Adrodd fel Amhriodol
Testun Gwreiddiol (Anodiad: EPW037024 / 1141583)
'
TSMV New Prince Of Wales, 137grt, of the Southend Motor Navigation Co, built Bosham, 1922. Having just completed the Board Of Trade's Annual Inspection for her Passenger-carrying License renewal, the "NPoW" was commandeered by Royal Navy for use in Dunkirk evacuation; and sunk off La Panne beaches entirely due to incompetence of assigned RN crew of 1 AB, 1 first yr. apprentice-ERA from HMS Sultan, and 1 Sub-lieutenant with only 1 yrs training at RNC Britannia. They were so incompetent, they didn't even realise the engines were petrol-parafin engines and topped-off the fule tanks with diesel, in Sheerness Dockyard before leaving on the initial trip down to Ramsgate. This meant engine-stoppages from contaminated fuel all the way to the arrival off the French coast, where the engines stopped again, and before the untrained young apprentice-ERA could get them started again, the vessel had drifted into the middle of an artillery duel between a Polish Destroyer and a Nazi shore battery, and was sunk in shallow water by a near-miss which burst her planking open.
The Treasury were fraudulent in their settlement, offering on 1/10th of the book value of the vessel. and this almost bankrupted the Owners[one of whom was my father] who could not afford to fight a department of Government. '
