Ahoy - Mac's Web Log

February 01, 2009

searching for name of British Hospital Ship sunk Jan 24, 1944 off coast of Italy

Dear Sir,

I am searching for the name and circumstances of a British Hospital ship sunk on or about January 24, 1944 off the coast of Italy. Such is the information in a newspaper clipping quoting a letter to the family of Pvt Leo J. Patton, whose bio we are writing for our Chester County Hall of Heroes web site   www.chesco.org/heroes 

Finding this information will help and will add more to his story. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Don Wambold
HOH Research Coordinator

Hello Don,

On the 24th. of January 1944, two days after the Anzio landings, three British Hospital Ships, St David, St Andrew and Leinster were attacked by the Luftwaffe. St David with 226 medical staff and patients on board received a direct hit  and sank. There were 130 survivors which included two nurses.

St David (2) was built in 1932 for the Fishguard & Rosslare Harbours Board, and entered service between Fishguard & Rosslare. She was a sister to St Andrew (2). In 1944 she was sunk at Anzio while working as a hospital ship. She was 2,700 gross tons.

Regards, 
Mac.

March 22, 2010 3:22 AM

Noting your discussion on the Hospital carrier ship St David I found these photos in the LIfe Magazine archives..

Dated Nov 1939
        Photographer: Carl Mydans

  Thought you might find them useful.

  http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/998ba3bd0bf2d006_large
  http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/f1929290fa017b40_large
  http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/945559296cf0150e_large
  http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/0fa7bad048acbf06_large
  http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/c5eb39ddea043715_large
  http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/2ee58a7563744bdb_large

  Thumbnails link for the whole set of images.

  http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=british+hospital+ship+source%3Alife&btnG=Search&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&start=0&social=false

  British hospital "The Worthing" clearly marked w. a Red Cross lying alongside the
  quay after being attacked by Nazi planes while returning to England.
        Location: Dunkirk, France
        Date taken: June 1940

Click to see a larger picture of  the crew of the Hospital Ship Worthing. Thanks to David Glover

  http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/cde831281f715e99_large

  Evacuation Of Dunkirk
  British Capt. C. Merton, skipper of the hospital ship Worthing, which was bombed by
  Nazi planes 6 miles of the coast during allied troop evacuation.
        Location: Dunkirk, France
        Date taken: June 1940

  http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/91bfb524028a83f3_large

John Szalay
Louisville Ky, USA

John,

Thank you for your kindness in forwarding on to me these photos, very much appreciated.

We will add them to our Hospital ship St David sunk on 24th. of January 1944, two days after the Anzio landings on AHOY.

Regards,

Mac .


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