HMT Bedfordshire facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

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|} HMT Bedfordshire (FY141) was a special kind of ship called an armed naval trawler. It served the Royal Naval Patrol Service during World War II. This ship was sent to the East Coast of the United States. Its job was to help the United States Navy fight against enemy submarines. This type of fighting is called anti-submarine patrols.

The Bedfordshire had a crew from both Britain and Canada. Sadly, a German submarine named German submarine U-558 sank the Bedfordshire. This happened on May 11, 1942, near Ocracoke Island in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. All the sailors on board were lost.

Building the Bedfordshire
Service in British Waters
Trouble in American Waters
Patrols on the American Coast
The Sinking of the Bedfordshire
Burials of the Crew
Remembering the Crew
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Building the Bedfordshire

The Bedfordshire was first built to be a regular fishing trawler. It was made by the Smith's Dock Company in South Bank, England. The ship was launched into the water on July 17, 1935. It was finished in August 1935.

The ship was then given to its owners, the Bedfordshire Fishing Company. The Bedfordshire was about 162.3 feet (49.5 m) long. It was also about 26.7-foot (8.1 m) wide.

In August 1939, the Admiralty (the British Navy) bought the Bedfordshire. They wanted to use it to hunt submarines. The ship was changed to become a naval trawler. It was given a 4-inch gun, machine guns, and depth charges. These were special bombs used to attack submarines underwater.

Service in British Waters

After being changed for war, HMT Bedfordshire started its patrols. This was in December 1940. It patrolled the waters off southwest England. It also worked in the Bristol Channel.

The ship's main job was to find and fight submarines. It also helped protect other ships. The Bedfordshire did this important work through 1941 and early 1942.

Trouble in American Waters

Germany declared war on the United States on December 11, 1941. Soon after, German U-boats (submarines) became a big danger. They were a serious threat along the East Coast of the U.S. The United States Navy was not ready for this kind of submarine war.

U-boats easily sank many commercial ships. These ships were traveling alone without protection. This attack began with something called Operation Drumbeat. In January 1942, 35 Allied ships were sunk by U-boats near the American coast.

In March 1942, the British Royal Navy sent help. They sent 24 converted trawlers, including the Bedfordshire. These ships came to help the U.S. Navy. They patrolled the East Coast to fight submarines.

Lieutenant Russell Bransby Davis, RNR, was the commander of the Bedfordshire. His ship was sent to the Fifth Naval District. This area was based at Naval Station Norfolk. The Bedfordshire worked out of Morehead City, North Carolina. It patrolled the waters around the Outer Banks. U-boats kept attacking ships in this area.

Patrols on the American Coast

On April 16, 1942, the Bedfordshire went on patrol. It was with HMT Lady Elsa, HMS Tourmaline, and USS Roper. They patrolled in a specific area. The next day, Bedfordshire and Tourmaline helped search for survivors. They looked for people from a sunken tanker.

On April 18, the Bedfordshire searched for survivors from U-85. This was the first U-boat sunk by the U.S. Navy off the East Coast. For several days, the Bedfordshire guarded the area. They were trying to recover parts of U-85. This effort did not work out. The attempt was stopped on April 22.

The remains of U-85 are less than 100 feet (30 m) deep. They are off Bodie Island Lighthouse. In 2001, an Enigma machine was found from the U-boat. This was a secret German coding device.

The rest of April was spent patrolling. The Bedfordshire was near Currituck Island, Hatteras Island, and Lookout Shoals.

On May 1, a plane saw a lifeboat far out at sea. It was about 255 nautical miles (472 km) east of Cape Lookout. The Bedfordshire was sent to find and rescue anyone there. It was back on patrol from May 7 to 9. Then it returned to Morehead City.

At noon on May 10, the Bedfordshire and HMT St Zeno left Morehead City. They were escorting a group of ships (a convoy) to Hatteras. They arrived safely near midnight.

The Sinking of the Bedfordshire

On May 10, 1942, the Bedfordshire and HMT St Loman were sent out. They left Morehead City to look for a U-boat. It was thought to be near Ocracoke Island. The ships were seen by U-558. This U-boat was commanded by Kapitänleutnant Günther Krech.

Later that evening, Krech thought his submarine had been found. He fired at St Loman. But St Loman saw the torpedoes and moved out of the way. The search for the U-boat continued all night.

At 5:40 AM on May 11, 1942, U-558 fired a torpedo at the Bedfordshire. It missed. Then, a second torpedo was fired. This one hit the Bedfordshire directly. The ship sank right away. All 37 men on board were killed.

There was a 38th crewman, a young stoker named Sam Nutt. He had been held by local police in Morehead City. Because of this, he narrowly missed getting on the ship for its last patrol.

Commemorative plaque at British Cemetery, Ocracoke Island

On May 14, two bodies were found on Ocracoke Island. A Coast Guardsman found them. Their British uniforms showed that the Bedfordshire might have been sunk. People guessed that a U-boat was responsible. The ship's fate was confirmed the next year. This was after U-558 was sunk. Its commander, Kapitänleutnant Krech, and his ship's diaries were captured.

Burials of the Crew

The two bodies found on May 14 were identified. They were Sub-Lieutenant Thomas Cunningham and Ordinary Telegraphist Stanley Craig. Both were from the Bedfordshire. They were buried in a small area next to a cemetery in Ocracoke Village.

The Royal Navy flag draped over Cunningham's coffin was special. He had given several such flags to a local man less than a month earlier. These were for the funerals of other British sailors. Soon after, two more bodies from the ship washed ashore on Ocracoke. They could not be identified. They were also buried in what became known as the Ocracoke Island British Cemetery.

On nearby Hatteras Island, a fifth British sailor's body washed ashore on May 21. He could not be identified. But he was thought to be from the Bedfordshire. The month before, another British sailor had been buried on Hatteras. He was from the sunken merchant ship San Delfino. The Bedfordshire sailor was buried next to him. This created a second British Cemetery. It is formally called Cape Hatteras Coast Guard Burial Ground.

In late May or early June, a sixth body was found. It belonged to Seaman Alfred Dryden. He washed ashore at Swan Quarter, North Carolina. He was buried in Oak Grove Baptist Cemetery in Creeds, Virginia. Three other dead sailors were buried there too. They were from HMT Kingston Ceylonite. That ship was sunk by a mine on June 15, 1942. Their bodies had washed ashore nearby.

Remembering the Crew

The British Cemeteries on Ocracoke and Hatteras are very important. In 1976, the land was given to the British government forever. This is as long as the buried bodies remain there. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission takes care of them. They provide the special headstones.

The U.S. Coast Guard and local people regularly maintain the cemeteries. This shows their thanks and respect for the fallen men. It is also a friendly gesture to the British government. A Royal Navy flag flies over the cemeteries. A ceremony is held there every year on May 11. This honors the men of the Bedfordshire. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission also provided headstones for the four British servicemen buried in Creeds, Virginia. This includes Alfred Dryden from the Bedfordshire.

The crewmen whose bodies were never found are honored by name. Their names are on the Royal Naval Patrol Service Memorial at Lowestoft.

The sunken ship Bedfordshire was found in 1980. It is located at 34°10′N 76°41′W / 34.167°N 76.683°W / 34.167; -76.683. It lies at a depth of 100 feet (30 m). The site is considered a protected war grave. This is under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986.

In 2008 and 2009, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) led a trip. They wanted to record the condition of ships sunk during the Battle of the Atlantic. The British government asked them to survey the Bedfordshire wreck site. This was done by the expedition in 2009.

On July 31, 2015, the Bedfordshire was added to the U.S. government's National Register of Historic Places.

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