Miscellaneous Ship Histories

Winha

 

Winha was in service from 1904 until she ended her life as a block ship during the construction of Mulberry Harbours during the 1944 Normandy Landings.

Service Pre-WW2

 

No information is currently available.

Participation in WW2 Convoys

 

Winha took part in 26 convoys before being scuttled according to information shown in the table below which is provided courtesy of Convoyweb   - see  Ext. Ref. #5.

Image 1

Basic Data: Winha

Type: Cargo Ship

Registered owners, managers and operators:

Rederi A/B Transatlantic (Lundgren),

Gothenburg

Builders: Hawthorne Leslie

Yard: Hebburn

Country: UK

Yard number: 398

Registry: N/K

Official number: 168697

Signal letters: N/K

Call sign: BCTC

Classification society: Lloyds London

Gross tonnage: 3,313 tons

Net tonnage: N/K

Deadweight: N/K

Length: 103.6 Metres

Breadth: 14.9 Metres

Depth: N/K

Draught: N/K

Engines: Triple expansion steam engine with cylinders of 25”, 40.5” and 67” and 45” stroke

Engine builders: N.E. Marine Engineering Co Ltd.

Works: Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Country: UK

Power: 332 Nominal HP

Propulsion: Single screw

Speed: 11 knots

Cargo capacity: N/K

Crew: N/K

Image 2

Images

 

1. All Images on this page were provided by Stan Mayes and digitally enhanced by Brian Watson

2. Images #4 and #5 from Ext. Ref. #14

Reading Stan Mayes account of his time on Winha in 1942 HERE, it is clear that she had seen better days by the time he served on her in 1942 and had been lashed up to keep her going. Despite this, as can be seen from the list of convoys above, she made trips across the Atlantic but the reference to Sydney is at Cape Breton rather than Australia. One wonders whether the state of the ship improved from the when she was described by Stan, but it seems likely that she was kept going with only essential work being done.

 

Yet Winha had one final important contribution to make and that is described below.

 

Scuttling of Winha

 

Winha, was one of 60 old or damaged ships, that were earmarked to be scuttled to form a protective breakwater for the Mulberry Harbours constructed to support the D-Day landings. These barriers were called Gooseberrys and the invasion plan called for five of these structures - one at each landing beaches Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword.

 

Winha was one of the ships destined to become part of “Gooseberry 3” at Gold Beach. The code name for the block ships was “Corn Cob”; those used at this location were:

 

· HMS Alynbank

· Alghios Spyridon

· Elswick Park

· Flowergate

· Giorgios P.

· Ingman

· Innerton

· Lynghaug

· Modlin

· Njegos

· Parkhaven (added later to repair damage)

· Parklaan

· Saltersgate

· Sirehei

· Vinlake

· Winha

 

 Further information on all the ships related to the Mulberry Harbours can be found at Ext. Ref  #13.

 

Account of the Scuttling of Winha

 

A recent article in the Kirriemuir Herald Ext. Ref. #12 provides the following account of the scuttling from Mr John Macdonald of Kirriemuir:

 

A 91-year-old Forfar man doesn't have much difficulty in recalling the events of June 6, 1944. For John Macdonald played a role in the D-Day landings that, as important as it was, is rarely ever mentioned in footage of an event that marked the turn of the tide in world war two. Indeed, he was aboard a cargo ship that sailed all the way to the coast of France only to be blown up as part of an elaborate plan to create the breakwaters that would make it easier for the Allies to pour men and equipment on to the beaches in the days and weeks that followed perhaps the greatest moment in world history.

John popped in to the "Dispatch" office last week, to tell the story of "the block ships" that helped form the artificial harbour off the code-named Sword beach near Arromanches in France. He explained that the story of "the block ships" is one that gets little mention in coverage of the annual anniversary of the D-Day landings.

"Yet all these block ships were sunk to form the breakwaters for a mulberry harbour - an artificial port created to aid the landings," he adds. "The ships in question were the oldest merchant navy vessels around at the time, earmarked by the Royal Navy for this specific purpose. "They were all manned by Merchant Navy personnel, who came under the direct orders of the Royal Navy."

Mr Macdonald joined his ship, tied up at Rosyth Docks, on April 22, 1944. "It was the SS Winha, said to have been bought from a Greek company. It weighed approximately 1000 tonnes and was 45 years old.

Mr Macdonald joined the SS Winha as second engineer, and found that it had already been loaded with all types of ballast - sand, rocks, bricks, etc. "We all knew that the plans for the ship were for it to be sunk, for the charges had already even been laid." Ahead of sailing, there wasn't a lot for the crew to do. "Apart from watch-keeping, all we did every day was sit in the saloon along with the young deck officers, playing cards and other games.

"I forget the exact day we set sail from Rosyth - sometime in late May I think. We proceeded in convoy up the east coast, heading for the Pentland Firth and then round to continue down the west coast of Scotland. "Our maximum speed was about five knots, depending on the currents. "We eventually reached the mouth of the Bristol Channel at around 6 pm on Sunday, June 4.

"It was a beautiful summer's night and, to our amazement, out of the horizon, from Bristol, came the American and British battle fleets, first the battleships, then the destroyers and so on. "The following morning, all these naval ships passed us again, heading back towards Bristol. "We didn't know at the time that we were witnessing the lead-up to D-Day, which had to be postponed for 24 hours due to bad weather.

"We remained anchored off the Bristol Channel, and the order came for us to pack up our belongings for shipment home, left with only the clothes we stood in and two days' survival rations. "Nothing was to be left on board the SS Winha.

"We finally set sail for Christchurch on the south coast of England - and by the time we were nearing our next destination the invasion of France was underway. "I was on watch, and went on deck to have a look at what was happening around me. It was a sight I'll never forget - with the sky a mass of planes, all heading for France. "Our orders were to proceed to Arromanches, an artificial port created for the Normandy landings. "There, our ship was to be one of a number to be sunk to create two breakwaters to assist with the landing operations.

"On Friday, June 9, 1944, at 1.10 pm the SS Winha was manoeuvred into position, secured to the bows of SS Modlin. "The entire crew was then evacuated from the ship by a naval vessel, ahead of our ship's sinking, to be transferred to a liberty ship. Fully loaded, this vessel headed back to England.

"We arrived at the mouth of the River Thames at 6 am on Sunday, June 11. "On the Monday morning we were all issued with a railway warrant to return home."

So ended John Macdonald's experience of the invasion that was to lead to the liberation of Europe.

 

Image 1 shows Winha when named Atlantic and therefore must have been taken before her name change in 1935.

Image 2 shows another photo of Winha when named Atlantic. The photo was taken at Vancouver 25th July 1934. The funnel markings are different to the previous photo.

Image 3 shows another photo of Winha when named Atlantic arriving at Vancouver on 25 July 1934. .

Image 3

Image 4 shows a plan of the Mulberry Harbour and breakwater at Arromanches.

Image 4

Image 5 shows a plan of the disposition of the blockships in Gooseberry 3 including Winha.

Image 5

Image 6 shows some of the blockships used in Gooseberrys but neither the location nor the ships are  known. Note that the armaments have been left in place on these ships as they are above the waterline. They were used for anti-aircraft defences after the ships had been scuttled.

Image 6