Comments by "51WCDodge" (@51WCDodge) on "Submarine Chasers of the U.S. Navy" video.

  1. From the book Send Another Signal by Jack Bromme. A Canadian Corvette in an Atlantic Convoy was seen to be flying the Church Pennant, A course flag and an Itergoatory flag. When signalled by the Convoy Commodore 'What signal are you flying? The reply was Oh God! Where am I?
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  2.  @John-ru5ud  WATU was at first considered a waste of time by the British. The Western approacehs Flag officer, forget his name, went along to see what they did, on the second floor of a warehouse in Liverpool with about two dozen people. He was invited to join a wargame, being an experienced submariner, he took the boat. He was thourgly beaten three times. On demanding to meet his opponet, he was introduced to an Eighteen year old girl. He never questioned them again.
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  3. Look up Higgin's story. From assisting Rum Runners to building Revenue Cutters to cornering the market in stocks of wood for his design, then selling the design to the US Goverment. Guy had some front.
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  4. Two other books you might enjoy The Shetland Bus by David J Howarth, that deals with the Shetland -Norway routes, and the attack on Tirpitz. The Battle of the Narrow Seas by Peter Scott, that deals with the RN coastal boats , MTB's MGB's and the Steam Gun Boats in the English Channel. Scott is better known for the Slimbridge Wildfowl Trust in Norfolk, and was also an artist. All the illustrations of the book are drawn or painted by him.
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  5.  @tommy-er6hh  Yes , in coastal waters and harbour entrances German U Boats and aircraft laid 'Influence Mines' Magnetic , acioustic or a mixture of both fuses. Wooden hulled ships and aircraft with giant electro magnetic loops under the fusalage were used. A lot of fishing trawlers and drifters of the Royal Naval Patrol Servcie did the work. They also did Ocean escort as rescue ships including the infamous P17 convoy. De Gaussing wa sanothe rpreventive method . A large cable was wiped up the hull of steel ships to neauterlise the magnetic feild. Played merry hell with the compass swinging. One such Degaussing station was on the River Thames near Coalhouse Fort, just down river from Tilbury. Buildings are still there. The accoustic sweep was a large metal frame with a giant bell and clapper towed astern of the ship. Codename Foxer.
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  6. About 300 if I remember . A mile from me is the site of the last Civillian killed by a V2 in the Second World War. Poor women was in her kitchen preparin a meal.
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  7. A lot of British didn't like American's. Over Paid Over Sexed and Over Here. People were and always will be people.
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  8. Nice to know there are decent intillgent people out there . Afternoon Tea is just about due.
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  9.  @trooperdgb9722  I suppose our equivalent would be The British Power Boat Company and Camper & Nicolson, they desingned a number of small craft
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  10.  @ronfullerton3162  Something to add to the conversation when the buggers turn up on the doorstep
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  11. A general thank you to THG, and those that comment. Nice to have intellegent interactions over the internet with people.
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  12.  @ericgrace9995  One of Britains problems was The Subsidy Scheme.Prior to vehicles the British Army had hired horses, mainly from the Railways, for excercises. When motor vehicles came in a subsidy was set for basic specs , If I remember originally about £120, a fair sum for any buyer who, in time of National Emergency would turn the vehicle over to the army. Of course every manufacturer jumped on the band wagon, as did the buyers, so a dozen or more diffrent Subsidy lorrys were built. Each to difffrent specification, each requiring it 's own spares, and each unique to the manufactuer. The US had one set of specs , any plant could build to those specs and many parts were interchangable. Back at the 60th anniversary of D-Day , I was in France as part of a major living history event at Goldbeach Ver Sur Mer. A friend was having trouble with his Morris C8 truck. We couldn't sort the thing out. Two old French guys , real scruffy old peaseants came around to look, with them was a guy about my age. He asked what we doing I explained, he told the old guys then said can my father and uncle have a look. Dave the owner of the truck said Why not. Off came the jackets thses two old guys were under the bonnet muttering away and fiddling then one popped out stuck his thumb out and said OK . The truck started and ran perfectly. Turned out these old guys actually started and owned the biggest haulage firm in the area. The begining had been after D-Day they had dragged in a dozen so wrecked trucks and got three or four working, then approached the Allies offering to transport civillian supplies about. The Army, only to pleased to get that responsobility of thier chest agreed and supplied them fuel etc. They knew the old trucks intimatley. The young guy said he hadn't seen them so happy in years. They were well rewarded with the standard british tea and biscuits and we all heard a lot of good stories. :-)
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  13. I agree, it is the Big Ships posing for pictures, the little ones were just to busy.
