HMS Forfar, the armed merchant cruiser sunk by five torpedoes in the early hours of 2nd December 1940.
Allan Kerr was on the 8pm to midnight watch on HMS Forfar, an armed merchant cruiser as it made its way to join a convoy in the North West approaches. He later wrote a detailed account of the events in the early hours of the morning of the 2nd December 1940:
It was a black night, with no moon, and the fitful starlight occasionally obscured by cloud. I undressed, said my prayers and turned in quite happily. My sound sleep was soon broken by a terrific crash! Immediately I was awake. “Torpedoed” flashed through my mind and just as quickly I prayed and switched on my light. Never will I forget the eerie silence that prevailed. The engines had stopped and the lights were dimming rapidly. “Action Stations” was sounded on the klaxons, but this seemed to drain the last few dregs from the dynamo for it petered out and all went black.
HMS Forfar had become a victim of the U Boat ace Otto Kretscher, commanding U-99. The order was given to abandon ship and Kerr managed to make his way into one of the lifeboats. However Kreschmer did not want to wait as HMS Forfar slowly sank. He sent a further four torpedoes into the ship to finish her off:
Men now came down the rope ladders and as she settled some even jumped from the Prom. deck right into the boat. There would be nearly 20 men in the boat now and I was trying to slip the painter when someone in the water screamed my name. I was dripping with oil fuel even now, as the painter was thickly covered in it, however I got a good grip of the young fellow who I think was Radio Cadet Fraser. Another chap and myself were endeavouring to haul him inboard when with a shattering roar we went sailing into the air. The fourth torpedo had struck directly below my boat blowing us right out of the water.
I thought this was [the] finish. I can remember being down under and striking out mechanically for the surface. Just previously I had seen a Carley float for’ard of the boat. I swam to this to find the Postie, P.O. Lazenby and L/S Frank Mayo already “on board”. There were many others inside and all round so I just hung on for a while. Even in these circumstances the lads had to laugh at my appearance. Now capless, with hair and face coated thickly in that treacle-like oil I am sure I was an odd sight. While hanging there, Ken Fisher, a coder, came along and he was in a similar state. The time of the 4th torpedo striking us was approx. 0353 (Zone Time).
Two minutes later the 5th and last torpedo struck, again on the Port side. This was the final blow as the ship broke in two owing to the after magazine blowing sky-high. She was well down by the stern now and I remember the ghastly cracklings as the after end bent inwards crushing the decks like matchwood. She heeled quickly over on her Sta’b’d side, the after end disappeared, and as she settled, she turned right over and sank slowly and steadily by the stern.
We had paddled like mad to get well away, but as there were twelve of us and only 2 paddles we did not get very far. However, as she turned over on her Sta’b’d side, she went away from us and there was little suction owing to the slow speed at which she finally settled. As the bows slid away for the last time I said, “Well boys, there goes the last of the old Forfar.” I don’t know why I should make such a melodramatic statement, but it didn’t seem right to me that she should make her last exit unannounced.
Kerr was to spend a long time in the water clinging to the raft. After several disappointments when other boats failed to pick them up, he was eventually rescued by HMS Viscount. He was one of 21 survivors. 176 had died. Read his account on BBC Peoples War.
A publicity shot of U-99 Commander Otto Kretschmer, taken in November 1940 when he was awarded the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves.
It was Kretschmers last successful patrol. He returned to Germany to a heroes welcome, he now had sunk over 200,000 tons of shipping, placing him comfortably at the head of the league of tonnage sunk.
