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raiders. The mine exploded under the keel, splitting the ship in two, and the after part, packed with sleeping men of 43 Recce, sank rapidly. Worse still, a 3-tonner ammunition lorry caught fire, and oil floating on the water was set alight. Landing craft and the gunboat
251:
The
Regimental War Diary records that "Great gallantry was displayed by all troops in the two aft holds" and lists 183 men of the regiment lost and about 120 others evacuated wounded. In addition, 25 of the ship's crew, (including Army gunners and a
176:
she had been built at great speed: her keel was laid on 22 June 1943, she was launched on 11 November the same year, and was delivered on 26 February 1944. She immediately came under the overall control of the
1524:
271:, and reinforcements were sent from England, but 43 Recce was not fully up to strength until the end of July 1944 and was unable to assist its parent division in the bitter
193:
the ship was selected to transport one of the regiments required for the build-up of troops in the
Normandy bridgehead. On 18 June 1944 HQ, A and C squadrons of the
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on the evening of 20 June. High seas and enemy shelling prevented unloading for three days and it was decided to move T72 to
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259:), died in the disaster, which represented the biggest single loss of life off the Normandy invasion beaches.
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In the days following the sinking, most of 43 Recce's vehicles were landed from the beached fore part of the
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remains as a wreck site off Sword. Another ship built at
Burntisland for the Ministry of War Transport, the
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as Motor
Transport Ship (MTS) T72, and guns were fitted fore and aft (manned by Royal Navy gunners).
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for disembarkation. As the ship started engines at 07.40 on the morning of 24 June it detonated an
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for McGowan & Gross of London. Because of critical shipping requirements during the
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History of the Second World War, United
Kingdom Military Series: Victory in the West
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quickly came alongside and picked up survivors, most of whom were evacuated to SS
465:
43 Recce War Diary July–August 1944, The
National Archives, Kew, file WO 171/491.
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210:
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520:, London: HM Stationery Office, 1962/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2004,
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was a general-purpose cargo ship of 10,200 tons built (yard number 275) by
484:
456:
43 Recce War Diary June 1944, The
National Archives, Kew, file WO 171/491.
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157:. She was sunk off the Normandy beaches with great loss of life in 1944.
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309:
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was a
British cargo ship impressed as a military transport during the
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When all the survivors had been taken off, Captain
Richardson of the
288:(1945) was bought by McGowan & Gross after the war and renamed
190:
248:, argued over who should be last to leave the half-sunken ship.
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16:
British military transport ship lost in 1944 Normandy landings
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244:
and the commanding officer of 43 Recce, Lieutenant-colonel
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332:"Ships built by the Burntisland Shipbuilding Company Ltd"
358:"Burntisland Shipyard - the Loss of the Derrycunihy"
1361:
616:
425:. The Reconnaissance Corps Website. Archived from
1525:World War II merchant ships of the United Kingdom
571:43rd Reconnaissance Regiment Living History Group
221:or "Oyster" mine dropped by one of the nightly
611:Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in June 1944
542:, London: Souvenir Press 1964/Pan Books 1966,
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349:
127:Sunk off Normandy by enemy action 24 June 1944
596:
8:
209:, and arrived off the British landing area
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589:
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390:
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533:The 43rd Wessex Division at War 1944-1945
423:"43rd (Wessex) Reconnaissance Regiment"
301:
20:
195:43rd (Wessex) Reconnaissance Regiment
7:
14:
1485:
1480:
1468:
1460:
566:The Reconnaissance Corps website
170:Burntisland Shipbuilding Company
78:Burntisland Shipbuilding Company
63:
1530:Maritime incidents in June 1944
1520:Ministry of War Transport ships
378:43 Recce War Diary June 1944,
1:
1540:Ships sunk by German aircraft
278:The sunken after-part of the
1556:
380:The National Archives, Kew
356:Sommerville, Iain (2014).
205:. She joined a convoy off
1455:
561:Burntisland Shipyard site
237:, a former French liner.
197:("43 Recce") embarked at
179:Ministry of War Transport
131:
54:Ministry of War Transport
27:
23:
1336:Unknown date:
485:"MV Derrycunihy (+1944)"
1515:Ships built in Scotland
535:, London: Clowes, 1952.
334:. Burntisland.net. 2008
132:General characteristics
46:McCowan & Gross Ltd
540:Caen: Anvil of Victory
518:The Battle of Normandy
201:, London, aboard the
185:Disaster off Normandy
254:Royal Observer Corps
1535:Ships sunk by mines
531:Maj-Gen H. Essame,
394:Ellis Vol 1 p. 275.
310:"List of Ships (5)"
953:12 Jun:
412:McKee pp. 149–152.
382:, file WO 171/491.
1497:
1496:
538:Alexander McKee,
510:Major L. F. Ellis
403:Essame, pp 16–17.
