THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1950,
Heade just above the water, tho bman torpedo
CTS W creepi
up to the victim ship
How human torpedoes
struck at Gibraltar
Exciting stories of a little
by
war that was kept
a deep secret
FRANK
GOLDSWORTHY
formorly a British Naval Intelligence
Officer at
Gibraltar and in Italy
Na mooties night in August 1941 alamarine with thecks awash erept into Cadiz Bay on the south west const of Symin
und mered alongside the Italinn tanker Fulgor.
The submarine was the Seize It commarfer, Prince Junio Valerio Borghese. Its mission to colleet two buman torpedo crews for an attack on British battleship at Gibralfar
sibpre
That night there begiût a twis year
fought in 167 below the surface of Gibraltar Bay At a cost of three killed and three captured the Italian naval as anil units sank or damaged 11 Allied shit tetailing 72,000 tona
The constant threat of tent attack in the mgla demanded! tens of thousands of hours i vurilatice do naval and Army per Monet.
ד ווJ
The 1
WM
f
kuntaented
Spanish
11
17
plyrical dan mat and endurance
which would have
TA MAY
The
navy of the workt
ALLTH
Fulgor
Motor
Spire picked
There,
1
גן:
י י|
" יי
The
151
: ་
The
dealers the shape on the
VALLALARMELA
[
BRACH Wet the
LITANAKI LANDED
SALINLA
na Derowej
GIOPALTAR
carpet
LATTE
Jstit Trum HALGEL
Meigan fox tam
GIBRALTAR
BAT
For y
+
Malu
...
42
F
.t
like
π
zamming DA
arbon!
f.
?
Your
}
(KURMANNİ İSCİME
LAGIM(HD HUMAN TORPEDORI
AIEPITE
Reap for the
preaal
just much!
י!!
זיי
after
wder
maletlen
one Lavator
Whe
were
Kivet.
الى
consulate in Seville,
and the
Fulgor and the consulate in Cadiz.
Within aight of Gibraltar harbour, he had thr Italion
his companion returned to the Vila Carmela.
On September 15 they bully damaged the 1,787-ton Ravens Point, then went back to com- plete their short "Internment."
tanker Olterra in Algeciras har-M bour, the sabotage headquarters villa in the town, and the Villa Carmela near LA Linen.
DELAYED BOMB Burst out at sca
EANWHILE Pierron! abotage branch
opened
office nt Huelva, where British ships fondled iron one from the Rio Tinto mites.
Near the loading berth was the Italian ship Gata, and on it were placed two
in July he was ready for his Brst land-finge operation--- mass attack by 12 members of the "Gamma, **** *wimming are!
mpeteer Assault group
The party
assembled in the Fulgor, and then transferred in twos and threes to the Ollerrn at Algecirns On July 13 thes slipped ashore one by one and made their way to the Villa
Carmela
In the villa kitchen they put on long, thick walten comboitan s tions,
ons, tor-fo-neck rubber suite, breathing equipment
ratunkare net helmets
no
At eleven o'clock they set off la single fie through the words fr the beach
Out in the bay were the dark shapes of 36 Albed ships
Each mon
was told to pick his over target
On back and
sheet they curried "bed ang
small plunges suspend
mi in the centre of hatabir sub- bres what wondld hold the puiting a staps bottom until the thing eltel. bord nch is coEITNE
The 5th chr
Went Fav compared with human terpandu warhearts, 2 big enough to
tele kle 144
Jes To fot ofwel plates Among
The swims it rug?
WALK
beroud
Marko Cho We hellion hablered peasant Id with the
modernder water dexterity of a seal
After The Talina araustive he
arude the
That Visiting S to and
the back of shane had broken the max. 1 Fasken 1terdivdaže
Soon after their were staralan explosions below the last 10,140
But hom
J
hizza
Frame Shell in the bay
MASTER SPY
111
Watch on ships:
THE Italions
taken to were Sevalle, hat-led over to their averal, and flown back to an imperial Italian pubbe
P
The Denville trusted then that Tolk In Clos
Glontar barbou till
below [+
*! f1l ་ ་ ༑"" E wanbents danglinic below shops
1 y whichared a
The A tank them for pedoes ates
Hop
Mea
Lucas Vosinding the treed Nonstapaped
fre
17 Tel
VIVIN
134 7.
4115
זיון.
DREPTATYS
The d
24
GEN NSTRAIN
....
יון
Wasting on the Spain Ny Dresde was fromuarles
foval
Sp to direct sabotage av live
tamen She POVER at
fre
די גוז
.
The wat
The
Alamed a
Year
to harbour, then was towed to Butlanet for
The Thi
Shell was rank
Meeleonu spent the winder of (a) 2 bunich, 190
Sabotage ་ ་ ? Tomato in Spun
1
14003
*
1 in Madrid
i
dared
URC
#11J
lumpeteera.
They ordinary time-clock bomb. If the Ship's Falling were delayed its Birking would block a Spanish port and cause the Italian ute diplomatir embarrassinent.
