Word: hyperion
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Dates: during 1940-1949
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Silently in the Adriatic dawn a British light squadron felt its way along the Albanian coast to Durazzo, the old brown town 80 miles up the coast from the Strait of Otranto. The destroyer Hyperion was far out in front, scanning for enemy MAS and submarines. Suddenly a mine holed her badly-too badly, clearly, for her to get back to the straits and away before the Italians found her. For two hours she held her S O S, so that the main force could finish its job of shelling Italian batteries on the Albanian coast. Then she called...
...Hyperion was the 35th British destroyer lost outright since the war began. The irony of her loss was that her biggest exploit was catching up, off the Virginia coast one cold day a little more than a year ago, with the German liner Columbus. She, too, was sunk...
...that no untoward incident occurred in neutral waters. She rode so close to the Columbus that the latter had to carry a night light to avert collision, but no ill befell her until fugitive and escort reached a point 320 mi. northwest of Bermuda. Then the British destroyer Hyperion, which had heard Tuscaloosa's radio speaking to someone, asked: "What ship are you escorting?" Captain Harry A. Badt of the Tuscaloosa replied (in effect): "Find out for yourself...
...hour later, in midafternoon, into view raced Hyperion. Tuscaloosa dropped a mile astern to watch the fun. Hyperion shot over the German's bows, commanding her to halt. But already the Columbus crew were performing their well-rehearsed act. Into the lifeboats went all the crew (there were no passengers) except twelve scuttlers, ten firers. Captain Daehne stayed aboard to oversee their job. Down below, the scuttlers opened all sea cocks. Through the ship raced the firers, smashing skylights, emptying drums of benzine and petrol, to make an unbroken trail past heaps of oil-soaked waste to the ship...