10 December 1944 Part 13

Continuation: 10 December; entries for 11 December 1944

19:00 — Peter Port

I arrived aboard V 204.

The inspection in Jersey had to be greatly shortened because of the intention to allow the Red Cross ship Vega to sail from Lisbon on 7 December. Nevertheless, I was able to carry out the most important parts of my programme.

The distribution of the merchant ships was as follows: Robert Müller 8, Spinell, Lene, Danish Wholdt, Pondichery and Tourane at St Helier; Holstein, Derfflinger and Gerfried in Orgueil Harbour, Jersey; Isigny, Schwalbe and Rene Marguerite in Aubin Harbour, Jersey; Claus Wilhelm at St Peter Port, Guernsey; and Dorothea Weber, Saigon and Tonkin in Sampson Harbour, Guernsey.

This produced a substantial improvement in air-raid protection, although vessels in Orgueil and Sampson Harbours cannot be brought out at every tide and those in Aubin Harbour only at spring tides. The slowest ships are the most difficult to retrieve and must therefore be kept at immediate or very short notice for operations.

Supervision of the vessels can be carried out effectively, particularly because the former crews of Groups B and C of the 46th Minesweeper Flotilla, now employed ashore, have their bases around Aubin and Sampson Harbours.

The establishment of the Jersey Ship Manning Company has had a very beneficial effect on the merchant-ship crews and the shipboard anti-aircraft detachments. The very poor state of clothing and the poorly regulated disciplinary conditions have improved markedly. Systematic training is now under way.

Giving the Harbour Commander, Jersey, the duties of a Kriegsmarinedienststelle (Naval Service Office, K.M.D.) and responsibility for maintaining the merchant ships is also beginning to bear fruit. The failure of Tourane during the convoy on 8 November 1944 was still caused by defective maintenance and work by her crew. It naturally takes time to remove the consequences of withdrawing the foreign crews; I have now carried out this measure throughout.

Anti-aircraft protection at the Army coastal batteries on Jersey's east coast still requires improvement, and the fuel at Naval Radar Stations East and West must be stored under air-raid protection. The differences with the Fortress Commander, Jersey, and the Artillery Commander have been settled.

The crews, and the further training of officers and cadets of the naval forces—especially the 24th Minesweeper Flotilla—made a very good impression, as did the wounded men of the naval forces and Battery Cécembre whom I visited in the harbour area.

T-1022 Roll 2423, PG 37998, Commander of Sea Defences, Channel Islands. Source scan 0118 — original page 290