Running Aground - January 1942
This Additional Information was Supplied by Dennis Mountain
It was January 1942 and H.M.S. Violet was on its way from Lagos to a rendezvous off the island Fernando Po to pick
up two small freighters from this Spanish Island. All very hush hush. It was in the middle of the morning when
suddenly there was a great crash and the ship shuddered. Action stations sounded and the crew were raised to their
posts as they thought the ship had been hit by a torpedo.
The Captain ran the ship forwards and backwards and finally after quite some time she was free. H.M.S. Violet
then continued on her journey to pick up the ships.
Duchessa-De-Oasta,One of the ships to be escorted when H.M.S Violet ran aground (Jan 1942).
This Additional Information was Supplied by Jim Green,
Stan Wilkes and Ronnie Worsman
After the refit in East London, H.M.S. Violet sailed to Durban, whilst there the ship was fumigated as she was
full of rats, bugs and cockroaches. The crew were put ashore for 24 hours. A box with tomatos and other fruit,
out of the ward room, had been put in a covered lifeboat.
The crew returned at 2100 and started to re-stock the ship, a seaman (Henry Baxter Ward) working alongside Jim
Green ate a tomato, from the box that had been left in the lifeboat, and immediately dropped dead from cyanide
poisoning. He was buried in Durbans Stellawood Commonwealth Cemetary.
The crew had to turn to and scrub the ship from bow to stern.