History & Learning

Information and images provided by Alasdair MacLennan (grandson). Document text researched and written by Alexander’s son, D. J. MacLennan.

My grandfather served in the Arctic Convoys as a quartermaster on a minesweeper (HMS Britomart) sailing out of Loch Ewe.

My father has collated all the available information he could about this, as well as adding some personal recollections of his father & stories related to him in later years.

Extract:

“My father joined HMS Britomart on 26 August ‘42. The Britomart was at that time minesweeping in North Russia !! The question must be asked – how did he manage to get to N. Russia to join the ship? I can only suggest that he got to N. Russia on an incoming convoy.

During its recent refit , the Britomart was fitted with Radar Type 271 , presumably its most recent development. The radar could detect a surfaced U-boat at 3500 yards distance, even if only its periscope was showing.

ASDlC ( British version of Sonar ) was fitted to smaller vessels to detect submerged U-boats . Britomart would have Asdic already fitted.”

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