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Captain
Carlsen & the 'Flying Enterprise' complied
by Leigh Bishop
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The History of the Flying Enterprise January 1952 (continued)
Page 2 of 2
| Henry Clapp & Kerr Robertson
the then assistant editor (later to become the Daily Sketch)
put a picture on the desk of Mr Ewart Brookes. The picture showed
a stricken merchantman as that of the Flying Enterprise. The
wind-lashed spindrift was sweeping across her; the photograph
was indistinct, taken from a pitching aircraft in driving rain
with sharp outlines blurred.As the men studied the image a blurred
object on the deck might have been a man! |
One of the classic images that represented
life in the early 1950's |
If it was and their hunch was correct they would
have the lead on what could be (and was) the story of the year.
It was a fifty fifty chance none the less one they went with
and as the Daily Graphic published the picture a few hours later
commander Thompson signalled he was standing by having made
contact with Carlsen who was aboard the ship still. As Flying
Enterprise drifted south and east diagonally from the western
toe |
of Ireland turmoil arrived on the scene and in the early hours
of Jan 4th commander Thompson sent this heartening signal:
"Turmoil alongside Flying Enterprise at 11pm last night
preparations now underway for taking Flying Enterprise into
tow"
He added Flying Enterprise still listing 60-65 degrees to port
and is down slightly by the head. Rudder and screws are clear
of the water and the rudder is winging free. Ship will be towed
by the stern to prevent further flooding. Captain Carlsen is
cheerful and grateful for food, cigarettes and magazines passed
to him earlier" |
Carlsen & Dancy aboard the ship.
|
There must have been a thousand heart stopping
moments through the nights when Carlsen said to himself "this
is it this is where I leave you". Carlsen & the Enterprise
had now come as one. Captain Parker had considered how he was
going to fix a line across to the Flying Enterprise with such
as tired Captain aboard. For what seemed like an endless saga
Carlsen had gathered his strength to secure a line to the stern
of the ship The Atlantic must have chuckled as the two ships
surged apart in the effort to secure a line; the slithering,
slipping line tore through Carlsen's raw fingers and defeat
was once again at hand, commander Thompson radioed
'Carlsen has decided to conserve his strength until new gear
is rigged by turmoil.' Increasing heavy wind and rain squally
hampered salvage, but Captain Carlsen remains cheerful and confident
saying only patience is needed' |
| The task had become too difficult for Carlsen whom had stood
wearily on a wet sloping surface of 60 degrees a moment of loss
footing he would have been into the sea perhaps with broken
limbs as he crashed down across the deck blow him. Aboard turmoil
the men had squeezed their knuckles white as they urged Carlsen
to hang onto that precious last few feet of line he was hauling
in. |
| Such men are not defeated easily;
these men only know defeat when their eyes close for the last
time. After five or six attempts to secure a line it was a 27-year-old
chief officer of the turmoil by the name of Kenneth Dancy who
would next turn the tale of the drama around as well as feeding
a now descending media circus. As the two ships closed there
was a moment when they hung together, poised at the top of a
safe, with only feet between them. |
The Daily Graphic first to publish that Carlsen
was alone |
| There was a crash as they met, and Dancy leaped!
