ANNIVERSARIES

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02-04
(p)ira TERRORISM / HER MAJESTY’s FORCES
1974-02-04: ‘M62 COACH BOMBING’ KILLS 12, 9 SOLDIERS & 3 CIVILIANS, WOUNDING 38 SOLDIERS & CIVILIANS!
The M62 COACH BOMBING happened on 4 February 1974 on the M62 motorway in northern England, when a ‘provisional irish republican army (ira)’ bomb exploded in a coach carrying off-duty British Armed Forces personnel and their family members. Twelve people (nine soldiers, three civilians) were killed by the bomb, which consisted of 25 pounds (11 kg) of high explosive hidden in a luggage locker on the coach.
The BOMBING
The coach had been specially commissioned to carry British Army and Royal Air Force personnel on leave with their families from and to the bases at Catterick and Darlington during a period of railway strike action. The vehicle had departed from Manchester and was making good progress along the motorway. Shortly after midnight, when the bus was between junction 26 and 27, near Oakwell Hall, there was a large explosion on board. Most of those aboard were sleeping at the time. The blast, which could be heard several miles away, reduced the coach to a "tangle of twisted metal" and threw body parts up to 250 yards (230 m).
The explosion killed eleven people outright and wounded over fifty others, one of whom died four days later. Amongst the dead were nine soldiers – two from the Royal Artillery, three from the Royal Corps of Signals and four from the 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. One of the latter was Corporal Clifford Haughton, whose entire family, consisting of his wife Linda and his sons Lee (5) and Robert (2), also died. Numerous others suffered severe injuries, including a six-year-old boy, who was badly burned.
The driver of the coach, Roland Handley, was injured by flying glass, but was hailed as a hero for bringing the coach safely to a halt. Handley died, aged 76, after a short illness, in January 2011.[4]
Suspicions immediately fell upon the so-called ‘ ira’, which was in the midst of an armed campaign in Britain involving numerous operations, later including the Guildford pub bombing and the Birmingham pub bombings.
Reaction
Reactions in Britain were furious, with senior politicians from all parties calling for immediate action against the perpetrators and the ira in general. The British media were equally condemnatory; according to The Guardian, it was "the worst ira outrage on the British mainland" at that time, whilst the BBC has described it as "one of the ira's worst mainland terror attacks". The Irish Sunday Business Post later described it as the "worst" of the "awful atrocities perpetrated by the ira" during this period.
The attack's most lasting consequence was the adoption of much stricter 'anti-terrorism' laws in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, allowing police to hold those 'suspected of terrorism' for up to seven days without charge, and to deport those 'suspected of terrorism' in Britain or the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland to face trial, where special courts judged with separate rules on 'terrorism' suspects.
The entrance hall of the westbound section of the Hartshead Moor service area was used as a first aid station for those wounded in the blast. A memorial to those who were killed was later created there. Following a campaign by relatives of the dead, a larger memorial was later erected, set some yards away from the entrance hall. The site, situated behind four flag poles, includes an English oak tree, a memorial stone, a memorial plaque and a raised marble tablet inscribed with the names of those who died.
A memorial plaque engraved with the names of the casualties was also unveiled in Oldham in 2010.
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:( :( :( There's two young children on that list, the entire Haughton family it appears. May they all Rest In Peace.
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ANNIVERSARIES

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prcscct wrote::( :( :( There's two young children on that list, the entire Haughton family it appears. May they all Rest In Peace.
And yet, Gerry Adams, Martin McGuiness, Mitchell McClaughlin , Gerry Kelly etc are alive!

Why!
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Are we assuming that only British nationals were killed in vain.
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Re: ANNIVERSARIES

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I'm looking forward to the 13th of April. Hopefully that will be here as well.
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02-10
ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY
1964-02-10: HMAS VOYAGER SINKS AFTER COLLISION WITH LOSS OF 81CREW (+ 1 WORKER) – R.I.P.
On 10 February 1964, Voyager was performing trials off Jervis Bay, under the command of Captain Duncan Stevens.
