HMS Southsea

[Snapper]

Just a personal note from me:

 

On 16.02.1941 the minesweeper HMS Southsea hit a mine as she came into Tynemouth following a sweep. it was one o'clock in the afternoon. She settled in shallow water and was eventually beached and used as a breakwater. Declared "Constructive Total Loss" by the Admiralty, the little 825 ton paddle steamer had been a Southern Railway Isle of Wight ferry and had entered service in 1937. Seven crew died including my grandfather Lieutentant (E) Gordon Maurice Barnes RNR. He was 48 years old and was known as "Father" by his brother officers. Gordon was an ERA during WW1 and spent the inter war years getting his ticket before rising to second engineer on the Arandora Star and was engineer of the Northern Star, these were big names of the Blue Star Line fleet running people and beef from Sth America to the UK. (The line was owned by the Vestey family - also famous for the Dewhurst butchers chain). Gordon was at Dunkirk on HMS Caroline Moller an ocean going tug lost in 1942. He is buried in the military plot of Preston cemetery, North Shields, along with two of his shipmates. If anyone is passing, please pay your respects for me. The Southsea received a small amount of fame for shooting down a Dornier a few months before her loss and actually appeared in an Admiralty official history book for the early war years.

 

cheers

 

MB

[Joris]

Wow....

[David Maddick]

My Father was on the Caroline Moller when she was torpedoed, he was a survivor of the disaster but spent a long time in the water, does anyone know a crew list or report concerning the Caroline Moller Disater.

[Ron A]

I believe the reference to shooting down a Dornier plane was a relative of mine Jimmy Seggie.

[Richard Woodward]

Having done a little research, it seems that my great-uncle Geoffrey Woodmore, of Newport, Isle of Wight was on board HMS Southsea when she hit that mine in 1941. His memorial is Portsmouth Naval Memorial.