ANCC meeting nr 31.1 REPORT SCALLOWAY AND N.N.I.U.

Beskrivelse

REF.938. 11th July, 1944.
TO: LT.COL.J.S.WILSON. FROM: MAJOR CARVER

REPORT ON SHETLAND BASE. FROM 29th May to 11th JULY,1944.
1.The summer of 1944 is unigue in Shetland history in that there has been no problem of how usefully to occupy the non-operational period. On the contrary, the Base has been working at full pressure to complete all the necessary tasks in time for the re-opening of the operational season on August lst.

2. REFIT.
Both HESSA and HITRA have received a thorough refit and VIGRA is at present receiving hers on the slip. In addition, HESSA and VIGRA have been re- engined. HITRA's engines have only completed about half their life, but as soon as a new pair of engines are received they will be changed and her old engines kept in reserve.
The lack of fuss with which this refit has been undertaken at Scalloway is a great tribute to the flexibility of the Base and to the efficiency of Lt.Howarth and his band of Norwegian and Shetland engineers. One has only to look back to the delays and complications of the Admiralty refit to which the fishing boats were subjected in 1942 to realise how much we have gained by undertaking this task ourselves.

3. SPARES.
The bulk of the necessary spares have now been delivered and a request that the outstanding items should be sent over by air was sent to Washington on llth June with a strong priority from COMNAVEU. Whilst the spares position will require continued watching it can now be taken that the position is no longer critical, and there is no question but that the ships will be operational on August lst.

4. LEAVE.
The operational crews have taken the normal leave to which sea-going vessels are entitled, and we have also fortunately been able to grant to British staff the summer leave which is so necessary to counteract the ill effects of the Shetland climate.

5. TRAINING.
HESSA is at present doing a firing course at SCAPA and will be followed in this by the other two ships. Lt,Henriksen asked that a working up course should be arranged at H.M.S.Bee, but it now seems that this will have to be abandoned as their syllabus is mostly torpedo work.

6. OPERATIONAL TRIPS.
Although no operations to Norway have been undertaken, we are glad to have been able to carry out several searches for U-boat survivors and also some escort trips with British submarines from Scapa to the Clyde or Dundee, at the request of A.C.0.S. An analysis of these operations is given below:

Rescue. Escort.
HITRA. 27th May - June 3rd.
HESSA. 26th June - July 1st.
VIGRA. 11 June - 13 June. 17th June — June 23rd.
VIGRA. 13 June - 14 June.
VIGRA. 25 June - 26 June.
VIGRA. 30 June - end July.

On the trip carried out by VIGRA June 13/14 she picked up sixteen U-boat survivors and one body, and carried them to Scapa. Nine dinghies were taken on board and the prisoners were housed in the forecastle where they were given hot coffee and sandwiches. The report states that they "seemed to be in good condition". They were kept under armed guard and given regular meals and delivered to H.M.S.Iron Duke six hours later.

7. M.V.ANDHOLMEN.

The "ANDHOLMEN" has made numerous trips to Aberdeen, under the command of Q/M.J.Nessen, carrying leave parties and stores. Nessen is a very reliable person and is popular with the authorities in Aberdeen, so hat this arrangemet works smoothly.

8. CONSTRUCTION WORK.
The wooden pier outside Jack Moorel's shop has been replaced by a longer steel-framed structure, The girders originally formed part of a windpump "won" from the Army, and as there was no pile-driver on the Island a makeshift one was effected from suitable pieces of scrap metal and the boom of a fishing-boat. The results are excellent and form one other addition by S.O.E. to the amenities of SCALLOWAY .

Emergency fuel tanks have been erected at BALTA SOUND so that the subchasers can bunker if they are forced back into BALTA by weather. This has been done entirely by the Office Staff who have gone up in relays for about a week at a time to this remote spot for a toughening up course of hard labour.

9. PERSONNEL.
Sub.lt.I.Trondsen has joined the Base as "Number One" on the Norwegian side and the Paymaster Sub.Lt.K.Hognestad has left and will be replaced shortly.
Lt.J.P.Holbrooke, U.S.N. has returned tothe United States to take up another appointment, and his liaison duties have been undertaken by Lt.Cmdr.G.M.Jones, U.S.N.
This arrangements should be satisfactory since he is head of the Spares Division of Buships.
Q/M.Arnesen and Q/M Naero having completed their Fenrik training will shortly receive their commissions as Sub.Lts.

10. S.0.K.
The new arrangement with SOK continues to function with great smoothness. Such routine matters as have arisen have been settled from time to time at informal metings - between Commander Horve, Lt.Birger Larsen and Major Carver.

11. REFUGEES.
Four men, three women and two children arrived at LERWICK on 30th May in an M.T.B. and two youths arrived at FAIR ISLE
on the 16th June in a 21-ft boat the "STERK".

12. DISTINGUISHED VISITORS.
Admiral Sir Henry Harwood, the new A.C.0.S. visited Shetland on June 30th and was shown Lunna, Flemington and the Scalloway Base.

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