Description
Mr. Treherne recalls a scuffle between some navy cruisers and the Scharnhorst.
Thomas Claude Treherne
Mr. Treherne returned to Canada after the war and continued his military career as a senior instructor at Naden Supply School. Mr. Treherne maintains a family history of his father's and grandfather's service lives. He is currently writing his memoirs of his navy service in the supply branch, and also serves as a member of the Council for Canadian Security in the 21st Century (CCS 21).
Transcript
Anyway, I went on watch on Boxing Day, this was ‘43, were we? We were ‘43...
Interviewer: That's right.
And I had, I was on watch and, and I did the cypher which, from Admiralty, which stated that, "The Admiralty appreciates that the Sharnhorst is now at sea," that's exactly what the message said. It must have come from some coast watcher on the coast of Norway to, you know, London and then Admiralty sent it out to the fleet. Anyway that went on and the, the Sharnhorst did, was in fact out, and it was but the submarine had picked up the convoy so they knew where it was.
I was on watch and then I was off watch, on breakfast, we went to action stations after breakfast and stayed there all day but a relaxed one, it wasn't, wasn't close up really. And, but early in the morning the Destroyers, Norfolk sighted the Sharnhorst, and the, it was quite a far, quite far north towards Bear Island, which is sort of north west of Iceland, and then the, the Belfast, the Norfolk and some other, one of the other Cruisers, tackled the Sharnhorst but then there was a scuffle, but the Sharnhorst was speed and got away and the, and headed for the convoy I guess.