HDML 1023
Sittingbourne Shipbuilding Company, Kent 1/2/41
Known Crew
- Lt C S Roberts TSLt HMS Mosquito (Alexandria) for MTBs 28/9/42 102nd ML Flotilla Based at Alexandria Commanding Officer HDML 1023 28/9/42 TLt 24/5/43 ML 595 8/5/44
- Lt Sidney Gerald Blunt RNVR TLt 15/2/41 HMS Stag (Port Said) HDML 1023 died of illness on Friday 2 June 1944. Buried in Johannesburg (West Park) Cemetery
- TLt T F A Winter RNVR 102nd ML Flotilla Based at Alexandria Commanding Officer HDML 1023 19/6/43
- TLt K P Phipps RANVR TSLt 11/12/43 29th ML Flotilla ML 463 18/9/43 TLt 11/12/43 Commanding Officer HDML 1023 4/6/45
- TSLt Douglas John Snelgar RNVR TSLt 15/7/43 Commanding Officer HDML 1051 15/12/43 HDML 1023 HMS Mosquito (Alexandria) New Year Honours List 1945 MID For services in the clearance of the Aegean and the relief of Greece 1945 DSC HMS Lanka (Colombo) 1946 Vicar of Steep (1957-92); Priest-in-Charge of Froxfield with Privett (1988-92); Hon. Canon of Portsmouth Cathedral (1985-92). Born 1917 in Paddington, London. Died 18/6/2008 in Petersfield, Hampshire
- TSLt J A Stephenson RNVR GM TSLt 21/2/43 Commanding Officer HDML 1023 14/6/44 TLt 21/2/45
- Sto1 John Thompson C/KX116398 102nd ML Flotilla Based at Alexandria, Egypt HDML 1023. Died by drowning 15/11/1942. Buried in Nicosia war Cemetery 1. A. 11
Wartime Activities
- 19/10/41 Anti-submarine whaler KOS 19, escorting British tanker Toneline (811grt) to Tobruk in serial 4 A of the CULTIVATE operation, reported a submarine contact off Alexandria. ML 1023 departed Alexandria with the two ships, but had to return with defects
- 1/1/42 102nd ML Flotilla
Based at Alexandria, Egypt
ML 1012, ML 1015, ML 1017, ML 1023, ML 1038, ML 1039 and ML 1051 - 16/4/42 At 19.54, U-81 spotted a tanker and one escort vessel off the coast of Lebanon and fired at 20.38 and 20.39 hours two torpedoes each at both ships. FFL Vikings (P 41) exploded and sank 23 miles 240° from Beirut after being hit by a torpedo. At 21.48, the U-boat fired two torpedoes at the Caspia and hit her with one torpedo in the bow. The tanker sank in flames 10 miles south of Beirut after being hit by a coup de grâce at 22.10.
The master, 24 crew members and two gunners from the Caspia (Master Cecil Henry Humphries) were lost. Ten crew members and one gunner were picked up by HDML-1023 (Lt C.S. Roberts) and HDML-1032 (Lt C.D. Searle) and landed at Beirut
Post War History
- 26/3/46 Italy
