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29 March 1908 - 20 April 1975
Royal Navy
HMS Campbeltown
‘Sam’ Beattie was born at Leighton, Montgomery and educated at Rugby. He joined the Royal Navy in 1925. In March 1942 he was given command of HMS Campbeltown, the old destroyer which, during Operation Chariot, was to ram and blow up the gates of the dry dock at St Nazaire.
Her funnels modified to resemble a German destroyer, and initially wearing a German naval ensign to confuse the enemy further, the Campbeltown remained unchallenged during the hazardous approach to St Nazaire until shortly before 1.30am on 28 March 1942, when the White Ensign was hoisted as German batteries opened up from both sides of the River Loire. With half the ship’s company killed or wounded by heavy fire, and despite being dazzled by searchlights, Beattie, with superb seamanship, rammed the dock gates only four minutes behind schedule. He was subsequently captured when the motor launch carrying him down river was sunk, but the Campbeltown exploded later that day, duly wrecking the dock gates.
Beattie, whose Victoria Cross was gazetted on 21 May 1942, spent the rest of the war in captivity. He retired from the Royal Navy in 1960 with the rank of captain and died at Mullion in Cornwall in April 1975. aged 67.
Courtesy of the Imperial War Museum
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