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HMS Edinburgh - A Heroic Last Stand (with Gold)
Also known as the cruiser with a dozen ways to pronounce the name.
HMS Edinburgh is a ship that will always, for better or worse, be known for her sinking. Her active career was a short and largely uneventful one, leading to her sinking dominating her story. Not least because of the 5 or so tons of gold carried aboard her.
Which is a shame, because it overlooks the heroism of her crew in that final action.
As well as her career, prior to that battle.
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Пікірлер: 44
Perfect pronunciation.
I recently had a conversation with one of the guys on the team in the first gold recovery team and told me a lot about the dives and that they used saturation diving and had to leave before they could get all the gold as the weather made the dive site dangerous. Another thing he mentioned was how glad the team were that Belfast was saved as they used Belfast to find where they needed to cut into Edinburgh as they under the legal contract only allowed to cut into where the gold was and recover it. He also mentioned that when the team found the ship he originally couldn't tell it was a light cruiser as he described "it was just a twisted large lump of metal on the bottom of the sea"
My great uncle Joseph Farrow was on board HMS Edinburgh when she was sunk. His station was in the forward magazine, an occupation which left him practically deaf due to all the mechanical hoists for shells he worked with. Anyway he very nearly missed being picked up because as they were getting the crew off he went back for his great coat so the story goes. Needless to say he survived the war however, later serving on HMS Newcastle another town class cruiser this time in the Pacific and around Australia by the end of the war. He only received his campaign medal for the arctic convoys after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 and died a couple of years later. I was only a child when I met him but I would have loved to hear his story from him first hand.
As a young guy working on a diving support vessel (DSV Deepwater 1 or 2 , don't remember) we went out on a trip but where not told where we would go... Out at sea we learned we where going out to salvage some gold! It was the second batch that was salvaged from the ship and after some weeks we recovered about 26 bars or so. There are still a few (i think 7 or so) unaccounted for but as the ship is at 240 m deep you can forget about getting these out on your own ;-) When we got at the wreck the ROV was lowered and the first thing we saw was a complete little lifeboat from which we retrieved the wooden sign. Also we recovered the ships bell. Great adventure it was! It was at that time i learned there is a sister ship in london , HMS Belfast so years later i went there to visit it. This ship is really worth a visit so go there if you get a chance!
Superb appraisal of the story of HMS Edinburgh. The Father of a late school chum Arthur Start was a survivor of the crew relaying his part in the attack and subsequent sinking. The battle to save the ship was ordered and disciplined,no panic. The immersion in the freezing sea was awful,leaving a lasting memory
My maternal grandfather was one of the two officers killed on board this outstanding example of British naval heroism. He was Lieut (Eng) V.G.Manfield and was killed in the first torpedo strike- our family is not even sure he knew that he was going to be a father as my mother was born 25/10/42; though we suspect he knew. The gold aboard Edinburgh really complicates emotions for me, her story is thrilling though tragic and I would really like her to be left as a war grave in line with all other vessels sunk in times of war. Yet the recovery of the gold was another exciting tale in its own right. Your research and presentation of this video are excellent and beyond reproach. For more detailed information I'd suggest people look online for the book 'Last Call For HMS Edinburgh' which details both the gallantry of all on board Edinburgh and particularly the almost suicidal bravery of those on the four minesweepers facing down 3 destroyers.
I always liked the Town Class Cruisers. They remind me of a light cruiser wearing a heavy cruisers clothing. HMS Belfast is a bucket list site for me to visit, and I'm glad to hear Edinburgh is left to rest in peace. I honestly don't know much about the salvage operation that took place to recover her golden cargo, but I certainly remember how enthusiastic different governments were to claim it. I can't wait for your vid on that particular endeavor!! If I can make a request for a future vid, I would love to see you break down the Pom-Pom mount in the same way you did for the Type 23 mount. the multi-barreled Pom-Pom mount might be one of the most distinct AA weapons for the second world war (Certainly can't think of another mount that had up to sixteen barrels fitted), and yet I know almost nothing about it. Would love to hear if it was either an effective flyswatter, or something of a dud. Either way, would love to see your perspective on this unique weapon. Can't wait for the next vid!!!
The picture of HMS HOOD (9:18)is taken from Stanley Park, as she & the HMS REPULSE are heading into the First Narrows, to anchor inside Burrard Inlet, in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. Plenty of people were in that park to enjoy and as such, so was my grandfather, who also had been doing his own photographs.
Can't wait for the salvage episode!!
Agreed: pronunciation spot on.
Nailed the pronunciation. Always been a fan of this cruiser class and its derivatives.
A cruiser of that size ought to have the 8” main battery. The arctic convoys were a brutal campaign and survival in the water was measured in minutes for crew of a sinking ship.
Really enjoyed that ,just goes to show you learn something new every day.
Your pronunciation is perfect.
