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Photos Navies Of All Nations
- Thread starter BravoZulu
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Canada:
Canadian Artist Marc Magee’s painting of HMCS OAKVILLE’s battle with U94 in the Caribbean
On the night of Aug. 27, U-511, commanded by Kapitanleutenant (Lieutenant Commander) Friedrich Steinhoff, reached the convoy, and together with U-94 positioned to attack. U-94 penetrated the convoy’s screen between Oakville and Snowberry but was sighted by a USN Catalina PBY-5, from Patrol Squadron 92. U-94 crash dived as the Catalina’s pilot, Lieutenant Gordon Fiss engaged with his aircraft, dropping four well placed 650-pound depth charges that exploded around the submarine, blowing off both her bow hydroplanes.
The Bridge team in Oakville heard the explosions, and watched four tall water columns surge into the moonlit sky. Oakville’s officer of the watch, Sub-Lieutenant E.G. Scott, called his captain, Lieutenant Commander Clarence Aubrey King, who ordered his ship to action stations. King was an experienced wartime ship driver, who had earned a Distinguished Service Cross for sinking a German U-boat while commanding a British Q-ship during the First World War. When the Second World War erupted, he had returned to the King’s service from his retirement as a gentleman farmer in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia.
HMCS Oakville’s action alarm woke up Sub-Lieutenant Hal Lawrence, who had been asleep on the humid upper deck, wearing only his shorts. He bolted to his station as the ASDIC officer and found Leading Seaman Hartman sweeping the anti-submarine beam in search of a contact. Donning his headphones, Lawrence heard a submarine blow her tanks, and the ASDIC operator picked up a faint contact. Oakville dropped a pattern of five depth charges along the apparent course of the U-boat, then slowed to allow the ASDIC team to continue its search.
The ASDIC operator regained contact as the submarine surfaced one hundred yards ahead of Oakville. King manoeuvred his ship to ram the submarine, but U-94 evaded, and suffered a mere glancing blow. Oakville engaged the surfaced submarine with her 4-inch gun, scoring a hit on the sub’s conning tower. Oakville’s machine guns followed suit, firing broadside into the submarine and blowing U-94’s 88-mm deck gun into the sea. King altered to ram the submarine once more, but missed a second time, grazing her again. Oakville’s guns could not depress weapons sufficiently to fire into the submarine as she passed down the ship’s side at close range. But sailors are a resourceful lot, and a supply of empty Coke bottles that had been stowed on the upper decks were heaved over onto the deck of the submarine. Following this second pass, Oakville fired a pattern of depth charges which exploded directly beneath U-94
King wheeled his ship around for a third ramming attempt, finally catching U-94 squarely abaft the conning tower. The captain brought his corvette alongside the stricken submarine, ordering his boarding party away.
Oakville’s boarding team mustered on the forecastle and armed themselves for their duties. The party carried revolvers, grenades, flashlights, and steel helmets. Most men were shirtless, having been awoken on the hot Caribbean night, wearing only tropical shorts, or in some cases, boxer shorts. Most men were barefoot, including Hal Lawrence, the boarding party officer.
While Lawrence and his team were preparing themselves, the corvette’s main gun jammed. In the heat of battle the gun crew rapidly cleared the round without concern for their surroundings. The gun was cleared, reloaded and fired. However, Oakville’s boarding party was only a few metres from the gun, and the blast blew the boarding party over the side and onto the deck below. Lawrence awoke from the concussion with his ears and nose bleeding. The petty officer standing over him informed him that the submarine was alongside, and it was time to board. Lawrence staggered to the gunwale and jumped over the side, landing on the surging deck of the submarine 10 feet below.
His rough landing snapped the elastic in his shorts, which he shook off into the sea. With the exception of some boarding equipment and a life belt, Lawrence was naked. Stoker Petty Officer Art Powell followed Lawrence onto the submarine as Oakville lost power and began to drift away. The remaining members of the boarding team were stranded on their own ship, leaving Lawrence and Powell to conduct the boarding alone.
As the two Canadians made their way to the submarine’s conning tower, Lawrence was swept over the side by a wave and hauled back aboard by Powell. The brief delay was fortuitous, as Oakville unleashed her machine guns into the submarine, blasting the conning tower with lead. When Lawrence and Powell finally made it to the conning tower, they found that the hatch had been blown open, and covered in broken glass from smashed Coke bottles.