Carlsen was no longer alone; seconds after the two ships drew
apart, with a twenty feet gap of water then thirty and then
forty. Kenneth Dancy was nearly six feet tall, muscular, young,
strong and was just what was wanted to add that little extra
strength to make a fast and secure tow. His leap across to Flying
Enterprise would make him as famous as Carlsen know in the media
across the world as 'Dancy's Leap' the drama was now set to
change path in the final outcome. So as Thompson's radio message
stated all was well a line had been secured to the stern of
the Flying Enterprise and now the long 250 miles or so journey
back to England had commenced. Let there be no doubt about it,
Turmoil was powerful enough to have towed Flying Enterprise
at three times the speed she did, had the ship been whole. Through
similar weather a few days before Parker had towed a larger
ship, upright and with only propeller trouble, at a steady five
knots to safety, with a little hand. But Flying Enterprise,
over on her side, was the plathing of the sea. She would hang
back, dragging like a half-trained dog on a lead, snatching
at the vital tow, demanding unceasing attention from the tugboat
captain. |
 |
To understand one of the many problems facing
Captain Parker on Turmoil it is necessary to study the map of
the area. A triangle with one point based on the south-west
toe of Ireland, the second touching Falmouth and the third point
resting on Brest, north-west corner of France, gives you the
stage for the drama. Flying Enterprise had drifted, driven by
the wind and sea, along the bas of the triangle towards the
French coast. There would seem to be a choice of towing to the
French ports or to Falmouth. Influencing that choice were two
things. It was possible that with the promised breakdown of
weather |
| Turmoil would be caught off the rugged French
coast with her crippled ship in tow and nowhere to go except
on to disaster. On the other hand, with the wind and sea helping,
at least a little, Falmouth was the obvious choice, and if the
weather did break down, then there was the whole of the western
part of the English |
Map of the location the drama unfolded - click
to enlarge |
Channel in which to attempt to ride it out, even
up as far as the Isle of Wight .Carefully, juggling with his
engine revolutions, Parker steadily edged Turmoil towards Falmouth
gaining a few miles on the north and easterly course, and each
mile he progressed the odds against him shortened. By this time
a deep friend, if of short duration, had departed. |
| The John W. Weeks, dangerously low on fuel oil, had reluctantly
departed for Plymouth and had been relieved by the US destroyer
Willard Keith commanded by Commander Leslie O'Brien, which took
over role of hovering mother-bird and acted as source of communications
between Turmoil & Flying Enterprise and the outer world
which waited anxiously for every word. There was little the
two men on board Flying Enterprise could now do except keep
an eye on the tow - no mean task as it meant a dangerous scramble
to the stern of the ship. They were of course soaking wet, and
Dancy has related that they tried without success to dry their
clothes with candles, the only form of light they had. |
In the background a destroyer stands by. |
On through the day and through the night Turmoil
delicately nursed the Flying Enterprise and it became a race
against time and the weather. Then in the early hours of January
9th at 1.30am that dreadful hour when the men's vitality and
courage are at their lowest ebb- there came the dread cry: 'TOWS
PARTED'
The savage sea had torn away its victim from the Turmoil and
had so set the stage and the time and conditions that it was
impossible to pass another tow immediately to the stricken ship.
The tow had parted close in to Flying Enterprise leaving the
heavy gear aboard.
|
| As Flying Enterprise drifted aimlessly Carlsen expressed his
appreciation to his family for the messages transmitted and
aid he was deeply touched to know that so many people in the
world were interested in seeing the little Flying Enterprise
reach port. There was now a period of time that both parties
would try in vein to attached yet another line and each time
the Flying Enterprise drifted alone towards the tale end of
the western approaches as we know them now. Because Flying Enterprise
was rolling baldly and was being swept by the heavy seas it
was considered too risky for the two men aboard her to try to
connect a tow again. She was drifting in the general direction
she was intended to go so the demands were made on patience
- and that was there in almost immeasurable quantities. |
January 9th 1952 all life saving
gear ready.
Dancy & Carlsen both knew that their fight to save the ship
was coming to an end, although neither said so in words for
some time after they had realized it. "Both of us sat gazing
at the bulkhead, which was where the deck head ought to be"
Dancy went on to state, " I was watching the curtains,
and they were slowly but surely moving towards the deck head
(that is, to an angle of more than 80 degrees)."
It was now imminent that she was going down and both men stood
up Carlsen looked at Dancy and the message could not have been
clearer Carlsen was going to be the last to leave his ship.
|
Richard Cosario 3rd Engineer aboard the Flying
Enterprise |
As
the men walked down the funnel Dancy said "Bad luck Captain,
and he replied: 'never mind; it couldn't be helped" Dancy
leapt into the sea followed shortly after by Carlsen. As Turmoil
backed away, making her triumphant signal "Both picked
up" Flying Enterprise lurched and sank deeper in the
water.
read telex message |
Last moments of the ship |
As Turmoil disappeared into the murk towards Falmouth
the tale end of the blow was now when Flying Enterprise's last
moment came. By now here bow was above water around her a mass
of debris. Momentarily the bow climbed perpendicular as if coming
to attention for the last salute. |
The sirens of the ships around her- the destroyer, the Dexterous,
the Abeille25, and the small host of ships, which had taken
newspapermen and cameramen out to the scene - sounded their
shrill, mournful farewell, a last to a gallant ship. And soon
only the debris remained.
It was only right that Carlsen should not see the final moments
of the ship with which he fought.
Captain Carlsen rejected the inevitable Hollywood contract and
modestly disappeared, and the world was left still searching
for a hero. |
Further reading
The Diary of a Birmingham
Schoolboy, 1952
Brian David Williams at King Edward's School, Birmingham
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