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ALL TIED UP : HMAS Rankin berths at Garden Island in Sydney.
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THIS GOES WITH THAT (right): PO Steve Pfeiffer shows prospective submariners around Rankin’s engine spaces.
Photos: ABPH Paul Berry
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Volume 49, No. 20, November 02, 2006
By Graham Davis
Submariner, Captain George Hunt, RNR, might be 90-years-old but he still loves his submarines.
When the Queensland branch of the Submarine Association knew that HMAS Rankin (CMDR Garry Lawton) was to spend a week in Brisbane recently, George jumped at the opportunity to tour the boat.
The two-hour tour saw the heroic WWII veteran clamber in and out of tight spaces and up and down ladders.
He even spent a few minutes in the commanding officer’s chair.
George’s hosts, the ship’s company, got as much out of the visit as did George.
For those who crammed into the wardroom, there was awe and fascination as George told of his background.
George told of serving in 11 submarines, mainly British but also Dutch and Polish.
He did 32 patrols during the war, mainly from Malta. Seventeen of these patrols he was in command of Ultor.
“In that period I sank 28 ships,” the modest veteran admitted.
He told of being rammed by a friendly ship, who thought his submarine was German.
“There were 36 men on our sub...four died,” he said.
“In 1942 the Italian warship Sagitario tried to cut us in two,” he said.
“The CO realised we could not submerge beneath the approaching ship so decided to crash head on.
“The impact tore off one of our diving hydroplanes, but we didn’t sink.
“After the Italians surrendered I tracked down the Sagitario sitting with a number of other Italian ships in Algiers.
“I ordered a boat and went across to her. The ship’s chief engineer pointed to a piece of our fin ... a souvenir on the bulkhead and said, ‘we sank that submarine’.
“I was able to tell him, ‘oh no you didn’t’”.
One of the people George met while he was onboard was AB Shelleyann Fogarty.
The Navy would like to see more women become submariners.
