Naval Career
He began his naval career in 1938 as a sub-lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in the 1930s. In January 1940 he was called up for full time service and transferred to the Seaward Defence Force. Promoted lieutenant in mid 1941 he commanded HMSA Ships Imhoff, Roodepoort and Aristea before being promoted to Lieutenant Commander in command of the salvage vessel HMSAS Gamtoos.
The crew of the HMSAS Gamtoos cleared several Mediterranean ports of sunken and scuttled ships, and at Marseilles, Biermann blew a hole in the harbour wall so that he could enter the Vieux Port and begin work. The Gamtoos went on to salvage the Sidi Aissa, towing it away to clear the valuable graving dock at La Ciotat by 14 December 1944. This earned Lt Cdr Biermann the Order of the British Empire, an honour he shared with the entire ship's company
The citation for his OBE reads:
On the recommendation of the British Admiralty, the then Lieutenant-Commander H. H. Biermann, an officer in the South African Naval Forces, was appointed an Officer of the Military Division of the Order of the British Empire “for distinguished service during the invasion of Southern France.”
Read more about this topic: Hugo Biermann
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