The aircraft carrier HMAS MELBOURNE, under the command of Captain John Robertson, was also undergoing post-refit trials off Jervis Bay. The trials involved interactions between both ships, and when Melbourne performed night flying exercises that evening, Voyager acted as the carrier's plane guard escort. This required Voyager to maintain a position 20° off Melbourne's port quarter at a distance from the carrier of 1,500 to 2,000 yards (1,400 to 1,800 m).
During the early part of the evening, Voyager had no difficulties maintaining her position during the manoeuvres both ships performed. Following a series of turns intended to reverse the courses of both ships beginning at 8:40 pm, Voyager ended up to starboard of Melbourne.
At 8:52 pm, Voyager was ordered to resume the plane guard station.
The procedure to accomplish this required Voyager to turn away from Melbourne in a large circle, cross the carrier's stern, then take position off Melbourne's port side.
Instead, Voyager first turned to starboard, away from Melbourne, then turned to port without warning.
It was initially assumed by Melbourne's bridge crew that Voyager was conducting a series of tight turns to lose speed before swinging behind Melbourne, but Voyager did not alter course again.
At 8:55 pm, with Voyager still turning to port, Melbourne's navigator ordered the carrier's engines to half astern speed, with Robertson ordering an increase to full astern a few seconds later.
At the same time, Stevens, returning to Voyager's bridge from the nearby chart table, gave the order "Full ahead both engines. Hard a-starboard.", before instructing the destroyer's Quartermaster to announce that a collision was imminent.
Both ships' measures were too late to avoid a collision; Melbourne hit Voyager at 8:56 pm.
Melbourne struck just aft of Voyager's bridge structure, rolling the destroyer to starboard before cutting her in half.
Voyager's forward boiler exploded, briefly setting fire to the bow of the carrier before it was extinguished by seawater.
The destroyer's forward section sank quickly, due to the weight of the two 4.5-inch (110 mm) gun turrets. The aft section did not begin sinking until half an hour after the collision, and did not completely submerge until just after midnight.
Messages were sent to the Fleet Headquarters in Sydney immediately after the collision, although staff in Sydney initially underestimated the extent of the damage to Voyager.
Melbourne launched her boats almost immediately after the collision to recover survivors, and the carrier's wardroom and C Hangar were prepared for casualties.
At 9:58 pm, Melbourne was informed that search-and-rescue boats from HMAS Creswell, helicopters from HMAS Albatross (Naval Air Station Nowra), and five Ton class minesweepers had been despatched to assist in the search.

Of the 314 personnel aboard VOYAGER at the time of the collision, 14 OFFICERS and 67 SAILORS were killed, including Stevens and all but two of the bridge crew. A civilian dockyard worker also lost his life.
The wreck of the destroyer lies in 600 fathoms (1,100 m) of water, 20 nautical miles (37 km) from Point Perpendicular on a bearing of 120°.
Chief Petty Officer JONATHAN ROGERS was posthumously awarded the GEORGE CROSS for his actions during the sinking. Recognising that he was too large to fit through the escape hatch, he organised the evacuation of those who could escape, then led those stuck in the compartment in prayers and hymns as they died.
Posthumous ALBERT MEDALS FOR LIFESAVING were awarded to Midshipman KERRY MARIEN and Electrical Mechanic WILLIAM CORDEN for their actions in saving other Voyager personnel at the cost of their own lives.
The awards were listed in the 19 March 1965 issue of the London Gazette, along with one George Medal, five British Empire Medals for Gallantry, and three Queen's Commendations for Brave Conduct for Voyager personnel.
Memorial Parks were established at Huskisson, New South Wales and East Hills, New South Wales. The latter Park became part of the suburb of Voyager Point, New South Wales, which was originally an estate in East Hills accommodating the spouses and children of RAN personnel.
Memorials were also erected at the RAN training establishment HMAS Cerberus and the Devonport Maritime Museum.
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02-27/28
NETHERLANDS ROYAL NAVY / ROYAL NAVY
1942-02-27/28: BATTLE Of The JAVA SEA, SINKING Of HNLMS De RUYTER, JAVA & KORTENAER; HMS ELECTRA & JUPITER WITH A TOTAL LOSS Of 1,100 LIVES – R.I.P.
The BATTLE of the JAVA SEA was a decisive naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II.
