Here’s the deal… a Mediterranean cruise to Algeria, all
expenses paid, in your very own converted US Coast Guard
cutter. Everybody aboard will salute and say “aye aye sir” to
you. You don’t even have to bring the ship back! Interested?
That was the situation for Fritz Peters as he headed for the
North
 African port of Oran in November 1942.
16 year old Frederick Thornton Peters joined the Royal Navy in
Esquimalt in 1905, when a Canadian navy was still a colonial
dream. In those days, Canada was still under the wing of the
RN, which had small Squadrons of ships at Esquimalt and Halifax
to protect trade and keep some order in the Dominion.
The British Admiralty clung to the idea of “one Commonwealth,
one Navy” and took the position that the Colonies should send
men and money to support Royal Navy operations. The idea had
support in Canada, both from politicians looking to avoid the
tax burden of setting up a new Navy, and from ex-pats reluctant
to follow the American example and sever the ties. On the other
hand, there were some visionaries who saw the need for a
Canadian naval arm as an obvious prerequisite for a country with
three huge coastlines.
Canada’s hand (and the Admiralty’s) was forced to some extent,
when British Naval budget constraints in 1904 led to a massive
fleet re-shuffle, and the elimination of Regional squadrons and
bases. The RN was engaged in a construction race with Germany,
and needed to focus its resources on the new “Dreadnought” style
battleships which would soon make all older types obsolete.
The
Pacific Squadron cleared harbour at Esquimalt for the last time
in March 1905, leaving Canada pretty much to its own devices in
a very unstable world. The Russian Navy had just been wiped out
by the Japanese during the Battle of Tsushima. Germany had
strong colonial interests in the Pacific – even to the extent of
a secret mapping expedition on the west coast looking for
potential hiding spots and coaling bases. Teddy Roosevelt had
just threatened to send in the Marines if the Alaska Boundary
dispute wasn’t resolved in his favour.
With lightning speed (….maybe not quite that fast), the Canadian
government moved and by 1910, Canada had the beginnings of a
Navy.
In any event, when young Mr. Peters arrived at Esquimalt in
1905, the Royal Navy was his only choice. He signed on as a
cadet and began a long and interesting career including time as
destroyer Captain and Commander of a secret agent training
school, culminating with his one way trip to Africa in 1942.
His task was to capture the French-held port of Oran so that it
could be used in the Allied invasion of North Africa (Operation
Torch), which in turn led to the famous series of battles
between Rommel and Montgomery. Rommel’s eventual defeat was the
first major setback in the German war campaign, and helped set
the stage for Allied landings in Italy in September 1943, and
then in France in June of 1944.
Oran was critical to the success of operation Torch, and Captain
Peters knew the odds were not in his favour. The port was well
defended by shore batteries and by 14 French warships ranging
from cruisers to submarines, sent there after the German
invasion of France.
The Vichy French garrison was
not well-disposed to the Allies, or the British in particular.
Just the year before, in July of 1940, Royal Navy units
(including the battlecruiser
Hood) had
shelled heavy ships of the French Navy at Mers-el-Kebir and
Dakar to prevent their transfer to the German side. The British
Squadron had sent an ultimatum to the French Admiral, asking
that he turn his ships over to British control toute suite, or face the
consequences. When no clear reply was given by the deadline,
Hood’s 15 inch
guns opened fire, the first time the old battlecruiser’s guns
had been fired in anger. Unfortunately for Captain Peters, not
all the French units were put out of action – a number of
destroyers, cruisers and submarines remained in North Africa,
shoulder chips firmly in place.
Peters’ main assets were two former US Coast Guard Cutters –
HM Ships Walney
and Hartland .
Built in 1930 as the Lake class cutters
Sebago and
Ponchartrain,
these 1700 tonners were powered by a turbine-electric steam
plant giving about 17 knots. Ten of these ships had been
transferred to the RN in 1941 as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s
lend-lease program, which allowed the Americans to support
Britain without getting directly involved.
Peters led his force into the harbour at daybreak on November 8,
1942. Packed with US 6th Armoured Infantry, the
plan was to lay the ships alongside the main jetty and disembark
the troops, with covering fire from two other forces landed on
each side of the main harbour. As they approached, both ships
came under intense fire –
Walney was hit
several times, killing all bridge personnel except Captain
Peters. Blinded in one eye, Fritz Peters still managed to lay
his ship alongside the pier, where she quickly sank.
Hartland was
sunk in the approaches, killing almost all of the crew and
infantry force. Of the 393 Americans, 189 were killed and 157
wounded. British numbers were 113 killed and 86 wounded.
The survivors were captured by the Vichy French garrison, and
held for two days until Allied forces landed on the beaches were
able to overwhelm them. Captain Peters was put aboard an
Australian Sunderland flying boat, to be returned to England for
medical attention. The Sunderland crashed off the Plymouth
coast and Peters’ body was never found. It was his 53rd
birthday.
Fritz Peters, the boy who joined the Royal Navy in Esquimalt,
was awarded both the Victoria Cross and the US Distinguished
Service Cross.
Bibliography
Great Canadian War Heroes, Tom Douglas, Altitude
Publishing, 2005
Veterans Affairs Canada, online archive
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