Edward Blyden
Photo courtesy of the Allen Collection
| Name | Edward Blyden | ||
| Type: | Motor merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 5.003 tons | ||
| Completed | 1930 - Harland & Wolff Ltd, Govan, Glasgow | ||
| Owner | Elder Dempster Lines Ltd, Liverpool | ||
| Homeport | Liverpool | ||
| Date of attack | 22 Sep, 1941 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-103 (Werner Winter) | ||
| Position | 27.36N, 24.29W - Grid DG 9922 - See location on a map - | ||
| Complement | 63 (0 dead and 63 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | SL-87 | ||
| Route | Takoradi - Freetown (14 Sep) - Liverpool | ||
| Cargo | 5525 tons of general cargo | ||
| History | Completed in May 1930 | ||
| Notes on loss | At 23.46 hours on 22 Sep, 1941, U-103 fired four bow torpedoes at the convoy SL-87 southwest of the Canary Islands, turned around and fired two stern torpedoes at 23.47 hours. They observed a ship capsizing after a small explosion and two other ships going down by their sterns after two further explosions. The fourth torpedo was a shallow hit causing a large column of water and the fifth exploded with a blue-green flash. Winter thought that four ships were sunk and another damaged. However, the Edward Blyden and Niceto de Larrinaga were each hit by two torpedoes. The master, 46 crew members, four gunners and 12 passengers from the Edward Blyden (Master William Exley) were picked up by HMS Bideford (L 43) (LtCdr W.J. Moore, RNR) and landed at Londonderry on 5 October. | ||
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