The Day When Ben K Went To Sea

I went to sea in late 1942. My first ship carried war material for General Montgomery in North Africa. 600 tons of Aviation Spirit in Nr. 1. all in 2 gallon tins, each tin protected by corrugated cardboard. In Nr. 2. ammunition mostly heavy calibre shells. Sherman Tanks in Nr. 3, and Bedford lorries on deck.

Off Algiers under a full moon we were attacked by Junker 88 aircraft and we received a direct hit in Nr. 1. I watched the Petrol flowing pasted the coal burning galley!, inches deep and half the crew had abandoned ship.

We were towed to Algiers by 4 tugs and Royal Engineers spent 3 months riveting seven plates to the starboard side of Nr. 1 hold. During that time we suffered a number of air attacks to the harbour. On the way home we lost 2 ships in Gibraltar Bay due to saboteurs from the Spanish mainland, attaching limpet mines to the keel. On leaving Gibraltar we joined up with an 80 ship convoy from Freetown and we were attacked for two days in the Bay of Biscay by Fokker-Wolf Condor, 4 engined aircraft from French bases and suffered many near misses over those two days.

My next ship was the RFA Beaconstreet on the UK to Halifax N.S. run. We carried 70 depth charges in steel racks on deck and a fuel line to the stern so that we could refuel escorting warships. In August 1943 several U-boats attacked us over 3 nights in mid-atlantic. We lost 9 or 10 ships and 2 warships, one a destroyer was hit in the magazine and they only had 3 survivors. Next night they sank a corvette with only one survivor and he had been on both ships?

During the remainder of 1943 and 44 we led a peaceful life and in 1945 I went ashore to obtain a peacetime certificate. I spent 2 years with Burmah Oil and was in Bombay when Mahatma Ghandi was assassinated. He was in Karachi on 15th August 1947 when Lord Mountbatten handed over power to the Governments of India and Pakistan. In Bombay, a moment of history, when I watched the last troopships leaving 'crowded' with time-expired men bound for the Land they adore.

In 1955/56 Ben was on the old London Pride (I) working for Marconi and worked directly for LOF from 1961 to 1984, the happiest years of my sea going career, sailing with the best people both afloat and ashore. (Ben Killeen)

Ben Killeen is an elder LOF senior citizen, now well into his 80's, he doesn't like me to mention his exact age because not even his wife knows this - so he claims, he is still fishing, swimming and walking his dog. (R.G.)

 

Acknowledgements : Ben Killeen.

Note by the Web Editor Roy Gerstner The version given is a historical extract and if any further information or correspondence comes available this extract will be modified and updated. If any reader can correct any mistake or add details please feel free to contact me via the LOF Website. The article is subject to copyright and permission should be obtained before any part is used, copied, or transmitted in any format.

Roy Gerstner © April 2007    webmaster@lof-news.co.uk