Operation Sunbeam

Operation

Operation Sunbeam was designed to support the operation targeting the German-occupied island of Simi, codenamed Operation Tenement. The latter operation focuses on the island of Simi in the Aegean Sea. The meticulous planning and execution of this raid, including up to ten days of concealment in Turkish waters, underscores the strategic importance of stealth and the complex dynamics of Allied operations in the region.

A significant challenge facing the joint raiding forces is the presence of German destroyers stationed in Portolago or Laki at Leros harbour. These ships pose a threat to landing operations on Simi in the Dodecanese, capable of intervening both at long range and at short notice. From the start of the year, there are four destroyers operational in the Eastern Mediterranean, with one suffering damage from a British submarine in March 1944 and another sustaining bomb damage from a Beaufighter. Two destroyers remain active in Leros.

The assault force faces its greatest risk during the transit to and from the island. The ten motor-launches and two schooners at their disposal, despite the crew’s firepower and expertise, lack the speed and armour necessary to endure attacks by conventional German naval forces, including destroyers. Notably, two of these enemy destroyers are stationed at the quays in Leros’ main harbor, accompanied by smaller vessels akin to British corvettes.

In the earlier days of the No. 1 Special Boat Section, such a gathering of enemy ships would have presented a suitable. However, the aggressive employment of folboats has fallen out of favour within the Special Boat Squadron, now primarily used for transporting personnel from major carriers to hidden enemy inlets. The Special Boat Squadron currently lacks anyone with the necessary skills and experience for ship attacks.

The search now turns towards individuals possessing the necessary expertise, effectively making them clients of those who currently hold the skills that were once integral to their own operations. Colonel Turnbull finds such expertise with the Royal Marine Boom Patrol Detachment’s ‘Earthworm’ Detachment in the Middle East. The unit is most known for its attack on the Bordeaux’s port area in France. There, they skillfully disable four large enemy merchant vessels. As Royal Marine Boom Patrol Detachment units make their entrance in the Middle East, their historical successes spark interest that quickly escalates into respect among their new peers.

In June, three pairs of Royal Marine canoeists make their way to the Special Boat Squadron base at Penzik Bay, a particularly deep and protected inlet along the Turkish coast, close to Bodrum. This group is tasked with infiltrating the harbor and planting explosives on key enemy vessels.

June 17th, 1944

The operation is executed by the Royal Navy’s Harbour Defence Motor Launch 360, a Fairmile motor launch specifically built for coastal operations. The Harbour Defence Motor Launch 360 carries a detachment of six men and three canoes from the Royal Marine Boom Patril Detachment. The Canoes are named Shrimp, Salmon and Shark. The men from the Royal Marine Boom Patril Detachment are commanded by Lieutenant J. F. Richards who is paired with Marine W. S. Stevens in Shark, the rest of the crews are Sergeant J. M. King with Marine R. N. Ruff in Salmon and Corporal E. W. ‘Johnny’ Horner with Marine Eric Fisher in Shrimp. Marine Eric Fisher was also part of Operation Frankton. However, his canoe was damaged beyond repair when it was taken out of the Submarine H.M.S. Tuna.

June 18th, 1944

On a moonless night, under a cloak of darkness, all participants blacken their faces and don camouflage “Anorak Suits”. The operation begins with three canoes launching from a Harbour Defence Motor Launch 360, heading towards Leros harbour. The sea is flat calm with only a slight mist, ideal for their stealth mission.

The first canoe, Shrimp, manned by Corporal Horner and Marine Fisher, adeptly crosses the broken boom in front of the harbour entrance at 01:10, keeping close to the cliff. Once inside, they alter course to cross the harbour and soon spot two of their targets. As they approach, they are spotted and challenged by the target’s deck personnel, to which Horner quickly responds with a ruse, shouting back “Patroller, Patroller Brandenburger!”, and they paddle past the ship, slipping into the shadows of a nearby cliff.

