Ships
Torpedoed in Convoy ONS 154, Part 1 |
| Fifteen ships
were torpedoed in the three-day running Battle for Convoy ONS
154, and fourteen of them were sunk. This list
gives the names of the ships torpedoed on December 27, 1942 (in
the first attack), along with the convoy position, gross registered
tons, number of crew and DEMS gunners, the ship(s) that picked up
survivors, and the attacking U-boat(s) with the name(s) of the commanding
officer(s). If more than one U-boat is mentioned, the one named
last was credited with the sinking. (Reference: Revely, The
Convoy That Nearly Died and Commonwealth War Graves Commission).
Only one U-boat, the U-356,
was sunk during the battle. |
The 15 torpedoed ships carried at least 1,077
men. There were 512 killed and 565 survived.
Of the survivors, 564 were rescued by allied ships and one (1)
was picked up by a German U-boat.
The captain of the President Franqui became a prisoner of war. |
Merchant Ships Torpedoed in the First Attack
December 27, 1942
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SS
Empire Union ** (Glasgow)
GRT: 5964 - Convoy Position: #121 -
see also Merchant Ships in Convoy
1924: Salvore - Built in Trieste;
taken over by Lloyd Triestino and named Sistana.
1940: Myrica - Taken in prize in
South Africa.
1941: Empire Union. British
M.O.W.T.
see also
ubootwaffe.net |
| Crew of 64 with 5 DEMS
gunners. Ship was torpedoed and sunk by U-356
(Lt. Ruppelt), at 0230 hours on Sunday,
December 27, 1942. Position: 47.30N 24.30W, in mid-Atlantic.
There were 63 survivors rescued by RS
Toward. - Casualties: 5 crew and 1 DEMS gunner. |
| Officers and Crew |
Tower Hill Memorial, London, UK, Panel 47 |
John BERSIN
Greaser (age 45) |
Cyril Walter CAMPBELL, Second Engineer Officer
(age 45)
Son of Walter and Emily Helen Campbell;
husband of May Campbell, of Heswall, Cheshire |
Hubert Arthur MacCALLUM
Master (age 55) |
Eric McLeod MOIR
Chief Officer (age 31) |
Derek Howell WILLIAMS, Chief Steward (W.
Hartlepool) (age 37)
Son of William and Elanor Anne Howell Williams |
| DEMS Gunners |
Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Southsea, Hampshire, UK |
George FOOTT, Petty Officer (age 33)
P/SSX 13145HMS President II (lost in SS Empire Union)
Son of George Albert and Louise Foott;
husband of Lilian Mary Foott, Five Oaks, Jersey, Channel Islands |
|
SS
Melrose Abbey (Leith)
GRT: 2473 - Convoy Position: #101
M.O.W.T. (Associated Humber Lines)
12/1940: shelled by Italian submarine Marconi
and bombed by a German FW 200.
See also
ubootwaffe.net |
Crew
of 29 with 5 DEMS gunners.
Voyage: Tyne to Trinidad, with 3,500 tons coal and 700 tons Christmas mail.
Torpedoed and sunk by U-356 (Lt.
Ruppelt), at 0235 hours on December 27, 1942.
Position: 47.30N 24.30W, in Atlantic.
Survivors: 27 survivors rescued by RS
Toward. - Casualties: 6 crew and 1 DEMS gunner. |
| Officers and Crew |
Tower Hill Memorial, London, U.K.,
Panel 70 |
Lamuel Charles DE CLARK, Fireman (age 33)
Son of George and Troya Susanna De Clark;
husband of Minnie Caroline De Clark, of Durban, Natal, S. Africa |
Lionel Joseph GISH, Assistant Steward (age 28)
Son of Alfred and Hettie Gish, of Dagenham, Essex |
George Duncan HARLEY
Cook (age 28) |
George Alfred Frank MAY
Fireman and Trimmer (age 28) |
Robert Duncan McGHEE, Steward (age 19)
Son of Francis and Williamina McGhee, of Edinburgh. |
Charles Harvey A. MUDIE, Chief Engineer (age 51)
Son of Charles Rankin and Frederica A. Mudie;
husband of Winifred L. M. Mudie, Manchester |
| DEMS Gunners |
Location of Memorial Unknown |
Name of DEMS
gunner unknown |
|
Soekaboemi
** (Dutch)
GRT: 7050 - Convoy Position: #114
1923: built. Rotterdam Lloyd Line
See also
ubootwaffe.net |
Crew
of 54 with 12 DEMS and 4 passengers.
Voyage: Glasgow to Bombay via Brazil, with 5,000 tons general cargo.
Torpedoed by U-356 (Lt. Ruppelt) at 0410 on December 27, 1942.
Sunk by U-441 (Lt. Cdr.
Hartmann) at 1930 hours, December 27.
Position: 47.25N 25.30W, in Atlantic.
Survivors: 51 rescued by RS Toward and 18 by HMCS Napanee. - Casualties: 1
crew member died. |
| Officers and Crew |
Memorial Site (Netherlands
War Graves Foundation) |
 Arend ENKLAAR, Carpenter (age 54) |
|
SS King Edward ** (London)
GRT: 5224 - Convoy Position: #81
See also
ubootwaffe.net |
Crew of 41 with 7 DEMS.
