Colin Grazier
| Colin Grazier | |
|---|---|
| Born |
7 May 1920 Two Gates, Fazeley, Staffordshire, England |
| Died | 30 October 1942 (aged 22) Mediterranean Sea |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 Royal Navy
|
| Years of service | 1940–1942 |
| Rank | Able Seaman |
| Service number | P/SSX 25550 |
| Unit | HMS Petard |
| Battles/wars | World War II † |
| Awards |
 George Cross
|
Able Seaman Colin Grazier, GC was posthumously awarded the George Cross for the "outstanding bravery and steadfast devotion to duty in the face of danger" which he displayed on 30 October 1942 in action in the eastern Mediterranean when capturing codebooks vital for the breaking of the German naval "Shark" Enigma cipher from the sinking German submarine U-559.
On the night of 30 October 1942 an enemy submarine was reported 70 nautical miles (130 km) north of Port Said. The destroyers Pakenham, Petard, Dulverton, Hero, and Hurworth were ordered to proceed from Alexandria to relieve Echo who had been searching for the submarine (which was German U-boat U-559).
HMS Petard, assisted by Wellesley aircraft of the No. 47 Squadron, located the u-boat and attacked the submarine with depth charges for nearly ten hours and finally forced the stricken boat to the surface at around 22:40. The U-boat was caught in Petard's search-lights, and the German crew, with Kapitänleutnant (Captain) Hans Heidtmann, were taken on board under guard, but not before they had opened seavalves and petcocks in order to scuttle the submarine before abandoning it. HMS Petard now sought volunteers to swim over and search the damaged submarine. Lieutenant Francis Fasson RN said that he would go aboard.
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Wikipedia