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  14.  @trooperdgb9722  Its the Swedish Blockade runners that have always been an intrest to me. A high speed ocean going wooden merchant man.
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  15. The mine hunters, you no longer just sweep , you go looking for them. Are mostly GRP now, but a lot of wood is still used in fitting as non magnetic.
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  16. In the Great War Blimps were also used for anti submarine patrols. On the Wardershare Estate near Dover there is a narrow valley , with a pit dug in the bottom, known as Airship. The Blimps were brought in to the valley and the gondolas fitted into the pit.
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  17. One whale saysto the other 'Bloody hell! What does it take to get these guys of our backs? :-)
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  18. They were used in the Great War for that as well. As part of the Dover Patrol.
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  19.  @dariorazum6121  The Flowers Class sometimes called the Gladioli class afte rthe lead ship. A lot built in Canada.They heavily influenced the 1950' 60's and in Sea Cadet use 1970's class of Ton Minesweepers in the RN.
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  20. Thhe type you are reffering to is the Flower Class, hence the 'Rose ' in the name of the ship in the film. They are sometimes refffered to the Gladioli clas safter the name ship of the class.
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  21.  @robinwells8879  Pleasure , try The Shetland Bus by Davaid J Howarth and the Battle of the Narrow Seas by Peter Scott. One of the joys of THG, you get to talk with other intresting people.
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  22.  @BobSmith-dk8nw  A few years back for one of HM's anniversary there was a pardae of WW2 vehicles at Buckinham Palace. A friend of mine had a Canadian Dodge APT (Air Portable Trcuk) Looks like mine suprficially but many detail diffrences. He was invited to display the vehicles. HM came out and went stright to the APT, and spent about ten minutes talkin to him. Afterwards Princess Anne came up to him and told him as her Mother had walked out a flunkey had pointed out the Austin K2 amnulance. Her reply was 'Horrible things, I want to see the APT'. She knew exactaly what it was. His ego took about two years to deflate.
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  23.  @ericgrace9995  BUT! and this is the funny thing, in the 1930's US military was amongst the least motorised forces. It was this realisation that led to the US Quartermaster service issuing out a number of requirments 1/4 Ton, 1/2 ton, no 3/4 ton you notice, 2 1/2 ton and specialist vehicles. Anothe requirment wa sto use as far a spossible commercial parts already in production. The Jeep the 1/2 Ton Dodge and the Duce and a half were the rsult. As far a sMy 3/4 tonners go, Dodge after testing decided they could do better. So as a private venture the develoed the WC range, using up to 80% of the earlier VC range. When they had done this they approached the USQM toreopen the specs. The 3/4 ton wa ssuch an improvement they did. The result is my two treasures. Not only that but a comprhensive traing and logistic train were put in place to support the vehicles. It worked the WC range are tough reliable, suprisngly user friendly, or probably better described as forgiving, and a joy to drive and show :-)
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  24. Sorry about typing, early morning here , getting a bit worn.
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  25.  @ericgrace9995  Yeah well the M6 Tank Destroyer. A 37mm hanging on the back of a 3/4 ton Dodge truck. I won't hear a word against the vehicle, but they do have limitations. The 37 mm gun was about much use against Panzer 3 and above as throwing a brick at it. The half track mounted 75mm (M3?) as seen in Kelly Heroes, was a very high mount and the vehcile was very thin armour, though better than the M6. Given all the limitaions the US were on a very steep learning curve, and they learnt quickly.
