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HMS Abercrombie
HMS Abercrombie was launched on 31st March 1942. She was built by Vickers-Armstrong at Newcastle on Tyne
She joined the Mediterranean Fleet in May 1943 and was attached to the US Task Force 85 in support of the US landings in Sicily in June and July, returning to Royal Naval service in August to prepare for the British landings in Italy.
In September 1943 she bombarded the coast between Reggio Calabria and Pessaro and provided naval gunfire to support the landings of the British XIII corps near Reggio and Villa San Giovanni. Abercrombie then returned to the US Command and joined the Southern Attack Force (TF81) to support the landings at Salerno. She was seriously damaged by a mine at Paestum. After repair she sailed to join the Eastern Fleet but did not takle part in any further actions before VJ Day. She returned to Chatham in November 1945 and was retained for Gunnery training and as an Accommodation Ship until she was sold for scrap in 1954.
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Those known to have sailed in HMS Abercrombie during the Second World War 1939-1945. The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed,
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Records of HMS Abercrombie from other sources.
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Want to know more about HMS Abercrombie? There are:1 items tagged HMS Abercrombie available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. |
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Ord.Sea. Josph Mulcahy HMS Abercrombie (d.14th December 1944) Joe Mulcahy was my best friend. We were aboard HMS Abercrombie the day she hit two mines on 21st of August 1944. We were separated in Malta and Joe joined HMS Aldenham and unfortunately lost his life when she sank on 14th of December 1944.
R.I.P. Joe. I will never forget you.
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Ord.Sea. Ernest Gaskell HMS Abercrombie I joined HMS Abercrombie in June 1944 at Tarranto, Italy. She was under repair after being mined at Salerno. After repairs we sailed to Malta and began exercises we were told before joining the the fleet which was then assembled at Tarranto for the South of France landings.
Sunday August 21st, I think, whilst at gunnery stations there was a huge explosion which shook the ship followed by another. We stopped dead in the water and things became a bit hectic. I remember that we were getting lower in the water and started bringing ammunition up on deck. I cannot remember having anything to eat that day. There was a shout and I could see two mines bobbing about on our port side. A 20mm opened up I think one sank no explosion. One was getting close to the port bow. Word came for the boat's crew to stand by and push it clear. However, it drifted clear. Late afternoon we were glad to see a tugboat appear and were towed to Malta.
I was back at sea a few days later on HMS Colombo.
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Able Sea. Ernest Gaskell HMS Abercrombie I joined HMS Abercrombie in June 1944 in Italy. My first view of her was a huge hole being repaired on her side. We left for Malta after being repaired and started knocking a pretty green crew, myself included, into shape. My memory of 21st of August 1944, a Sunday I think, is that sometime mid morning we were at gun stations when there was a violent explosion which shook us followed by a second explosion. I wasn't sure what had happened, torpedo came to mind. An old hand near by said "blow up your lifebelt scouse", something I had not thought of. We had stopped dead in the water and it didn't look good, an order came to get all ammunition up on deck. We were getting low in the water when a couple of mines bobbed up on the port side where I was working. A couple of 20mms opened up, I think they sank one with no explosion. One started bobbing close and an order came for a boat crew to stand by, but it cleared the bow. Sometime in the afternoon a tug appeared. It was a hard day, I cannot remember eating or resting all day. We made it back to Malta. I was back at sea a few days later aboard HMS Colombo. found myself on board a very efficient ship on route to Alexandre from where started to operate in the Aegean sea our job was to support the operation to re-occupy islands in the Eastern Mediterranean held by German troops. It was a busy time, I can't remember all the names of the island's we bombarded once to cover a commando landing. In the build up to the re-occupation of Greece we bombarded shore targets at Heraklion, Crete and Aegina Island in the Gulf of Athens. We were then transferred to the Adriatic to provide AA defence in support of military operations deployed at Zarder we accepted surrender of German forces. We set out for the UK in early May 1945 via Malta. The war in Europe finished on the way. I have been asked how we celebrated the wars end. I remember that when the news came through I was on the mess deck.There was hardly a sound. Some of my shipmates had been abroad two years and four months,I had been a year. I still remember that I walked aft, Cape Bonn was on the port side I remember that, I sat down and said Thank God.
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Gnr. Edison Thomas "Taff" Jones HMS Aurora Eddie Jones served on HMS Abercrombie and HMS Aurora, apparently the late actor Kenneth Moore served on one of these ships, not sure which one. One story I was told was that of a football match between the navy boys and some bare footed Guerkas in which apparently, the navy took a beating on a red hot deck by these bare footed soldiers. My lasting memory of which Eddie told me was how after months on end in the Med he recalled crying for hours on end up on the deck, with not a sight of anything at all during this time, just this vast expanse of water. Eddie came out of the navy after the war and moved in with my nan and granddad just outside Worcester as a lodger working the local farms before working for the railway up until retirement. Eddie died in 2001 aged 77 but will never be forgotten. I would love to hear from anyone who knew him.
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