Two shaken German crewmen approached the Canadians. The boarding party directed them aft along the submarine’s fuselage. Both Germans jumped over the side. As the Canadians approached the entry hatch, two submariners emerged and were ordered back into the submarine. The Germans continued to advance and lunged towards the boarding team. Lawrence shot one man and Powell killed the other; their lifeless bodies fell into the sea.
Hal Lawrence gained access to the submarine, and ordered the reluctant German crew up top onto the deck, where Powell contained them. Lawrence searched the rapidly flooding submarine in the dark, his flashlight dimming. As the boat shifted in the seas, Lawrence at times found himself dog paddling to keep above the water. As U-94 began to settle in the sea, Powell called down that Lawrence had better get up top before it was too late. Lawrence complied, emerging from the submarine with only what he brought inside.
Lawrence ordered Powell and the prisoners over the side and into the water and monitored compliance from the conning tower, standing naked and bloody in the moonlight. Just then, torpedoes fired from U-511 slammed into two distant tankers from TAW 15. Hal Lawrence stepped off the submarine and into the water as U-94 slipped beneath the waves for the final time.
USS Lea recovered Powell and Lawrence from the shark infested waters, in addition to 21 German submariners. Otto Ites and one of his crew swam to Oakville. Her boat picked up five other POWs.
Lawrence returned to Oakville at 0100, and was greeted by the First Lieutenant, K.B. Culley who welcomed him back onboard. Culley reminded him that the ship was still at action stations, and that he should get back up to the Bridge and take his watch.[16]
Oakville was thoroughly damaged during the encounter. The ASDIC dome and oscillator were destroyed, and the ASDIC compartment and after boiler room were flooded. There was damage to the main bulkhead. Oakville was detached from her escort duties to affect emergency repairs in Guantanamo Bay.
U-511 sunk two ships from TAW 15 during Oakville’s action with U-94, and escaped undetected. TAW 15 arrived in Key West without further incident.
Canadian Artist Marc Magee’s painting of HMCS OAKVILLE’s battle with U94 in the Caribbean
On the night of Aug. 27, U-511, commanded by Kapitanleutenant (Lieutenant Commander) Friedrich Steinhoff, reached the convoy, and together with U-94 positioned to attack. U-94 penetrated the convoy’s screen between Oakville and Snowberry but was sighted by a USN Catalina PBY-5, from Patrol Squadron 92. U-94 crash dived as the Catalina’s pilot, Lieutenant Gordon Fiss engaged with his aircraft, dropping four well placed 650-pound depth charges that exploded around the submarine, blowing off both her bow hydroplanes.
The Bridge team in Oakville heard the explosions, and watched four tall water columns surge into the moonlit sky. Oakville’s officer of the watch, Sub-Lieutenant E.G. Scott, called his captain, Lieutenant Commander Clarence Aubrey King, who ordered his ship to action stations. King was an experienced wartime ship driver, who had earned a Distinguished Service Cross for sinking a German U-boat while commanding a British Q-ship during the First World War. When the Second World War erupted, he had returned to the King’s service from his retirement as a gentleman farmer in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia.
HMCS Oakville’s action alarm woke up Sub-Lieutenant Hal Lawrence, who had been asleep on the humid upper deck, wearing only his shorts. He bolted to his station as the ASDIC officer and found Leading Seaman Hartman sweeping the anti-submarine beam in search of a contact. Donning his headphones, Lawrence heard a submarine blow her tanks, and the ASDIC operator picked up a faint contact. Oakville dropped a pattern of five depth charges along the apparent course of the U-boat, then slowed to allow the ASDIC team to continue its search.
The ASDIC operator regained contact as the submarine surfaced one hundred yards ahead of Oakville. King manoeuvred his ship to ram the submarine, but U-94 evaded, and suffered a mere glancing blow. Oakville engaged the surfaced submarine with her 4-inch gun, scoring a hit on the sub’s conning tower. Oakville’s machine guns followed suit, firing broadside into the submarine and blowing U-94’s 88-mm deck gun into the sea. King altered to ram the submarine once more, but missed a second time, grazing her again. Oakville’s guns could not depress weapons sufficiently to fire into the submarine as she passed down the ship’s side at close range. But sailors are a resourceful lot, and a supply of empty Coke bottles that had been stowed on the upper decks were heaved over onto the deck of the submarine. Following this second pass, Oakville fired a pattern of depth charges which exploded directly beneath U-94
King wheeled his ship around for a third ramming attempt, finally catching U-94 squarely abaft the conning tower. The captain brought his corvette alongside the stricken submarine, ordering his boarding party away.
