The following account comes, in-part, the diary of Gunner's Mate Joseph Wright Logan [USN] and in-part from recollections to his son Joe Logan. Joe explains his father "had an Armco pocket calendar for the year 1944 in which he made occasional notes. It was hardly a diary, when he made entries they were short sentence fragments that could fit into a 40mm square box. He made about one entry per week, and probably many were made a day or two after the event. The entry made in the 31 January, 1944 box is. 'HMS Spartan hit by glider bomb at Anzio. Fought fire and picked up survivors.'"
Landing Craft Infantry Large 219 was part of LCI Flotilla II which took part in the Anzio operations. There were 30 LCIs in the flotilla. After the invasion the LCIs activities included taking troops and supplies from transports and supply ships to both Red and Green beaches and returning with wounded to be taken to a hospital ship offshore. Other duties included pulling LCTs and other craft off the beach.
At night the ships were anchored off the beaches. The Luftwaffe launched attacks on the fleet once or twice a day, during daylight and at night. "Too damn many raids," as Joseph recorded. Attacks were made variously by fighter-bombers, dive bombers and high altitude bombers. Mines also took a toll on the fleet and the Flotilla II history records LCI 32 striking a mine on 26 January killing 21 crew and staff.
On the night of 29 January 1944, many LCIs of Flotilla II were in the Anzio area and it is evident that LCI 219 was in the vicinity of Spartan when she was hit. As Joseph described it, "LCI 219 quickly pulled alongside the Spartan in an effort to assist fighting the fires. I was manning one of the hoses. The landing ramps of the LCI were lowered down to the water surface to assist pulling the sailors out of the water. Other crew members of LCI 219 helped the Spartan sailors up the ramps. I seem to remember there were about 75 men pulled out of the water onto LCI 219. First aid was provided as needed." Joe says, his father and other crew members used artificial respiration methods that he learned in the Boy Scouts to aid some of the British sailors. Somewhere along the line, before transferring the British sailors over to other ships, Joseph got the names and addresses of two Spartan crewmembers - William Powell and Ernest Singleton.
