Wilfred Stennett Smith

HMS Patia British aircraft catapult vessel (https://vgy.me/u/NCMtNr) built in 1922, a steel screw steamer requisitioned by the Admiralty, which foundered 6 miles east of Beadnell Point after being bombed en route from the River Tyne for Belfast to pick up a Hurricat Hurricane. Before foundering with the loss of 39 lives, her gunners managed to shoot down the attacking Heinkel He 111H-5 code 1H+MH of 1/KG26. The attack took most of the ships crew by surprise. 21.17 Heinkel's first run, strafing and dropping two SD250 bombs. Both fell short, but four Navy crewmen died from the machine-gunning. The aircraft turned for a second run, dropping two more bombs, but the approach was too low and too straight and the Patia's gunners hit one of the bomber's engines, causing it to ditch close by. But one of the two bombs scored a direct hit on hold 3, and the massive explosion killed and injured many of the Patia’s crew. The ship started to sink rapidly and was abandoned. Commander D Baker, captain, seven officers and 31 ratings were killed. 31 of the crew, many with their clothes burnt off and with terrible burns, broken bones and serious wounds, managed to drift the four miles to the shore in a lifeboat, where a policeman directed them towards Boulmer. 3 survivors later died of their injuries.

The crew of the bomber exited the aircraft with no difficulty and three of them managed to scramble into the life raft before their aircraft sank. The engineer failed to get into the dinghy, and although he was supported in the water for some time, he eventually drowned. Ofw Erich Fenchal, Gefr Rudolf Klamand, Uffz Siegfried Warko, POW's. Gefr Johann Schuegerl killed.

While the ship's crew were arriving at shore, the local lifeboat was called out with an armed escort to rescue the Luftwaffe crew.

Unknown