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employment at East Geduld Gold Mine. In 1940, as an officer in the RNVR, he signed on

for the Seaward Defence Force and was destined to see action in the Mediterranean.

On 11 June 1940 Italy declared war on Britain and South Africa declared war on Italy the

same day. The presence of the strong Italian fleet posed an immediate threat to the British
Mediterranean Fleet. Furthermore, when Italian forces under General Graziani moved

eastwards across the Libyan border the threat to Egypt and the Canal was clear. In
November 1940 the Union Government received an urgent request from the British

Admiralty for the SDF to provide anti-submarine vessels to join the British Mediterranean

Fleet commanded by Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham. In response, four Southern Class
whale-catchers of 344 tons were converted for this purpose. They were HMSAS Southern

Maid, HMSAS Southern Isles, HMSAS Southern Sea, and HMSAS Southern Floe - which

was captained by John Lewis. (Fig. 3.28). They left Durban in great secrecy on 15
December 1940, arriving in Alexandria via Kilindini, Aden, and the Red Sea on 11 January

1941. Only on 13 January were the South African public informed that "a flotilla of
minesweepers had left a Union port to assist the British Navy outside South African

waters". (Goosen, 1973).

nd
These “little ships” joined the British Mediterranean Fleet as the 22 Anti-Submarine
Group. Within ten days they were pressed into service as escorts protecting the supply
route, soon to become known as “Bomb Alley”, between Alexandria and the port of

Tobruk which had been captured from the Italians on 22 January.

In February 1941 Southern Floe and Southern Sea were stationed at Tobruk where they
undertook a variety of channel-sweeping, escorting, and guiding duties for the supply ships

that were coming and going through the port. The night of 10-11 February was stormy,

with high seas and a sand storm blowing at gale force from the land. Sea-keeping in such
conditions, and in total darkness with an unlit coast on the one side and uncharted

minefields on the other, was both difficult and dangerous. Southern Floe and Southern Sea

were due to rendezvous two miles east of Tobruk on the morning of 11 February. But

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