HMS Bramble, valiant to the end. Convoy JW 51B. Royal Navy sailors who lost their lives in the battle of the Barents Sea WWII, Dec 31st 1942, serving on the escort ships to Murmansk, Russia.

I wish to pay tribute to all that served. I have been writing over a long period of time, appealing for information from the families of the 121 officers and men who were lost in HMS Bramble over 60 years ago. With the Navy News’ help, I hope to track down the sailors’ families or friends that will remember them. My memories about Dad’s ship and shipmates are always with me, I have already been reunited with 31 families (near and far). The Plymouth area had 8 local heroes that were lost when the Bramble encountered a German battle fleet led by the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper.

History shows that the convoy ran into very bad weather, snow laden clouds, and a force 12 gale. Three merchant ships had come detached from the main convoy, and the Bramble with up to date radar was given orders to locate them. About mid morning the lone minesweeper encountered the Hipper and destroyers. Bramble launched a defiant attack on the Hipper, the German ship returned fire from her more powerful guns. Bramble fought on, battered, crippled, the gallant ship was sinking. The destroyer Friedrich Eckoldt was ordered to finish off the Bramble.

My father PO Morgan Griffiths was lucky to be posted off the Bramble only 2 days before the ill fated trip. For years he would tell us about his old shipmates and the pride he had for that ship. Dad did finish the war in the Battle of the Atlantic and the D-Day landings, serving on the destroyer HMS Vidette. Sadly my father has now crossed the bar, I treasure his memories, they will always stay with me till I die. Proud son.

I received a letter from an old sailor, AB Ken Bell, who is still alive today, who served on HMS Bramble before she was sunk, and would have served with my father. He states he read in the Navy News recently about the sad accident when the submarine HMS Thetis sank on trials in Liverpool Bay 1939, when 99 men lost their lives. He told me that the mine sweeper HMS Bramble was present there as a support ship to try and help wherever they could.

HMS Bramble

Jan & Dave Griffith

PO Morgan Griffiths

(Editor’s Notes: HMS Bramble was a Halcyon class minesweeper completed by Devonport Dockyard in the late 1930’s. She was 1,330 tons displacement and was originally armed with 2 x 4 inch guns, 40 depth charges and was capable of minesweeping. After her loss at the end of 1942., a new Algerine class minesweeper was named in her honour. Admiral Hipper was a Hipper class heavy cruiser of the Kriegsmarine, completed in 1939. She was 18,200 tons displacement and was armed with 8 x 203mm guns (8 inch), 12 x 105mm guns (4 inch), other smaller guns, torpedo tubes and 3 aircraft. In 1945 she was heavily damaged by RAF bombing at Kiel and was scuttled. The wreck was raised in 1946 and scrapped by 1949. The Friedrich Eckoldt (Z16) was a Kriegsmarine 1934A type destroyer launched in 1937. She was armed with 5 x 127mm guns, smaller guns and torpedo tubes. She was sunk on the same day she sank HMS Bramble, by gunfire from the RN cruiser HMS Sheffield. HMS Vidette was an Admiralty “V” class destroyer launched in 1918. She was 1,490 tons displacement and was originally armed with 4 x 4 inch guns, 1 x 3 inch gun and torpedo tubes. During WWII she was converted into a long range convoy escort. She was scrapped in 1947. HMS Thetis was a Triton class submarine launched in 1938. In 1939 she sank on trials with the loss of all her crew, and was raised and renamed HMS Thunderbolt. She was sunk by an Italian corvette in 1943.)