This page is still under construction. I am trying to use this page to pull together all I have on my Mom's and my Dad's desparate months in the waning days of World War II. He was 21 when Nabob was torpedoed in the Arctic in August 1944. She was 21 and following him home to England in the dead of Winter and with a four month old when Thane was torpedoed, twelve miles short of her destination.
Since I put this little bit of information up, people have contacted me from as far away as New Zealand, so there are a lot of people out there who shared this story.....
My father, Flight Lieutenant Peter Westover, RNVR, was a torpedo bomber pilot with 852 Squadron, HMS Nabob. This ship was torpedoed off Norway, 22 August 1944. Despite extensive damage, her aircraft managed to keep the attacking U-boat down, while Nabob made her escape.
Nabob actually survived the war and went on to a career (ironically) as a freighter for North German Lloyd, under the name 'Glory'. Though Dad never realized it, she periodically docked in Baltimore, where Dad had retired.
This is Nabob at her worst, trying for home.
And this is indeed a photo of 'Nabob' as a merchantman for North
German LLoyd, although the website from which I got this says she actually retained her original name and only became 'Glory' in an even later incarnation.
My Mother and I (4 months), following Dad back from his last duty station on Nabob'
s sister ship, HMS Thane, were in turn torpedoed off the Clyde Lightship, 15 January 1945.
Thane, too, survived the damage and, after several failed
attempts, was towed in by HMS Loring.
There were no 'happily ever after's for HMS Thane. She was scrapped.
This is Thane looking very deserted, at the the casualty buoy, Greenock, 17 January 1945.
Here she is under happier circumstances, in a painting courtesy of Ray Kenna.
Until recently, although I was in touch with members of 852 Squadron, which still has an active association, and through them, with some Nabob crew, I had only once had contact with veterans of HMS Thane. That has now changed and I now have all kinds of material from my Mom's ship - including one of her at a wardroom party celebrating their safe passage, the night before she was hit.
If you are a veteran of either ship, I would love to hear from you.