Following Shrimp’s lead, Lieutenant Richards’ canoe, Shark, with Marine Stevens aboard, enters the harbour next. Staying close to the cliff’s shadow, they navigate to the naval base aiming to locate their primary targets: a destroyer and three smaller escorts. Upon arrival, Richards steadies the canoe with the magnetic holder while his No. 2, Stevens, places limpets below the waterline in two positions. The first one 1.5 metres from the stern, and a little further forward where Richards judges the engine room to be. Stevens attaches the limpet using a cleverly designed ‘angle piece on the face of his paddle’, which eliminates the need for a separate placing rod. To minimise the noise of the magnets clamping simultaneously, it is vital to apply the limpet as gradually as possible. A little further, they find two more escorts to mine, then, with only two limpets left and time running out, Richards circles back the way he came, looking for a destroyer. They find an Italian Turbine Class Destroyer, but manned by Germans, lying against a small jetty. As they move in under the bows and maneuver to make contact with the magnetic holder, they find themselves in an unexpected and precarious situation. At this point, they are urinated upon from above by a sentry whom they have not seen or heard, who then moves away. This incident, though shocking and unexpected, does not deter them from their mission. They continue with their task, undeterred by the unpleasant encounter.

The last canoe, Salmon, encounters immediate challenges upon entering the harbour at 1:20 a.m. Spotted by a sentry in a patrol boat, Sergeant King and Marine Ruff are momentarily caught off guard and freeze. After being challenged three times, they cautiously back-paddle to the harbour entrance, where they move out into the center of the channel before resuming their course eastward. Repeatedly hailed by the patrol boat, they pause several times, cautiously waiting until King judges it safe to continue their mission.

Eventually, at 02:15, they reach the naval base and stop beside a derelict barge to bail out the water that has accumulated in their canoe, which is now around their knees. Proceeding cautiously, they spot their primary target directly ahead—an Italian Turbine-class destroyer. King observes several men talking and smoking near his initial approach point, prompting him to adjust his strategy. Opting for a different angle of approach, King notices a sentry on a jetty beside the destroyer, soon joined by additional personnel.

Deciding on a more covert approach from the harbour end of the base, King successfully positions the canoe and places three limpets on either side of the ship’s stern. With their mission accomplished but their canoe once again taking on water, King makes the prudent decision to leave the bay. At 02:40, he and Ruff quietly paddle towards Kalymnos, successfully evading further detection and completing their part in the daring nighttime operation.

All three canoes execute their missions with precision, attaching limpets fitted with long-delay fuses to their respective targets. After over two hours within the harbour, Shark and Salmon begin their cautious retreat. Shark reaches the designated hideout on the neighbouring island of Kalymnos effortlessly, while Salmon, battling persistent leaks, only makes it to the island at dawn, where its crew is warmly received and sheltered by hospitable locals.

Around 04:45, and continuing until 17:00, they hear explosions from the direction of Portolago. Richards is convinced that, along with the noise of the limpets going off, they can hear the sound of depth charges as the Germans try to find the submarine, they believe is responsible for the attack. Despite intense search operations by the German garrison and naval forces around the harbour and nearby waterways, they fail to locate the crews or even detect the canoes.

As the search parties come dangerously close by late afternoon, Corporal Horner decides that evasion at twilight is the best course of action, given the success of the other two pairs and the unnecessary risk of further targets.

June 19th, 1944

After nightfall, Corporal Horner and Marine Fisher take to the sea and use a pre-arranged bird call to locate the second canoe, manned by Lieutenant Richards and Marine Stevens. Later, they receive signals from the Fairmile Motor launch that had deployed them for the raid, using the canoe’s code names, and they all successfully rendezvous for pickup.

Aftermath

Three smaller escort vessels are sunk, and the limpet mines inflict such damage on the two destroyers that their engine rooms flood, resulting in the loss of several crew members. In the days that follow, the damaged Italian destroyers with German crews are towed back to Athens, heavily laden with seawater in their hulls, only to be later sunk by Allied bombers. With the Kriegsmarine unable to quickly replace these losses in the region, the path is now clear for a significant raid on Simi.

Distinguished Service Cross and Distinguished Service Medal awards are given to Marines Richards, King, and Ruff. Corporal Edward (‘Johnny’) Horner is mentioned in dispatches.

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