Last Stand of HMS Edinburgh - Arctic Gold

Today we take a look at the last voyage and heroic last stand of HMS Belfast's sister-ship in the high Arctic
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'Legionnaire' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

[@Drachinifel]

Pinned post for Q&A :)

[@WarrantOfficerWill22]

I recently saw a photo of a model of HMS A13, while I’m familiar with why future submarines would drop this sort of streamlined design, I’m never the less curious with what the potential underwater speed characteristics of submarines from ww1-ww2 could have been if they had maintained the such dedicated designs.

[@bkjeong4302]

Which valuables that were lost with a warship are you most personally interested in?

[@lucasdillon3918]

What other vessels besides tilawa, edinburgh, and garisoppa were lost carrying precious metals during ww2?

[@TheJuggtron]

Hi Drach - what size / scale models do you collect?

[@joeynelson9761]

I have a two part question about Jackie Fisher. What do you think was his best idea that he never managed to push through? And conversely, what do you think was his worst idea that was adopted/built?

[@andrewjones7126]

I was in thehospital and the other patient in my roo., a retired navy man. He loved the channel and we listened to the episodes eagerly

[@GrahamCStrouse]

That’s so cool!

[@jamescarter8693]

That's is a hellava homerun in the luck dept if all who have no choice with the other Pesce and nice of u to share and introduce drac

[@anysnail6390]

The best part about this channel is how I never heard of any of these ships and I still watch with rapt attention.

[@HMSVanguard46]

Huzzah. A true scot doesn't go down without a fight

[@jayterry8551]

Just ask any bouncer at the local pup.

[@UnsolicitedContext]

@@jayterry8551my cousins are apparently on a mission to provide ample proof of this…

[@deaks25]

The Town class is probably one of my favourite cruiser designs. They saw a lot of action, took various kickings but somehow seemed to be able to survive what should have been fatal damage. And Edinburgh especially was certainly made of some kind of adamantium. Half her stern missing, jury-rigged power, comms and radar systems, a massive hole in one side... It's no surprise the German destroyers thought they were getting an easy kill, and yet she still managed to fire accurately is impressive as heck, her crew certainly knew their business. The fact she didn't immediately split in two when the last German torpedo hit her, and then stubbornly refused to sink after her crew had been evacuated is, for me, a huge testament to her construction. Like Glowworm, Edinburgh's last stand is in the highest, proudest traditions of the Royal Navy, and yet gets so little celebration, all while we Brits evangelise the US Navy's own heroism during WWII. It saddens me that those heroic sailors don't get the recognition they richly deserve.

[@deezn8tes]

Royal Navy cruisers are rapidly becoming some of my favorite vessels to learn about from you. I love their monolithic look and their vastly different operational requirements all over the globe.

[@SmithsMuseum]

A submarine? In ww2? In the artic? Localized entirely in front of me? > Yes. Can I see it? > There's a blizzard. Then it must not exist.

[@alganhar1]

I do agree with the sentiment, Bonham Carter should have taken action assuming the contact was real rather than false, especially given the nature of the cargo and the weather. That being said those ghost contacts were a very real thing, and still are in both the Arctic and Antarctic. So I can understand why he may have thought as he did even if I do not agree with him. Frankly no one would have blamed him had he returned to the convoy and the safety of the destroyer escorts considering his cargo and the circumstances. Nothing was being given away information wise as the Germans already knew where the convoy was, and this is very much one of those times where discretion was definitely the better part of valour.... Had he done so the RN would likely not have lost 56 sailors, and one of their extremely valuable large light cruisers.... That's the frustrating thing about the loss of the Edinburgh, while her final action was heroic, it should never have occurred. Bonham Carter essentially ensured the loss not only of 56 RN Sailors, but of one of the RN's limited number of extremely valuable large light cruisers, arguably one of the two finest such in the RN....

[@ricardokowalski1579]

Anatoly Dyatlov enters the chat: You didn't see a sumarine on the water because it isn't there!!!