Oakville’s boarding team mustered on the forecastle and armed themselves for their duties. The party carried revolvers, grenades, flashlights, and steel helmets. Most men were shirtless, having been awoken on the hot Caribbean night, wearing only tropical shorts, or in some cases, boxer shorts. Most men were barefoot, including Hal Lawrence, the boarding party officer.
While Lawrence and his team were preparing themselves, the corvette’s main gun jammed. In the heat of battle the gun crew rapidly cleared the round without concern for their surroundings. The gun was cleared, reloaded and fired. However, Oakville’s boarding party was only a few metres from the gun, and the blast blew the boarding party over the side and onto the deck below. Lawrence awoke from the concussion with his ears and nose bleeding. The petty officer standing over him informed him that the submarine was alongside, and it was time to board. Lawrence staggered to the gunwale and jumped over the side, landing on the surging deck of the submarine 10 feet below.
His rough landing snapped the elastic in his shorts, which he shook off into the sea. With the exception of some boarding equipment and a life belt, Lawrence was naked. Stoker Petty Officer Art Powell followed Lawrence onto the submarine as Oakville lost power and began to drift away. The remaining members of the boarding team were stranded on their own ship, leaving Lawrence and Powell to conduct the boarding alone.
As the two Canadians made their way to the submarine’s conning tower, Lawrence was swept over the side by a wave and hauled back aboard by Powell. The brief delay was fortuitous, as Oakville unleashed her machine guns into the submarine, blasting the conning tower with lead. When Lawrence and Powell finally made it to the conning tower, they found that the hatch had been blown open, and covered in broken glass from smashed Coke bottles.
Two shaken German crewmen approached the Canadians. The boarding party directed them aft along the submarine’s fuselage. Both Germans jumped over the side. As the Canadians approached the entry hatch, two submariners emerged and were ordered back into the submarine. The Germans continued to advance and lunged towards the boarding team. Lawrence shot one man and Powell killed the other; their lifeless bodies fell into the sea.
Hal Lawrence gained access to the submarine, and ordered the reluctant German crew up top onto the deck, where Powell contained them. Lawrence searched the rapidly flooding submarine in the dark, his flashlight dimming. As the boat shifted in the seas, Lawrence at times found himself dog paddling to keep above the water. As U-94 began to settle in the sea, Powell called down that Lawrence had better get up top before it was too late. Lawrence complied, emerging from the submarine with only what he brought inside.
Lawrence ordered Powell and the prisoners over the side and into the water and monitored compliance from the conning tower, standing naked and bloody in the moonlight. Just then, torpedoes fired from U-511 slammed into two distant tankers from TAW 15. Hal Lawrence stepped off the submarine and into the water as U-94 slipped beneath the waves for the final time.
USS Lea recovered Powell and Lawrence from the shark infested waters, in addition to 21 German submariners. Otto Ites and one of his crew swam to Oakville. Her boat picked up five other POWs.
Lawrence returned to Oakville at 0100, and was greeted by the First Lieutenant, K.B. Culley who welcomed him back onboard. Culley reminded him that the ship was still at action stations, and that he should get back up to the Bridge and take his watch.[16]
Oakville was thoroughly damaged during the encounter. The ASDIC dome and oscillator were destroyed, and the ASDIC compartment and after boiler room were flooded. There was damage to the main bulkhead. Oakville was detached from her escort duties to affect emergency repairs in Guantanamo Bay.
U-511 sunk two ships from TAW 15 during Oakville’s action with U-94, and escaped undetected. TAW 15 arrived in Key West without further incident.
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Italy:
Aft view from battleship Vittorio Veneto, likely around 1 September 1940
Soldati class destroyer Bersagliere seen from a seaplane, September 1940
Bersagliere ended her life where she had been born: in Palermo. On 7 January 1943, during a heavy USAAF raid over the Sicilian port, she was hit by two bombs, capsized and quickly sank in shallow waters. Fifty-nine men were killed including her commanding officer, Commander Anselmo Lazzarini. The quay where she was sunk was later renamed “Molo Bersagliere” (Bersagliere quay), and a plaque next to it commemorates the victims of the sinking.
