Truculent

Sank 12th January 1950. Thames. After collision. 64 died.

Lest we forget.

Resurgam.

 

RIP, chaps.

We will remember.

 

Please take a while and spare a thought
For brothers lost, beneath the sea
For men of iron, prepared to die
Who gave their lives for you and me

In Truculent there were such men
Who wouldn’t give a thought
Of hardships pain and suffering
But did as they were taught

Who worked and laughed and sometimes cried
But did what they must do
Beneath the cold and angry sea
They were gods chosen few

Remember all those shipmates
Who fought the sea and lost
For men in boats are first in line
And never count the cost

…..

So take a while and spare a thought
For family and friends
But most for them who gave their all,
that sad day in the Thames


…

 

BZ Uncle Albert

I remember it well. As a youngster with his heart set on joining the RN it had a great effect on me.

Rest in Peace Lads.

2BM

 

Me too Badges. Nice one Uncle.

 

Rivet,
Your post jogged my memory and I had this sense of several tragedies close together just before I joined (May '52). Truculent obviously sticks in the mind, and I have established the dates of the loss of Affray (16.4.51) , and those poor kids in the Gillingham bus tragedy (4.12.51), but another one, in my mind involving a submarine and a dock caisson, I cannot drag from my memory. I'm almost certain it was a Chatham incident, but at my age and condition of mind, cannot be sure.
Can you help me?

Regards,
Peter.

 

BZ Uncle Albert. Nice to read another of your excellent poems paying a tribute to these heroic men.

 

Could Talent's be the incident Badges?:

Following VIDAL the slip was used to construct new caissons for No 2, 3 and 4 drydocks which opened onto Chatham Reach. As a result of an exceptionally high tide on the afternoon of 15 December 1954, the caisson to No 3 dock became buoyant and lifted, allowing water to rush past.

The submarine HMS TALENT, which was being streamlined at the time, was swept out of the dock and deposited on a mudbank across the river. In order to prevent a recurrence of the accident, a new type of caisson, incorporating a large cylindrical ballast tank to counteract the buoyancy at spring tides, was designed and built at Chatham.

 

I remember the incident quite clearly although I was still at school. Wasn't the film 'Morning Departure' based the Truculent disaster?

 

Thank you Rivet. That's the one. My memory is obviously only working part time these days, I had it down for pre 1952 and wasn't sure if there was loss of life. I just had that feeling that for a few years, culminating with Sidon in 1955, the Submarine service had more than their fair share of peacetime losses.

2BM

 

Age dims our memories Badges. With regard to Sidon, I had the honour to attend her Memorial Service in Portland, June 2005. The 50th anniversary of that tragedy.

 

GR did we meet??

 

Yes Janner. I presented you with a bottle of Bubbly for your Association.

 

No SB. Truculent was 'ran down' and sank in the Thames. Nearly all her crew and sea riders escaped, but, due to fast currents and cold weather the majority died. 64 of the 79 aboard Her.

Morning Departure featured a submarine disabled on the seabed.
See here for further:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042810/

 

Does this mean that you didn't die abroad and have returned to the place near the sewer station DL?

 

Aha! Remember that old adage? A coward dies a thousand times, a brave man only once. So no, I didn't and yes, I have. Not too impressed with our Sceptred Isle at present, probably cos I'm a curmudgeonly old git.