Allied navies suffered a disastrous defeat at the hand of the Imperial Japanese Navy, on 27 February 1942, and in secondary actions over successive days. The American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDACOM) Strike Force Commander—REAR-ADMIRAL KAREL DOORMAN—was killed.
The aftermath of the battle included several smaller actions around Java, including the smaller but also significant Battle of Sunda Strait. These defeats led to Japanese occupation of the entire Netherlands East Indies.
At the time, the battle was the largest surface ship engagement since the Battle of Jutland in 1916.
BATTLE
The Japanese amphibious forces gathered to strike at Java, and on 27 February 1942, the main American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDACOM) naval force, under Doorman, sailed northeast from Surabaya to intercept a convoy of the Eastern Invasion Force approaching from the Makassar Strait. The ABDA Eastern Strike Force, as it was known, consisted of two heavy cruisers (HMS Exeter and USS Houston), three light cruisers (Doorman's flagship HNLMS De Ruyter, HNLMS Java, HMAS Perth), and nine destroyers (HMS Electra, HMS Encounter, HMS Jupiter, HNLMS Kortenaer, HNLMS Witte de With, USS Alden, USS John D. Edwards, USS John D. Ford, and USS Paul Jones).
The Japanese task force protecting the convoy, commanded by Rear-Admiral Takeo Takagi,consisted of two heavy (Nachi and Haguro) and two light cruisers (Naka and Jintsū) and 14 destroyers (Yūdachi, Samidare, Murasame, Harusame, Minegumo, Asagumo, Yukikaze, Tokitsukaze, Amatsukaze, Hatsukaze, Yamakaze, Kawakaze, Sazanami, and Ushio) including the 4th Destroyer Squadron under the command of Rear Admiral Shoji Nishimura. The Japanese heavy cruisers were much more powerful, armed with ten 8 in (203 mm) guns each and superb torpedoes. By comparison, Exeter was armed only with six 8 in (203 mm) guns. While Houston carried nine 8 in (203 mm) guns, only six remained operable after her aft turret had been knocked out in an earlier air attack.
The ABDA force engaged the Japanese in the Java Sea, and the battle raged intermittently from mid-afternoon to midnight as the Allies tried to reach and attack the troop transports of the Java invasion fleet, but they were repulsed by superior firepower. The Allies had local air superiority during the daylight hours, because Japanese air power could not reach the fleet in the bad weather. The weather also hindered communications, making cooperation between the many Allied parties involved—in reconnaissance, air cover and fleet headquarters—even worse than it already was. The Japanese also jammed the radio frequencies. Exeter was the only ship in the battle equipped with radar, an emerging technology at the time.
The battle consisted of a series of attempts over a seven-hour period by Doorman's Combined Striking Force to reach and attack the invasion convoy; each was rebuffed by the escort force with heavy losses being inflicted on the Allies.
The fleets sighted each other at about 16:00 on 27 February and closed to firing range, opening fire at 16:16. Both sides exhibited poor gunnery and torpedo skills during this phase of the battle. Despite her recent refit (with the addition of modern Type 284 gunnery control radar), Exeter's gun-fire did not come close to the Japanese ships, while Houston only managed to achieve a straddle on one of the opposing cruisers. The only notable result of the initial gunnery exchange was Exeter being critically damaged by a hit in the boiler room from an 8 in (203 mm) shell. The ship then limped away to Surabaya, escorted by Witte de With.
The Japanese launched two huge torpedo salvoes, 92 in all, but scored only(?) one hit, on Kortenaer. She was struck by a Long Lance, broke in two and sank rapidly after the hit.
HMS ELECTRA—covering Exeter—engaged in a duel with Jintsū and Asagumo, scoring several hits but suffering severe damage to her superstructure. After a serious fire started on Electra and her remaining turret ran out of ammunition, abandon ship was ordered. On the Japanese side, only Asagumo was forced to retire because of damage.
The Allied fleet broke off and turned away around 18:00, covered by a smoke screen laid by the four destroyers of U.S Destroyer Division 58 (DesDiv 58). They also launched a torpedo attack but at too long a range to be effective. Doorman's force turned south toward the Java coast, then west and north as night fell in an attempt to evade the Japanese escort group and fall on the convoy. It was at this point the ships of DesDiv 58—their torpedoes expended—left on their own initiative to return to Surabaya.
