Gradual Growth of Combined Ops Crafts and Crews
[Photo: A17921. Operation Husky: The Sicily Landings 9-10 July 1943:
Instructions being signalled to waiting landing craft by semaphore at dawn
of the opening day of the invasion of Sicily. One is LCI (L) 124 the other is an
unidentified LCT. Photo Credit - Lt. C.H. Parnall, RN Official Photographer.
As found at the Imperial War Museum (IWM)]
Introduction:
In October 1941, when Lord Louis Mountbatten became the new Commander of Combined Operations and charged with the re-invasion of France - and the development of men and materials required for such a tremendous task - the Combined Ops Cupboard was almost bare.
Where to begin the build up? The construction of training centres and 1000s of landing craft, and the assembling and training of 1000s crews for a gigantic amphibious operation was not a matter of snapping fingers.
On the 29th November, the Second Sea Lord, who traditionally deals with questions of personnel presided over a meeting in the Admiralty, which concluded that 1,500 officers and almost 20,000 ratings would be needed by May 1943. To find them would be difficult enough; to train them no easier.
And there was no wild rush to join Combined Ops: it was regarded as rather a backwater. There was a tale that Interview Boards seeking potential officers and dealing with borderline cases used to say: "Well, wouldn't he even do for Combined Ops?"
It was not until Mountbatten found time to stump the country, proclaiming that if he himself couldn't serve in destroyers he would rather serve in Combined Ops than anywhere else, that it came to be regarded as respectable employment. (Page 93, The Watery Maze)
The cupboard was not entirely bare. Combined Ops already had a few resources.
Pilgrim Force was still standing by in the Clyde, training and developing techniques. The naval and military Wings of the Combined Training Centre (C.T.C.) at Inveraray were working at full stretch, and plans were afoot for adding to their facilities.
Another C.T.C.* had been set up in the Middle East, at Kabrit on the Great Bitter Lake. (Page 93, The Watery Maze)
*Editor - the camp was known as HMS Saunders and Canadians in Combined Ops stayed and trained there prior to the invasion of Sicily, July 1943 (see top photo).
As said in an earlier entry, the number of training centres, the types and sizes of landing craft, and the numbers of men trained to man landing crafts gradually grew over succeeding months and years.
Canadians out of Halifax (e.g., Effingham Division of the RCNVR, incl. my father) volunteered for Combined Operations as early as November 1941. In memoirs and stories they say they received early training on ALCs and LCMs at Hayling Island, near Portsmouth (HMS Northney I and III), Inveraray (HMS Quebec, No. 1 Combined Operations Training Centre) and Irvine (RAF Dundonald and (Navy) Camp Auchengate), early in 1942, in preparation for their first action - the Dieppe raid.
In this and subsequent entries, several photographs re landing crafts will be displayed from the Imperial War Museum (IWM) as found within its extensive and valuable archives. Sites visited by the Canadians in Combined Ops will be featured on occasion.
[Please link to IWM at Search Our Collections and browse at your leisure through photographs, films and audios, etc.]
Landing Craft Types. Inveraray, Scotland, October 1942:
A12064. LCM (3), interior view taken from aft.
Photo - Lt. R.G.G. Coote, IWM.
A12065. LCP (L). Lt. R.G.G. Coote, IWM.
Thence to H.M.S. Quebec barracks in Ayrshire, Scotland on Loch Fyne. Boy, but was it dark up there amongst the heather and the hills.
After the invasion of N. Africa (Operation TORCH) in November 1942, many of those who manned the landing crafts for one to two weeks returned to Liverpool to clean cots and mail, heavenly mail, aboard Reina Del Pacifico. About that arrival my father wrote the following:
Liverpool, such a friendly city, has welcomed sailors for centuries and we went ashore soon after our arrival to a seaman’s home, a large, warm, clean barrack-like building with good food, showers, and cots with white sheets and pillow cases. Heaven! Soon mail arrived and I can still see myself and my friends discarding our boots and stretching out on the cots to read the latest from home. Everything went quiet until someone shouted, “Hey guys, get a load of this!”
“Pipe down!” The old familiar phrase. “Read it to us later!”
We shared our parcels with anyone who may have missed out and showed new photos all around. Although we had shore leave, many chose to stay where we were, get some rest, and write some letters home. (Page 91, "DAD, WELL DONE")
More to follow.
We were all in good shape and this was to be one of the more memorable camps, with our first actual work and introduction to landing barges. We trained on ALCs (assault landing crafts) which carried approximately 37 soldiers and a crew of four, i.e., Coxswain, two seamen and stoker. Some carried an officer.
We did much running up on beaches so soldiers could disembark and re-embark, always watching the tide if it was flowing in or going out. You could be easily left high and dry, or broach too, if you weren’t constantly alert. We took long trips at night in close single formation, like ducks closed up close, because all you could see was the florescent waters churned up by propellors of an ALC or LCM (landing craft mechanized) ahead.
