9 April 1944

9 April 1944 Channel Islands Sea Defence diary

Weather: wind from 158°, 5 metres per second. At 10:45 Alderney Harbour Commandant reports harbour-protection boats' search of Bourhou [Burhou] and the outlying rocks for GU 167 unsuccessful. At 23:00 patrol boat Vp 203 sighted a small drifting wreck in grid BF 3543, upper centre. Investigation impossible because the cross-current equalled the convoy's speed.

The fishermen were permitted to fish north of Alderney up to two nautical miles offshore. They had sailed to retrieve lobster pots laid off Bourhou. Tidal conditions meant the boats could return only towards evening. An attempt to escape to England is considered unlikely: the boat carried only eight litres of fuel, a small sail, no compass and no food. The fishermen's personal equipment remained ashore; one man's wife and child live in Guernsey. Their navigational knowledge was very poor and they were unfamiliar with Alderney's waters and rocks. Vp 203's sighting of a small drifting wreck in BF 3543 suggests fairly certainly an accident in which the fishermen probably lost their lives. [This is the diary's assessment, not independent confirmation of their fate.]

Construction, Naval Artillery Battalion 604, Batterie Mirus: Hamburg anti-aircraft position camouflage complete; Düsseldorf and Essen positions continued. Würzburg set, Epa–Seipa and infantry command post at the commander's house continued. Reworking of 30.5-cm cartridges at all guns. No. 3 gun turret camouflaged, inner wire perimeter overhauled, oil room and machinery house painted. Firefighting pond at the service barrack continued; No. 2 gun camouflaged; new wire obstacles at the farmhouse begun. All gun armour plates mounted. Cement lacking for two 7.5-cm positions.

Batterie Steinbruch: roof of searchlight generating-set bunker B poured; camouflage at searchlight A. Infantry positions developed and camouflaged; earth banking at anti-aircraft position 4; thirty trees planted within the battery. Cement lacking for two 7.5-cm positions.

Batterie Strassburg: foundation of the second 7.5-cm position poured; generating-set bunker A camouflaged. Wire obstacles at the fire-control resistance nest and camouflage of the infantry position continued; Brown House demolished. Cement lacking to complete the second 7.5-cm position and two searchlight positions.

Batterie Lothringen: dismantling the old fire-control post; second dummy battery position continued; general camouflage; a machine-gun position constructed. Cement lacking for one 7.5-cm position.

Roll 2422, scans 0816–0817, original pages 32–33.