No.P/MX 49337, Petty Officer Cook (S), Clifford James COOTE
Aged 27
|
Clifford James COOTE was born in Little Thurlow (Risbridge Q1-1914 4A:1693), son of James Richard [1887]and Annie Susan [1889] (née TAYLOR).
In 1939 the family were living at 6 Council Cottages, Lower Terrace, Clare R.D., his father was a builder's labourer. Brothers there were Stanley G [11/4/1921] , Kenneth L [20/7/1922] and Arthur A [7/5/1924] plus 2 other family members whose record is closed. The siblings were Clifford James [1913] Alice W 1914, Dora E [1915], Charles Victor [1920], Stanley G [1921], Kenneth L [1922], Arthur A [1924] and Derrick E [1929]. He married Rachel DAVIS in Portsmouth in 1940 and had one son, Clifford R., born Q4-1940. His widow Rachel was later of Southsea, Hampshire. He was the brother of Charles Victor COOTE, who died as a Japanese POW in 1943 see here |
|
He died when HMS "Dunedin", D-93, was sunk by U-boat U-124 (Johann Mohr). She was a D Class light cruiser, built by Armstrong (Newcastle-on-Tyne) and Hawthorn
Leslie and Co. (Hebburn-on-Tyne), and commissioned in 1919. She weighed nearly 5,000 tons, with 6 x 6 inch guns, 3 x 4 inch AA guns, 2 2pdr AA guns and 12 x 21
inch torpedo tubes. Maximum speed of 29 Knots (about 33 mph) from a 40,000 horse power engine. In November 1941 intelligence said that a German armed merchant raider "Atlantis" and her supply ship "Python" were operating in the South Atlantic and the Admiralty ordered HMS Devonshire(39), HMS Dorsetshire (40) and HMS Dunedin (D39) to independently track them down. "Devonshire" located "Atlantis" north of Ascension, refuelling U-126. The raider scuttled herself. The survivors were transferred to Python which was then ordered refuelled U-124. The afternoon of that day, U-124 was on the way to the refuelling rendezvous when she came across "Dunedin" zig zagging at 17 knots east of St Paul's Rock. The U-boat went ahead and dived for a submerged attack. The periscope was spotted by the Dunedin which changed course to chase the U-boat but got the course wrong. U-124 surfaced momentarily but was not seen. The hydroplanes had jammed, but were cleared and then through the periscope Mohr spotted the cruiser again at about 3 miles, not a favourable range. Despite the range Mohr elected to fire a spread of 3 torpedoes at 15:21. After 5 minutes, two torpedoes struck the Dunedin which rolled first to port then to starboard, then sank stern first after 17 minutes. About 250 survivors managed to leave the ship and get on to 7 Carley floats and bits of debris. When they were found 3 days later by an American steamship Nishmaha, en route to Philadelphia, only 72 remained of which 5 more died before the rescue ship reached Trinidad. The final tally of survivors was 4 officers and 63 ratings out of a complement of 486. The "Python" was scuttled on December 1st when discovered by "Devonshire", U-124 was sunk by the Royal Navy, off Portugal, on 2nd April 1943.
photo:Commonwealth war Graves Commission click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details |
