Blake

In the summer of 1939 when the Royal Naval destroyer HMS *Torrin* is being rushed into commission as the possibility of war becomes a near certainty. Her Captain is **E.V. Kinross**.

The ship spends a relatively quiet Christmas in the north of Scotland during the Phoney War. But by 1940, the *Torrin* is taking part in a naval battle off the coast of Norway. During the action, a terrified young sailor leaves his station while another rating, Ordinary Seaman **"Shorty" Blake**, returns to work his gun after its crew is knocked unconscious by a torpedo strike. The damaged *Torrin* is towed back to port, all the time being harried by dive bombers.

Safely back in harbour, Captain Kinross tells the assembled ship's company that during the battle nearly all the crew performed as he would expect; however, one man didn't. But he tells everyone present they may be surprised to know that he let him off with a caution as he feels that, as Captain, he failed to make him understand his duty.

The *Torrin* next participates in the Dunkirk evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force.

Now in 1941 HMS *Torrin* was engaging German transports in a night-time engagement during the Battle of Crete in 1941. However, when dawn breaks, the destroyer comes under aerial attack from German bombers.

Eventually the destroyer receives a critical hit following a low-level pass. The crew abandons ship as it rapidly capsizes. Some of the officers and ratings manage to find a Carley float as the survivors are intermittently strafed by passing German planes.

The float survivors watch the capsized *Torrin* take on water as the badly damaged ship slowly sinks. The raft is again strafed by German planes. Some men are killed, and "Shorty" Blake is wounded. They watch the capsized *Torrin* finally sink. Captain Kinross leads a final "three cheers" for the *Torrin* when suddenly another passing German plane rakes the raft with machine gun fire, killing and wounding more men. A British destroyer soon appears and begins rescuing the men. On board, Captain Kinross talks to the survivors and collects addresses from the dying. He tells the young man who once deserted his post that he will write and tell his parents that they can be proud that he did his duty; the critically injured young man smiles and dies peacefully.

Captain Kinross and the ninety surviving members of the crew are taken to Alexandria in Egypt, whence they send brief telegrams to their loved ones, who had heard of the ship's sinking, to let them know they have survived. Wearing a mixture of odd clothing and standing in a military depot, Captain Kinross tells them that although they lost their ship and many friends, who now "lie together in fifteen hundred fathoms", he notes that these losses should inspire them to fight even harder in the battles to come. The ship's company is then told they are to be broken up and sent as replacements to other ships that have lost men. Captain Kinross then shakes hands with all the ratings as they leave the depot. When the last man goes, the emotionally tired captain turns to his remaining officers, silently acknowledging them before walking away.

It is later stated that Captain Kinross is now in command of a battleship.

## Gallery

Shorty Blake and Joey Mackeridge.Shorty Blake and Parkinson.