[@jon-paulfilkins7820]

Having been born in Australia and effectively raised by a WW2 Sailor (my grandad, Sailmaker, HMS Colombo, HMS Slinger), that royal naval personnel considered a comment "unprintable" I find.. Rather Impressive.

[@chrismaverick9828]

Even with social standards at that time it would have to be quite the invective to reach that level. Dang it! I need to know what was said!

[@benwilson6145]

Having worked with many of the 2W Dive Team and met several of the divers involved I feel confident at least some of the missing bars were recovered.

[@tobygeorgeharribo]

Have you seen Calum’s video on it? He interviewed Dougie in it too, and let’s be honest those 5 bars weren’t going to exactly be difficult to find! The issue of course though being illegal salvage to grab them

[@tobygeorgeharribo]

m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/fYvLppqgmrlra7M

[@phaasch]

"Sir, we have a firm contact, right ahead!" "Ok. Stand everybody down. Have the bugler sound "cooks to the galley"" FFS.

[@davidcolin6519]

Having watched rather a lot of these videos, it seems to me that RN engagements during WWII might best be described as "Any time the enemy is within range, no matter what boat I'm driving, I'm going to try to sink it", ie a USS Johnston, but for the entirety of the RN. Sometimes the tactic worked, other times (like here) it very nearly worked, and at others it really didn't work at all. But no matter the situation, one thing is abundantly clear; those that manned ANY ship at sea under the RN, and any merchant ship being protected by the RN were AL, to a man, stupefyingly brave. I have a pretty active imagination, yet I am incapable of understanding this level of bravery. So I salute every single officer, and every single person who ever served on any of these ships.

[@kimbaldunsmore4633]

What a bloody story! I knew a bit about the Murmansk convoys (one of my grandfathers was in destroyers for a while there) but this is something else. l spent 30 years in the Australian navy and for the life of me, l cannot conceive of fighting at sea in Arctic conditions. These blokes, both merchant and fighting navy types, who did this stuff are nothing less than heroes to a man. Bless 'em all and rest all of their souls, friend and foe.

[@Slaktrax]

What a great story Drach! I had heard about the Edinburgh gold being recovered but nothing of the circumstances and battle she endured. What a ship! 🙂

[@quietsolopursuits1414]

I've followed your channel since the early days with a computerized voice doing the narration, and I can honestly say that yours is one of the few that continues to improve as it goes. Keep up the great work!

[@ChloeGreen-u8e]

Your videos are not just entertainment, they are a source of inspiration and wisdom. Thank you for your creativity and effort!😚👁🤗

[@Faceonthewall]

"....A few choice litanies to the ships machine spirit....." Praise and glory be to the Machine God!!

[@dee4634]

On HMS Forrester a relative of mine took charge after the Captain was hit, his name was Jack Bitmead and he went on to become a full Captain in the Royal Navy and in the 1960 was for a time an equerry to the Queen.

[@F-Man]

Last time I was this early, the Lexingtons were still battlecruisers!

[@russkatherealoriginal6904]

And binoculars didn't pollute the seafloor..

[@griffinblades8475]

​@@russkatherealoriginal6904 I like to think about how stuff like that will look like as a fossil in 50 million years

[@natthaphonhongcharoen]

Hermann charging forward for an easy kill actually got blown apart. Z25 fired torpedoes at something else actually managed to accomplish the objective.

[@johnphillips519]

To sink in any sea is quite disturbing but to sink in the northern arctic sea, Is just horrifying, Those conditions are just incomprehensible to someone like me who has grown up in tropical northern Australia. I have to take my hat off to all that served on all sides in those extreme conditions👍

[@colinritchie1757]

Back in the mid 80s I was at at a car show in Aberdeen, and on display a beautiful 1930s American limo was on display , super looking car , "It belongs to one of the divers from the Edinburgh Salvage" cam the response from an onlooker when I asked about it There was a lot of money washing around Aberdeen at that point!

