Cornelius Ryan WWII papers, box 019, folder 22: Lynn Thomas Alexander

ALEXANDER, Capt. Lynn Thomas Int. s.s. SARNIA Merchant Navy Release BOX 19, #22

Finished

10 a.m. OMAHA BEACH the SARNIA, British Merchant Navy

1,000 ton coaster--enlisted to carry supplies to OMAHA: 400 tons of TNT and high exposive plus high explosive shells, small arms, ammunition, food. All merchant marine officers and crew were volunteers. On trip were 65 American soldiers who were to be stevedores

ANECDOTE OF THE SHIP ITSELF: Sarnia was called "Listy" by the crew. She had a habit of listing over to port and she looked like "a tired yacht without sails leaning into the wind coming down the channel." She was capable of only 9 knots; she had a crew of 14 and 6 gunners manning three Oerlikons. Captain Lynn Thomas Alexander--a short stubby gray haired bushy eyebrowed man with a Scots burr in his voice who had been 26 years at sea. Listy was in company with such armoured giants as the USS Nevada and HMS Rodney. They arrived at OMAHA about 10 a.m., pulled in 1 mile off shore about 3 p.m.

UNLOADING AMMO Capt.Alexander [?watelled?] American stevedores waiting to unload cargo into Dukws. He called the top sgt. to the bridge and said, "Do you know, Sgt. that we have 400 tons of TNT on board? Now, I don't mind being bombed or shot at because if I'm hit that's the will of God, but if one of your men drops a cigarette that might burn through the canvas over the hold that would be the end of everything. So if I see one of your men smoking, I'll shoot him." The sgt. replied: "Oh, no you won't. I'll shoot him first."

Alexander had trouble keeping his crew from firing on Germans. Over and over again he told them it was ridiculous. "What can you fire? You're just a protection, nothing more." Although they were in the midst of the fleet, the did not know what was happening. Alexander said to the sgt. "I've got a ringside seat but I don't know what the hell is going on." They had to listen to the BBC to find out what was going on. The tension was so great that one of the crew told the captain: "You know, captain, if we get through this, I'm going to church every Sunday--when possible."

THE ASSAULT LANDINGS IN NORMANDY

D DAY: MIDNIGHT JUNE 5 -- MIDNIGHT JUNE 6

Ack 30/5/58

What is your full name? LYNN THOMAS ALEXANDER

What is your present address? 11 DUNOON Road FOREST HILL SE. 23

Telephone number: FOREST HILL 1367

What was your unit, division, corps? Merchant Navy

Where did you land and at what time? Omaha 10am 6.6.44

What was your rank and age on June 6, 1944? Master of Ship Age 41. Were you married at that time? Yes What is your wife's name? Did you have any children at that time?

When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? YES

What was the trip like during the crossing of the Channel? Do you remember, for example, any conversations you had or how you passed the time?

Were there any rumours aboard ship? (Some people remember hearing that the Germans had poured gasoline on the water and planned to set it afire when the troops came in.) NONE

Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happed to you that day? Many items are recorded. 1. Vessel fitted out for invasion 2. Loading cargo, ammunition, TNT etc

2.

Were any of your friends killed or wounded either during the landing or during the day? No

Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became casualties?

Were you wounded? No

How were you wounded? NONE

Do you remember what it was like -- that is, do you remember whether you felt any pain or were you so surprised that you felt nothing? -

Do you remember seeing or hearing anything that seems funny now, even though it may not have seemed amusing at the time? Or anything unexpected or out- of-place? YES

Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic, or simply memorable, that struck you more than anything else?

3.

In times cf great crisis, people generally show either great ingenuity or self-reliance; others do incredibly strange or stupid things. Do you remember any examples of either?

Do you know of anybody else who landed within the 24 hours (midnight 5 June to midnight 6 June) either as infantry, glider or airborne troops, whom we should write to?

What do you do now? Clerical work

Please let us have this questionnaire as soon as possible, so that we can include your experiences in the book. We hope that you will continue your story on separate sheets if we have not left sufficient room. Full acknowledgement will be given in a chapter called "Where They Are Now."

