Web Page No 2452
26th February 2018
Third Picture: Buster Crabbe’s Grave
Fourth Picture: One of the many books about Buster Crabbe
Buster Crabb
Lionel Kenneth Phillip Crabb, OBE, GM was born on
28th January 1909 and presumed
dead on 19th April 1956) and was a Royal Navy frogman and MI6 diver who vanished during a reconnaissance mission
around a Soviet cruiser berthed at Portsmouth Dockyard in 1956.
Lionel Crabb was born
in 1909 to Hugh and Beatrice Crabb of Streatham. They were a poor family and in
his youth Buster held many jobs but after two years training for a career at
sea in the school ship HMS Conway he joined
the merchant navy and the Royal
Naval Volunteer Reserve before the Second World War.
At the outbreak of
the Second World War, he was first an army gunner. Then, in 1941, he joined
the Royal Navy. The next year he
was sent to Gibraltar where he worked
in a mine and bomb disposal unit to remove the Italian limpet mines from the hulls of Allied ships.
Initially, his job was to disarm the mines that British divers removed, but
eventually he decided to learn to dive.
On 8th December 1942,
during an Italian attack, two of the Italian frogmen probably killed by depth charges. Their bodies were recovered, and
their swimfins and Scuba sets were taken and
from then on one set was used by Commander Crabb.
He was awarded
the George Medal for his efforts
and was promoted to lieutenant commander. In 1943 he became
Principal Diving Officer for Northern Italy, was assigned to clear mines in the
ports of Livorno and Venice; he was later created an OBE for these services. By this time he had gained the nickname
"Buster", named after American actor and swimmer Buster Crabbe. After the war he was stationed
in Palestine and led an
underwater explosives disposal team that removed mines from the maritime force
of the Palmach the elite
Jewish fighting force. In 1947, he was demobilised.
He moved to a civilian
job and used his diving skills to explore the wreck of a Spanish galleon from the 1588 Armada, off Tobermory. He then located a suitable site for a
discharge pipe for the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment at Aldermaston. He later returned to work for the
Royal Navy. He twice dived to investigate sunken Royal Navy submarines,
the Truculent in January 1950
and Affray in 1951 to find
out whether there were any survivors. Both efforts were fruitless. In 1952
Crabb married Margaret Elaine Player but the couple separated in 1953 and
divorced two years later.
In 1955 he took
frogman Sydney Knowles with him to
investigate the hull of the Soviet cruiser Sverdlov to evaluate its
superior manoeuvrability. According to Knowles, they found a circular opening
at the ship's bow and inside it a large propeller that could be directed to
give thrust to the bow. That same year,
March 1955, he was made to retire due to his age, but a year later he was
recruited by MI6. By this point, his heavy drinking and smoking had
taken its toll on his health, and he was not the diver that he had been.
In 1956 MI6 recruited
him to investigate the Soviet cruiser Ordzhonikidze that had
taken Khrushchev and Bulganin on a diplomatic mission to
Britain. Crabb was sent to investigate the Ordzhonikidze's propeller,
a new design that Naval Intelligence wanted to examine. On 19th April 1956,
Crabb dived into Portsmouth Harbour and his MI6
controller never saw him again. His companion in the Sally Port Hotel took all
his belongings and even the page of the hotel register on which they had
written their names. Ten days later British newspapers published stories about
his disappearance in an underwater mission. MI6 tried to cover up this
espionage mission. On 29th April the Admiralty announced that Crabb had
vanished when he had taken part in trials of secret underwater apparatus
in Stokes Bay . The Soviets
answered by releasing a statement stating that the crew of the Ordzhonikidze had
seen a frogman near the cruiser on 19th April.
British newspapers
speculated that the Soviets had captured him and taken him to the Soviet Union.
The British Prime Minister disapproved of the fact that MI6 had operated
without his consent
A little less than 14
months after Crabb's disappearance, on 9th June 1957, a body in a diving suit
was brought to the surface in their net by two fishermen in Chichester Harbour. The body was missing its head and
both hands, which made it impossible to identify (using
then-available technology). The body had the same height as Crabb, the
same body-hair colour, and was dressed in the same clothes. It was stated that
given the length of time that the body had been in the water, there was
"nothing sinister" about the missing head and hands. Crabb's ex-wife
was not sure enough to identify the body, nor was Crabb's girlfriend Pat Rose.
The body was in a faded green rubber frogman suit of a type issued to Royal
Navy divers, and the remains of a white sweater. The suit had been cut
open from the neck to the groin and along both legs. The body was closely
examined for a Y-shaped scar behind the left knee and a prominent scar on the
left thigh. There were no scars on the body.
