HMS Truculent A Virtual Cemetery created by: geoffrey gillon
Description: "On the evening of 12th January 1950 HMS Truculent was proceeding on the surface from the submarine exercise area to Sheerness on completion of Dockyard trials, for which a party of Chatham dockyard officers and men were also on board. The SS Divina, with a Trinity House pilot on board, was on passage from the Port of London to Ipswich and at the time of the collision, shortly after 7pm, was in the vicinity of the West Oaze Buoy, a narrow part of the Thames estuary.For some time before the impact each vessel had the lights of the other in sight....". The subsequent Board of Enquiry report states that: (The submarine) entered the Thames Estuary through Princes Channel, thence passing between Red Sand Sheal and Shivering Sand Fort on course 280 degrees. Her speed was about 9 knots through the water. In Oaze Deep, course was altered to 261 degrees. The collision occurred with SS Divina in position one mile bearing 287 degrees from Red Sand Tower.Many of the bodies were never recovered.Civilian casualties were:Mills,BaileyAlexanderService casualties were:BROOKES E,CAMPBELL E, CHILD J, DAW L A, DENNY J H,DIGHTON W E,DONNELLY P,DORN A, DRING G R, EDWARDS T C, ELDRIDGE G T, ELLIS F G, FARMAN N, FIRBANK W J, FOX F R,FROST R A C, GUTRIDGE M F, HARRISON G W J, HEAD P A T,HELLIWELL R W,HIGGINS L C, HINDES F J, HINE F W, INGLE W, JOHNSON R, JOHNSTON M B, JONES H G, LIKELY M J, MacKENZIE G E, MANLEY J S, McINTYRE J F, MURPHY M A, MYATT F G, NEIGHBOUR R A, NOON K C E, OLIVER W A, PHILLIPS E G L, PHILLIPS T P, POWELL D N, PROUSE K R, PURKISS B S, READ J L, RICHARDSON T, ROBINSON P R, SMITH A R, SWIRE W, TAYLOR C, WOOD E GThere were also civilians on board.At Gillingham [Woodlands] cemetery, there is the grave of one identified casualty from this disaster.
