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Suddenly I could feel the deck vibrating as 'Dorsetshire' started to gently ease forward through the mass of bobbing heads. Everyone, on the ship and in the water, realised that we were under way which meant leaving the rest of the swimmers to certain death. The anxiety and torment was plain to see on the faces of the men in the water now they knew they were being left to die, their cries and screams were pitiful to hear. It spurred our chaps to work even faster and some started throwing anything that came to hand into the sea, that might provide a lifesaver for the poor wretches to cling on to. Earlier, Midshipman Joe Brooks had jumped overboard into the heavy swell to help tie the lines on some who were too tired to help themselves. As he struggled to secure ropes around exhausted Germans he was unaware of what was happening on board until he heard the repeated shouts of warning from his close friend Sub-Lieutenant Allon Smith, and was pulled to safety in the nick of time. Captain Martin later reprimanded him for putting his life at risk under such circumstances. The son of a naval officer Brooks was unaffected by the ticking off he got from the captain. It had been a natural reaction for him to jump overboard and attempt the dangerous rescue, disregarding his own safety. When he lost both of his legs at a later date, the disability did not prevent him leading a full and active life.
Critics condemned Captain Martin for his seemingly heartless termination of the rescue operation. His decision was influenced by two indisputable facts. Firstly, German bombers based in France had the range to attack the ship and they would have been alerted. Secondly, U-Boats in the area would be converging on the scene to assist 'Bismark'. A U-Boat alarm, when an officer on the Bridge sighted a periscope, finally decided the Captain to leave. Later it was confirmed that Admiral Luetjens had signalled for a U-Boat to rendezvous with 'Bismark' to collect his war diaries. U74 was in the area when the German battleship sank and took up a position to attack but was unable to due to bad weather although it has been suggested the submarine was out of torpedoes from an earlier attack while on patrol. Captain Martin could not be expected to have known this and it would be unreasonable to expect him to endanger his ship and crew in such precarious circumstances. The preservation of H.M.S. Dorsetshire took precedence over the survival of enemy sailors. A U-Boat captain might not pass up the chance of sinking a British heavy cruiser, even if it was on a rescue mission. 'Dorsetshire' and the destroyer 'Maori' remained behind after the other warships had sailed for their homeports. To his credit, Captain Martin delayed long enough to rescue 82 of the total number of 112 'Bismark' survivors. The 'Maori' accounted for 25, a further 2 were picked up by the German weather ship 'Sachsenwald'. Three more survivors, Georg Herzog, Otto Hontzsch, and Herbert Manthey, were saved by the German submarine U-74, captained by Krvkpt Eitel-Friendrtch Kentrat. She surfaced after we left. U-Boats searching the area later reported seeing a considerable amount of debris and floating corpses. It must have been agonising for the submarine captains to witness the scene, where approximately 2000 of their fellow countrymen had died in a matter of hours. Once the survivors, including four officers, were on board 'Dorsetshire' they were given every possible care and attention that our resources could provide. Little luxuries like chocolate bars, cigarettes and playing cards appeared from nowhere and were given freely. The kindred spirit of the seafaring fraternity was evident, even between the victor and the vanquished. That feeling between the ‘Bismarck’ Germans and us remains as true today and is openly expressed when we meet. On Easter Sunday 1992 the remaining survivors sent a representative from Germany to Dorchester to lay a wreath commemorating the 50th anniversary of the sinking of 'Dorsetshire', honouring her dead.
The Spanish cruiser 'Canarias' also got to the spot as soon as possible after the sinking. Although it searched every piece of wreckage for survivors it could not find any. H.M.S.Hood had been avenged but there was no great demonstration of victory on board H.M.S.Dorsetshire. The British public were fed a lot of politically motivated pap, describing the sinking as an outstanding victory. Relief, that 'Bismark' could no longer threaten the shipping lanes with her mighty guns, was a much better assessment of our feelings. Sixty-four Allied warships had been deployed to destroy 'Bismark' and her cruiser escort 'Prinz Eugen'. This array of naval strength included five battleships, three battlecruisers and two aircraft carriers. Only a few made contact with the German ships before 'Dorsetshire' delivered the coup de grace to bring the chase to an end. On the 28th.May speed was reduced when we ran into dense fog. Soon after we parted company with 'Maori' because her oil supplies were getting very low and she decided to make for the nearest Scottish port.
Meanwhile, below in ‘Dorsetshire's’ Sick Bay, surgeons were fighting a losing battle to save the life of Gerhard Luttich. He was one of the badly injured German sailors rescued earlier. Minus a leg and suffering the after effects of severe burning his chances of staying alive were slim. It was amazing how he had been able to get to ‘Dorsetshire’ to be rescued in the first place. Sadly he died and the following day, May 29th, he was sewn into the traditional canvas bag. The 'coffin' was positioned in the centre of the Quarter Deck draped in the flag of Imperial Germany with British sailors lined along one side and Germans the other. Permission had been sought from the senior German officer to use the flag because ‘Dorsetshire’ did not carry a Nazi one; permission was readily granted. Full burial honours were accorded the dead German and a guard of honour fired three volleys over the body. At 0920 hrs the ships' engines stopped, the chaplain gave a short service, and the body splashed into the sea. Facing each other across the Quarter Deck there was no animosity on the faces of the men from opposing sides, just sorrow that this man had to die.
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Sinking the Bismarck |
