Halcyon Class Minesweepers HMS Franklin 1940
 
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HMS Franklin NMM N31652
HMS Franklin N84 (later J84)

Source: NMM N31652


HMS Franklin - Principal Surveys 1940

England, East Coast  Dover Strait and Harbour; The Downs. Mine barrage.

England South Coast  Spithead underwater defences.

Cromarty Firth; River Tay entrance.

Scotland,East Coast.  Cromarty Firth; River Tay entrance.

Orkney Islands.  Shapinsay.

Faeroe Islands.  Skaalfjord.

Commander: C W Sabine 

FRANKLIN made surveys in Scapa Flow to help blocking operations, at Dundee for the submarine base there, and at Skaalefjord in the Faeroes for its use as a fleet anchorage.

She was also involved in the very large scale surveys for positioning the Maunsell pre‑fabricated forts in the Thames Estuary for the anti aircraft defence of London.

 

Date of Arrival

Place

Date of Departure

Orders, Remarks etc

5.2.40

Portsmouth

15.2.40

 

15.2.40

Dover

6.3.40

29/2 from V A Dover: Intend to sail FRANKLIN 6/3 to deammunition at Sheerness before refit at Green & Silley Weir, Tilbury

6.3.40

Sheerness

8.3.40

 

8.3.40

Tilbury (London)

11.4.40

10/4 Date of completion of FRANKLIN is to be advanced if possible and she is to be sailed for Scapa with despatch

11.4.40

Sheerness

12.4.40

 

14.4.40

Scapa

15.4.40

 


...The sinking of
Royal Oak by Commander Prien in Scapa Flow in October 1939 had exposed the insecurity of this major fleet anchorage. In his U‑Boat Prien had entered the Flow through one of the Eastern Sounds despite the numerous blockships and strong currents. Winston Churchill was determined to close this loophole by building causeways across the three sounds; but first it seemed prudent to ensure that such closures would not increase the tidal streams in Hoxa Sound, the main entrance to the anchorage, to such an extent that protective anti‑submarine and torpedo booms could not be maintained there. 

A model of Scapa Flow was rapidly devised at Liverpool University to resolve this important query and FRANKLIN sailed from the Faroes to Scapa to provide the missing data ‑ the strength of the tidal streams flowing through the Eastern Sounds. This survey was to be made by releasing buoyed drogues into the current at the entrances to each Sound. The floats were then plotted through the Sounds by synchronised theodolite observations from shore. The recovery of the floats and their carriage back to the start line at half‑hourly intervals, against currents expected to exceed twelve knots, required the use of a speedboat which was shipped to Scapa Flow for the purpose. It was a thrilling experience to ride the speedboat through the Sounds. One actually travelled downhill as the boat raced through the narrow gaps in the jumble of blockships in pursuit of the drogues; then followed the long slow climb back to the start line. One could not stifle one's admiration for Commander Prien's superb skills as a seaman. 

One night whilst at Scapa a signal came in from the Hydrographer ordering our First Lieutenant, Carl Oom, to fly to London the following day. A farewell dinner in the wardroom was quickly arranged during which an air raid on the Fleet developed. In hilarious mood we gathered on the bridge with the captain and, whilst our six pounder blazed away from the forecastle, we joined in with stripped Lewis guns. The countless tracer bullets and exploding shells made a magnificent display above the Fleet. It was a great farewell for Carl. 

On arrival in the Hydrographer's Office in Whitehall, Oom was ordered to report to a location in Cricklewood in north‑west London, not far from Staples Corner which in later years we all came to know so well. He arrived in uniform at the entrance to an impressive new building nearing completion where an official, speaking in hushed tones, ordered Carl to go away and return the following day in plain clothes as this was a highly secret area. An air raid over London developed during the night and on returning to the site next day, suitably clothed in sports jacket and flannels, Carl found the building a smoking ruin and the secretive official nowhere to be seen. Back at the Hydrographic Office Admiral Edgell seemed only mildly surprised ‑ 'Oh well, we'll have to find you another appointment.’ 

Extract from ‘No Day Too Long’, G S Ritchie

27.4.40

Scapa

3.6.40

10/5 To rejoin the Dover command

12.6.40

Scapa

12.6.40

 

?

Scapa

15.6.40

 

16.6.40

Dundee

4.7.40

3/7 FRANKLIN is to proceed to Kirkwall to complete tidal stream observations

24/7 from FRANKLIN: Intend sailing for Invergordon to undertake Hydrographic Instruction No. 8 25/7

21.7.40

Scapa

25.7.40

 

25.7.40

Invergordon

11.8.40

 

12.8.40

Humber

?

