Maritime History

World War Two and beyond

H.M.S. PRINS ALBERT

 

by

 

Bob Bull

 

 

As the Germans advanced into Belgium, five Cross Channel Ships from Belgium came to England.

They were the PRINS ALBERT, the PRINCE CHARLES, the PRINCE LEOPOLD, PRINCESS JOSEPHINE (CHARLOTTE) and the PRINCESS ASTRID. They were taken over by the Royal Navy and converted into Landing Craft Assault Carriers.

I was lucky enough to get a Draft Chit to H.M.S. PRINS ALBERT. We left England to the Mediterranean but when we got into the Bay of Biscay the sea was so rough that the bow plates were damaged and we were taking in lots of water and had a heavy list on. We had to go back to Falmouth for repairs and we were in Falmouth for a week.

Falmouth

 

 

 We had a few days at Algiers and then went on to Tripoli. I had my 21st. Birthday whilst we were there. 

 

On your Birthday your mess mates gave you sippers of their Tot of Rum.

There are 16 sippers in a Tot of Rum and 4 Gulpers. Rum is more important than money in the Navy and if you want your hammock washed just offer a Gulper’s of your Tot and it’s done. After my Birthday sippers I slept for 16 hours.

Then we left for the Med again, this time the Bay of Biscay was like a Mill Pond. We were taking R.A.F. Personnel to Algiers; most were very seasick and were glad to get ashore. We had a few days at Algiers and then went on to Tripoli.

Tripoli

While we were at Tripoli we gave beach-landing drill to the Ox & Bucks Light Infantry. We left Tripoli for Alexandria and later to Port Said after a few days we went through the Suez Canal to anchor off Port Tripoli; we were there for three weeks whilst the rest of the convoy gathered for the Invasion of Sicily.

A convoy can only travel at the speed of the slowest ship so it took us a long time to get there. The Germans and Italians had a lookout post on Mount Etna so they knew we were on our way. We picked up No. 3 Army Commandos at Port Taufiq (Tewfiek, near Suez, see map 1). They thought that they were on a floating hotel, with good food and fresh bread that was baked every day by the ship’s cooks.

Map 1

After a few days we could see Sicily, the landings at Avola Bay were in the early hours of the morning. Putting the Commandos ashore would take two lots of L.C.As 8 at a time, on the first landing our Flotilla Officer Lieutenant Rose was killed and also one of the Commandos Sargents was also killed.

When the first wave of boats went in they saw two objects in the sea for which we could not stop. On the way back to the ship they picked up 15 Glider Soldiers, whose glider was being towed by a Yankee pilot, who dropped them short and they went into the sea.

 

After getting supplies ashore for the Commandos we lay offshore for 2 days. General Montgomery and the Desert Rats were driving their way up the East coast of Sicily and the Americans were going up the West coast. The area along the coast was like a ships graveyard. They were so close to the shore when they were sunk that their upper structure was above the sea.

 

 

General Montgomery was concerned about the safety of the Lentine Bridge stopping the advance, so we took the No. 3 Commandos on board again with instructions to land them at Catania, behind enemy lines, aided by Airborne troops.

 

While the first wave of landing craft were heading for the shore we were attacked by two Torpedo Boats only the brilliant seamanship by our Captain, Lieutenant Commander Peate, saved the ship by avoiding the torpedos, in the dark with still half of the Commandos on board and the ship and ship’s company were at risk. The Captain still had to get the ship back on station to receive the boats coming back, which he managed to do, wonderful seamanship! One of the Torpedo Boats was sunk by our escorting Destroyer and the other fled. The action to save the Lentini Bridge was a success.

 

After the Lentini Bridge operation we went back to Augusta Harbour (see map 2) as the area was cleared of Germans and Italians but the German bombers soon found us, we borrowed a landing craft and myself and a Coxswain and two other crewmembers laid smoke to mask the ship. After a few days things settled down.

 

Map 2

 

 

 We got together a bag of food for the local farmer and he agreed to let us pick oranges and lemons from his trees. This called for the strangest ‘Pipe” ever heard in the Navy:

 

“ORANGE AND LEMON PARTY FALL IN”

 

Malta

We left Augusta Harbour and headed for Malta, we had been in the Sicily area for eighteen days. On arriving in Malta they had not had an air raid for a month but when we arrived, they did, so another night without much sleep.

After a few days in Malta we were off to Palermo, the capitol of Sicily, there we took on the Yankee Rangers, the equivalent of our Commandos, for a new landing in Salerno. This would be a very dangerous landing, as they would have to go along a section of coast to Salerno. Although several landing craft were damaged no personnel were lost. Another few days back in Malta and then our last job in the Mediterranean, to take Army Personnel and Officers to Taranto.

Taranto

After this trip we were sent back to the U.K. for repairs. We went up the Bristol Channel to dry dock in Penarth. The local people were very good to us taking us into their clubs and homes. In the club we tipped all the oranges and lemons onto the floor and the children picked them up but did not know what to do with them until their parents showed them.

Penarth Docks

We were about a month in Penarth and several of the ship’s company made permanent friends of the local girls. After repairs it was off to the Far East with landings at Ramree Island just off the coast of Burma.

 

 

 

Cheduba Island (the round offshore island) and Ramree Island on the rugged west coast of Burma.

 

 

 

 

Then up the Rangoon River to Rangoon. When the monsoon started most operations stopped but this time Mountbatten said that is when we will start, the strategy was right and the Japs soon surrendered.

 

 

Lord Mountbatten arriving to take Japanese Surrender Singapore 1945

©Bob Bull’s original photograph.

 

 

We moved on to Singapore and whilst there my Demob Number came up and I came home as a passenger on Lucky Prins Albert. I was Rum Bosun of the P.O’s Passengers Mess, a perfect ending to a wonderful five years on a very happy ship.

 

 

Bob and May on their Wedding Day in 1943

 

 

 

 

 

Updated Crew Photograph

 

 

Original Crew photograph was sent to me by John (Jack) Alfred Hough