Light cruiser Duca d'Aosta moored at Taranto, with her crew lining the rails for a visit by Benito Mussolini, 24-25 June 1942
Aft view from battleship Vittorio Veneto, likely around 1 September 1940
Soldati class destroyer Bersagliere seen from a seaplane, September 1940
Bersagliere ended her life where she had been born: in Palermo. On 7 January 1943, during a heavy USAAF raid over the Sicilian port, she was hit by two bombs, capsized and quickly sank in shallow waters. Fifty-nine men were killed including her commanding officer, Commander Anselmo Lazzarini. The quay where she was sunk was later renamed “Molo Bersagliere” (Bersagliere quay), and a plaque next to it commemorates the victims of the sinking.
Light cruiser Duca d'Aosta moored at Taranto, with her crew lining the rails for a visit by Benito Mussolini, 24-25 June 1942
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USN:
USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) completed a live-fire exercise of its RIM-116 rolling airframe missile (RAM) while underway Feb. 28, 2022
Arleigh Burke destroyer USS Truxtun (DDG 103) approaches USS George H.W. Bush for a refuelling at sea
USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) completed a live-fire exercise of its RIM-116 rolling airframe missile (RAM) while underway Feb. 28, 2022
Arleigh Burke destroyer USS Truxtun (DDG 103) approaches USS George H.W. Bush for a refuelling at sea
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Indonesia:
KRI Wiratno (379) is a Kapitan Patimura-class corvette
KRI Tongkol (813), patrol ship
KRI Teluk Weda, Teluk Bintuni-class tank landing ship
KRI Banjarmasin, Makassar-class landing platform dock
KRI Nuku, Parchim-class corvette
KRI Wiratno (379) is a Kapitan Patimura-class corvette
KRI Tongkol (813), patrol ship
KRI Teluk Weda, Teluk Bintuni-class tank landing ship
KRI Banjarmasin, Makassar-class landing platform dock
KRI Nuku, Parchim-class corvette
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France:
"Lancement du cuirassé Hoche à Lorient en 1886" (Launching of the battleship Hoche at Lorient in 1886). Painting by Alexandre Jean-Baptiste Brun.
Ironclad battleship Hoche. Commissioned in 1890, she had a short and undistinguished career, decommissioned in 1908.
"Lancement du cuirassé Hoche à Lorient en 1886" (Launching of the battleship Hoche at Lorient in 1886). Painting by Alexandre Jean-Baptiste Brun.
Ironclad battleship Hoche. Commissioned in 1890, she had a short and undistinguished career, decommissioned in 1908.
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RN:
Crew members aboard the destroyer HMS Vanity manning the 0.5 inch Vickers water-cooled machine gun in quadruple Mark III mounting.
Vickers started production of this gun in 1926, but service introduction on British ships does not seem to have taken place prior to 1932. This weapon was used on almost all British warships during World War II, many in quad mounts like the ones shown below.
This was a recoil-operated, water-cooled gun with link-belt ammunition feed and was significantly less powerful than the USN's 0.50" (12.7 mm) Browning M2 BMG. Like the US and most other nations, the British found small-caliber machine guns like these to be ineffective against modern aircraft. Nonetheless, this weapon was still produced in large numbers during the war with an overall total of 12,500 being built.
HMS Nelson underway WW2
Crew members aboard the destroyer HMS Vanity manning the 0.5 inch Vickers water-cooled machine gun in quadruple Mark III mounting.
Vickers started production of this gun in 1926, but service introduction on British ships does not seem to have taken place prior to 1932. This weapon was used on almost all British warships during World War II, many in quad mounts like the ones shown below.
This was a recoil-operated, water-cooled gun with link-belt ammunition feed and was significantly less powerful than the USN's 0.50" (12.7 mm) Browning M2 BMG. Like the US and most other nations, the British found small-caliber machine guns like these to be ineffective against modern aircraft. Nonetheless, this weapon was still produced in large numbers during the war with an overall total of 12,500 being built.
HMS Nelson underway WW2
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