From James M. Crockett son of Skipper John Crockett

This is an account of how my late father escaped from Nazi occupied Norway during World War II.

Being a qualified Trawler Skipper, he was commissioned into the Royal Naval Voluntary Reserve at the start of the war as a Sub-lieutenant.

Around the middle of April 1940, the wartime requisitioned Aberdeen Trawler "Hammond" sailed for Norway under the command of my father Skipper John Crockett (Jakey), along with three other trawlers, and they were bound for Narvick, a major naval port in Norway. There was a bit of amusement about the destination of the small fleet because everybody seemed to know where they were going, like it was no secret, but it turned to be a problem of no consequence because as it happened, they weren't going to Narvick at all!

While sailing across the North Sea, the four trawl skippers brought their ships close in and opened their sealed orders. Narvick wasn't mentioned but each of them had been given a section of the coast of southeastern Norway to search out the U-boats and give them something to worry about and hopefully chase them out of the region. The requisitioned trawlers were called sub-chasers, and the U-boat commanders hated them! Armed with two depth-charges (mostly one) they would pick up the U-boat signals on their asdic sonar and harass them and also send for a fighter bomber to come out from 'Blighty' to give them support!

On the 25th of April 1940 the "Hammond" picked up a faint asdic signal off the Island of Molde on the west coast of Norway and started to move in on the target to confirm the echo. Running the trawler at full speed, the echo didn't seem to be getting stronger, so it could have been that the U-boat had sighted the "Hammond" and strangely the echo seemed to be moving landwards towards the southern channel of Molde Island. Intent on getting a definite asdic signal before asking for air support, Jakey steered nearer to the Island.

As they were getting close to land, all hell seemed to brake loose and a roar filled the sky. They looked up and they were staring at a full squadron of German dive-bombers flying low over them heading for the city of Molde.

Then the asdic operator alerted Jakey, they had a clear echo from the U-boat! The depth charges were immediately armed.

The German Luftwaffe had their mission, and the crew of this Aberdeen trawler had theirs, so as the bombers headed for Molde, to give it the 'blitz', the "Hammond" went after the sub with similar intentions, all this in clear sight of each other.

They had two depth-charges and they were in restricted waters so the odds looked very bad for the U-boat!

Still running at full speed ahead steering 090 degrees, the "Hammond" was passing South of Molde, which was going up in flames, being battered by the dive bombers and and the asdic was receiving rapid echoes and the U-boat was running out of space and would have to turn round or surface and get rammed by the speeding trawler.

Then a deck hand raised the alarm and pointed on the port beam! One dive-bomber had peeled off and was flying towards the "Hammond" to see what was going on, and it made its pass, and like Aberdonians, some of them waved to the pilot and at the same time the gunners on the poop deck opened up with the machine guns.

Jakey had to think fast! "Drop the depth charges!" he roared out! and the two cylinders rolled off the after deck into the sea. He didn't want a triple explosion if the dive-bomber got a direct hit on them, plus the Hammond was almost on top of the U boat at the same time anyway

The bomber circled and was obviously well into its mission and getting low on fuel and Jakey guessed that he could only make one pass, so he altered course and got ready for the evasive manoeuvre, too bad for the bomber he couldn't get any altitude at such close range, so he headed straight for the "Hammond" flying about fifty feet above the water level, and the "Hammond" headed straight for the bomber and both were going at full speed.

At that propitious moment that comes along at some time in everybody's life, Jakey watched the gap between them diminish, while the whole crew stared in awe, waiting for their impending doom, and the gunners on the poop-deck were giving the german pilot a harrowing run, then suddenly Jakey roared out the order, "Hard a' Starboard!" and the helmsman spun the wheel and the "Hammond" suddenly swerved to the right! The gerry pilot was going too fast and he was too low and his target was moving out of the line of fire, and hastily he released his last bomb!

All hands standing on deck stood stock still as they watched the bomb detach itself from the undercarriage. The bomber roared overhead and left the scene and the silent menacing shape was all that the crew could see arching down on them! The Hammond was now beam on, and the bomb, like a miracle was happening before their eyes, passed between the wheelhouse and the funnel and dipped over the starboard quarter and to everyone’s astonishment it landed in the sea, just missing the swerving after-deck!

But there was to be no happy ending to this harrowing event. Once the bomb disappeared under the water, it exploded in the sea below the engine room and the "Hammond" immediately started to fill with water.

And at the same time the released depth charges went 'Thud! Thud! somewhere in the deep.

Everything had happened so fast, the ship was sinking, their mission was over and they had to abandon the ship, the Skipper gave the command and all hands dove into the water and swam for the land and they all got ashore safely...into Nazi-occupied Norway!

Jakey reckoned that the U-boat must have got a scare and got out of the dangerous Norwegian fjords, or had been hit and gone to the bottom. But now there was a more serious problem, Jakey had told all his crew to keep wearing their uniforms.

