British armed trawler: HMT Bedfordshire (36)
After the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor, the USA entered the war but was sorely lacking escort and anti-submarine vessels to protect the valuable east coast shipping lanes from German u-boats. The British transferred the Bedfordshire and 23 other vessels to US waters to serve under the direction of the US Navy. The Bedfordshire patrol area was Cape Lookout, NC to Norfolk, Virginia and it escorted convoys and merchant vessels around the dangerous u-boat hot zone, the Diamond Shoals, off of Cape Hatteras. Its home port for supplies and refueling was Morehead City, NC. In April, 1942, Bedfordshire provided protection to the USS Roper (DD-147) as the destroyer recovered bodies from its sinking of the U-85. The Bedfordshire was docked in Morehead City three weeks later when the U-352 was sunk by USCG cutter Icarus.
On May 10, 1942, the HMT Bedfordshire left Morehead City on what would turn out to be its last patrol. Early on May 12, as it was operating off of Cape Lookout, NC, it was spotted by the U-558 as it was coming down the coast, heading towards the Gulf of Mexico. The U-558 fired but missed with its first two torpedoes, but the attack was not noticed aboard the HMT Bedfordshire. The third torpedo did not miss, hitting the Bedfordshire and hit the small trawler amidship, blasting it almost out of the water. The HMT Bedfordshire sank immediately and there were no survivors amongst its 37 crew members. The HMT Bedfordshire was not missed for several days and it wasn't until several bodies washed ashore that were identified as being from the Bedfordshire crew thats its fate was known. The recovered British remains were buried in several cemeteries along the NC coast, the most prominent one being the British Cemetery at Ocracoke Island, NC [British Cemeteries - OuterBanks.com]
The United Kingdom has not abandoned or transferred title to HMT Bedfordshire and the vessel remains a sovereign immune State vessel belonging to the United Kingdom and is considered a military wartime grave. DO NOT DISTURB OR TAKE ITEMS FROM THE WRECK SITE.
CASUALTY LIST of the HMT Bedfordshire:
Lt. R.B. Davis, RNR (In Command).
Temp. Sub. Lt. H. Clutterbuck, RNVR.
Temp. Sub. Lt. B. Hall, RNVR.
Temp. Sub. Lt. T. Cunningham, RNVR.
F.W. Barnes, Engineman.
S. Bennett, Ordinary Seaman.
L.P. Bickford, Seaman.
E.S. Carruthers, Ordinary Seaman.
G.W. Cerrino, Leading Seaman, RNR.
W.F. Clemence, Ordinary Seaman.
F. Cragg, Ordinary Seaman.
S .R. Craig, Ordinary Telegraphist.
J.R. Dick, Seaman.
T.M. Dicks, Ordinary Seaman.
A. Dryden, Seaman.
A.W. Duncan, Chief Engineman, RNR.
G. Featherstone, Ordinary Telegraphist.
G.H. Fisher, Stoker 2nd. Class.
H. Ford, Seaman.
J. Kelly, Seaman.
W. Lee, Leading Seaman, RNR.
E.W. Lukins, Act. Stoker Petty Officer (Ty).
A.A. McCrindle, Seaman.
A. McKenzie, Stoker.
F.F. Maltby, Leading Seaman, RNR.
E.N. Morton, Ordinary Seaman.
W.J. Myers, Stoker.
S.W. Smitten, Ordinary Seaman.
P.E. Stone, Seaman.
C.T. Travell, Ordinary Signalman.
C.W. White, Ordinary Telegraphist.
L.J. Williams, Stoker, 2nd. Class.
R. Davis, Ordinary Seaman, RCN.
J.L. McCauley, Ordinary Seaman RCN.
T. A. Watson, Ordinary Seaman
Bedfordshire general layout (Greenwich Maritime Museum via 35)