The inquest was opened on 11th
June 1957 and adjourned until 26th June to allow time for a positive identification. When it was resumed
the pathologist reported that he had found a scar in the shape of an inverted Y
on the left side of the left knee, and a scar on the left thigh.
As information was
declassified under the 50-year rule new facts on his disappearance came to
light. Crabb did not dive alone on his fatal last mission: He was given him a
buddy diver. Furthermore, other papers
indicate that there were other divers investigating the Ordzhonikidze
in Portsmouth Harbour.
The spy Harry Houghton wrote a book called
"Operation Portland" the explanation of Crabb's death which he
claimed to have been given by his Russian handler in July 1956. He claims that
shortly before the Soviet visit he had been meeting in a pub in Dorset
The Russians were
aware of attempts by divers around the Ordzhonikidze, the Soviet
Navy arranged for six underwater sentries to watch the bottom of the ship,
which had been fitted with wire jackstays on either side to help them hold on
to. When Crabb arrived, a struggle ensued in which Crabb's air supply was
turned off and he passed out. He was then hauled on board, and taken to the
sick bay and given medical treatment. When he had recovered, the Soviets
began to interrogate him; Crabb was making a confession when he collapsed and
this time did not recover. The Soviets, aware that they might be accused of
causing his death, decided to fix his body lightly to the bottom of the ship so
that it came loose once the ship was under way. In the event, the body
entangled in something underwater which meant it did not get discovered for
fourteen months.
In a 1990 interview a
former member of Soviet Naval intelligence, claimed that the Soviets had
noticed Crabb in the water and that a Soviet sniper had shot him. Official
government documents regarding Crabb's disappearance are not scheduled to be
released until 2057.
On 16th November
2007, the BBC reported that a Soviet frogman, claimed to have caught Crabb placing
a mine on the Ordzhonikidze hull near the ammunition depot and
cut his throat. For which he was awarded the Order of the Red Star medal.
Certain MPs
became concerned about Crabb's fate and in 1961, submitted proposals to re-open
the case but were rebuffed.
On 26 March
2006, the Mail on Sunday published an
article entitled "Buster Crabb was murdered – by MI5" because they
knew he had intentions of defecting
A British diving
expert wrote in 2007 that Crabb had probably died of oxygen poisoning or
perhaps carbon dioxide poisoning, and that Crabb's age and poor health caused
by his heavy drinking and smoking had made him unsuitable for the
mission. In support of the death by misadventure theory, it was noted that
before disappearing on his second attempt to dive the Ordzhonikidze,
Crabb had during his first attempt experienced equipment failure, which
suggested that Crabb's equipment was not up to standard. Crabb's MI6
officer always took the view that Crabb had suffered equipment failure
and/or his health had given way, and that his reputation had been unfairly dragged
through the mud.
Whatever was the
truth the headless body which was alleged to be Buster Crabbe was interred with
all due ceremony in Milton Cemetery.
Will we ever know the
truth?
Keep in
touch
Yours
Peter
gsseditor@gmail.com
You Write:
News and Views:
ON THIS DAY 26th February
1960-1965
On 26/02/1960 the number one single was Why - Anthony Newley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was not listed and the box office smash
was Some Like It Hot. A pound of
today's money was worth £13.68
and Burnley were on the way to
becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was USSR wins Winter Olympics
On 26/02/1961 the number one single was Sailor - Petula Clark and the number one album was Tottenham Hotspur. The top rated TV
show was The Army Game (Granada)
and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was
worth £not very interesting and 13.25 were on the way to becoming the
Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Bootsie & Snudge (Granada).
On 26/02/1962 the number one single was Rock-a-Hula Baby/Can't Help Falling
In Love - Elvis Presley and the number one album was Blue Hawaii - Elvis Presley. The top
rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was
worth £12.89 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming
the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was John Glenn is 1st US astronaut to orbit earth.
On 26/02/1963 the number one single was The Wayward Wind - Frank Ifield and the number one album was Summer Holiday - Cliff Richard & the
Shadows. The top rated TV show was Labour Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office
smash was The Great Escape. A
pound of today's money was worth £12.64
and Everton were on the way to
becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 26/02/1964 the number one single was Diane - Bachelors and the number one album was With the Beatles - The Beatles. The
top rated TV show was Labour Party
Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was
worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming
the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 26/02/1965 the number one single was I'll Never Find Another You - Seekers and the number one album was Rolling Stones Number 2 - The Rolling Stones.
The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's
money was worth £11.69 and Manchester United were on the way to
becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.The big news story of the day was Goldie the Eagle escapes London Zoo.
