Publicado: Jue Oct 16, 2014 4:45 pm
por Anibal clar
*** Cablegrama ***

Se trata del viaje que hizo el recién botado acorazado King George V hacia la base de Scapa Flow.
Unos cuantos destructores se le asignaron como escolta para tal viaje hacia la base escocesa, y de estos algunos se adelantaron para vigilar la posible presencia de minas alemanas.

En la oscuridad, el HMS Fame embarrancó, y el HMS Ashanti, que le seguía a no mucha velocidad, le embistió provocándole averías en depósitos de fuel, y embarrancó también.

Para no ser menos, el HMS Maori que les seguía, también embarrancó...

El buque hundido en febrero del '42 en el Mediterraneo fue el HMS Maori, los otros dos destructores acabaron con bien la SGM.

When the new battleship King George V was completed, Ashanti formed part of her escort to Scapa Flow. The main threat was mines, and Ashanti, together with four other destroyers, took the lead in a secret, suicidal attempt to detonate any mines that may be in the area. In the darkness, Fame ran aground while at high speed in a murky drizzle. Ashanti was right behind her and, although only doing six knots, struck her, damaging fuel lines on both ships. Fame subsequently caught fire. The Tribal-class destroyer Maori also ran aground, destroying her ASDIC dome. Feelings were running high on board as no-one knew the objective of the operation. Matters were compounded as the tide was receding, and the destroyers were left beached waiting for high-tide. When high-tide came, the destroyers were swung round onto rocks and damaged yet further, Ashanti was so damaged by the rocks, that Vickers-Armstrongs sent out a repair crew to the site of the incident. Only after two weeks was Ashanti successfully re-floated and taken to Newcastle for extensive repairs and hull stiffening. It was almost a year before the ship was ready for action again.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Ashanti_(F51)

Saludos