360:. Burntisland.net
312:. Burntisland.net
257:Seaborne Observer
144:
143:
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1071:Franz Westermann
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738:Susan B. Anthony
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246:Francis Lane Fox
199:West India Docks
174:Second World War
155:Second World War
111:26 February 1944
103:11 November 1943
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59:Port of registry
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1362:Other incidents
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1113:Albert C. Field
983:Friedrich Busse
855:Empire Flamingo
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725:Empire Defiance
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429:on 14 July 2014
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849:Empire Bunting
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555:External links
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487:. Wrecksite.eu
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474:Essame, p. 63.
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447:McKee, p. 151.
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189:Shortly after
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116:Identification
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548:0-330-23368-8
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1266:Claus Bolten
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489:. Retrieved
479:
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431:. Retrieved
427:the original
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362:. Retrieved
336:. Retrieved
326:
314:. Retrieved
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289:
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279:
277:
268:
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256:
250:
241:
239:
235:Cap Touraine
234:
229:
202:
188:
165:
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161:Construction
148:
146:
145:
95:22 June 1943
36:
18:
1317:Nikkin Maru
1288:Toyama Maru
1197:Derrycunihy
976:Otto Bröhan
956:Kainan Maru
873:HNLMS
694:HNoMS
290:Derrycunihy
280:Derrycunihy
269:Derrycunihy
242:Derrycunihy
203:Derrycunihy
166:Derrycunihy
149:Derrycunihy
84:Yard number
37:Derrycunihy
1510:1943 ships
1504:Categories
1446:Sonderburg
1152:HMAS
1052:Shiratsuyu
836:Dover Hill
821:West Grama
618:Shipwrecks
576:Wreck site
504:References
215:Juno Beach
1491:July 1944
1438:HMS
1421:HMS
1414:HMS
1405:HMS
1396:USS
1379:HMS
1370:USS
1344:USS
1331:Kergroise
1305:USS
1262:28 Jun:
1167:HMS
1028:Blackwood
1026:HMS
1017:USS
990:HMS
961:HMS
936:Partridge
934:USS
909:Innsbruck
901:USS
866:USS
861:Matsukaze
841:HMS
795:USS
788:HMS
765:Audacious
743:USS
736:USS
719:Centurion
717:HMS
708:HMS
687:USS
676:LCI(L)-93
674:USS
667:USS
658:USS
627:USS
516:, Vol I:
263:Aftermath
228:HMS
223:Luftwaffe
151:(MTS T72)
108:Completed
92:Laid down
1478:May 1944
1428:26 Jun:
1412:25 Jun:
1403:23 Jun:
1398:Hawkbill
1394:18 Jun:
1386:16 Jun:
1377:11 Jun:
1372:Meredith
1315:SS
1312:30 Jun:
1285:29 Jun:
1254:27 Jun:
1231:Aquileia
1228:26 Jun:
1220:25 Jun:
1194:24 Jun:
1177:Eurydice
1174:22 Jun:
1159:21 Jun:
1154:Matafele
1144:20 Jun:
1124:19 Jun:
1110:18 Jun:
1096:17 Jun:
1076:16 Jun:
1024:15 Jun:
1015:14 Jun:
992:Boadicea
988:13 Jun:
932:11 Jun:
899:10 Jun:
881:Tanikaze
868:Meredith
783:Kazagumo
771:Harusame
731:Hayanami
710:Wrestler
682:Minazuki
219:acoustic
100:Launched
51:Operator
1431:Gorizia
1423:Goodson
1416:Glasgow
1381:Halsted
1368:7 Jun:
1346:LCT-209
1294:Tsugaru
1280:Nerissa
1162:Bolzano
1133:ShĹŤkaku
915:Mistral
903:Glennon
875:Sumatra
830:Courbet
826:9 Jun:
790:Lawford
762:8 Jun:
715:7 Jun:
696:Svenner
689:PC-1261
665:6 Jun:
649:5 Jun:
634:3 Jun:
629:Herring
625:1 Jun:
491:11 June
433:11 June
364:11 June
338:11 June
316:11 June
137:Tonnage
119:MTS T72
74:Builder
28:History
1440:Sickle
1407:Scylla
1329:V 422
1273:Kondor
1264:V 213
1215:U-1225
1189:Sirène
1105:Ro-117
1099:Ro-114
1069:V 202
981:V 212
974:V 206
963:Sickle
921:Ro-111
843:Durban
703:Rauzan
701:V 421
660:Osprey
653:Almuth
651:V 622
644:Coburg
642:WBS 2
546:
524:
230:Locust
140:10,200
69:London
1389:U-998
1352:U-740
1339:Bosna
1324:U-478
1307:Valor
1300:U-988
1243:U-719
1237:U-317
1223:U-269
1209:U-971
1183:I-185
1139:TaihĹŤ
1127:I-184
1119:U-767
1091:U-998
1085:Ro-44
1064:U-987
1058:U-860
1034:M 507
1019:Golet
1010:U-715
1004:Ro-36
969:U-490
948:U-980
942:Ro-42
927:U-821
815:U-970
809:U-441
803:U-373
757:U-955
751:U-629
669:Corry
637:U-477
296:Notes
211:Sword
191:D-Day
43:Owner
1474:1945
1466:1944
1458:1943
1203:I-52
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