TNA ADM 234 360

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WEDNESDAY, 29TH MAY
CHAP. VI
out because of the men in the water. By the time the Lydd had picked up
10 survivors, the destroyer Grafton, loaded with about 800 troops from Bray
beach, also arrived and ordered the Lydd to circle round her. The Gossamer
went on to Dover.
In the meantime, the Comfort had reached the stern portion of the wreck of
the Wakeful, and finding that it had fallen over¹, went alongside the Grafton
to warn her of the danger of torpedoes. It was then about 0240, and the
Grafton having first sighted a small darkened vessel about 3 cables on the port
quarter, signalled it to pick up survivors. Almost at once a torpedo hit the
Grafton's port side and exploded; a second explosion followed, thought to be
a shell or grenade hit, which wrecked the Grafton's bridge killing her Captain,
Cdr. C. E. C. Robinson, R.N., and 3 others. The torpedo blew off. the Grafton's
stern, abaft the after magazine bulkhead, and broke her back, but she still
floated on an even keel. A German submarine, U.69 had fired the torpedo.
The torpedo explosion almost swamped the Comfort; she rose, and Cdr.
Fisher was washed overboard. He seized a rope's end, but with the Comfort
going full speed ahead soon had to let go. The Comfort came round in a wide
circle until within about 50 yards of the stricken Grafton, whereupon the
Grafton and Lydd, mistaking her in the darkness for an E-boat, opened a heavy
raking fire with 4-inch and Lewis guns.²
Comfort cut in half
When the firing ceased Cdr. Fisher, who had reached the bow of the Comfort,
endeavoured to get abord; but the Lydd, having circled round to finish off
the supposed E-boat, bore down at full speed and, ramming the Comfort amid-
ships (it was then about 0307), cut her in half. Some of the Comfort's crew
attempted to spring aboard the Lydd, but the Lydd, mistaking them for boarders,
opened up with rifle fire. Two men were, however, taken off the rammed vessel
and it was then discovered that she was the Comfort. Altogether, the number
saved from this most tragic occurrence, shrouded in the darkness of the night,
were only 5, of which 4 were survivors from the Wakeful. As the Grafton then
appeared able to look after herself, the Lydd set course for Ramsgate.
When the Comfort went down Cdr. Fisher again sank, but he came to the
surface and, after swimming about until 0515, was picked up by a boat lowered
from the Norwegian S.S. Hird, which was en route from Dunkirk to England
with about 3,500 troops and refugees on board.
Grafton sunk
In the meantime, at 0400, the personnel ship Malines, which was returning
empty from Dunkirk, heard S OS signals; she placed herself alongside the
torpedoed Grafton and transferred the destroyer's 800 troops. "The Master
handled his ship with extreme skill," reported the acting Captain of the Grafton,
Lieut. H. C. J. McRea, R.N.
It was now 0430, just before sunrise, and the destroyers Javelin, Icarus,
Vanquisher, Intrepid and Ivanhoe, en route from Dover to Dunkirk, sighted the
sinking Grafton. The Ivanhoe went to her assistance and embarked the
I On the 30th May the corvette Sheldrake was ordered to destroy the Wakeful's asdic
apparatus. She found the Wakeful completely capsized with her stern resting on the
bottom. As, by then, information was received that the area had been mined, the Shel-
drake, to minimise the risk, sank the wreck by gunfire and a pattern of depth charges.
2 Later the Grafton's fire was shifted to another vessel further away on the port quarter,
which was observed to blow up with a bright flash. This may well have been the E-boat.
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