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Commodore
Peter Kavanagh (FOCNS 1973-1980)
Peter Kavanagh was born in Dublin, Ireland. His career
began in 1937 when, following a pre-sea course at the
Irish Nautical College, he joined the Cardiff based
Reardon-Smith Line engaged in worldwide trading. In
March 1942 Peter Kavanagh sailed to
Murmansk with
Convoy PQ 13 aboard the cargo ship
New Westminster City as third officer. New Westminster
City was attacked by enemy aircraft and sank in the port
of Murmansk on April 3, 1942. Following the sinking of his
ship in Murmansk port third officer Peter Kavanagh
transferred to the
Empire Starlight, but she was severely damaged during
an air-raid a few hours later. For the passage home to the
UK, Kavanagh was assigned to the
SS Harpalion. On the 13 April 1942 off the North Cape,
the SS Harpalion was sunk by an aerial torpedo and he was
rescued by a lifeboat from
HMS Fury. Months later Third officer Kavanagh received
a communication from 10 Downing Street which read:
"By
the King’s Order the name of Peter Kavanagh, Third
Officer, SS New Westminster City was published in the
London Gazette on 15 September 1942 as commended for
brave conduct in the Merchant Navy. I am charged to
record His Majesty’s high appreciation of the service
rendered." Winston Churchill, Prime Minister"
His actions as part of the New Westminster City crew
were also mentioned in the report of the surviving
senior officers from the same ship. In 1947 Peter
Kavanagh joined the
Irish Naval Service
and from 1973 till 1980 served as Director and Flag
Officer Commanding Irish Naval Service.
Medals:
Citation:
1. Commendation for Brave Conduct: His Majesty the King, 15
September 1942
2. 1939-1945 Star
3. Atlantic Star
4. Arctic Star;
5. War Medal 1939-45 with oakleaf
6. Irish Mercantile Marine Medal with bar for service on
Irish ships during the Emergency years 1939-1946
MEMORIES OF MY FATHER:
Peter Kavanagh was born 1920 and grew up in Sandymount with 3
sisters and 2 brothers. He had a great sense of family and
remained in close contact with his siblings all his life. His
parents had a shop in Pearse St. Peter went to sea in 1937
following nautical training college and started his career with
a Cardiff shipping company “Riordan Smith” and enjoyed his time
trading in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. At the outbreak of WW
II he along with his fellow crew members served on the Arctic
Convoys trading in hazardous seas between Iceland and Russia.
They were torpedoed 3 times on these voyages. The war was never
mentioned in our lifetime. When home on survival leave 1942
Peter's Dad instructed his sisters to bring him out on the town
and show him a good time and not to ask any questions regarding
the war or life at sea. It was at this time that he joined the
Wexford steamship company and served on the
Kerlogue. He went on to name the family home in Sutton “Kerlogue”.
Peter went on to join
Irish shipping and met the love of his life Frances King.
They married on the 20th November 1944 and had the first of 5
children a year later. In 1947 the decision was made for family
reasons, amongst others to join the Irish navy. The sea was his
passion and he was so proud to wear that uniform. Peter was
enthusiastic about everything he did, work, family, sport,
sailing, bridge. He was a great lover of travel and although he
was an advocate for education Peter believed travel was the best
education one could get.
He was a Christian man and he always saw the good in people. He
would say "if you don't have anything good to say, don't say
anything". Peter enjoyed going to mass to watch his
grandchildren do the readings. He had a great sense of humour
and was very encouraging and believed people could be anything
they dreamed to be. He was a great believer in down time and
work life balance. He would say "keep your interests broad and
your circle wide". He practiced relaxation, as he called it, now
referred to as mindfulness and was a great believer in learning
to do nothing, but at the same time when working to have a good
work ethic. We joked about all his lady bridge partners of which
there were many. Amongst his interests was gardening. He was
proud of his magnificent garden with beautiful rose display. His
real passion was sailing. He was navigator on Perry Grear's boat
“Helen of Howth”. Peter retired in 1980 and although he loved
his career with the navy he was ready for new adventures.