 

29.10.40

Humber

11.11.40

 

12.11.40

Gt Yarmouth

18.11.40

 

 
About this time our engineer officer was relieved by Lieutenant Commander Jimmy Maguire RNR., who had in peacetime been for some years the staff engineer onboard the luxurious Queen of Bermuda which ferried tourists from New York to those happy isles. This had been a social appointment, hosting the chief engineer's table and, in spotless white overalls, conducting passengers around the engine room, leaving the Chief to perform his engineering duties unhindered. 

During his eighteen months in FRANKLIN Jimmy was never known to enter the engine room, his self‑appointed action station being on the roof of the chartroom at the after end of the vessel where he manned the Holman projector. This curious weapon consisted of a pipe set at an angle of 65' to the horizontal which could be rotated through a fixed arc astern by means of bicycle handlebars affixed to the pipe. The object was to deflect an aircraft coming in from astern by exploding hand grenades in the air ahead of it. The grenades, stacked in a rack alongside, were pre‑set to seven seconds delay, and whilst Jimmy directed the weapon his writer pulled the pins from the grenades as he dropped each one down the pipe. The weight of the grenade on reaching the bottom of the pipe opened a steam valve, the pressure from which projected the grenade skywards. Practising with water‑filled beer cans Jimmy and his writer had reached a high standard of Holman efficiency and were probably responsible for saving our lives on our way south for a refit in West India Dock.

Extract from ‘No Day Too Long’, G S Ritchie

19.11.40

Source: ADM 267/102 

From: The Commanding Officer, HMS FRANKLIN

Date: 26th November 1940
To:    The Director of Naval Air Division, Admiralty (Copy to Hydrographer of the Navy) 

Subject:            report on enemy air attack 

1.                Date:               19th November 1940  1000 BST

                   Position:           52˚25’ North, 02˚02’ East

                   Course:            180˚; 13 knots

     Weather:          Wind – South force 1, Sea – Calm, Visibility – 15 miles, 
   Cloud – small cumulus with gaps, height of base 4,000 feet. 

2. Aircraft was sighted crossing the bow from port to Starboard just below the cloud base distant one mile, and was identified as a Junkers 88. It then passed down the starboard side disappearing into the clouds and was next seen carrying out a shallow dive attack on one of a group of four trawlers about four miles 350˚; four splashes were observed. The aircraft then climbed steeply to starboard and carried out an attack on FRANKLIN from the Port beam, commencing a shallow dive from 4,000 feet and passing over the fore-mast at about 300 feet. 

3. A stick of six bombs (estimated 100 lbs) was released when the aircraft was at about 400 feet. The bombs straddled the ship close forward of the bridge, two falling to Port and the remainder to Starboard. Explosions took place below the surface of the water. The nearest bomb on the starboard side was approximately 40 feet from the ship; the nearest of those falling to Port 30 feet.  

4. Ship increased to full speed altering to Starboard to clear the range for 0.5” machine guns situate abaft the mainmast, and to keep the aircraft on the Port beam. 

5. The following defects were discovered after the above attack occurred:

            Several joints found to be leaking on H.P. side of CO2 machine, causing heavy gas leakage.
            Main stop valve of No.2 boiler leaking at flange connection.
            Several thermometers and sight glasses broken on F L system.
            Several pressure gauges broken.
            Valves and recorder scales in Asdic and Echo Sounding gear were broken.
            Most of the Lower Deck electric light bulbs were broken.
            Glass cover to Master Gyro broken 

6. Four minutes after the attack a heavy underwater explosion was observed bearing 339˚ 2.5 miles. It is estimated that the aircraft passed over this position prior to attacking the trawler. There was no ship within 2.5 miles of the explosion.

Signed: C W Sabine, Commander in Command
 

19.11.40

Gt Yarmouth

27.11.40

21/11 From FOi/c Yarmouth: Damage to FRANKLIN cannot be repaired till 28/11

27.11.40

Gt Yarmouth

5.12.40

28/11 Yeoman of Signals Ernest Tompkin C/JX133894 died aged 28.

5.12.40

Harwich

10.12.40

7/12 From F O I/c Harwich: Regret to report damage to HMS FRANKLIN during heavy gale 6/12. FRANKLIN can be made seaworthy by 5/12

10.12.40

Harwich

11.12.40

To join FS58 for Sheerness

11.12.40

Harwich

12.12.40

 

12.12.40

Southend

?

 

13.12.40

London

7.3.41

14/12 Taken in hand by London Graving Dock Co. Estimated time to complete defects A & A's 5 to 6 weeks

                                                                                                                  

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This site was last updated 17 Januar 2012