Shortly after, at 21:25, HMS JUPITER ran onto a mine and was sunk, while about 20 minutes later, the fleet passed where Kortenaer had sunk earlier, and Encounter was detached to pick up survivors.
Doorman's command, now reduced to four cruisers, again encountered the Japanese escort group at 23:00; both columns exchanged fire in the darkness at long range, until De RUYTER and JAVA were sunk, by one devastating torpedo salvo. Doorman and most of his crew went down with De RUYTER; only 111 were saved from both ships.
Only the cruisers Perth and Houston remained; low on fuel and ammunition, and following Doorman's last instructions, the two ships retired, arriving at Tanjung Priok on 28 February. Although the Allied fleet did not reach the invasion fleet, the battle did give the defenders of Java a one-day respite.


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02-28/03-01
ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY / US NAVY
1942-02-28/03-01: BATTLE Of The SUNDA STRAIT – CRUISERS HMAS PERTH & USS HOUSTON SUNK WITH A TOTAL LOSS Of 1,046 LIVES
HMAS PERTH was a modified Leander-class light cruiser operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) during the early part of World War II. She was constructed for the Royal Navy, where she was commissioned as HMS AMPHION in 1936. After several years on the North America and West Indies Station, the cruiser was transferred to the RAN in 1939 and re-commissioned as HMAS PERTH.
BATTLE of the SUNDA STRAIT
1942-02-28: Perth and Houston sailed at 19:00 (Evertsen was delayed), with Perth leading. The Allies believed that Sunda Strait was free of enemy vessels, but a large Japanese force had assembled at Bantam Bay. At 23:06, the two cruisers were off St. Nicholas Point when lookouts on Perth sighted an unidentified ship; when it was realised that she was a Japanese destroyer, Perth engaged. However, as this happened, multiple Japanese warships appeared and surrounded the two Allied ships.
At midnight, with ammunition running low, CAPTAIN HECTOR WALLER ordered his ship to try to force a way through. Just as Perth settled on a new heading, four Japanese torpedoes hit the cruiser in the space of a few minutes. The first hit on the starboard side and damaged the forward engine room, the second caused a hull breach near the bridge, the third impacted in the starboard aft area, and the fourth struck on the port side.
Waller gave the order to abandon ship after the second torpedo impact. After some further close-range fire from the destroyers, Perth heeled to port and sank at 00:25 on 1 March 1942, with 353 killed: 342 RAN (including WALLER), five Royal Navy, three Royal Australian Air Force, three civilian canteen workers, and the ship's mascot - a black cat called Red Lead.
Houston was torpedoed and sank about 20 minutes later. Of the 328 survivors, four died after reaching shore, while the rest were captured as prisoners of war. 106 died during their internment: 105 naval and 1 RAAF, including 38 killed by Allied attacks on Japanese "hell ships". The surviving 218 were repatriated after the war.
USS HOUSTON
USS HOUSTON (CL/CA-30) was a Northampton-Class cruiser of the United States Navy. She was the second Navy ship to bear the name "Houston". She was commissioned on 17 June 1930.
Houston and Perth reached Tanjong Priok on 28 February, where they attempted to resupply, but were met with fuel shortages and no available ammunition. The two cruisers were ordered to sail to Tjilatjap with Dutch destroyer Evertsen, but departed at 17:00 without Evertsen, which was delayed. The Allies believed that Sunda Strait was free of enemy vessels, with the last intelligence reports indicating that Japanese warships were no closer than 50 miles (43 nmi; 80 km), but a large Japanese force had assembled at Bantam Bay. At 23:06, the two cruisers were off St. Nicholas Point when lookouts on Perth sighted an unidentified ship; when it was realized that she was a Japanese destroyer, Perth engaged. However, as this happened, multiple Japanese warships appeared and surrounded the two Allied ships.
