History & Learning

Written by Norman Heath (son-in-law)

My late father-in-law served on HMS Trumpeter from when it converted from USS Bastian on the West Coast US. He sailed on her from day one through the Panama Canal to the East Coast. The Trumpeter spent most of its life on anti u-boat operations. Bill lied about his age when he joined up and we suspect he was about 14/15 years old. He was a part of the crew which undertook 2 Arctic Convoys.

HMS Trumpeter had a great history and survived as a cargo ship until about 1974. She started her war acting as a “Jeep Carrier” ferrying aircraft from the States to the UK. Notable events include launching unsuccessful aircraft strikes against the German Battleship Tirpitz additionally aircraft flown from her decks are jointly credited with sinking the last u-boat towards the end of the war in 1945. The detailed history is well documented on the internet .

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