The Behar (Wreck)

 ship wreck, interesting place, invisible

The crews of the Heinkel 111H bombers were delighted to find at their briefing that they did not have to run the gauntlet of the massed rows of anti-aircraft guns on Britain's south-east coast, nor pass over any other large defences. The Germans' relief was understandable. Gunfire of any kind is the last thing you want when your aircraft's belly is heavily pregnant with mines.

The air-crews were also pleased that their missions were not to be long-range. The capture of the airfields of northern France had put the busy harbours and ports of the Bristol Channel within easy range. So, on the night of 3 November,1940, magnetic and acoustic mines parachuted down from the Heinkels into the sea close to Milford Haven. They were well-placed and were the first of many in the mining raids which followed.

A Belgian fishing trawler, Van Der Weyden, was the first victim of the offensive against shipping using Milford Haven, but bigger ships were to follow. On 21 November, the 6426 ton Dakotian was sunk by a German magnetic mine and the 3683 ton Pikepool hit another and sank the next day. On 24 November, the small salvage ship Preserver blew up, and that day too the big steamer Behar hit yet another mine.

The 6100 ton Behar had been built in 1928 by Harland and Wolff in Greenock and was owned by the Hain Steamship Co, though operated by P&O.

The steel-built Behar, 436ft long by 57ft, was carrying 4770 tons of government stores from the Clyde to Milford Haven when she hit the mine, but none of her crew were injured and they managed to beach her near Great Castle Head. Salvage attempts produced poor results, mainly because of bad weather and more mine-laying by German aircraft . By October the next year all salvage was abandoned and she became a total loss.