[@robertmills8640]

I vaguely knew about the Edinburgh and the gold, but I didn't know the details. So thanks for this very informative and exciting account👍👍👍

[@C2Baird]

My goodness man, that was amazing! I have watched all of your videos over the years and this one showed the the true 'in the now' experience of naval battle. So many similar experiences of WW2 are as real as this, but are forgotten, as they are not written down...Courageous men, each and every one of them. Lest we forget!

[@Swellington_]

The Edinburgh is probably my favorite tier 8 cruiser in world of warships,fantastic ship

[@mikemartin6790]

Thanks for all your work!

[@Seiskid]

Thankyou for this. Fascinating story. Really enjoyed. it.

[@khaelamensha3624]

My headphone is at home 😢😂 no Drach until this evening... It is one of these days 😂....

[@anselmdanker9519]

Thank you for covering this episode

[@OliverHinz]

This is by far the best video you made. Small details accompanied by creating a larger picture. Well done.

[@anonnymousperson]

I remember taking this ship out in WOWS. A really fun tier 8 cruiser. Really impressed by how much punishment it took to sink her.

[@davewolfy2906]

6 inch.

[@anonnymousperson]

@@davewolfy2906 ?

[@davewolfy2906]

@@anonnymousperson I don't play the game, I have realised that you were referring to the game. I did not know what WOWS meant. Oooops!

[@unclestone8406]

My favorite part of this entire story is not even Edinburgh getting a hit with her jammed turret, but holing the German engine blocks in the bargain. That's the kind of stuff that'll make the ghosts of Wallace and Robert the Bruce smile🍻

[@timgosling6189]

A bit of trivia, but Sir Stuart Bonham-Carter was indeed a distant relation of the current actress Helena and cousin Crispin, also an actor.

[@theoneneo5024]

Drach, I wish in these videos you would include the after action results from battles. I would like to know what, if anything the British navy learned from the loss of HMS Edinburgh and what consequences there were, if anything for Admiral Carter. I realize this was wartime but I can’t believe even the incestuous British aristocracy didn’t dish out some form of punishment for this level of screwup.

[@GenStallion]

Love the subtle references.

[@jefffradsham2297]

Drach, you promissed us more early ironclads....

[@lucasdillon3918]

Literally just started researching this topic today. Other then edinburgh, tilawa, and garrisoppa. What other vessel's were lost during ww2 with precious metals on board?

[@KPen3750]

31:00 re-enforces something ive come to realize in learning about the various crews aboard, Fire Control Techs are arguably some of the smartest people aboard warships

[@AnonNomad]

Those men dying in the oil is horrific.

[@brittenmusic6923]

Another awesome ‘ripping yarn’

[@joethegeographer]

Which would be more blood drenched? Tsarist gold or GULAG gold from Kolyma? Sounds doubly cursed to me. Great story though, thanks for sharing!

[@soyboymotivation]

FACT. The Russian revolution wasnt Russian, it was the tiny hats. Do your own research 🧠 D

[@johnbrinsden8751]

Thanks!

[@timhurtienne7760]

Thank you Drach 👌

[@biscuitninja]

"Dont fire until you see the whites of their eyes"....

[@rackstraw]

9:35 Distant ancestor of Helena Bonham Carter!

[@Spartaner251]

No scoping the submarine... Hahaha

[@Benepene]

Last Time I was this early the Horus was just a Primarch

[@andrewjones7126]

A good episode

[@terrylong8894]

Percussive maintenance @23:11. Was that a Star Trek reference.

[@The_ZeroLine]

Think about how many torpedo boats must have been in the Arctic.

[@kathrynnewton5203]

Thank you "D". That was a very detailed account of Battle/s.

[@ErzArt]

Why share the gold found with the Soviets if it was payment? Logically all the gold then belonged to England, right?

[@sfs2040]

I saw someone complain recently that Drachinfel is too technical and I'm trying to understand what he means by 'too technical' in regards to testimonials by sailors present in a battle.

[@lllordllloyd]

That person, seeking to have it dumbed down, has decades of output from cable TV history channels made specifically for them.

[@iatsd]

People brought up on the History Channel and it's superficial ilk have trouble when *any* level of detail is introduced.