Voyage: Hull/New York, in ballast.
Torpedoed by U-356 (Lt.
Ruppelt) at 0415 on December 27.
Position: 47.25N 25.20W, in mid-Atlantic.
Survivors: RS Toward rescued 23 and HMCS Napanee rescued 2. - Casualties: 19 crew and 4 DEMS
gunners. |
| Officers and Crew |
Tower Hill Memorial, London, UK,
Panel 61 |
Arthur ALTASS
Fireman and Trimmer (age 59) |
Ernest CARTER, Fireman and Trimmer (age 23)
Son of Tom and Annie Carter |
John Conway CUTTER, Cook (age 41)
Son of John and Gertrude Cutter;
husband of Queenie Cutter, of Cadoxton, Barry, Glamorgan |
David DEAS, Boatswain (age 32)
Son of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Deas;
stepson of Helena Deas, of Holmpton, Yorkshire |
Louis DICK
Able Seaman (age 36) |
Harry William DREWERY, Cabin Boy (age 17)
Son of George Iveson Drewery and Ethel Ruth Drewery;
stepson of Frank Richardson, of Spring Bank, Hull.
(name corrected by his sister). |
Stanley Warneford EGGLETON, Greaser (age 27)
Son of Ernest Edward and Eliza Jane Eggleton;
husband of Annie Maud Eggleton, of Hull. |
Frederick FARMER, Fireman and Trimmer (age 49)
Husband of Elizabeth Ann Farmer, of Wilmington, Yorkshire. |
William FRUDE, Fireman and Trimmer (age 21)
Son of J. W. and Rosabell Frude, of Hull. |
William Henry HEATHER, Steward (age 56)
Son of William Henry and Sarah Heather;
husband of D. E. Heather, of Cardiff. |
David LANGTHORPE
Fireman and Trimmer (age 46) |
Gordon LYALL, Second Engineer (age 45)
Son of John and Caroline Lyall;
husband of Mary Anne Lyall, of Co. Cork, Irish Republic. |
Donald William MacLACHLAN
Third Radio Officer (age 23)
Son of Donald and Evelyn Florence MacLachlan, of Hull. |
George MOSS, Able Seaman (age 25)
Son of George Moss; husband of Mary Moss, of Hull |
Harold NEWBY, Fireman and Trimmer (age 28)
Son of William James and Sarah Newby, of Blackpool, Lancashire. |
William Lesley PATTERSON, Able Seaman (age 31)
Son of Joseph and Mary Ann Patterson. |
Robert William Hewson RHODES, Donkeyman (age 35)
Son of William and Margaret Rhodes, of Hull;
husband of Charlotte Rhodes, of Hull. |
Charles Marr ROW
Fireman and Trimmer (age 33) |
Percy Frederick THORLEY,
Fireman and Trimmer (age 51)
Husband of Bertha Thorley, of Hull. |
| DEMS Gunners |
| Chatham Naval Memorial, Kent, UK |
Plymouth Naval Memorial, Devon, UK |
Joseph STOCKS, Gunner (age 22)
who died on Sunday 27 December, 1942
3386910, 5/3 Maritime Regiment, Royal Artillery
Son of Joseph and Mary Louisa Stocks, of Burnley, Lancashire |
John WILSON, Petty Officer (age 28)
who died on Sunday 27 December 1942
D/JX 193616, HMS President III, Royal Navy |
Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Southsea,
Hampshire, UK |
John Morgan ABBEY, Able Seaman (age 20)
who died on Sunday 27 December 1942
P/JX 313388, HMS President III, Royal
Navy
Son of Thomas William and Miriam Abbey of Amblethorn, Yorkshire |
Francis McGOWAN, Gunner
who died on Sunday 27 December 1942
11427083, 3/2 Maritime Regiment, Royal Artillery
Son of John and Catherine McGowan, of Glossop, Derbyshire |
|
SS Scottish
Heather * (North Shields)
GRT: 7087 - Convoy Position: #51
1940: M.O.W.T. (Tankers Ltd.)
1941/12: Bought by United Molasses (owners of Athel Line) |
Voyage: to New York. Carried
750 tons of oil to refuel Escort Group.
(en route to Curacao to collect a cargo of high octane)
Torpedoed and presumed sunk by U-225
(Lt. Leimkühler) at 2040 hours, December 27, 1942 (46N
26W).
Ship was badly damaged, but the Second Mate with 10 volunteers reboarded.
Scottish Heather rescued her own crew, who had spent
almost 24 hours in the lifeboats.
Total crew (incl. Dems?) 54. No casualties. The ship arrived in Clyde on January 2, 1943. |
For more information on this ship, please see Merchant Navy Ships
For photographs, please see the Scottish
Heather Gallery |
|
Thanks to Don Kindell for
supplying the names of the DEMS gunners.
Return to Memorials
For photographs, please see Photo Galleries
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