Sorry bit of thread drift here. For Steve in Ottawa

Following the sinking of the General Belgrano on 2nd May, one of her two escorts Piedra Buena started a depth charging which lasted only a short time. Less than an hour but our Captain was already taking us deep and out of the way. We were not damaged but shaken physically and mentally. The Belgrano's second escort Hipolito Bouchard was damaged by one of the three topedos fired by Conqueror. The Mk8 torpedo had failed to explode. The two that exploded both hit the Belgrano.

There was no opportunity for a second attack in the circumstances as the Argentines were well aware of our presence. Chris Wreford-Brown was a very calm, cool and superb skipper who held the crew together on not only that patrol but on others north of Russia.

A bomb that exploded was lodged in HMS Antelope. This was being worked on by two Army Bomb Disposal Experts when it exploded as they tried to remove the fuse by a small explosive charge. One of the two men was killed outright the other lost his arm.

My father was busy at that point working on a bomblodged in HMS Argonaut's Seacat ready use magazine.

Das Boot is probably one of the finest films ever made on the subject of submarine warfare. The German casualty rate in WWII on submarines was 90%. Not good odds, so one has to admire the men who went on those patrols.