A near miss with His Majesty the King...
About a week prior to D-Day (6th June 1944), King George VI visited the invasion fleet in the Solent and we nearly had him!¹
He was aboard HMS Bulolo² (F82), the Force ‘G’ Landing Ship Headquarters (LSH)³ for the impending Gold Sector during the Normandy invasion⁴. His craft was due to leave from Bulolo’s port side facing aft. We were on the starboard side in an identical situation. Both craft left at the same time heading aft. The people on Bulolo’s bridge saw what was likely to happen and most of them tried to warn us with whistles and other means that only made matters worse as it drew out attention away from the impending collision.
We must have been 15-20 feet apart when we cleared Bulolo’s stern but our coxswain was on the wheel at the time and took avoiding action to narrowly miss the King’s boat with our stern. Our Skipper was told to report on Bulolo for a bollocking but got off light due to the avoiding action. Actually, during the D-Day invasion we were Bulolo’s runner together with another ML (“Chaos and Confusion”) our opposite number.
He was aboard HMS Bulolo² (F82), the Force ‘G’ Landing Ship Headquarters (LSH)³ for the impending Gold Sector during the Normandy invasion⁴. His craft was due to leave from Bulolo’s port side facing aft. We were on the starboard side in an identical situation. Both craft left at the same time heading aft. The people on Bulolo’s bridge saw what was likely to happen and most of them tried to warn us with whistles and other means that only made matters worse as it drew out attention away from the impending collision.
We must have been 15-20 feet apart when we cleared Bulolo’s stern but our coxswain was on the wheel at the time and took avoiding action to narrowly miss the King’s boat with our stern. Our Skipper was told to report on Bulolo for a bollocking but got off light due to the avoiding action. Actually, during the D-Day invasion we were Bulolo’s runner together with another ML (“Chaos and Confusion”) our opposite number.
¹ The King visited Bulolo on 24th May 1944.
² 6,267-ton passenger (250 berths) and cargo ship. Converted in 1939 to an armed merchant cruiser, and a Headquarters Landing Ship for campaigns in North Africa, Sicily, Anzio and Normandy (XXX Corps command ship). Scrapped in China in 1968.
³ Under the Command of Admiral Douglas-Pennant.
⁴ Gold Area - the furthest west assault beach of the British - extended from Port-en-Bessin to the mouth of the River de Provence. Divided into four
sectors, the two eastern most - Jig and King - being chosen for the initial assaults. Port-en-Bessin and the western sectors were to be dealt with later.
² 6,267-ton passenger (250 berths) and cargo ship. Converted in 1939 to an armed merchant cruiser, and a Headquarters Landing Ship for campaigns in North Africa, Sicily, Anzio and Normandy (XXX Corps command ship). Scrapped in China in 1968.
³ Under the Command of Admiral Douglas-Pennant.
⁴ Gold Area - the furthest west assault beach of the British - extended from Port-en-Bessin to the mouth of the River de Provence. Divided into four
sectors, the two eastern most - Jig and King - being chosen for the initial assaults. Port-en-Bessin and the western sectors were to be dealt with later.