SS Port Townsville

Crew and passengers rescued

By Gleb David Gitkov

On the afternoon of 3 March 1941 Gleb David Gitkov was on the FFS (Free French Navy) ship La Moqueuse when they came upon the Townsville in flames and sinking fast.  We had previously received an account of the Townsville and one of her survivors and were thrilled to receive the story of her rescuers.  To read the story of the Townsville from one of the survivors' point of view read Ron Bosworth's story.

Note: I have attached the photos from my father's album; I also include what I transcribed from my father's ( Captain Gleb David Gitkov, (R) CDR/USMS  (b 7 Jan 1906   d 6 Jun 1988))  tapes about the incident.  I am trying to find out who the master and second-in-command were (the captain was a career naval officer) - hope you can help me. Margaret Myers: July 2011.

EV2 Gleb David Gitkov (Free French Navy) 23 Dec 1940 to 7 Jun 1942

One more happening.  On 31 March 1941, on our way south towards Milford Haven (Wales) we spotted a Merchant ship, SS Port Townsville aflame … burning.  By the ship there were two lifeboats, if I remember right, that contained the crew and a few passengers.  The ship was hit with two bombs forward of the engine room and abaft the engine room.  Luckily there was only one man wounded; the rest the captain decided to abandon the ship.  So we picked up the two boats, took aboard the survivors.  There was another small coaster there but the SS Harptree Combe was very slow and her captain signaled to us that it would take him a very long time to get to Milford Haven, therefore we let the coaster be, and we took the survivors she had in too, and headed for Milford Haven. 

I was disgusted with our captain, the old cow.  You would think, with all kinds of pumps that the Frenchmen were bragging about, that we’d try to go along side and put the fire out, but no, he didn’t even worry about that.  We decided to sink the boats by gunfire so they wouldn’t present any danger to anybody else. 

So we headed for Milford Haven, there were a few passengers … there was one girl heading for Australia and some others.  The second mate was slightly wounded in the leg so our sickbay attendant took care of him.  We served wine to the crew of the SS Port Townsville and it wasn’t long before they started singing “La Marseilles” (French national anthem) … not being used to wine like the Frenchmen were. 

The captain of SS Port Townsville was an elderly man, and odd as it may seem, our captain didn’t make the slightest effort to be friendly or even to speak to him.  So I took care of him on my own, and invited him to my room and tried to get him comfortable.  He was somewhat uneasy thinking whether or not he should have abandoned the ship.  He kept repeating, “Perhaps I should have tried and poured the flames,” well I reassured him.  He was very dignified, very nice person.  I feel sorry for him up to this day (1985).  Well, we landed the survivors in Milford Haven.  That was another event that happened.

Transcribed from Capt. G. David Gitkov’s audio cassette tapes by Margaret (Gitkov) Myers, Jacksonville, USA.