The Royal Naval Rhine Squadron

Royal Navy Rhine Squadron

1954 Autumn Cruise

Written by Godfrey Dykes

© RN Communications Branch Museum/Library

Twice a year, spring and autumn, in the period 1950 to 1958, the main part of the R.N.R.S. was detached from its base at Uerdingen on the Rhine, to cruise the Rhine on a flag-flying mission to other naval squadrons stationed on the Rhine, and to civic authorities in some of the major cities either on the Rhine or accessible from the Rhine e.g., Paris - Rhine to Seine.

This story tells of just one of those cruises. All cruises were scripted and full reports submitted by F.O. Germany to the Admiralty. The Admiralty file for the Autumn 1954 cruise is recorded as ADM 1/25565.

This cruise was executed in three separate and divorced serials. Serial 1, led by LCT 407 cruised down river to Dutch and North German ports which lasted for three weeks. Serial 2 lasting for two weeks consisting of the minor landing craft division and the SBS, cruised up river to Schierstein (near to Frankfurt) and then into the River Mosel. Finally Serial 3. This lasted for just over two weeks and was led by HMML 6021 "Prince Charles" known as the HQ ML. This cruise was very special for several reasons. It travelled to Basel in Switzerland quite near to the source of the Rhine, and it was the first time that a warship (in this case a group of warships) had ever visited Switzerland, which by all accounts seemingly excited the Swiss people to near fever pitch. It also visited the base ports of the Belgian, French and USA Rhine Squadrons, as well as a famous French city and of course the capital city of West Germany (FRG) Bonn but only as a one night stop over, showing the famous White Ensign to many thousands of foreigners who would not normally expect to see warships in their environment, albeit small warships. It also visited Heidelberg. The French city was beautiful Strasbourg which my wife and I have visited twice over the years, spoilt for some people because it is the official seat of the European Parliament, a far from beautiful organisation for the majority of 'Brits. Still, come 2019 that will be meaningless as far as the UK is concerned, so the city proper reverts to all pluses!

File ADM 1/25565 is in many ways a disappointing record and not at all professional as one might expect. It is built around press cuttings (text and photographs) in the local languages each as important as the other in all national and social affairs. In Switzerland alone, a tiny country which appears to enjoy being parochial in many obvious ways (neutral and not a member of the EU for example) there are three spoken languages, German, French and Italian, although there is a fourth called Romanish spoken by a minority. Even in France (Strasbourg) newspapers carry official French stories but also colloquial French is used, and few bother to interpret the latter for the good (and interest) of all. Some attempt was made either by FO Germany or in London at the Admiralty to interpret, and I will try an interpret the rest if it is clearly important.

Other cruises went either north (down river) to Dutch ports or east/west to Paris and to areas like Munich or Nuremberg via various locks, canals and major rivers. Each cruise was commanded by the Captain of the R.N.R.S. which left the second in command (nearly always a lieutenant colonel Royal Marines) back in Uerdingen in command of H.M.S. Royal Prince and the rest of the small vessel squadron.

Report of Proceedings

Note on the last page of the file above. The French Pilots were not up to it and at the least danger they wanted out. Up stepped our brave and gallant captain who took over the lead navigation having left his flagship and took the Squadron through treacherous water, out of harms way, endeavouring to make up for lost time for ETA Basel. He was much admired by the Swiss authorities and envied for his skills by the Frenchmen watching on! When made known to our USN friends he was cheered and patted on his back. The Belgians in the Squadron were also in awe of his navigation skills and do and dare! Well, what can we expect of a famous WW2 British (hooray hooray) submarine captain?

Report of Procedures,

Note the last page of the file above, 4th paragraph, that the S.C.C.O = Senior Commissioned Communications Officer was also a sub lieutenant in 1954 the date of the visit. It changed in 1956 after the Suez War to being a lieutenant, as the C.C.O = Commissioned Communications Officer, hitherto with a ¼" stripe, now wore the ½" stripe of a sub lieutenant.

The picture on the left talks about HMML 6021 Prince Charles moored alongside in Basel in Switzerland mentioning Goerings wife, originally named after her, and the little seat for a very big and fat man high up in the stem of the vessel in which Goering used to sit (out of sight) so he could shoot ducks: note her Union Jack hanging limp on the Jack Staff. The picture on the right shows Captain "Bill" Jewell and his first lieutenant Lt Cdr Evans trying to figure out the tourist map of the city of Basel.

In this picture, a Swiss police boat comes alongside HMML 6021 Prince Charles in Basel bringing the Minister of Police on a courtesy visit. Captain Jewell stands ready to greet him watched by several other VIP's and dignitaries who have already had their first glass of wine!

