28 July 1942 Part 3

28 July 1942 Alderney Harbour Commandant diary

Clear, good visibility, E 2–3, sea 2. 0015: The air-sea rescue boat departed for Cherbourg. 0220: Signal station and lighthouse reported heavy gunfire in direction 4 at about ten nautical miles. 0245: The lighthouse reported a stationary glow of fire in direction 3, about ten nautical miles away, and reported the engagement ended. 0447: Signal station reported a burning ship in direction 2 at about ten nautical miles. [Numbered directions retained; the page gives no conversion to bearings.]

0520: HS 12/183/192 put out to assist the burning ship. According to the Harbour Protection Group, the boats recovered 25 survivors of Vp 203, most drifting about one nautical mile north on rafts and Otter floats. The survivors were handed to six S-boats from Cherbourg. Attempts by the harbour-protection boats to tow the patrol boat were prevented by its ammunition exploding. 0647: The three boats entered Alderney to obtain further orders. 0805: HS 12/135/183, Georgi and Tinda went out to the burning ship; at 0915 they headed for Cherbourg with burning Vp 203 in tow. 1800: HS 12/135/183 arrived from Cherbourg. 2030: HS 184/187 arrived from Guernsey. 2300: HS 12/135 went to patrol position. [The participating HS numbers change in the source and are retained.]

T-1022 Roll 2422, PG 37995, scan 0400–0401.