ALCs carried soldiers and LCMs carried soldiers or a truck, a Bren gun carrier, supplies, land mines, gasoline, etc. ALCs were made of 3/16th inch plating, thick enough to stop a .303. LCMs wouldn’t stop a bullet. ALCs sat three rows of soldiers including two outside rows under 3/16th inch cowling, but the center row was completely exposed.
We clambered up scrambling nets and Jacob’s ladders and became very proficient because we learned to just use our hands. We did this training on a liner called the Ettrick, which we will hear more about later on. Her free board was high, i.e., the distance between the water line and hand rails, and we got so it took about three seconds to drop 25 - 30 feet on scrambling nets.
Now, at H.M.S. Quebec there were a lot of adventures, therefore many memories. One I will always remember is about getting up in the morning to see the sun shining through the mist onto the purple heather. I made an excursion one day and actually rolled in it - to my delight - even though it was damp. (Pages 12-13, "DAD, WELL DONE")
We did much running up on beaches so soldiers could disembark and re-embark, always watching the tide if it was flowing in or going out. You could be easily left high and dry, or broach too, if you weren’t constantly alert. We took long trips at night in close single formation, like ducks closed up close, because all you could see was the florescent waters churned up by propellors of an ALC or LCM (landing craft mechanized) ahead.
ALCs carried soldiers and LCMs carried soldiers or a truck, a Bren gun carrier, supplies, land mines, gasoline, etc. ALCs were made of 3/16th inch plating, thick enough to stop a .303. LCMs wouldn’t stop a bullet. ALCs sat three rows of soldiers including two outside rows under 3/16th inch cowling, but the center row was completely exposed.
We clambered up scrambling nets and Jacob’s ladders and became very proficient because we learned to just use our hands. We did this training on a liner called the Ettrick, which we will hear more about later on. Her free board was high, i.e., the distance between the water line and hand rails, and we got so it took about three seconds to drop 25 - 30 feet on scrambling nets.
Now, at H.M.S. Quebec there were a lot of adventures, therefore many memories. One I will always remember is about getting up in the morning to see the sun shining through the mist onto the purple heather. I made an excursion one day and actually rolled in it - to my delight - even though it was damp. (Pages 12-13, "DAD, WELL DONE")
Canadians (Ray and Jim, RCNVR and Comb. Ops) at HMS Quebec, 1942
From the collection of Joe Spencer. Used with permission.
A12066. LCP (L). Lt. R.G.G. Coote, IWM.
A12067. LCP (L), view from starboard quarter.
Lt. R.G.G. Coote. IWM.
Heading that accompanied the following photos:
The Royal Navy During the Second World War
A13227. Lord Louis Mountbatten (on right) watching a landing exercise on the beach
at the combined operations centre at Dundonald Camp (south of Irvine). Note the fact
that the men are using a dummy landing craft, the ramp of which leads into shallow pit
filled with water so as to simulate a true amphibious landing. Lt. S.J. Beadell, IWM.
Please note choppy seas during practice with landing crafts in the background, below:
A13228. Lord Louis Mountbatten (on right) watching a landing exercise on the beach
at the combined operations centre at Dundonald Camp. Here the men making their way
out of sandbagged emplacements. Lt. S.J. Beadell, RN Official Photographer, IWM.
A13229. Lord Louis Mountbatten (on right) watching a landing exercise on the
beach at the combined operations centre at Dundonald Camp. Here the men are
leaping from a high embankment shored up with steel girders.
Lt. S.J. Beadell, RN Official Photographer, IWM
A13325. Crew men enjoying their Christmas mail on the deck of HMS
DUNLUCE CASTLE. Lt. J.E. Russell, RN official photographer, IWM.
Liverpool, such a friendly city, has welcomed sailors for centuries and we went ashore soon after our arrival to a seaman’s home, a large, warm, clean barrack-like building with good food, showers, and cots with white sheets and pillow cases. Heaven! Soon mail arrived and I can still see myself and my friends discarding our boots and stretching out on the cots to read the latest from home. Everything went quiet until someone shouted, “Hey guys, get a load of this!”
“Pipe down!” The old familiar phrase. “Read it to us later!”
We shared our parcels with anyone who may have missed out and showed new photos all around. Although we had shore leave, many chose to stay where we were, get some rest, and write some letters home. (Page 91, "DAD, WELL DONE")
A14344. The Alligator amphibious tank coming out of the sea during Combined
Operations practice at Dundonald Camp (north of Troon, Scotland).
Lt. S.J. Beadell, IWM.
A14345. The Alligator Amphibious Tank entering the sea during practice.
Photo Credit - Lt. S.J. Beadell, Imperial War Museum.
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