The two cruisers evaded the nine torpedoes launched by the destroyer Fubuki. According to ABDA post-battle reports, the cruisers then reportedly sank one transport and forced three others to beach, but were blocked from passing through Sunda Strait by a destroyer squadron, and had to contend with the heavy cruisers Mogami and Mikuma in close proximity. At midnight, Perth attempted to force a way through the destroyers, but was hit by four torpedoes in the space of a few minutes, then subject to close-range gunfire until sinking at 00:25 on 1 March.
On board Houston, shells were in short supply in the forward turrets, so the crew manhandled shells from the disabled number three turret to the forward turrets. Houston was struck by a torpedo shortly after midnight, and began to lose headway. Houston's gunners had scored hits on three different destroyers and sunk a minesweeper, but was struck by three more torpedoes in quick succession. CAPTAIN ALBERT ROOKS was killed by a bursting shell at 00:30, and as the ship came to a stop, Japanese destroyers moved in, machine-gunning the decks. A few minutes later, Houston rolled over and sank.
Of the 1,061 aboard, 368 survived, including 24 of the 74-man Marine detachment, only to be captured by the Japanese and interned in prison camps.
Aftermath
Houston's fate was not fully known by the world for almost nine months, and the full story of her last fight was not told until the survivors were liberated from prison camps at the end of the war. Before then, on 30 May 1942, 1,000 new recruits for the Navy, known as the Houston Volunteers, were sworn in at a dedication ceremony in downtown Houston, to replace those believed lost on Houston. On 12 October 1942 the light cruiser Vicksburg (CL-81), then under construction, was renamed Houston in honor of the old ship, President Roosevelt declaring: “Our enemies have given us the chance to prove that there will be another USS Houston, and yet another USS Houston if that becomes necessary, and still another USS Houston as long as American ideals are in jeopardy.”
CAPTAIN ROOKS received posthumously the MEDAL Of HONOR for his actions.
CHAPLAIN GEORGE S. RENTZ, who had surrendered his life jacket to a younger sailor after finding himself in the water, was posthumously awarded the NAVY CROSS. He was the only Navy Chaplain to be so honored during World War II.
The crew of Houston is honored alongside that of Perth at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, and also in St John's Anglican Church, Fremantle.

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02-28
ROYAL ULSTER CONSTABULARY
1985-02-28: ‘NEWRY MORTAR ATTACK’ –
ira TERRORISTS MURDER 9 RUC OFFICERS, WOUND c. 40!
On 28 February 1985, the so-called ‘provisional irish republican army (pira)’ launched a heavy mortar attack on the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) base at Corry Square in Newry, Northern Ireland. The attack killed nine RUC officers and injured almost 40 others; the highest death toll ever suffered by the RUC. Afterwards, a major building scheme was begun, to give police and military bases better protection from such attacks.
The ira —particularly its South Armagh brigade—had repeatedly attacked the British Army and RUC with home-made mortars, but with limited success. Between 1973 and early 1978 a total of 71 mortar attacks were recorded, but none caused direct British Army or RUC deaths.
There were only two deadly mortar attacks before 1985:
The first was on 19 March 1979, when Private Peter Woolmore of the Queen's Regiment was killed in a mortar attack on Newtownhamilton British Army Base.
The second was on 12 November 1983, when an RUC officer was killed and several hurt in a mortar attack on Carrickmore RUC base.

The ATTACK
The attack was jointly planned by members of the South Armagh brigade and an ira unit in Newry. The homemade mortar launcher, dubbed the 'Mark 10', was bolted on to the back of a Ford lorry that had been hijacked in Crossmaglen.
Shortly after 6.30PM on 28 February, nine shells were launched from the lorry, which had been parked on Monaghan Street, about 250 yards (230 m) from the base.
At least one 50 lb shell landed on a portacabin containing a canteen, where many officers were having their evening tea break. Nine police officers were killed and 37 people were hurt, including 25 civilian police employees; the highest death toll inflicted on the RUC in its history. Another shell hit the observation tower, while the rest landed inside and outside the perimeter of the base.

Aftermath
The day was dubbed "Bloody Thursday" by the British press. British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, called the attack "barbaric", while Ireland's Prime Minister, Garret FitzGerald, said it was "cruel and cynical", and pledged the help of the Irish security forces to catch those responsible.