He planned a trip for May 1981 to sail the Helen of Howth to the
Caribbean and was to navigate but sadly that never happened as
he swallowed a bone while eating dinner 18th March 1981, and
died on 30th April that year. Peter also had great plans to
backpack in India and had a great curiosity regarding India. A
fellow naval officer John Sutton had served there during the Raj
and had created this interest. The other plan he had was to do
work with the RNLI. (Royal
National Lifeboat Institute/Lifeboat Organisation). Peter
enjoyed his drink night with his good friend Captain Frank Forde
and I'd say many a night was spent discussing times at sea over
a few. Frank wrote a book "the long watch" covering life at sea
during the war. There were not going to be enough hours in the
day for the plans he had in retirement. Commodore Peter Kavanagh
died in April 1981 and is buried in
St Fintans Cemetery, Sutton, County Dublin, (Grave Number
G38, St Nessans Section):
International Honours:
Commodore Peter Kavanagh was awarded the following foreign
decorations while serving as Flag Officer Commanding the Irish
Naval Service 1973-1980:
1. Order of the Crown, From Belgium (awarded 09 August 1980
along with Lt. Gen O’Sullivan)
2. Grand Cross of Merit, from the Federal Republic of
Germany
3. The Cross of Naval Merit, First Class, from Spain
4. Order of Orange-Nassau, from Netherlands
5. Commodore of Naval Merit, From France (Awarded 09
November 1978)
26 November 1969: RTE Newsbeat
programme:
RTE Film extract shows
Commodore Peter Kavanagh, former Director
and Flag Officer Commanding Irish Naval Service 1973-1980,
pictured on the Bridge of the Irish Naval Vessel LÉ Maev, a
flower class corvette which was launched in August 1942 as HMS
Oxlip (K123) prior to being commissioned into the Irish Naval
Service post WW2: (B a t t l e H o n o u r s: ATLANTIC 1942-45:
ARCTIC 1942-45: SICILY 1943: NORMANDY 1944):
Corvettes L.É Macha and L.É Maev:
During the post-war period of his life and career, Commodore
Kavanagh served on the corvettes L.É. Macha (formerly known as
HMS Borage) and L.É. Maev (formerly HMS Oxlip) of the Irish
Naval Service. Notably, both corvettes were part of the Northern
Convoys to Russia in the Royal Navy during the World War II.
Their history is also noteworthy because it was these corvettes,
together with the corvette L.É. Cliona (formerly HMS Bellworth),
that became the backbone of the Irish Naval Service for the
following two decades (until the 1970s).
L.É. Cliona ( Ex HMS
Bellworth) Fire Revisited:
RTE Film: Recorded 29 May 1962:
On the 29 May 1962, the Irish Naval Vessel L.É. Cliona while
participating in an annual exercise at sea, south of Roches Point,
County Cork, carried out a successful Hedgehog mortar exercise.
During her second pattern of depth charges, Cliona suffered a
premature explosion from a charge dropped from the stern rails
which lifted the stern of the ship out of the water. The ensuing
concussion ruptured fuel oil feed pipes in the aft boiler room.
Leaking oil resulted in a serious fire which rapidly accelerated
out of control. Able Stoker William Mynes immediately closed the
oil feed valves, isolating the supply of fuel to the fire and in
the process suffered burns to his hands, arms and face. A/S Mynes
then assisted the two injured young stokers, Ordinary Stoker Brady
and Ordinary Stoker Hennessy to safety out of the boiler room,
which was engulfed in flames, even though he was injured himself.
A/S Mynes continued to fight the fire until ordered to report for
first aid. Lt O'Mahony (ÓMathúna) then proceeded into the boiler
room and fought the fire single-handedly, ably assisted by crew,
for nearly 30 to 40 minutes. The fire was eventually extinguished
and despite the Marine Rescue Coordination Centre dispatching an
oceangoing tug to the scene to assist, L.É. Cliona was able to
proceed to Haulbowline under her own steam for an investigation
and repairs. (Extract: Report to the Chief of Staff from
Captain Thomas McKenna on fire damage to L.É. Cliona, 31 May
1962 (Military Archives). Had Cliona foundered it is unlikely that
there would have been survivors as there was a primed depth charge
on the deck. Had she sunk the hydrostatic trigger would have
ignited the charge and the resulting concussion would have killed
survivors in the water.
LÉ Maev
(HMS Oxlip):
Oxlip was ordered in July 1939 as part of the Royal Navy's 1939
War Emergency building programme. She was launched in August
1942, and served on the Arctic convoys during World War II. From
February 1942 onwards Oxlip served with close escort groups on
Arctic convoys. In three years Oxlip sailed with 18 convoys
(outbound and homebound), contributing to the safe and timely
arrival of more than 300 merchant ships. In 1946 she was sold
for the Irish Naval Service where she was named after Medb, the
legendary queen of Connacht. L.É. Maev was and decommissioned in
March 1972.
L.É
Macha (HMS Borage):
Flower-class corvette, ordered in 1939 as part of the
Royal Navy's 1939 War Emergency building programme. She
was launched in November 1941 and completed in April
1942. In December 1943 she was part of the close escort
to convoy JW55B, which was subject to a failed attack
resulting in the sinking of the German battleship
Scharnhorst. In 1946 HMS Borage was sold to the Irish
Naval Service where she was commissioned as L.É. Macha
(named after Macha, an ancient Irish goddess of war).
She was scrapped in November 1970.
Credit:
Hilary Kavanagh, daughter of Commodore Peter Kavanagh,
Flag Officer Commanding Irish Naval Service 1973-1980
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