Diary of Leonard Doolan Fitzgerald, 1940-1941 - Part 2

"Collionie" was opened up at 19,000 yards, & were

hitting them repeadially, they put a shell

through our for'd funnell. And in 

return we wacked their bridge off, our

next salvo hit their boiler room, & they

began to slow speed & couple more

salvoes solved her fate, she was in our

hands. She finally stopped & crew began

to bail out, & she began to settle, we signalled

the destroyer to dash in & make she sure

she sunk by putting torpedo into her, the

first "fish" blew her fo'cstle off the second

hit her dead center, & she began too

settle faster soo she disappeared & we

told the destroyers, to pick up survivors,

we proceeded to chase, the other which

was going "hell for leather" to tell

Musso all about the Aussie cruiser

impertinence attacking two of his 

crack cruisers, & sinking one.  We

 

10.

began too "open up" again & hit her several 

times, on the super structure, but Musso

had sent out his bombers, & it is

rather difficult trying to get

range & dodge bombs & the

same time, & were also we very low

in ammunition, so we decided to abandon 

the chase, from information later

received, we could have got her

too if we had risked chasing her

another 30 miles, as her propellor,

gam jamed. on arriving back

the "Havock" had picked up 557

survivors, including the skipper

about half that number, were off

the other cruiser, - great sailors

these "Hyties" - like hell while the

destroyers were signal picking

up survivors they had a heavy

bombing attack & the "Havock"

was hit, but funny to say the only ones

killed were Italians, & the "Collionies"

skipper was badly wounded from schrapnel

on arrival we were cheered by many different

ships in the harbour, & escorted by smaller

craft, to our berth. The C & C said that

when he received our Wireless message

that we were going to attack, he sat back

& said to his batman "those mad Aussies

will do it, if anyone would".  Unfortunetly 

the skipper of "Colleonie" was badly

wounded & died.  He said to Capt. Collins

when the skipper went to visit him, that

he could not believe that we were

only a 6 inch cruiser, fo he said that

he had never seen such shooting.

I was in the funeral party at

his burial, he was buried with

full Naval honours & we fired

a salvo in honour of a brave man.

 

11.
July. 28^th.                                              

We left harbour again on

the 27.^th & did not routine patrol, had

nice weather & on the 28.^th just off

Crete we intercepted a Greek petrol

ship, which was carring petrol to

the Doloanies Isld's in these Islands

there is a Italian sea plane base.

The "Neptune" who was with us at

the time gave the crew five minutes

to take to the boats, then she opened

fire, well it was night time & it

took them 25 tries before they hit

her. Our gunnery officer said it

was the worst drop of shooting he

had seen.  When they finally did

manage to hit her she burst into 

flames, they were about 50 feet high.

it was a lovely sight. The crew only

had 5 miles to row it to the nearest

land so we left them too it.

12.

25^th. August  We proceeded to sea to cover

the B. "Ladybird" in her bombardment

on Bardia. The "Ladybird" is a river

gunboat & has too six inch, for'd & Aft

a four inch & a set of multiport m.guns

well she & two destroyers were to go

in & bombard while we stood outside

to see that nothing in the way of

sea craft, got in or out, the bombardment

was highly successful, the "Ladybird" 

drew right up under the protection of a 

cliff & threw her salvos in a perpendicular

line, so that the enemy did not

know weather they were being bombed

or shelled. We had a dull time, standing

outside & was glad when it was

over.

13.

Aug. 30^th to 5^th. Sept                                       

Left with "Orion" "Gloster

"Liverpool" & the rest of the battle fleet, to bring

reinforcements past "Pandelhria" Patrolled

along peacefully until third day out.  When 

we were fo heavily bombed the "Sydney"

herself was twice straddled. "Pan." is a

very difficult place to bring them through

there the "Ities" have a mine field from

the coast of Sicily to "Pan." with only a

narrow channel left clear. They 

also could shell us in this position

& had a M.T.B. base quite near, so

we were on our toes.  On 2^nd Sept we

got two submarines the destroyer

"Juno" rammbed one & the Old [[Defender?]]

depth charged another. Well funny

to say the Dagoes must have been

having a "make & mend" because we

had no trouble at all in getting the

reinforcements through, except that enemy

subs'. were cruising round & we were kept

on the go cruising around the "battle wagons"

with our Astic now closed up. The reinforcements

were as funnell cruiser & a sister ship

they were old ships which were converted

into A.A. ships, with them were 4 dess,

of the Lightening class & a high aircraft 
carrier the "Illusterious" & a

battle cruiser the "Valiant" they were

beautiful ships & we needed them badly.

On the way back we destroyed 10 aircraft

3 subs.  And around about "Acarpanto"

we & the "Orion" left fleet to do a

bombardment, the Orion & a destroyer

were to take the north side

of the isl. & we the south.  With us the Sydney

was the destroyer "Ilix", at dawn

on the 4^th we rushed in to attack

after a few salvoes had been fired 

 

14.

we observed two T.M.B's coming at

us at high speed, so that we would

not have our precious time taken

from bombarding we signalled the

"Ilix" to deal with them, she did a

pretty job, & managed to put both

in davies, on the 5^th we arrived

in harbour, with out losing a ship

or having one damaged in fact we

had two most modern iditions. 

