Ian Ferguson's Homepage, Part Two:
HEDGEHOG

W.L.G. Ferguson

While young Ian was serving in the Allied Merchant Navy, his father W.L.G. Ferguson, Chief Draftsman to the Ministry of Defence, was hard at work perfecting a new anti-submarine weapon which would help make the sea a safer place for all Allied mariners -- HEDGEHOG. Once World War II started it became obvious that in order to sink enemy submarines the Allied escort ships needed a better kind of weapon than the depth charge then in use. When a submerged sub was detected by a naval ship's ASDIC (later called SONAR), depth charges were dropped over the side or stern of the ship. Not only did the ship have to immediately speed away to avoid damaging herself in the resulting explosion, but the ship's own engine noise would interfere with the ASDIC as she passed over the submarine, causing her to lose contact at a crucial moment. At the beginning of the war W.L.G. Ferguson and a colleague were working on the development of a new kind of forward throwing weapon called the PIAT (Click for Photo). From their work on the PIAT Ian's father and his colleague realised that what was needed at sea was a weapon like a grenade launcher which could fire multiple volleys ahead of the escort ship, and which would explode only if the hull of the submarine was hit.

This ASDIC diagram is courtesy of the 9. Flotille; Brest site.

Such a weapon would allow the escort's ASDIC operator to maintain contact with the target until the last moment, ensuring greater accuracy. Ian saw his father first discussing his idea for what was to called "Hedgehog" at a Christmas party in 1940. As Ian later described it, his father and Major Millis Jefferis -- later Major-General Sir Millis Jefferis -- "sat at a table with pencil and paper and drinks in long intense conversation for ages", oblivious to the festivities going on about them. After that unusual beginning, a test model of the new weapon was produced, the Royal Navy became involved, and the first Hedgehog went into operational service aboard a ship in January 1942. (Click for Photo of HMCS Sackville Hedgehog). After his work on weapon design, W.L.G. Ferguson joined the Royal Navy, where he was dubbed "Fergie", and he served in the Atlantic and on the Russian convoys.

For W.L.G. Ferguson, the highlight of his involvement with Hedgehog came in 1944. In January 1944 he was serving aboard the Royal Navy sloop HMS Magpie, when, newly-fitted with Hedgehog, she set off from Liverpool to hunt for U-boats with the other ships of the legendary 2nd Escort Group -- HMS Starling, HMS Kite, HMS Wild Goose, and HMS Woodpecker. The 2nd Escort Group was commanded by the Royal Navy's most acclaimed U-boat hunter, Captain Frederic "Johnny" Walker . Earlier in the war Captain Walker had pioneered superb anti-submarine techniques which in May 1943 had helped to turn the Battle of the Atlantic in favour of the Allies. On February 9th, 1944, Captain Walker decided to use Magpie's Hedgehog against a U-boat which was proving too wily to be caught by depth charges alone. From the deck of his own ship, HMS Starling -- 1,000 feet away from Magpie -- Captain Walker directed the firing of Magpie's hedgehog. With just one try, a direct hit was made on U-238 and Ian's father, who had taken a leading part in the Hedgehog action, had the grim satisfaction of seeing for himself how his weapon was fully proven in the field.

A Hedgehog Salvo of 24 With 3 Entering Water on the Right

From: The article "Destroyer Escort", by Antony Preston

By February 19th, the sloops had sunk an incredible total of six U-boats in just 20 days -- U-592, U-762, U-734, Magpie's U-238, U-424, and U-264. The group's success was marred only by the sad loss of HMS Woodpecker. On February 19th she was severely damaged by an acoustic torpedo or "gnat" from U-764, and she sank in tow on February 27th. (Click Here for Patrol Diagram).

HMS Magpie Receives a Hero's Welcome to Liverpool

When this photo of Magpie's triumphant return to Liverpool was taken, Fergie was standing on deck among her heroic crew. He later described the Admiralty's reaction to their sortie as "quite a pat on the back". Tragically, Captain Johnny Walker died from a stroke just a few months later, on July 9th, 1944. The great man had driven himself ceaselessly since the war began, and his doctors attributed his death to overwork. Although devastated by the loss of their leader, the men and ships of the 2nd Escort Group went on to sink 8 more U-boats before the war's end.

Photo Source: A newsreel of the period.

"Fergie and His Young Shipmates"
This dramatic photo shows Leading Seaman Fergie and his young shipmates after their arrival in Liverpool. W.L.G. Ferguson was only 43 years old when this photo was taken, but the strain of the campaign shows in his face, making him look older. PHOTO SOURCE: The same newsreel as the above photo of Magpie.

Only once more in WWII would the total of six submarines in one sortie be paralleled -- by the remarkable American destroyer escort USS England (Click for Photo). The destroyer, built in 1943, was named after one of the heroes of Pearl Harbor, Ensign John C. England. In May of 1944, under the inspired command of Lieutenant-Commander W. B. Pendleton and with the able assistance of Lieutenant Commander J. A. Williamson as executive officer, USS England received orders to search for a Japanese submarine known to be in the Solomon Sea area. On May 19th, she set off in company with the destroyer escorts USS George and USS Raby, and during the next 11 days, USS England succeeded in sinking a total of six Japanese submarines, including the gigantic I-16, which was fifty feet longer than she was. (Click for Photo). This astounding feat caused the crusty American Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Ernest J. King, to exclaim, "There'll always be an England -- in the US Navy!" (Click for Photo). By the end of the war, Hedgehog would be responsible for sinking a grand total of fifty submarines, thereby saving many Allied ships and lives.

Ian on his Wedding Day January 31, 1959.

After his adventures aboard HMS Magpie, W.L.G. Ferguson remained at sea and served in the Mediterranean aboard HMS Matchless. When he became old enough Ian left the sea and joined the Canadian Army. During training, Ian was sent to Kingston, Ontario, where he learned to use the weapon which earlier on had inspired his father and his colleague to come up with the idea of Hedgehog -- the PIAT (Click for more on PIAT). After the war was over Ian eventually "swallowed the anchor", married "a nice girl" and settled in Australia. His memories of his youthful days in the Allied Merchant Navy remained vivid in his mind and he always regarded Albertolite fondly. "She was", Ian later wrote, "a grand hard working little lady and she did great service for Canada and British Columbia." Ian has always been very proud of his father's many important contributions to the Allied war effort and one of his treasures is an audio tape of Fergie talking about his involvement with Hedgehog. Ian and his wife Gwend now make their home in the beautiful city of Adelaide, South Australia.

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For more information on Captain Walker, Ian recommends the book Walker RN: The Story of Captain Frederic John Walker CB, DSO and Three Bars, RN, written by Terence Robertson and originally published in 1956 by Evans Brothers of London. Also published in 1975 by White Lion Publishers of London.

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