Charles Green 1888 – 1974 and HMS WAKEFUL

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aukepalmhof
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Charles Green 1888 – 1974 and HMS WAKEFUL

Post by aukepalmhof » Sun Nov 22, 2020 7:43 pm

Charles Green 1888 – 1974 and HMS WAKEFUL

Son of a master baker, Green ran away from home at 22 to join the Merchant Navy. When in Buenos Aires, after hearing that Shackleton had fired his cook for drunkenness, Green signed up for the Endurance expedition. Working day and night in the galley whilst at sea, and continuing to cook for his crewmates when stranded on the pack ice, a few days after arrival on Elephant Island, Green collapsed from exhaustion.
When back in England he enlisted in the Royal Navy and continued to serve his country in the best way he knew how – as a cook. During WWI he served on the Destroyer HMS WAKEFUL and was injured when the vessel was attacked. He re-joined the Merchant Navy in 1919 and served on a range of ships until retirement in 1931. During WWII he continued to do his duty and worked as a Fire Watcher in the city of Hull. Green died in 1974 at the age of 85. He was one of the last members of the ENDURANCE crew to pass away.

https://www.gov.gs/duty-and-sacrifice-s ... ng-heroes/

Built as a destroyer under yard No 466 by John Brown & Co.Ltd, Clydebank for the Royal Navy.
09 December 1916 ordered.
17 January 1917 laid down.
06 October 1917 launched as the HMS WAKEFFUL (H-88). She was one of the W-class destroyers
Displacement 1,110 ton, dim. 95.1 x 18.2 x 3.4m, (draught), length bpp 94.1m.
Powered by two Brown-Curtis single reduction geared turbines, 27,000 shp. twin shafts, speed 34 knots.
Range by a speed of 15 knots, 3,500 mile.
Armament: 4 – Qf inch Mk V, 2 – Qf 2 pdr Mk II “pom-pom”, 1 Qf 3inch HA Mk.II guns and 2 – 3 torpedo tubes carried 21 torpedoes.
Crew 110.
16 December 1917 commissioned.

HMS WAKEFUL was a W-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was built under the 1916–17 Programme in the 10th Destroyer order. WAKEFUL was assigned to the Grand Fleet after completion and served into the early years of the Second World War. WAKEFUL was torpedoed and sunk during Operation Dynamo by a German E-Boat on 29 May 1940.


First World War
WAKEFUL joined the Grand Fleet and was present at the surrender of the German High Seas Fleet in 1918. She then went into reserve.
Second World War
Just prior to the start of the war in August 1939 WAKEFUL was reactivated and recommissioned to attend the Royal Review of the Reserve Fleet in Weymouth Bay. At the outbreak of war WAKEFUL was assigned to convoy escort duty with the 17th Destroyer Flotilla, which was part of the Western Approaches Command.
Operation Dynamo
WAKEFUL was selected to support Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of allied troops from Dunkirk, on 26 May 1940. On 27 May 1940 WAKEFUL embarked 631 Allied troops. While returning them to Dover WAKEFUL came under air attack and received minor damage below the waterline. Despite the near-miss WAKEFUL returned to Dunkirk to continue the evacuation, embarking 640 Allied troops on 28 May 1940. While carrying this out WAKEFUL was torpedoed by the German E-Boat S-30. The destroyer was struck by two torpedoes, one hitting the forward boiler room. Casualties were heavy, only two of the 640 Allied troops – Mr Stanley Patrick of the Royal Army Service Corps] plus 25 of WAKEFUL's crew survived. A number of ships stopped to pick up the survivors, but one of these, the destroyer GRAFTON, was then in turn sunk by a German U-Boat.
Wreck
The wreck is a designated War Grave, lying at a depth of 24 metres (79 ft) in busy waters along with the approaches to Zeebrugge harbour at 51° 22'N, 2° 43'E. Permission is needed from the Belgian Nautical Authority to dive on the site. In 2003, work was done to remove parts of the superstructure and funnel that were considered to be a potential danger to navigation; the recovered ship's crest and footplate are now placed in the National Museum of the Royal Navy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_WAKEFUL_(H88)
South Georgia & Sandwich Islands 2020 £1.25 sg?, scott?
Attachments
Wakeful_(H88).jpg
2020 wakeful.jpg

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