Stakesby
Stakesby under her later name Empire Derwent. Photo Courtesy of Library of Contemporary History, Stuttgart
| Name | Stakesby | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 3.900 tons | ||
| Completed | 1930 - William Pickersgill & Sons Ltd, Sunderland | ||
| Owner | Headlam & Sons, Whitby | ||
| Homeport | Whitby | ||
| Date of attack | 25 Aug, 1940 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Damaged by U-124 (Georg-Wilhelm Schulz) | ||
| Position | 58.52N, 06.34W - Grid AM 3645 - See location on a map - | ||
| Complement | 30 (0 dead and 30 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | HX-65A | ||
| Route | Newcastle, New Brunswick - Tyne | ||
| Cargo | Pit props | ||
| History | In 1946, the Empire Derwent was sold to Cereal Shipping & Trading Co, London and renamed Swan Point. On 31 Jul, 1949, she went ashore near Chittagong and was declared a total loss. | ||
| Notes on loss | Between 23.50 and 23.56 hours on 25 Aug, 1940, U-124 fired four torpedoes at four ships in the convoy HX-65A 23 miles north of the Butt of Lewis, Hebrides and reported four steamers sunk. However, the Harpalyce and Fircrest were sunk and the Stakesby was damaged. The Stakesby was towed to Stornaway, beached on fire and sunk in shallow water. In January 1942, she was raised, temporarily patched and left Stornaway in tow for Rothesay Bay on 9 Jun, 1942, where the ship arrived three days later. Temporary repairs were carried out in Clyde and permanent repairs at Sunderland. She was rebuilt by the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and reentered service in 1943 as Empire Derwent (4026 tons) by Neill & Pandelis, London. | ||
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