HMS Medway (1928)

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HMS Medway was the first purpose-built submarine depot ship constructed for the Royal Navy by Vickers Armstrong at Barrow-in-Furness, U.K. Launched on July 19, 1928 with a displacement of 14,650 tons she carried two 4" guns and 4 4" AA guns and a complement of over 1100 men.

HMS Medway served on the China Station at the outbreak of the Second World War but left in April 1940 for Alexandria. Here she supported the allied submarine fleet in the Mediterranean. In June 1942 captained by Capt. P. Ruck-Keene, CBE, RN she assisted in the evacuation of troops from Alexandria. Accompanied by eight destroyers she headed for Haifa. At 08.24 hours on the June 30, 1942 she was torpedoed and sunk by U-372 [1] captained by Kptlt. Heinz-Joachim Neumann off Alexandria.

Thirty of the 1,135 crew were lost in the sinking of the Medway. Allied submarine operations in the eastern Mediterranean came to a standstill as a result of the loss of the Medway with all her facilities, including 114 spare torpedoes and spare submarine equipment.

Eye witness account of the sinking of HMS Medway by Able Seaman Dennis Lendrem [2](Age 18):

"I left my bunk to go to the toilet and made my way to the heads on the upper deck. I was several levels up when the ship suddenly shuddered. Quickly, I made my way up to the upper deck. Already the ship was beginning to list to one side. The men gathered on the deck and the order was given to abandon ship. By now the ship was listing dangerously. I wanted to get away from the ship - I knew it would be dangerous to be too close to the ship when it went down. I climbed the handrail and slithered my way down the side of the ship before jumping into the water. I was a good swimmer and put as much distance as I could between myself and the ship before turning to watch her go down. I swam to a group of the lads treading water. We were in the water for about an hour before being picked up by another vessel. I asked around about my two bunk mates - one of whom was my best friend Jack. It was not until I got to Alexandria that I learned they had both been lost."

Another eye witness account comes from Able Seaman Hugh Ridley (Age 19):

"I also saw a remarkably brave action carried out not very far from me. There had been three Third Officer Wrens working and living on board the ship in Alexandria and, as they would be needed at the new depot in Haifa, they were on board for passage to that place. Luckily they were all three saved and one of them, Third Officer Pamela Conningham, was in the sea about 15 to 20 metres away from me. Near to her was a seaman, without a life belt, obviously a non-swimmer and in difficulty. The girl swam to him, took her own lifebelt off and put it on the seaman."