-H.M.S. Hood Crew Information-
H.M.S. Crew List

It is estimated that as many as 18,000 men served aboard the 'Mighty Hood' during the operational portion of her 21 year career. Unfortunately, there is no surviving official single listing of ALL men who served in her. Here you will find our attempt at creating such a listing. We are using the few, fragmentary crew lists known to exist, Navy Lists, various official reports, public records, and most importantly of all, inputs from the families of former crew.

Eric Clarence Goffe

It took him less than four years thereafter to be promoted to Chief Petty Officer (CPO), and the outbreak of hostilities in September 1939 found him serving as a CPO in the destroyer H.M.S. Douglas, in which capacity he was quickly employed on anti-U-boat operations; in the very same month Douglas recovered survivors from the S.S. Tafna, a victim of U-37. In the new year - 21 January 1940 - Douglas was back in action in the defence of Gibraltar-bound convoy OG. 15F, when she attacked and damaged U-44. Having then made a valuable contribution to diversionary work undertaken by Force H, H.M.S. Douglas returned to duties in the Home Fleet.

In April 1941 - and having been transferred to the 2nd Escort Group in Western Approaches command - Douglas was heavily engaged in support of convoy HX. 121, and she depth-charged and sank the U-65, south-east of Iceland, on the 28th. Then in June 1942, she was nominated for support in the passage of convoys PQ. 17 (outbound) and QP. 13 (homebound.) She was ordered to switch from the former to the latter before PQ. 17 was scattered on Admiralty orders, with terrible consequences.

Such was Eric's professional excellence that he was selected for promotion to officer rank: in October 1943, whilst employed at torpedo establishment H.M.S. Vernon, Goffe was appointed a Temporary Acting Gunner (T.) R.N. In this Warrant Officer rank he went on to win the D.S.C. for gallant services in the destroyer H.M.S. Anthony on the occasion of the destruction of the U-761 off Gibraltar on 24 February 1944.

Eric Goffe himself described the incident as follows.

'While in action with the enemy in the Straits of Gibraltar, I was exposed to shell blast when a 4.7-inch gun, depressed to fullest extent, fired at a surfaced U-Boat; the shell hit the port after D.C. davit and exploded within three feet of my head. Following this I was deaf and was admitted to the Military Hospital at Gibraltar.'

His D.S.C. citation reads as follows.

'For zeal, devotion to duty and presence of mind when, after being dazed by the near explosion of an H.E. [high explosive] shell, he rallied the depth charge personnel who were all affected by the explosion, and successful reloaded the depth charges, meanwhile directing Able Seaman Balch and Leading Seaman Brown to render safe the depth charges which had been damaged by shell splinters.'

Eric's injuries prevented him from seeing further active service and he was invalided and placed on the Retired List as a 'Gunner (T.), R.N.' in July 1948. He died in Sutton, Surrey in August 1999.

Additional Photos

Eric Goffe in officer uniform.

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