Frederick 'Johnnie' Walker - Gladiator of the Convoys (Part 1 - 1896 to early 1942)

Pinned post for Q&A :)

U-Boat: *Screams of Terror by the crew* Mr Walker: HERE'S JOHNNIE

I was in Liverpool last fall. The guide made quite an effort to make sure we saw the Beatles statues near the docks. The guide walked right past the statue of Johnny Walker. When I pointed that out he said “ Oh, yes. He was in the war”.

For as long as there has been an Otto Kretschmer or Gunter Prien, there has been Frederick 'Johnnie' Walker. This British sailor, battle theorist and anti submarine warfare genius is the Original Gangsta of badass U-Boat killers - a man so dedicated to his work that he left no stone unturned in his unwavering quest to find and exterminate every U-Boat that dared cross his path. He was the first man to take on the U-Boats and truly emerge victorious, setting the precedent and creating the blueprint for the countless hunters and slayers that followed him, and he showed the world that not even the most badass U-Boat commander out there could stand up to a good old-fashioned Royal Navy captain with a bad attitude and a mountain of depth charges.

I have been waiting for your history of Captain Walker one of the greatest fighting sailors to serve in the Royal Navy

In this single presentation you managed to match the information density of about a day's worth of History Channel shows even when they actually did history.

Loved hearing this story. I’m used to stories of submarine commanders, but men like Walker were real heroes and deserve much more recognition than they are often awarded.

I was at the 2004 ceremony in Liverpool with Captain Walkers Old Boys. It was very touching. My grandfather served with Captain Walker during WW2 and held him in great esteem. I'm off to dig out the photos now! Thank you for this video.

47:11 "tell that damn aircraft to go around the other way", note that this anecdote was relayed, but transferred to the Arctic Convoys, by Alistair McLean in HMS Ullyses, along with the explanation "you're making us dizzy".

I read about Walkers exploits as a teenager. He was a driven leader. Fearless and inspiring. In 1982 i wrote an essay about him for my grade 10 history class. My professor failed me beacuse he claimed it was make believe. That none of the exploits ever occurred. Im a Canadian and i was shocked at the time and never forgot it. Thank God there were leaders like Walker in WW2.

Convolvulus : a plant genus including Bindweed, Silver Bush & Morning Glory. Perfectly normal name for a WWII Flower-class Corvette.

Eric "Winkle"Brown has given a first hand account of sinking aboard HMS Audacity Another perspective of the same campaign.

I read an autobiography of the man. A truly remarkable character and a real fighting sailor. The Western Approaches museum in Liverpool is really worth a visit and has had an exhibit on him. Also his statue down near the Pier Head.

I first heard about Captain Walker before first heading to sea myself, an absolutely fascinating character. Great Britain owes this man a debt of gratitude. I've been looking forward to Drach covering him and I am NOT disappointed at all. Well done sir.

Might be the best "five" minute guide Drach has ever put out. Incredible string of actions.

Being both ex- Navy, and a retired merchant mariner, I have long said "God Bless Johnny Walker". Thanks for sharing his story, his efforts both directly, and indirectly, saved an untold number of lives.

I served under his grandson P J Walker who was captain of HM submarine otter 79 ,81 , we were unaware of his grandad and he never spoke about it

This man was a true hero that deserved more acclaim.

One of, if not the, greatest ASW specialists of all time, along with John Williamson IMO.

After Captain Walker died in a Royal Navy hospital in July 1944, he was buried at sea by the crew of the destroyer HMS Hesperus, a renowned U-boat killer in its own right that was the preferred command of one Donald Macintyre who was a disciple of Captain Walker's ASW tactics whose first U-Boat kills, on 17 March 1941, were of U-Boat ace Joachim Schepke (36 kills) in U-100 and the "Tonnage King," Otto Kretschmer (44 kills) one month after Macintyre took command of the destroyer...HMS Walker.