Therefore Ari artning
that the 50 delay clock would nat start writi the
passage through the water Turned the vase
WA
For much lumbri were placed, but the clocks never started,
The Bolish Navy at Gibraltar had not been alle
A regular internis search-
harbour ap bights swept the proaches, there were harbour and hay patrols, and around the
small explosive
a
Martes, sufferent to Mill or skun
person under water, notes of the night thrown to the water every low
The
word metalle elong there expon soms made on the brain of Troop*tup atarted
Tales a colorful
about # Subnorine aflarks in the St wils "
MANTIN
Jeck
DROPPED IT 'Lost' in the bay
MOST sign:beant move of nit
setched Athed ships at Leghom M WION
land Mene bomb
been put Thane hos pro-German Meier of farm wild amt
In the darkness below his selected ship Gpers bumped into another kimpeleer
They
the evrakin of the noval diving party. Gibraltar whose members showed no less endurance, and develion, rourage than their Italian adver saries"
Leading the party were Läcut- Bailey, IN VR,
swam to the stern anch enam argued about who should st wond Lieutenant (later Licut- another targ and then when Commander) "Buster" Crabb, the other man found his bondes defective, whether e- Fatal take one of Ganti's
1
two mine disposal officers. Both won the George Medal for their work
was mar, quife mnd"
Th haval diving party But Gart afterwinds "Why searched the bottoms of ships
the shitp's crew never heard hint arriving from Spanish ports as shouting at me 1 never under- Starcel"
SHOUT IN DARK Held under water
HARI went down and placed When he canoe
up the other math had taken mul
seppent consulte d Tation reporting Allied his mouthpies e
the the for both to the darkness Sex
This time Gani dad out argue, La tomes he pushed de tre sus h
Try th Water mal het auto canadonia bargel ujia
there at t take trade breable Falcon rentats a feral
for yellow
hup an! E
well as making frequent night examinations of ships anchored It was they who in the bay
the bombs found and removed
at Huelva.
of the bomba earned for One of
friend of mine a brief and
fame as a embarrassing ideal
Bateman character:
*The Naval feer Who Dropped It" newly recovered. to row To him
The tatab. was handled ashore for examination. But the hoal with very small and the bay was very rough
Ta spun the boat began to , and the officer, up to his hnd visions of kuees in water, The LOA MN
The swimming the the shore with an crusted the "beach in safely
nument now" bamb and gas feli into the hands of a Spanindhi guairul, and this thue the fucked under his arin. Sprunds die lease them so quickly 1st ill-health, an- taen 1.
Lite Villa
were sent to "terminent in a the northern at Seville hotel
Pedesana haud kor kry
attached See the Alion yn constinte rented
xola harga lep
in the
Arc Daliano Pogova
.1
Uamala
at Htar bay
#!
A
111 Bar
wakanthig Par fac
the beha
Tonk
F11.
ETO!
Some
2015-
He weighted the bomb, fled They i un to a small buoy carried in
The boat, and dropped it over- board. Imre his dismay when The attack was only a qualis not only the precious bomb, dis- operators appeareit but the marking buy established he
as well. it expensave, relations never reached then targets, um
The buoy or was 30 feet too solde the Pands on the French rume of the both were swept
Fortunately he took cross fanger and Perleon's Spanish out to the current and exploded short
Lentings rund livers recovered driver war expert de evading or on the surface.
Four
The 3.355-top the bomb next day. shups. About the Spanish loent poliest when polits
Baron Komarad, the 1,375-tun
the 1942 Shune,
Baron 3,899 - Lon As Donutlar ava Hale
murd 2,497-ton Empire starinu poste tur smuggled men Snipe were damaged and water wk the Hallan secret Gurt and another volunteered service vitia in Barcelona flat to make a second attack. m Shu Sebastian,
nal and Substitute "Internces" were
refuge i
Cantar Bas when this
entered the
Within a few months the was transteineri emergency digod shop fra Italoss Bubmarines
But the Solte
FALSE PAPERS Plan of attack
WAITING
were tru operators. 11
The board Hbien ་ ༈་
human for perio
Det hval offrey
ngưd a navad surgeon.
They had all
passed Barough Spale on falte passports and on fatse excuses
Normally the enter t travel with hear
The tue of pastil Wheth above. vessels ate abend the slee, o It was typical of the thorough compass ༴ II, t ness with which human torpedo wnfer
Blacks were plarest that the tip the men at
Cadiz, males from Gibraltar,
tusteart if tal
1.000 miles away
1,000
It mean the aberation mank
lag o biszurdea double purse at
of the Stat, but it snarest the operaties
the
...
of a long under wider
SUCCESS, OR 'Undying shame'
Erteil von or 12te 1. e
1 wit
15 Montadap outlinest wita, E11
Y.... 2
1 to and framed tomat,1by
tut fastid
before rong inter audien Within minutes the off tu sea
Next periscope depth she moved vo the south-west corney of cat - tar Boy, in Spanish Wales miles from the Hettish ha banker
While the submat the waż
Wat de hope they below the sin face love me a
rubber ranks. 11.
equipment, passed out thrun th
hatch on to her shey 2
the
Two Torpedoma
effare and a petty rach
foperties, release leva ut flown t zurface.
