ROBINSON, Albert (#261)
#261
Petty Officer Albert ROBINSON
Royal Navy
Alan Pollock’s Rough Notes:
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Petty Officer Albert ROBINSON represents the remarkable wartime battle scarred career of the CRUISER. HMS PENELOPE, affectionately described as “Pepperpot”.
He joined on 26 Aug 1939 after Boy Seaman Training at GANGES, transferred to KIMBERLEY at the 2nd Battle of NARVIK & (brought back USS Sigourney (16 Dec 1917) as Newport Class ship (named after shared UK & US towns and villages -4×4 inch, 2 x 0.5 inch and ‘2 x 21 inch tripled torpedo tubes but armament had to be changed – CAMPBELTOWN of ST NAZAIRE RAID was of this type) , the 1,060 ton HMS NEWPORT, one of the 50 US destroyers). Naval Party 645 for TORCH (Bizerta & Philippeville), minelaying with TEVIOT BANK from MALTA Apr-Aug44, SARDINIA. MOTOR TORPEDO BOATS until HMS VALIANT Sep44-Jun46 (VENGEANCE, CHAPLET, CHEVRON & MALTA DOCKYARD 1951-53 postwar)WW2 PENELOPE Rattle Honours; NORWAY 1940, MALTA CONVOYS 1941-42.
MEDITERRANEAN 1941-42-43, BATTLE of SIRTE 1942, SICILY, SALERNO and AEGEAN 1943 and ANZIO 1944 Launched Oct35 5,440 tons 506 ft length and 51 ft beam, with 4 x Parsons SR geared turbines, developing 64,000 shp, econ range 12-15kts 5,600 or 1,800 at 30.5kts; 6 x 6inch in 3 twin turrets A B & Y, 4 x twin 4″ + 2 x 4-barrel multiple 0.5 machine guns with Pom-poms and Oerlikons added; after a tremendous fighting, damage and survival record as PENELOPE of the MALTA CONVOY RUN, with 8 battle honours and sharing the sinking of 23 enemy vessels (2 Italian destroyers, 1 German armed trawler and 6 landing ships, plus 2 tankers, 13 merchant ships- her sister ship AURORA claimed 42,inc a cruiser and_10 destroyers), was the last cruiser sunk in WW2 (as returning to ANZIO to replace the damaged DIDO, by U-410 subsequently destroyed from the air) – a successor PENELOPE received a Falklands battle honour in its 20th year.