The September force divided monitors, destroyers, paddle minesweepers, net drifters, and the yacht Sanda between two bombardment groups. At Middelkerke and Westende, the 12-inch monitors fired 102 rounds while the 15-inch monitor HMS Marshal Ney fired seventeen. German heavy guns struck and sank Sanda on 25 September, killing her executive officers and Lieutenant Commander Gartside-Tipping. More than seventy years old, Gartside-Tipping had returned to service at the outbreak of war and accepted arduous sea duty. The drifter Fearless rescued survivors, while Hyacinth's crew stayed under shellfire to recover its nets. Decorations for skipper Lawrence Scarlett and mate J. Prior recognized the crew's steadiness under fire. The losses and the auxiliary crews' work gave the deception campaign real operational weight.
Notable Point · 28:01-29:42
Sanda and the drifters pay for a convincing feint
The sinking of the yacht Sanda and drifter crews working under shellfire show the human and auxiliary-craft cost of the invasion deception.