06/10/2010 – Greenock’s Princes Pier was a very welcome sight for the survivors of an awful wartime tragedy.

A liner with 406 passengers and crew on board was torpedoed and sunk 600 miles off Ireland by a German U-boat on 17 September 1940, and, miraculously, some were plucked from the Atlantic and brought safely to Greenock.

The 70th anniversary of the attack was recalled by Blake Simms, whose father, Lieutenant Commander Hugh Crofton Simms, commanded the ship which rescued the children and crew. Blake, who lives in Cowes on the Isle of Wight, said today: “They were on board the liner SS City of Benares, bound from Liverpool to Canada carrying young evacuees.

“The ship was torpedoed at 11.30pm, when most of the passengers were in their cabins. Of the 90 children on board, 77 died. Just 158 survived to be rescued.

“The Benares wireless officer had managed to radio an SOS within minutes of the attack. It was picked up in Scotland and relayed to the Naval Western Approaches HQ in Liverpool.

“Just after midnight HMS Hurricane, commanded by my father, was instructed to go to the rescue ‘with utmost dispatch’.

“He knew exactly what it meant and told the ship’s doctor, Surgeon Lieutenant Peter Collinson, that there must be women and children on board.”

Blake said Hurricane was 300 miles away but immediately turned to the southwest, battling all night into a Force 8 gale and through mountainous seas.

He said; “A complete silence of fear and apprehension descended on the entire ship’s company.

“When they arrived at the scene of the attack some of the sights were horrific, and many of the crew were in tears as they helped exhausted children and adults on board. The Hurricane’s crew performed many astounding acts of bravery.

“The Hurricane’s doctor and his orderly did not sleep for two days as they saved lives. Three children died on board and my father gave them the honour of a full Royal Naval sunset burial at sea on the way to Greenock.”

It was the greatest single loss of child evacuees during the Second World War and prompted an end to sending young people overseas to escape the Nazi bombing of Britain during the Blitz.