HMT Arab
Encyclopedia
HM Trawler Arab was a trawler launched in 1936. At the outbreak of World War II, she became a naval trawler
serving in the Royal Naval Patrol Service
(RNPS; aka "Harry Tate’s Navy"
or "Churchill’s Pirates"
) during World War II. Lieutenant Richard Been Stannard
won the Victoria Cross
(VC) while serving as her commander during the Namsos campaign
in 1940. The Admiralty returned her to her owners in 1945 and she remained in commercial service until she was scrapped at Ghent in 1963.
of South Bank-on-Tees
, (Middlesbrough
), with Hull Name Arab H293. (Smith’s Dock Company also built a number of other trawlers that would serve in the RNPS such as Phyllis Rosalie, which became HMT Amethyst
.) Arab had a displacement of 531 tons. She was launched 19 June 1936 and worked as a trawler for her owners, Hellyer Brothers Ltd., of Hull
.
commissioned her in September 1939 with the Pennant FY202, equipping and arming her for anti-submarine warfare. Lt. Richard Been Stannard
, Royal Navy Reserve, became her captain.
On 12 March 1940, Arab was escorting a convoy during which the German air force bombed the SS Statira. For his actions, Stannard received a mention in despatches.
In late April 1940, the Admiralty sent the 15th Anti-Submarine Striking Force, under Commander Sir Geoffrey Congreve, to Namsos
, Norway
, about 100 miles north of Trondheim
. The task force was to evacuate troops that had landed there on 14 April as part of the unsuccessful Namsos Campaign
.
During the five days, 28 April to 2 May, that Arab was in the fjord
, she endured 24 dive bomber
attacks, and seven higher altitude (8000/10,000 ft.) bombing attacks. The Luftwaffe
sank three other naval trawlers from A/S SF 15 at Namsfjord: HMT Aston Villa, HMT Gaul, and HMT St. Goran.
On May 3, as Arab was leaving Namsos, taking St. Goran’s crew with her, Arab managed to shoot down a Heinkel HE 111
that had ordered her to ‘steer east (i.e., back to Namsos and captivity) or be sunk’. Stannard then brought Arab safely home in spite of her damaged engines. It was for his actions and leadership during the five days at Namsos that Stannard received the VC.
Arab, with Stannard in command, served at the Dunkirk evacuation during May 26 and June 4 1940. On 29 June 1940, the Admiralty promoted Stannard to Lieutenant Commander, RNR. At the end of the year he left Arab and went on to command destroyers, earning a DSO (Distinguished Service Order
) while captain of the HMS Vimy.
On 29 January 1941, Arab, under the command of Lieutenant C.A. Shillan, was escorting Convoy SC-19. About 150 miles southwest of Rockall
, was able to torpedo the W.B. Walker. Arab came to the aid of the torpedoed vessel, and together with HMS Anthony
, took her into tow. The Walker eventually broke in half and sank, but Arab landed her master and 42 crew members (four had been lost in the torpedoing), at Gourock
.
, Belgium
.
Naval trawler
A naval trawler is a vessel built along the lines of a fishing trawler but fitted out for naval purposes. Naval trawlers were widely used during the First and Second world wars. Fishing trawlers were particularly suited for many naval requirements because they were robust boats designed to work...
serving in the Royal Naval Patrol Service
Royal Naval Patrol Service
The Royal Naval Patrol Service was a branch of the Royal Navy active during the Second World War. The RNPS operated many small auxiliary vessels such as naval trawlers for anti-submarine and minesweeping operations to protect coastal Britain and convoys during WWII.-History:The Royal Naval Patrol...
(RNPS; aka "Harry Tate’s Navy"
Harry Tate
Harry Tate was an English comedian who performed both in the music halls and in films. Born in 1872 as Ronald Macdonald Hutchinson, he worked for Henry Tate & Sons, Sugar Refiners before going on the stage, and took his stage name from them.-Career:Tate made his debut at the Oxford Music Hall in...
or "Churchill’s Pirates"
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
) during World War II. Lieutenant Richard Been Stannard
Richard Been Stannard
Captain Richard Been Stannard VC DSO RD was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
won the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
(VC) while serving as her commander during the Namsos campaign
Namsos campaign
In April and early May, 1940 Namsos and its surrounding area were the scene of heavy fighting between Anglo-French, Polish and Norwegian naval and military forces on the one hand, and German military, naval and air forces on the other...
in 1940. The Admiralty returned her to her owners in 1945 and she remained in commercial service until she was scrapped at Ghent in 1963.