15.
28^th. Sept.                               

Left Alexandria with 

fleet, their objective being to bombard

Rhodes, which is a naval & aircraft

base, used by the enemy, we proceeded
the way with them but

broke off, & headed for the

Aegean Sea, were we were to bombard

Stampalia, in the Kaso

Straits, this was to be done

with the "Orion". At midnight

we were too attack & deliver

ten, four gun salvoe's to the

enemy. all the time keeping

a sharp look out for enemy,

above surface craft.  The

firing was too be done

at 30 knots & the speed, maintained
for two hours.  This was

one of the toughest asignments

we have had, as our authorities new

nothing of Strampalia, baring that

it was an enemy base.  the enemy fleet

may have been waiting for us inside

the harbour for all we new. But

everything went off like clockwork 

all objectives were hit, we were just

missed by a salvo of shells from

the land batteries but managed

to put them out of action as well

as our other objectives. 

 

16

11^th. to 19^th. Aug. Oct                                 
We left on patrol with

the battle squadron, & patrolled around

Malta, before 8 o'clock one morning

the "Ajax" of Graf Spee's fame, which

had been cruising several hundred

miles away, signalled us that she

was engaging two enemy destroyers,

we immediately, left the fleet at full

speed to assist her. Before we had

gone half way, she signalled that

the engagement had been successful

but that she had been holed

three times. Everything was peacefull 

until we arrived at Crete, when

a submarine got inquisitive, and

came to the surface, unfortunately 

for them, as she was enemy right

beside the battleship "Ramillies"

29,000 tons, the "Ramillies" put

7 six inch salvoes into her, which blew

her out of the water.  The next day, off

Crete the "Sunderland" flying boat

"fox" sent a message saying, that

they had bombed two cruis destroyers

50 miles east.  We immediately were

at full speed in the direction, and

coming up with them, one was already

stopped, & the other was on the run,

the "York" & 9 inch cruiser, stayed

with the disabled one & all chased

the other at a merry 33⅓ knots,

but she had a hell of a start & won

the race to a "plonk" port.  The York

shelled the disabled destroyer &

hit her magazine, it was truly

a magnificent sight. the ship

was blown to pieces & sunk.  The

night before we got to Alex. The "Liverpool"

was hit by an aerial torp. & 109 killed

but by skilled seamanship she was saved

& bought home in time 

 

17.

24^th to Sunday. 27.^th. Oct.                               

Left Alex. in company

of "Orion" & two destroyers for a

trip to the Dardanelles, we were

too escort a convoy too Turkey,

& when they had unloaded & reloaded

were too escort them back.  Trip

was uneventful & we were craving

action, we had seen so much action,

that if we didn't have a crack at

somethink at least once every

fortnight we were miserable.

Well on Sunday for the first time

I saw Anzac cove, & the hights,

it was a very stiring sight for

us "aussies" & every one was on deck.

No wonder the Aussie wrote their

name in history, as soldiers, the

hights a just sheer rough cliff,

we also saw the place were they

were suppose too have landed, &

if they would have landed, I

would have liked too see the troops

that would have stopped them

reaching Constantinopal, it was

very flat co_^untry, compared to

the actual landing space. I

"had a word" with an old salt

who had actually been on a trip

they there 5 years before, & had

tramped the "battlefield" he

told me that the barb wire

intanglements were still there

the same as the day it had

been evacuated, also that there

were hundreds upon hundreds of 

skelletons, still to be scene, plus

rifles, bayonets, & ruins of guns

galore, I as well as other of

my pals, looked on the place

 

18.
in awe, & admiration, of on

Sunday night we are to go through

the straits.  We got through the

_^Aegean Straits, allright, & decreased

speed at 7a.m. we again increased

to 31 knots, & as I was in the 

Engin Room, I wondered why?

as nothing had been piped

regarding enemy craft. At

8 a.m. while I was scrubbing out

the mess, the news came through

that Greece had declared war

on Italy. (Monday 28^th Oct.). This

was received on board with great

satisfaction, as we could oil,

in a Greek port, & run the Med.

from end to end, also an airbase

& army base, could be set up on

the Isle of Crete, I think Turkey

is sh sure to be on our side now.

19.
28^th. Oct to 3 Nov.

Arriving back on the 28^th.

we shut down & oiled ship, put to

sea again at 1 p.m. the following 

morning for Greece. On the 29^th.,

at sea, it was piped that we were

proceeding to intercept a sea born

on Greece, by the Italian Navy.

& at the same time protecting

a Greek convoy bound from Alex.

to Greece, every thing was nice

& peace full all day. On the 30^th

we heard of the sinking of the

Empress of Britain, by bombs.

we are still patrolling seas around

Greece by every think is peacefull.

Suddenly at 1.30 p.m. we were

narrowly missed by a torpedo

fired from a submarine, destroyers

made short work of her. There