[@OliviaAdams-r4k]

I watch your channel with pleasure. Your videos are a real treat for the eyes.🥞🥁✈️

[@TiberiusMaximus]

even after the last torp hit why didn't they leave a small crew on board and take her in tow?

[@GrahamCStrouse]

“So the admiral was an idiot?” “Yeah.”

[@oldrabbit8290]

and of course the destroyer still charged superior foes with gun blazing.. "Certainty of death. Small chance of success. What are we waiting for?"

[@BrianSmith-ow9gy]

Stubborn bastards, ain't we?

[@JeniferJones-o9v]

I bet the Admiral was conned/corrupted.

[@iatsd]

But what happened to the admiral?!

[@Alexmbaker84]

He survived, passing away in 1972 at the age of 83, and is a distant relative of the actress Helena Bonham Carter (I was curious about that bit 😂)

[@TheCaptainbeefylog]

Vice Admiral Sir Stuart Sumner Bonham Carter, KCB, CVO, DSO was made Flag Officer, Malta in 1942 but retired due to ill health in 1943, recalled in 1944 for more convoy work and served until 1945. He died in 1972. Distant relative of Helena Bonham-Carter.

[@ZachtimusPrime]

Frickin early gang reporting for duty!

[@davewolfy2906]

A bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale was recovered with the gold. It was found to be drinkable. I wish I could remember the source for this.

[@billbrockman779]

What terrible bad fortune for a valiant ship.

[@aristoteliskoskinas1172]

Percussive maintenance......

[@Alcatur]

What was the point of scuttling the ship? Wouldn't trying to tow it back be more sensible? If there is no one on board there is little risk, the Soviet tug would be going back with the minesweepers anyway, so why not just try towing an unmanned ship?

[@TheCaptainbeefylog]

Towing a cruiser is hard work when it's in good weather and undamaged. She was a wreck that forgot to sink by the time the shooting was over and the tug wasn't capable of towing her to start with. Towed ships always have some crew aboard for various reasons and the danger would outweigh the possible reward.

[@Alcatur]

@@TheCaptainbeefylog I am not sure if towing absolutely requires someone to stay aboard. Ships such as Warspite or Oklahoma were towed without personnel onboard, so it is possible (maybe it requires some preparation?). Yes, she was a wreck, and likely would sink. But there could have been the slimmest of chances that towing would work, and I don't quite understand why taking it would be risky - without personnel the worst thing that could happen is that the ship would actually sink - soo, nothing lost?

[@TheCaptainbeefylog]

@@Alcatur if you're doing it right then you keep a tow-crew aboard otherwise you're asking for problems. Warspite and Oklahoma might not have had any of their crew aboard, but you can bet there were tow-crews on them. That aside, towing them would be a long and drawn out task requiring more ships to be available to defend the ships involved in the tow. Getting her back to Murmansk at 3 knots would have taken about 3 days with no incidents. By then half of the Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe would be on them.

[@merlinwizard1000]

81st, 2 October 2024

[@MichaelCampin]

Shouldn't they really be called City class rather than Town or am I being pedantic

[@iatsd]

I'm going to guess you're American. Only Americans tend to be that literal and pedantic, although, sadly, their diseased mind rot is spreading wider all the time

[@juni78ukr]

Pronunciation of Russian names could have been a bit better.

[@skyhager5953]

I was wondering the entire time if maybe a sailor didn't manage to pocket a bar or two before the sinking

[@iatsd]

So unlikely as to be zero chance of it.

[@skyhager5953]

@@iatsd For sure, I know it would have likely been guarded until the last of the crew were off the ship, but it is an interesting idea.

[@justadudeonaphone3927]

First, for the first time ever.

[@dogloversrule8476]

Not first

[@johncordes7885]

Admiral munch... British hubris... thanks for the mess in the middle east

[@bryant7201]

First?

[@RimaHarris]

Your channel is not just a KZbin channel, it is a real educational portal. Thank you for your contribution!🥃🟣✈️