Another sad epilogue to the loss of Edinburgh: Some of her survivors embarked aboard the damaged HMS Trinidad (who had "torpedoed herself" in a fight with German destroyers) for passage back to Britain only to be killed outright when she was bombed and sunk by the Luftwaffe - one of the bombs ripping right into the area where they were housed. This was about 2 weeks after surviving Edinburgh's sinking and in about the same location too. So ironic and sad..... like a "Final Destination" scenario!??
There was quite a good documentary about the salvage. I think it was on the BBC.
You’d think someone would want to grab some gold before they scuttle it
There is a great book called 'Goldfinder' by Keith Jessop which isl about Salvage Diving and includes his work on the recovery of the gold from HMS Edinburgh
I can imagine the secrecy of the sinking coordinates, since the germans had a general idea but only the crew that scuttled it had a final fix
The problem of not going through with engineering a quad turret wasn't the difficulty. After conducting tests with placing 4 guns with identical separation (as in the quad turret) caused unacceptable levels of dispersion when firing. They could have remedied this with spacing the guns further apart but you might end up with a 6 inch gun quad turret that is as wide as that of a Nelson's 16 inch gun triple turret. They could have installed delay coils but maybe that wasn't a thing yet in the 30s when Belfast and Edinburgh were designed.
Thanks for this. I work on HMS belfast but alas am unable to get down to the bomb room area myself 😂. Did you see the excellent video on the net about the salvage. Has some good if grainy footage of the wreck on the bottom.
I had to chuckle at your explanation of which pronunciation you decided upon.
13,000 tons is quite large for a 6-inch armed light Cruiser
my father was chief gunner on hms forester ! he said most of their superstructure was blown off after broadsides from the German destroyers only the foresight remained able and my father was gobsmacked the Germans broke off the attack ! the foresight finished hms Edinburgh off and forester was towed to Russia and my father was seconded to hms Belfast he was involved with the d day barrage and they were hit by a magnetic mine in the English channel ! hms forester was refitted and he went back to her until the end of the war !
can tell you, my Grandmother was scottish, and she pronounced it the same way you are.
Great video
Unusual for a sub' to attack the escorting warships, when they usually go for the cargo, though I am unsure with returning convoys? It sounds suspiciously as if the Germans just may have had intelligence on what was carrying what, going for a light cruiser, though certainly a legit' target for a torpedoing! Nice work you do, enjoying your approach to your videos, thank you! It's tRICKy!
Noce diagram showing what the wreck looks like at the bottom
Anyone who likes warships and has ever been to London knows the Belfast. I didn't even know she had a sister ship.
Can you please do HMAS Canberra - Savo Island.
Kinda interesting that Town class, and many light cruisers such as Cleveland class, especially the latter ships are actually bigger than most treaty era heavy cruisers. I mean, why so? Was the mechanism for 6 inches guns are heavier?
@RayyMusik
6 ай бұрын
No; there were just more of them. Imagine 9 people weighing 80 kg each: a total of 720 kg. 12 people of 60 kg each: also 720 kg. In general, it doesn‘t make much sense to compare treaty cruisers to post-treaty designs; the latter were larger throughout due to increased protection, more/heavier AA guns, radar etc. But a Baltimore was still heavier than a Cleveland.
Of all the times to have luck run out. When carrying a payment of gold.
Who decided the wreck was no longer a war grave?
P.s. may i ask your source for the 1939/40 remedial works to add stiffening to the rear hull for Edinburgh?
@skyneahistory2306
6 ай бұрын
uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/1237.html naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-06CL-Edinburgh.htm Both of these mention it. Usual caveats about online sources and all of that applies, but these are *usually* pretty reliable for service details. I sometimes notice some parts that don't match up entirely (this ship in particular has a couple examples) but outright *falsehoods* are things I've never seen from them. For what it's worth, the second link gives a specific source: "Note: Details of design weaknesses in this ship and HMS BELFAST are given in A CENTURY OF NAVAL CONSTRUCTION by D. K. Brown, RCNC."
@Jpdt19
5 ай бұрын
@@skyneahistory2306 thank you
😊brave mariners
"Light Cruiser"?
@RayyMusik
6 ай бұрын
Yep. The treaty definitions of light and heavy cruisers were not based on the actual weight at all but solely on the the main gun caliber: 6“: light cruiser, 8“: heavy cruiser. These definitions were maintained after the treaties had become obsolete.
Sorry, this is not meant to detract from the work you put into this video. It's good. It's just the pronunciation is like nails down down a chalkboard. Ironically enough at points you prnounce it almost perfectly. With the typical American accent it is easier for you to pronounce it Edin*Bruh* A similar sound to what you would make saying 'Brother* or "Hey Bruh, what you doing?" While not quite right, it is would be less jarring to people who live in the UK. I'll keep an eye out for your next videos. Thanks.
It’s pronounced Edinburgh (I’m American so I have no clue)
Pronounce as Edinbruh. Now tell me how Niagara Falls is pounounced Niagra 😀