Allied Ships hit by U-boats


British Ardour


Photo Courtesy of Library of Contemporary History, Stuttgart

NameBritish Ardour
Type:Steam tanker
Tonnage7.124 tons
Completed1928 - Palmers Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Jarrow and Hebburn-on-Tyne 
OwnerBritish Tanker Co Ltd, London 
HomeportLondon 
Date of attack5 Apr, 1943Nationality:      British
 
FateSunk by U-706 (Alexander von Zitzewitz)
Position58.08N, 34.04W - Grid AK 2722
- See location on a map -
Complement62 (0 dead and 62 survivors).
ConvoyHX-231
RouteNew York (25 Mar) - Greenock 
Cargo10.000 tons of Admiralty fuel oil 
History  
Notes on loss At 16.45 hours on 5 Apr, 1943, U-706 fired a spread of two torpedoes at the convoy HX-231 west of Ireland and heard later loud sinking noises. The first torpedo damaged the British Ardour and the second missed the British steam merchant Tyndareus (11361 tons), which was the ship of the convoy commodore.

The British Ardour (Master Thomas Copeman) was later scuttled by the British destroyer HMS Vidette (D 48) (LtCdr R. Hart) and the British corvette HMS Snowflake (K 211) (LtCdr Chesterman). The master, 53 crew members and eight gunners were picked up by the corvette and landed at Londonderry on 9 April. 


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