John Philip Rowson

HMS Saumarez

HMS Saumarez was an S-class destroyer completed on 1 July 1943. She continued the tradition of flotilla leaders being named after prominent British seamen, in her case Vice-Admiral James Saumarez, 1st Baron de Saumarez of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

On 22 December Convoy RA 55A sailed from Kola, escorted by eight destroyers, including Saumarez, two Canadian destroyers, three corvettes and a minesweeper. The outgoing convoy, JW 55B, had left Loch Ewe on 20 December and was expected to reach Bear Island on Christmas Day about the same time as RA 55A. Cruiser cover was provided east of Bear Island by Belfast, Sheffield and Norfolk, and heavy cover by the battleship Duke of York and the cruiser Jamaica.

Early on 26 December the Admiralty signalled that the German battleship Scharnhorst was at sea. She was detected by the cruisers and after some hours trying to evade them and strike at the convoy, headed for home. The German vessel was intercepted and hit by Duke of York and a long chase followed. In the ensuing action, Saumarez's guns fired continuously for eleven minutes, followed by torpedo attacks. A shell from Scharnhorst, which did not explode, passed through the Director Control Tower, killing eleven men, including Leading Seaman Bernard hall from Sutton in Ashfield and Ordinary Seaman John Rowson from Nottingham. (Wikipedia)

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