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  26. The Flowers also did ocean escort, ther ewa salso the Royal Naval Patrol Servcie , they used fishing vessels and some small coasters.
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  27.  @BHuang92  Trawlers and other fishing craft including Whalers did a lot of under appreciated convoy work in both wars.
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  28. There is one of thier tugs in Jersey in the Channel Island's. You may see it on Goggle Earth in St Helier Harbour. Though it is in camouflage!
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  29. The Big ships pose for pictures, the small ones are to busy working. The Royal Navy otherwise known as the Andrew, which is a story in itself, had black seaman for centuries before this. The Britsh equivalent were the Flower Class Corvetes, plus what ever trawlers and drifters of the Royal Naval Patrol Service, could be got hold off. Wooden hulls make ideal mine sweepers, especially in costal waters were the German U Boats and aircraft laid 'Influence Mines' either accoustic or magnetic. May I suggest you also look up the history of PT Boat Squadron 34 in the English Channel and particullaly PT 509 &503?. Those guyd do deserve remebering. Thanks as always for another intresting , relaxaing and educational tea breack. Two book suggestions, The Shetland Bus by David J Howarth and The Battle of the Narrow Seas by Peter Scott, later better known for the Slimbridge Waterfowl Trust and as an artist.
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  30. There are anecdotal stories of Britsh and US troops coming to blows over how black troops wer etreated in US Forces.Plus similar stories of tension when British Civillians would not segregate black and white at social events.
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  31.  @shawnr771  Just a diffrence in attitude. as in US there are exceptional stories of Black people , the same in UK, Generally, you still get the idiots. But there was no official defined segregation.
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  32.  @BobSmith-dk8nw  Swaings and roundaboiuts, don't forget the British also taught the US code breacking and Sigint techniques, including the development of Bombes and Colossous to breack japanese codes. I won't voice an opinion on the IBM claim to the First electronic computer.
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  33.  @John-ru5ud  Thank you. Couldn't remeber , it's the age you know.
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  34.  @John-ru5ud  True.
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  35.  @BobSmith-dk8nw  I' m well aware of the US industrial capacity. I have in my care two 1944 Dodge 3/4 ton trucks. A WC51 Weapons Carrier and WC54 Ambulance. If you drive the comparable Britsh vehicles of the time, you know why I have the Dodges!
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  36.  @DawnOfTheDead991  The Britsh Admiralty, and the shipping owners had learnt that mistake in the Great War. Though some bright spark wanted to teach Seagulls to crap on the U Boat periscopes, so every country has 'Em
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  37.  @BobSmith-dk8nw  One of the best times I have had with my WC51 was driving down a road in Belgium after Midnight with a thunder storm on the horizon. I just couldn't get out of my mind the thought of a grizzled seargent chewing his cigar , cuddling his Thompson muttering 'It's to quiet guys! Just to quite'. And I was sober at the time:-)
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  38.  @ericgrace9995  There are photos on the CIOS website showing British vehicles in German service in the Channel Islands , and French tanks. A lot of the Artillery in the Western Wall was also captured picies, including some dating back to the late 19th century.
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  39.  @dariorazum6121  Convoy PQ17 is the , well, most infamous example of where auxilary naval craft like Trawlers were decisive. They operated under a completly diffrent flag and command. The Royal Naval Patrol Service.
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  40.  @DawnOfTheDead991  Well on my little rock they are remembered https://www.cios.org.je/news/2015/pt-boats-wreath-laying-ceremony/
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  41. See also The Royal Naval Patrol Service. Fishing vessels used for same purpose.
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  42.  @TheHistoryGuyChannel  Yes they were expected to , and did ocean escort.
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  43. Look up Western Approches Tactical school. Where an experienced Submariner RN Captain didn't belive they were of any use. He was invited to join a wargame, and got beaten three times, once driven off , two sunk. He demanded to know who his opponet was. They introduced him to an 18 year old girl. After that he was great supporter.
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  44. Something to chuck into the conversation the next time the pests are on the doorstep. :-)
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  45.  Aussie Cockatoo  What's the details?
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