H.M.S. Jamaica
The
Galloping Ghost of the Korean Coast
by
Boy Seaman 1/C, Michael Stephens
| Webmasters note: Michael wrote this page for us about two years ago and since then we seem to have mislaid his e-mail address. So I you read this Michael please get in touch with us at bsw@britains-smallwars.com |
I
and my pal Ron Godsall were both Boy Seamen in the RN cruiser, H.M.S. Jamaica
- often known as "the Galloping Ghost of the Korean Coast" as the reds
have claimed us sunk no less than three times! We preferred the title the
"Fighting J". It is little known, however, that H.M.S. Jamaica under Capt.
Brown, was the first allied warship to engage in combat in this, the "Forgotten
War" sinking two MTBs and grounding another and, I understand, severely
damaging a troop transport. I was comms number in green 4" director and
thus had a grandstand view of all that was happening around us. Ron Godsall
was loading number on F2 pom-pom.
At
Inchon, we moored astern of our sister ship, H.M.S. Kenya and went to action
stations at about 16:00 the day prior to the landings. From then on it
was almost constant bombardment with our 6 inches - first to Wolmi Do where
I understand we wreaked the necessary havoc on the Japanese built defenses.
Then we turned our fond attention to Inchon itself. We were pretty good,
too - hit the main ammo dump in there. The explosion, far away though it
was, served to even roll us - and I'm told our American friends were jubilant!
We weren't all that dismayed ourselves!
That
entire night we stayed at action stations swallowing mugs of steaming hot
kai (cocoa) and chewing on ship's biscuits and bully beef sandwiches between
the blasts from our 6 inch turrets. Delicious? Not really, but what the
heck? At dawn on that fateful day and at almost the same moment the first
wave of troops started shore ward, we received an urgent "enemy aircraft"
alert from the USS Mount McKinnley on which General Mac was overseeing
the operation. It was a Russian built Yak who, after missing the USS Mount
McKinnley, turned his nasty attention to the two British cruisers. My thoughts
since, is that the pilot must have been suicidal to have attacked such
a formidable target.
As
it was, he came in on our port quarter at about 100 ft altitude and about
50 ft off our side and proceeded to strafe our port side from stern to
stem. Big mistake!! Our 4 inches were unable to engage but our pom-poms
and bofors opened up almost instantly. Sitting in my tractor style seat
in the director, I could plainly see him as he flashed down the opposite
side, white/blue flames squirting from his wings - then he was out of my
line of vision behind the superstructure. The next I saw, he was tumbling
into a flaming dive with bits spraying from him. He hit the water
just forward of our bow and the only recognizable part remaining bobbing
down our starboard side was his right landing wheel and leg. Some bits
went right through our focs'le into the Royal Marines' messdeck and paint
locker below - which caused a tad of consternation.
 |
Unhappily, he had hit F2 pom-pom and my mess-mate, Boy Seaman Ron Godsall suffered fatal wounds. Ironically, it was his F2 pom-pom that was credited with the shoot down - and the only time throughout the entire Korean War that a warship shot down an enemy aircraft. Boy Seaman Ron Godsall was transferred to the US hospital ship "Compassion" where he died of the wounds. The photo on the left is of Ron Godsall. |
There
are many tales to be told about Jamaica off the coast of Korea. As you
may have known, we took a bunch of Seaforth Highlanders aboard in Singapore
- austensibly for a trip down to Aussie (at least that's what the powers
that be told us!). As we were so under-manned, these lads finished up by
(very capably) manning H1 and H2 4" guns when we were rerouted to Korea
at the immediate outbreak of hostilities. During a shore bombardment, we
received return fire (probably from hull-down T34 tanks, so 88mm stuff).
One amazingly lucky shot hit an upright of out after-mast and the ensuing
shrapnel took out the lads on H1. The chances of them hitting an 18" dia
mast support must have been millions to one. I'm not sure how many died
- I think maybe five and as many wounded
We
buried these lads at sea the following a.m.
Boy
Seaman 1/C, Michael
Stephens
We
the webmasters are very grateful to Michael for taking the time to tell
us of his time on H.M.S. Jamaica during the Korean War
This Web page is dedicated to the memory of Boy Seaman Ron Godsall and all the men of the Royal Navy, who lost their lives during the Korean War |
Images of H.M.S. Jamaica are courtesy Royal Navy Photos and Battleships Carriers And All Other Warships
Also
see
H.M.S.
Jamaica
Korean
War Service 1950
By
John Hegarty.
Lieutenant
Commander RN Rtd
 |
Royal Naval ships Involved in the Korean War
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