They found that they had come ashore near a place called Aandalses, which was (Unknown at the time, a British Military post) near the main road, and no doubt their whereabouts would have been reported to the ground forces by the pilot of the dive-bomber and sometime soon, they could expect visitors..

With the adrenalin still pumping and everyone facing an uncertain fate, They had to make a vital decision! Whether to remain where they were and wait for the Germans to come and find them or take off and hide from the enemy! They were feeling good at this time and none of them wanted to spend the rest of the war in a prison camp, so they discussed it between themselves. Then very quickly they all told Skipper Crockett their choice of action! The Skipper then gave them the grave warning that if they abandon their present position and move away, then when they are picked up they will be accused of being spies and it will be the end for all of them. He then warned them to consider this event seriously, because instead of receiving Prisoner of War status upon being captured, they would be mercilessly interrogated, then taken out and shot! They then had to re-consider their situation, so they asked the Skipper what were their chances.

Jakey looked at them, cold, wet through and shivering and he repeated again what fate awaited them if they were caught running away. They stood firm. They would take their chances. Then Jakey said, "That being your decision, then we are all in this together!" This brought a bit of good humour and laughter and smiles all round. Then they stood facing their Skipper, not moving but just stood there looking at Jakey.

The Skipper of the ill-fated little warship of the King's navy, the Hammond, looked back at his motely crew and shook his head slowly, and said to them, "Yer a' daft ye ken!"

But what he told them next sent their hopes soaring! "We are going over to Molde and get a boat to take us back to Scotland!" It was an outrageous idea, but the crew were filled with plenty of cheer and encouragement and although Jakey realized that such a plan was tantamount to madness......comparing this to the days events which had been a pantomine of outrageous madness, what with the U-boat, the dive bombers, the sinking of the "Hammond' and the town of Molde going up in flames, .......he conceded that the whole day had been one of unimagined madness!

Now they were no longer shipwrecked sailors, they were going home!

THE massive expansion of computer use in classrooms has done nothing to improve pupils' academic performance, according to education watchdogs.

A report published today says that while information and computer technology had led to some improvements in learning, there was "no evidence of increased attainment ... that could be directly attributed" to its use.

Millions have been spent in the last five years improving the quality and availability of computer technology in the schools.

However, the report said: "Although there is extensive use of computers in all sectors, very little of this use has transformed learning and teaching."

In particular, the report says that very few teachers have enough confidence to use computers in their class.

The report also says that more needs to be done to ensure that computers are used across the whole curriculum, rather than just for computer-related subjects,

"While much progress has been made in recent years in the impact that computers have had on learning and teaching, excellence exists only in isolated pockets.

"There has been a general improvement across all sectors, but the overall impact of the adoption of computers in learning and teaching does not reflect its potential."

Parents and teachers' leaders said the report showed that the introduction of hi-tech computer software was no substitute for traditional teaching methods.

"The computers on their own won't do anything, it's how they are used that will make a difference."

The influence of modern technology in the classroom was "over-rated".

"There is no substitute for the thoroughly competent teacher.

"Ask any parent if they would rather have their child taught by a moderate teacher with a computer or an excellent teacher with a piece of chalk and they would certainly choose the latter."

(OPINION)?

How I personally feel about this subject!

I went to school long before the introduction of the computer, and was a mature dude when the WWW hit me in the 'solar plexus', so this is how I find its impact on my furthered aducation!

Wow! Will you look at all this stuff?, I found out that there was enough information about the "TITANIC" on the web, that I could build one myself!...Plus if I could smuggle enough of this stuff about microbiology into the examination room, I could get myself a Phd. ................Hey! Where is da printer?!

But when I got sobered up the next day from the inebriation of all the computer champaigne, I said again, Wow! I gotta git somemore of that stuff. So I became addicted to the use of the computer!

The great thing was, I didn't have to remember anything! All the dope was there on the computer just waiting for me to "logon"!(that was first word I 'saved' in my head about computers)

You shoulda all seen the look on ma face! I went from being a knowledgeable genius into being a brilliant knowledgeable genius!

And also I didn't have to commit anything to memory, because from my new perspective, the computer had now become an extension of my brain! With a zillion pigeon-holes in my head still unused(I read this in the Scientific American) all I did was start puting a 'key word' into each of them, and with a few taps on the keyboard, Voila! instant information!

So why did I bother going to school in the first place? All those years I spent lugging a tun of books back-and-fore, getting beat up by big kids!? Yeah! and all that corporal punishment, dealt out to me by them ugly smelly teachers!? They say you never forget the name of your teacher! HA! you would need to torture me to death before I could remember any of their names!

And now in this modern era, we have instant knowledge, without threats or punishment. I agree! Who needs computers in schools anyway? I say chuck 'em all out! And let all the kids play all day!

And when they grow up....you buy them a computer! Like when your kid turns twenty-one you just say, "Here you are son! this is your brain!"

Tell me about it!