrived
Loch Alsh 1000/05-22-45 |
Armed Guards transferred as follows:
Conn from U-427 to U-716
Fitzroy
from U-313 to U-992
Deane from U-363 to U-1165
At 1800/05-22-45 Conn, Fitzroy, Deane and Rupert sailed for Londonderry escorting the following U-boats:
U-312
U-992
U-717
U-1165
arriving at Lisahally Loch Foyle 1630/05-23-45.
|

Pat Godwin
HMS FITZROY K 553
1924-2006