Talk:Operation Substance

Latest comment: 10 years ago by JRPG in topic Leinster

Leinster

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Sorry but the bit about Leinster is wrong. My father had the dubious privilege of being on this ship when it went aground for unknown reasons trying to enter Gibraltar. He was taken off and spent 3 days on Gibraltar before being loaded onto HMS Manxman in the middle of the night bound for Malta. He has also described his 3 days so this is unlikely to be a aberration. This version is also supported by the paragraph on Operation Substance and one of the escorts HMS Arethusa
However Naval history:The supply of Malta 1940-1942 agrees with the original incorrect text. There were all sorts of reasons put forward at the time as to what happened to Leinster & I believe there may have been personnel reasons why the account is described incorrectly c.f. the sinking of HMS Manchester where severe criticism of the captain recently emerged. JRPG (talk) 22:30, 28 October 2014 (UTC)Reply

You are correct. The RN Naval Staff history, The Royal Navy and the Mediterranean Convoys, p.17 states that Leinster ran aground and did not sail with the convoy.Damwiki1 (talk) 23:42, 28 October 2014 (UTC)Reply
Well there's a first for everything ..& having a self-revert reverted is definitely a first for me! It was late and I feared the quality was falling off...
Leinster, originally I believe a B&I line boat on the Liverpool to Dublin run, definitely set off in the convoy from Greenock. I'll try and include the transport arrangements for survivors using whatever good sources can be found & possibly pictures if I can sort out copyright. The RA men were taken off and my father stayed on Gib for 3 days until he met a fellow RAMC colleague who'd been bombed in Firedrake. Both then travelled in the Manxman to Malta. The 2nd night after he arrived was the MTB raid. JRPG (talk) 23:34, 29 October 2014 (UTC)Reply