A superb Second War Arctic convoy Fleet Air Arm Telegraphist-Air-Gunner’s D.S.M. group of five awarded to Acting Petty Officer Airman C. A. Vines, Fleet Air Arm, for the sinking of U-973 by his Fairy Swordfish of the escort carrier H.M.S. Chaser, off Narvik on 6 March 1944

Distinguished Service Medal, G.VI.R. (Temp. A.P.O. Airmn. C. A. Vines. FAA/FX 115046); 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, nearly extremely fine (5) £3,000-£4,000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The James Fox Collection of Naval Awards.

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Christie’s, March 1989.

D.S.M. London Gazette 30 May 1944:
‘For outstanding courage, determination, or devotion to duty in H.M. Ships ... Chaser ... in successfully escorting convoys to North Russia in the face of attacks from enemy submarines and aircraft.’

Seedies Roll (Fleet Air Arm List) confirms: 6 D.S.C’s, 3 D.S.M’s and 6 mentions awarded to the escort carrier H.M.S. Chaser, ‘For services while escorting a North Russian Convoy in February and March 1944. A Swordfish aircraft shared in the destruction of U-472 off North Cape on 4 March 1944 and on two successive days Swordfish aircraft destroyed U-366 and U-973.’

The following account is taken from ‘The Nottingham Journal’ 20 May 1944:
‘Biggest Russia Convoy Routs U-boat Packs, Planes, Ships Blast Way There… The second kill was made by a Swordfish piloted by Lieutenant E. B. Bennett, R.N.V.R., aged 24; with Sub-Lieutenant Kenneth Horsfield, aged 22, as Observer; and Petty Officer Clifford A. Vines, aged 22, as rear gunner. Bennett tells the story: “It was bitterly cold” he said “when we saw a U-boat on the surface 12 miles away, heading straight for the convoy. We quickly took a bearing and climbed into the clouds. We flew for five minutes then dived through a gap and saw the submarine immediately below. I got her fixed in my bomb sights and attacked with bombs. She was taken completely by surprise and I saw bombs hit it. As we climbed away to port my rear-gunner Vines gave her 500 rounds of machine gun in her conning tower. It was good shooting. The U-boat was by now zigzagging out of control. About two minutes later she turned hard astarboard her stern rose some 60 degrees, and she sank. We dived low and saw some 15 survivors struggling in the water. We signalled a destroyer H.M.S. Boadicea, who rushed to the spot and picked up those alive, numbering about three men.’

The U-boat sunk by Vines’ aircraft was U-973, a type VIIC U-boat, commanded by Oblt Klaus Paepenmoller. It was sunk on 6 March 1944 in the Norwegian Sea north-west of Narvik, Norway by rockets from a 816 Squadron Fairey Swordfish piloted by Lieutenant E. B. Bennett of the escort carrier H.M.S. Chaser. Out of her crew of 53 there were only 2 survivors.

Sold with approximately 45 wartime photographs, many ‘official’, including a group photo of ‘Naval Airgunners Course 28, H.M.S. Kestrel, Worthy Down, Hants’ and another of the three Tel-Airgunners of the successful Swordfish crews, each of whom received the D.S.M.