Although not involved in the attack, Newry ira member Eamon Collins was arrested shortly afterwards and interrogated. After five days of questioning, Collins broke under interrogation and turned supergrass, leading to more than a dozen arrests of other ira members.
The attack prompted calls from unionist politicians to "increase security", and the British government launched a multi-million pound programme of construction to protect bases from similar attacks. This involved installing reinforced roofs and building blast-deflecting walls around the base of buildings.
After the successful attack in Newry, the ira carried out a further nine mortar attacks in 1985.
On 4 September, an RUC training centre in Enniskillen was attacked; 30 cadets narrowly escaped death due to poor intelligence-gathering by the IRA unit responsible. The cadets were expected to be in bed sleeping, but were instead eating breakfast when the bombs landed.
In November 1986, the ira launched another attack on the RUC Base in Newry, but the bombs fell short of their target and landed on residential houses. A four-year-old Catholic girl was badly wounded and another 38 people were hurt, prompting the ira to admit that "this incident left us open to justified criticism"!
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03-01
ROYAL NAVY / US NAVY
1942-03-01: 2nd BATTLE Of The JAVA SEA – SINKING Of HMS EXETER, HMS ENCOUNTER & USS POPE WITH A TOTAL LOSS Of c. 59 CREWMEN.
Of The c. 800 SURVIVORS 190 DIED IN CAPTIVITY – R.I.P.
The 2nd BATTLE of the JAVA SEA was the last naval action of the Netherlands East Indies Campaign, of 1941–42. It occurred on 1 March 1942, two days after the 1st Battle of the Java Sea. It saw the end of the last Allied warships operating in the waters around Java, allowing Japanese forces to complete their conquest of the Netherlands East Indies unhindered
The Battle
At 04:00 on 1 March, ships were sighted to the west; being in no condition for a battle, HMS EXETER and her consorts reversed course, turning northwest to avoid contact. More ships were sighted at 07:50, bearing southwest; again, the Allied ships had to alter course to avoid them.
At 09:35, two heavy cruisers were sighted approaching from the south; these were Nachi and Haguro of the Eastern Invasion Force with two destroyers, under Admiral Takeo Takagi, whom they had met two days previously at the battle of the Java Sea. EXETER and the destroyers turned northeast and increased speed, but soon sighted more ships approaching from the northwest; this was Admiral Ibo Takahashi, with the heavy cruisers Ashigara and Myōkō and two destroyers.
HMS ENCOUNTER and USS POPE responded by making smoke, and later attempted a torpedo attack, while EXETER returned fire, but at 11:20 EXETER sustained a major hit in her boiler room, resulting in a loss of power and slowing her to 4 kn (4.6 mph; 7.4 km/h). As the four Japanese cruisers closed in on Exeter, Encounter and Pope were ordered to make all speed for a nearby rain squall, in an attempt to shake off pursuit; wracked by gunfire, EXETER was brought to a standstill, and the destroyer Inazuma closed in for a torpedo attack. EXETER sank at 11:40, 97 mi (84 nmi; 156 km) south of Borneo.
The cruisers switched their attention to the fleeing destroyers; HMS ENCOUNTER was quickly hit by 8 in (200 mm) shell fire and sunk, but POPE was able to reach the rain squall and was lost to sight. The respite was short-lived, however; shortly after noon she was spotted by planes from the aircraft carrier Ryūjō, which was covering the Western Invasion Force; she was dive-bombed and sunk around 13:50 having fired all of her torpedoes and 140 salvoes of naval gunfire.
The following day, the Japanese destroyers Ikazuchi and Inazuma rescued 442 survivors from Pope, Encounter, and Exeter. The survivors had been adrift for about 20 hours - in rafts and lifejackets, or clinging to floats, many coated in oil, and some blinded. This humanitarian decision by Lieutenant Commander SHUNSAKU KUDO placed Ikazuchi at risk of attack, and it interfered with her fighting ability, due to the sheer load of rescued sailors. The action was later the subject of a book and a 2007 TV programme.
There were just over 800 survivors altogether; these were picked up and imprisoned by the Japanese, 190 of them subsequently dying in captivity.
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A GRATEFUL GUEST OF THE KINGDOM OF THAILAND & HER PEOPLE
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