Rescue of the Only Survivor of a Torpedoed Merchant Ship

Richard's version of the story behind the painting:

It was February so pretty cold. The boat ran onto some rocks in a cove on the Lizard. Two other men were too weak to swim or hold on. [Richard Ayres] just managed to cling to a rock.

Fortunately some children who were going to school saw him. The farmer’s boy aged about fourteen or fifteen I think, said “All right sir, cling on, I’ll help you.’ He ran all the way back to he farm and carried a rope which must have been almost as heavy as himself along to the cliffs while the little girls were shouting encouragement. And he actually lassoed this man on the rocks there and helped him ashore. I saw the boy later and he said this chap began taking out a wallet with a photograph of his wife, and he was eventually taken to a hospital nearby.

And the strange ending of the story is that he found that his wife and small child, may have been two children, were evacuated from Canterbury, which was his home, down there to the Lizard. He was given the British Empire medal.

Richard's Ayre's letter to Gray Dawes and Co in Leadenhall Street, possibly the insurance company that the ship was insured through. It documents the torpedo attack on the Gairsoppa, its sinking, the days at sea in a lifeboat and his rescue.

Dear Sirs,

Re: Loss of S.S. "Gairsoppa" Feb., '41

The Gairsoppa joined an 8 knot convoy at Freetown Sierra Leone and sailed end of January, 1941. After turning on a northerly course, three or four days after departure from Freetown, weather deteriorated steadily and the vessel made heavy weather of it, due to the large percentage of pig iron on her cargo. Owing to continued bad weather and subsequent large increase in coal consumption, permission had eventually to be asked from the Commodore for re-routing to enable the bunker to be replenished. The vessel was routed independently to Galway.

The Gairsoppa left convoy at dusk on 14th February and obtained the first solar position for over a week, the next day. On 16.2.41 at about breakfast time, a large 4 engined aeroplane circled the vessel at about 3 - 4 miles distant and made off after about an hour. At about 10.30 pm on 16.2.41 the vessel was torpedoed in No. 2 hold, starboard side, without warning and the force of the explosion flew down the foremast with the main and emergency aerials, consequently no distress signal was transmitted. The Captain gave the order to abandon ship and at least two and possibly three boats were launched, under fire from light automatic guns from the submarine.

The vessel was by this time down by the head with the bowe under water and on fire in No. 2 hold. Great difficulty was experienced in launching the boats in the heavy swell and the lifeboat in my charge eventually cleared the ship's side only to drift aft in the proximity of the propellor which was by then clear of the water, due to the vessel's trim and was still going ahead at full speed. The boat was eased round the rudder and got clear of the propellor. About this time the Captain, 4th Engineer and two gunners were observed on the after deck. The lifeboat was laid off the vessel at about 50 - 100 yds. distant and the Gairsoppa eventually sank, bow first about 20 minutes after being torpedoed.

The initial complement in the lifeboat consisted of 8 europeans and 25 Asiatics. The lifeboat was hove to an emergency sea anchor consisting of the canvas boat cover, rolled up and secured to the painter, the proper sea anchor not being easily found in the darkness with the large number of personnel on board.

(there is a paragraph missing here that ends : bow throughout the night and following day.)

At day light on 17.2.41 lookout was made for possible survivors and other boats, but apart from one boat sighted during the night filled with water and occupied by two lascars [asian crew members], nothing was seen. Sail was set at daylight 18.2.41 after waiting for any rescue craft who might have observed our plight and course was set due east under reefed mainsail as the jib has been torn to pieces. Compass course was checked at night by stars.

Stock was taken of water and provisions and as only one and a half beakers of water remained, it was rationed to two dippers full per head per day. After the second day of rationing , it was found impossible to swallow the biscuits due to the dryness of the mouth and throat. Europeans were placed in the sternsheets and Asiatics forward and amidships and the boat cover was spread to keep out the cold and spray, blankets issued to the crew as being more liable to be affected by the cold.

After the fourth day deaths occurred from frost bite and the effect of drinking salt water, the latter causing madness in twelve hours and death in twenty four hours. Three aircraft were sighted during the voyage, but these did not observe the boat, probably due to the heavy swell. Throughout the voyage, all europeans took turns at issuing water, boiling, attending the sail and steering.

By the thirteenth day the boats complement was reduced to three europeans and four Asiatics as land was sighted at daybreak. Course was attended to bring it ahead and in the forenoon the boat was hove to off the Lizard in a heavy swell. As the wind  was blowing directly on shore and the boat was drifting rapidly towards outlying rocks a course was re-set to endeavour to make a landing on the beach through a narrow cleft in the cliffs. Unfortunately the boat broached to in the backwash from the cliffs and the four Asiatics drowned.

The boat eventually righted herself and the three europeans got back temporarily until it capsized again. One european then swam to the rocks but was washed off, apparently injured about the head, one other was lost through being unable to retain a hold on the then overturned boat, the one survivor being picked out of the surf by lifeboatmen who had been summoned by four london evacuee children who had observed the plight of the lifeboat whilst gathering firewood on the cliffs.

The fate of the remainder of the ships personnel has never been known.

I am, dear sirs, yours faithfully

Asst. Cargo Superintendent.

Notes to the above by Richard Ayres's granddaughter:

What I do know is that Grandpa received not only an MBE, the announcement of which states "undismayed by suffering and death all around him, this man kept a stout heart, and did all he could to comfort his shipmates and bring them to safety", but he also was awarded the Lloyds War Medal for Bravery at Sea (see below)

At the beginning of the Second World War in 1939, Britain had the largest merchant fleet in the world, with 18 million tons of shipping, but it soon became apparent that in wartime Britain could not survive without a significant Merchant Navy. These men and women of the Merchant Navy gave their all, and in terms of proportionate sacrifice of human life, exceeded those of each of the armed services. Of the approximately 145,000 seafarers who served in the Merchant Navy during the Second World War, more than 40,000 lost their lives and many others received significant injuries.

Therefore in 1939 Lloyd’s of London set up a committee to find means of honouring those seafarers who performed acts of exceptional courage at sea, and this resulted in the announcement in December 1940 of the new award of “Lloyd’s War Medal for Bravery at Sea”. The first awards were announced in March 1941, and the last in October 1948 — all awards were for acts during the Second World War. In all 541 Lloyd’s War Medals for Bravery at Sea were awarded.

Name - Other awards - Rank - Ship - Date of Incident(s)

Ayres, R. H. - MBE - 2nd Mate - Gairsoppa - 16 Feb 41

. . . Grandpa never really talked about what happened and nor did Grandma. All I can say is that his family were very lucky that he made it as he was a wonderful man and lived a full life (despite developing diabetes and having a residual problem with his feet due to the frostbite) until he died in 1992. The copy of the painting [of the rescue by your father] is framed and hung in my mother's house, on display for all to see. It looks great.

Kind regards

Jennifer

Recovery

In his report Richard Ayres said ". . . the vessel made heavy weather of it, due to the large percentage of pig iron on her cargo."

It turned out that the cargo was actually all silver ingots. SS_Gairsoppa was salvaged through 2012 and 2013. About £137 million worth of silver was recovered.  See Wikipedia entry.