Cornelius Ryan Joan 0. Isaacs The Reader's Digest

A complete verbal account can be given if required, from fitting out until completion of operations.

BR H Merchant NAVY

Captain Lynn Thomas Alexander was skipper of a 1,000 ton coaster known as the s.s. ‘’ SARNIA" but better known to the crew as “ Listy”. The Listy for reasons unknown to everybody had a habit of listing ovef to port and she looked like ”a tired yacht without sails leaning into the wind coming down the channel”. She was capable of only 9 knots; she had a crew of 14 and 6 gunners manning three Oerlikons. The Listy, like hundreds of other merchant maring craft was enlisted to carry supplies across to the Normandy beachhead. A point should be made that these merchant marine officers and crew men were all volunteers. Alexander and his crew had no idea exactly where the beaches were but they knew that they were to support an American beach and all they had was a longtidu [crossed out] d [end crossed out] and latidude. They carried over 400 tons of TNT and high explosive plus high explosive shells, small arms, ammunition and food. Seven of the crew were from the North of Ireland. They had been fitted out for the invasion in early May and the twenty year old “ Listy” set sail on June 1st under the command of Alexander - a short, stubby gray heired bushy eyebrowed man with a Scots burr in his voice who had been 26 years at sea at the time of D-Day. Beforethey left the Solent he sent his wife a telegram “ Hope all well writing - Lynn” ( His wife’ s name was Ann ).

With them on this trip they had 65 American soldiers who were to act as stevedores.

They sailed through the night and the following morning found the Listy as usual leaning hard over to port shoulder to shoulder with sirh armoured giants as the U.S.S. Nevada and H.M.S. Rodney. They anchored two miles off shore but by about 3 p.m. that afternoon they were told to pull in about one mile off shore.

Alexander tells of several incidents which occurred during the day. He watched the American stevedores waiting to unload the precious cargo into the Dukws which now began to dome out to the ship. He called the top sergeant to the bridge and said “ Do you know, Sergeant," he said, “ that we have 400 tons of TNT on board? Now I don ’ t mind being bombed or shot at because if I’m hit that’ s the will of God, but if one of your men drops a cigarette that might burn through the canvas over the hold that would be the end of everything. So if I see oneof your men smoking, I’ll shoot him.” The Sergeant said "Oh no, you won’ t, I’ll shoot him first.” Throughout the day he had quite a time trying to prevent the gunners from opening fire on the German beaches. Alexander told them again and again that it was ridiculous. "What can you fire? You are just a protection, nothing more. ”

Alexander , his crew=and the stevedores put in a very frustrating day because here they were in the midst of this big fleet lying off the Normandy beaches and yet they did not know what was happening ahead of them as Alexander told the top sergeant "I've got a ringside seat but I don't know what the hell is going on.” = All they knew the entire day was what they learned on the BBC.

They could tell, however, that the fighting on the beach was fierce from the smoke and the sounds. Only occasionally that day did anything drop near them. But it was an unreal situation for them because the great battleships around them were firing at distant targets and they were still waiting to unload. For the Cardiff born skipper it was just too much. Gradually they unloaded the ship that afternoon ahd the tension was so great that one of the crew said to him “ You know captain, if we get through this, I’m going to go to church every Sunday - when possible". Late that night, it was about 11 oclock as they were still unloading the ammunition, the whole of the beachhead lit up with tracer bullets, flaying the skies as the Germans tried to bomb the beach. Suddenly they saw one of the planes heading for the Listy. Alexander was on the bridge next to the Oerlikon gun and its crew. He said to the gunner , “Have you got him in your sights? ” "Yes", said the gunner. 2Well don’ t shoot until I tell you ”, said Alexander. They held their fire until the German was almost on them. "Now", yelled Alexander. They hit the bomber; they knew that they had hit the bomber, and later they put in their claim for it. But as Alexander pointed out "So did everybody else".

It did the gunners good, however , and after a frustrating day they felt that they had done their share.