A 16h man, with a Telegr Lisans to the contienem, D Mondireg lookout, no the
The attack was
inutes later
SATL
teriorated on the voyage
torpedoes slowed and stoppert
The operator: hat to set the f scuttling rbarkes, diving Tanks and swim back 14 the lookout.
3-HOUR TASK
'A swimming pig'
good ton ty jme the win
tank i NQU Fe 200 Pan Your above
Bat
You
wonder I w stent smooth alles or Raufrette Barometer which will seynich your lasers
worrt of horror fear yout rubber suit and let the sea seep through.
"Ah.
there 15 the bottom. Now push the turpedo back until MONTH later, on the night your No. 2 can grasp the fool-
visiter
of September 18/10, 1941, wide bilge keel
the Fulgor along each side
the Seire
again. This line eight men ship's hull.
tor- waiting
were pedoes were deck.
of every big
a There
top
on your hins found the the shoulder. No
bilge and is fixing a clamp to R.
Two taps.
The clamp in Se crept Into, fixed. Now forward Gibraltar Buy, the crews climb- other bilge keel.
Again the
ed on to their torpedoes and "No. 2 is paying out a line. went off into the darkness to
1 The net MAY BAN Png and
áo thu
1,
He fixes, his second clamp, then
wards the naval harbour four
miles away.
back again to the centre of the ship.
:
"You feel the iorpedo heave
Let us leave them on their as No. 2 climbs off clambers three-hour journey while we round your side to the warhead
visualise what lay ahead.
in front of you.
Though the human-controlled he
is tying
torpedo looks outwardly rather torpedo bucks gently. like its normal counterpart, it functions quite differently.
Dis
"In the darkness you know It to the line, The
The warhead
. has been detached, the clock which will charge in two In its body It carries com- fire Its. 500lb.
hours time pressed air tanks to regulate is and-a-half
ticking away the seconds. depth and batteries to drive its
"No. 2 climbs back on to his double propellára..!)
This time three tops." The maximum speed of those "The job is done. You start in use in 1941, was three knots: the motor, move forward from higher speed, would have under the ship rise gently, dragged, the operators from their Now you may think of escape."
"THIS IS THE ROAD"
World Cer
pumaki kotik Krening Nizada:di
A
below the dop
1 The
harl
15th.
and three
clamped on
A
15
ןןןן
,,,』,M
Spauas partent were the
Purleon des priest to gamble en Spanndi riffctal affection tra The Axis He and These sen fave been allactina, the Brised
Wits The Rumble The men were kater To for Carabinera intion at La Linea
Tik preda valve wh
Liven the
which
J1
The
Marsinnr Fork
dry clothing from other in Madre, flat and the sent from Italy and Glari and
TO BOTN
C
TAX CUTS
and
WELFARE STATE
عالم
NEXT WEEK Secret base in a Spanish harbour
London Exprea Derace
"A difficult trick?
Certainly not, sir! It's just
a matter of clever steering.
Manfield
Signifies QUALITY
STYLE and
WORKMANSHIP
MANFIELD
Shoes suit
RI
every occasion
and every purse
Sole Agents:
The Mayfair Co., lid.
China Building. Queen's Road, C.
THE SCORE..
"IN THOUSANDI
22,000
24,751
32 REDIFFUSION
34:
301
28
26
-24
22:
20
18
14
10年
SETS
NOW TUNED IN
TO REDIFFUSION'S 17-HOURS-A-DAY OF
16 Perfect Listening!
12
There's good reason why 24,751
families In Hongkong ΠΟΥ havo Rediffusion installed good reasOTT why you should Telephone naw for Your In. stellation. Perfect reception of Perfect programmes CORES you only $0 month the installa- tion only $25. Telephone
now for
PERFECT LISTENINGI
Install
REDIFFUSION
u
40th INFANTRY DIVISION
presents
THE MASSED BANDS
and
PIPES and DRUMS
(280 Musicians)
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 15th
AT 6 P.M.
Sockunpoo Sports Cround, Hong Kong.
The programma will include music by Sibelius, Lehar and Tchaikovsky, played by the massed bands together with The displays by the pipers and drummers in full dress. latter part of the concert will be floodlit.
TICKETS:—$3, $2, $1.
Obtainable at Moutries, Hong Kong, E C. Fincher, Salisbury Rd., Kowloon, Service Clubs and at the 'Gate.
PEKING ART rug co. 221A Nathan Road, Kowloon
3-pcs. Bed Room Set, Hooked Rugs, consisting of:
1--71⁄44′ x 41⁄44′ & 2—44x24 FOR $160, ONLY » LARGE SELECTION.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.