HMS TLC-18 (A 18)
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| Name | HMS TLC-18 (A 18) | ||
| Type: | Landing craft (TLC Mk.I) | ||
| Tonnage | 372 tons | ||
| Completed | 1940 - R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie & Co Ltd, Hebburn | ||
| Owner | The Admiralty | ||
| Homeport | |||
| Date of attack | 10 Oct, 1941 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Damaged by U-331 (Freiherr Hans-Diedrich von Tiesenhausen) | ||
| Position | 31.10N, 26.42E - Grid CO 9265 - See location on a map - | ||
| Complement | ? men (0 dead and ? survivors). | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | Mersa Matruh - Tobruk | ||
| Cargo | |||
| History | At 23.54 hours on 18 Oct, 1941, U-79 (Kaufmann) fired a spread of four torpedoes at the British tug C-307, towing the British landing craft HMS TLC-13 (A 13), HMS TLC-17 (A 17) and HMS TLC-18 (A 18) in 32°10N/24°18E (grid CO 5999). Kaufmann observed a heavy detonation on a landing craft, which was not seen again, but apparently the torpedoes missed. It is possible that U-559 (Heidtmann) had fired a spread of four torpedoes at the same towing convoy two hours earlier, at 21.44 hours in 32°40N/35°34E (grid CO 6787). Heidtmann observed a hit after 3 minutes 27 seconds on an escort vessel accompanying three barges, but this is not confirmed by Allied reports. | ||
| Notes on loss | At 04.02 and 04.17 hours on 10 Oct, 1941, U-331 fired one torpedo at the three landing craft HMS TLC-2 (A 2) (SubLt E.L. Clark, RNVR), HMS TLC-7 (A 7) (SubLt A.C. Bromley, RNVR) and HMS TLC-18 (A 18) (SubLt L.D. Peters, RNVR) near Ashila Rocks off Sidi Barrani. After the torpedoes missed, the U-boat began a gun duel and missed the vessels with another torpedo at 04.39 hours. HMS TLC-18 (A 18) was slightly damaged by gunfire, wounding the navigator SubLt G.S. Sinclair, RNR and forcing the vessel to return to Mersa Matruh. The U-boat broke off the attack after being hit by some 40mm shells, which wounded two men of the gun crew and damaged the conning tower. Bootsmann Hans Gerstenich died of wounds. | ||
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