Trawler
Arab was built by Smith's Dock Co.Smiths Dock Company
Smiths Dock Company, Limited, often referred to simply as Smiths Dock, was a British shipbuilding company.-History:The company was originally established by Thomas Smith who bought William Rowe's shipyard at St. Peter's in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1810 and traded as William Smith & Co. The company...
of South Bank-on-Tees
South Bank, Middlesbrough
South Bank is a small town which forms part of the Middlesbrough urban area that lies 2.3 miles from Middlesbrough centre, in North East England. As the name suggests, it lies on the south bank of the River Tees. Although it is part of the Middlesbrough conurbation, it is a ward of Redcar and...
, (Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
), with Hull Name Arab H293. (Smith’s Dock Company also built a number of other trawlers that would serve in the RNPS such as Phyllis Rosalie, which became HMT Amethyst
HMT Amethyst
HMT Amethyst was a naval trawler requisitioned by the Admiralty prior to the Second World War. She was sunk in the second year of the war....
.) Arab had a displacement of 531 tons. She was launched 19 June 1936 and worked as a trawler for her owners, Hellyer Brothers Ltd., of Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
.
War service
The AdmiraltyAdmiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
commissioned her in September 1939 with the Pennant FY202, equipping and arming her for anti-submarine warfare. Lt. Richard Been Stannard
Richard Been Stannard
Captain Richard Been Stannard VC DSO RD was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
, Royal Navy Reserve, became her captain.
On 12 March 1940, Arab was escorting a convoy during which the German air force bombed the SS Statira. For his actions, Stannard received a mention in despatches.
In late April 1940, the Admiralty sent the 15th Anti-Submarine Striking Force, under Commander Sir Geoffrey Congreve, to Namsos
Namsos
is a town and municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Namdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Namsos. Other villages in the municipality include Bangsund, Klinga, Ramsvika, Skomsvoll, and Spillum....
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, about 100 miles north of Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
. The task force was to evacuate troops that had landed there on 14 April as part of the unsuccessful Namsos Campaign
Namsos campaign
In April and early May, 1940 Namsos and its surrounding area were the scene of heavy fighting between Anglo-French, Polish and Norwegian naval and military forces on the one hand, and German military, naval and air forces on the other...
.
During the five days, 28 April to 2 May, that Arab was in the fjord
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
, she endured 24 dive bomber
Dive bomber
A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target reduces the distance the bomb has to fall, which is the primary factor in determining the accuracy of the drop...
attacks, and seven higher altitude (8000/10,000 ft.) bombing attacks. The Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
sank three other naval trawlers from A/S SF 15 at Namsfjord: HMT Aston Villa, HMT Gaul, and HMT St. Goran.
On May 3, as Arab was leaving Namsos, taking St. Goran’s crew with her, Arab managed to shoot down a Heinkel HE 111
Heinkel He 111
The Heinkel He 111 was a German aircraft designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter in the early 1930s in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Often described as a "Wolf in sheep's clothing", it masqueraded as a transport aircraft, but its purpose was to provide the Luftwaffe with a fast medium...
that had ordered her to ‘steer east (i.e., back to Namsos and captivity) or be sunk’. Stannard then brought Arab safely home in spite of her damaged engines. It was for his actions and leadership during the five days at Namsos that Stannard received the VC.
Arab, with Stannard in command, served at the Dunkirk evacuation during May 26 and June 4 1940. On 29 June 1940, the Admiralty promoted Stannard to Lieutenant Commander, RNR. At the end of the year he left Arab and went on to command destroyers, earning a DSO (Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
) while captain of the HMS Vimy.
On 29 January 1941, Arab, under the command of Lieutenant C.A. Shillan, was escorting Convoy SC-19. About 150 miles southwest of Rockall
Rockall
Rockall is an extremely small, uninhabited, remote rocky islet in the North Atlantic Ocean. It gives its name to one of the sea areas named in the shipping forecast provided by the British Meteorological Office....
, was able to torpedo the W.B. Walker. Arab came to the aid of the torpedoed vessel, and together with HMS Anthony
HMS Anthony (H40)
HMS Anthony was an A-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She served during the Second World War.-Construction and commissioning:Anthony was ordered from Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Greenock, Scotland on 6 March 1928 under the 1927 Programme...
, took her into tow. The Walker eventually broke in half and sank, but Arab landed her master and 42 crew members (four had been lost in the torpedoing), at Gourock
Gourock
Gourock is a town falling within the Inverclyde council area and formerly forming a burgh of the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It has in the past functioned as a seaside resort on the Firth of Clyde...
.
Trawler and fate
In 1945, the Admiralty returned Arab to her owners, Prince Fishing Co. Ltd., (Owen S. Hellyer, Manager). In 1947 Loch Fishing Co., Ltd., of Hull, bought her and renamed her Loch Seaforth. Loch Fishing operated her until 1963, when she was scrapped at GhentGhent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.