A view from the back of the line of ML's moving towards Basel bridge with ML6021 "Prince Charles" in the van leading the group of nine vessels, seven RN and two Belgian. The Belgians boats, recently made in Germany were markedly more modern than the UK boats! The Belgian vessels are named the 'Yser' and the 'Meuse'. The UK boats with the exception of the HQ ML = Prince Charles = 6021, were all of the 6000 series being ML's 6012, 6017, 6019, 6044, 6048 and 6049, all with a displacement of 30 tons, 25m long, 3.55m beam and height not including mast of 3.73m. Prince Charles was very much larger displacing 80 tons, and being 27.5m in length with a beam of 4.65m. The composition of the R.N.R.S. reasonably constant at 28 vessels, 20 Royal Navy and 8 Belgium Navy.

This is the view from the front, with HMML 6021 Prince Charles leading the formation of line astern.

Four pictures, second one a translation from German, third one cropped from the US Armed Forces newspaper the Stars and Stripes, and the fourth, judging by the spelling also from an American typewriter!

Units of the R.N.R.S. alongside in the River Neckar which branches off the Rhine at Mannheim, the R.N.R.S. fuelling stop-over enroute to Basel and back to base at Uerdingen, during its visit to Heidelberg and its USN hosts. The Squadron is moored port-side-to along the river bank. Some had heavy machine guns mounted forward whilst at least one had a Oerlikon 20 mm cannon anti aircraft gun. All had a good assortment of small arms ranging from 9mm pistols to .303 inch rifles, sten-guns and bren-guns. The third picture shows the Squadron grouped immediately aft of H.M.M.L 6021 Prince Charles ready for the off back into the Rhine. The typo's come thick and fast throughout these several typed versions: some are corrected, others not. Note also the way Basel (correct) is spelled in various places as Basle.

The text in English describes the events of the following two pictures. In picture one, the ML referred to is HMML 6021 Prince Charles the flagship of the squadron. Apart from concealed small arms stowed below, this vessel has no overt weapons.

Both pic's of the Basel visit. Picture one, although perhaps not - Royal's don't do things like that not even national servicemen which many were, but could it be that the inboard boat has missed colours? The young bootneck appears to be in a big hurry moving forward as the booty onboard the outboard vessel smugly secures his Union Jack to the Jack Staff! The second picture at last made the grade - that of showing all nine vessels in the Squadron which other pictures have missed, or confused the issue. On arrival in the near confines of the City (town ?) of Basel, the dignitaries and VIP's boarded the Prince Charles. The Squadron then did a "steam past" to give the waiting crowds a good look at all the vessels from their viewing positions, which involved the vessels passing under the bridge, doing a slow long corpen to starboard passing back under the bridge, and then proceeding to their nominated berths: this picture shows the Prince Charles leading the Squadron to these berths. For the whole duration of the visit these paths/roads were chokker block with people wanting to see the vessels close up, and finally from where many of them would board the vessels for an 'open day'. The natives of Switzerland, they being neutral, were more than interested to see a Nazi vessel, private or ex Kreigsmarine.

Courtesy visit to Basel

In the main thes file above reflect great glory upon the Royal Navy and in particular to the men and officers of the force we have come to depend upon and on which we gladly hang our banner; they are self evident albeit from different camps. That force goes from an officer steeped in glory from his world war two escapades right down to our young national servicemen, willing to give his all in a post war atmosphere of global regrets, sacrifices, vivid memories of the demonic figure of Hitler leading armies based on Hades principles, Stygian in the extreme, unfathomable and beyond the bounds of human beings, and above all cryptic, such was the Nazi bestiality. Note the name of Anthony EDEN Military Cross, Member of Parliament, at that time the Foreign Secretary (1951-1955) later, the man in charge of my first action-stations at the time of the Suez Crisis in 1956, as Prime Minister (1955-1957). The 3rd, 4th and 5th plates are particularly relevant for our chief protagonist and hero of the piece, "Bill" Jewell RN.

Yes, at best and at all times the R.N.R.S was small and not at all a fitting advert or analogy for the massive and omnipotent Royal Navy which had fought a war in Europe to destroy the German navy, and latterly, helped the American navy to do the same to the Nippon Navy. Nevertheless, when warring and its excesses had stopped, and the humbled people of Europe, both continental and offshore (Great Britain for example) were starting to rebuild their lives, law and order was devolved to the several allied armies, air forces and navies. This included the navy of the UK, in this case the R.N., where one cannot but admire the years of the R.N.R.S., spent protecting the innocent of a world war against a nation, the USSR, which had experienced Armageddon in war as opposed to our experiences, which by comparison were low key, who, not content to stop at the rape of Berlin, wanted to rid the world of anything Germanic and were clearly prepared to ravish and destroy Germany as a nation. Whilst I fully understand that, I am also aware that a peace dividend was the answer we needed and not a continuation of hostilities, as long as we were able to punish the evil intent of the nations who caused the mayhem in the first place. That provision we were granted, both in Europe, and in the East, although sadly, several of these beasts fled capture and spent the rest of their lives in relative comfort especially in the largely neutral vast continent of South America. Amen!