DAY, JAMES ERIC Rank: Marine Service No: PLY/X 3752 Date of Death: 19/12/1941 Age: 20 Regiment/Service: Royal Marines H.M.S. Neptune. Panel Reference Panel 59, Column 2. Memorial PLYMOUTH NAVAL MEMORIAL Additional Information: Son of Richard John and Dorothy Winifred Day, of Wimbledon, Surrey. CWGC - Cemetery Details
HMS Neptune as leader of Force K based in Malta ran on a mine while pursuing a vital supply convoy, about 60 miles off Tripoli. HMS Kandahar, Aurora, and Penelope also ran on mines. Kandahar was also lost, but most of her crew was rescued. Aurora was badly damaged and needed repairs in the UK, while Penelope was back in action within a fortnight. The mine barrier was unexpected at 100 fathoms depth or thereabouts, it had been laid earlier in 1941 by the Italians. They were German mines. The barrier was laid to prevent another bombardment of the port of Tripoli. A map of the barrier is in the article below. Nuova pagina 2 HMS Neptune hit a total of four mines, capsizing after the fourth hit. Only one man survived the desaster, Petty Officer Norman Walton, who was picked up by the Italians a few days after the sinking. He was released from prison in 1943 and continued to serve in the Royal Navy. The Neptune Association Norman Walton All the best Andreas
