Polzella
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| Name | Polzella | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 4.751 tons | ||
| Completed | 1929 - W. Gray & Co Ltd, West Hartlepool | ||
| Owner | J.J. Thomas & Co Ltd (Bute Docks), Cardiff | ||
| Homeport | Penzance | ||
| Date of attack | 17 Jan, 1940 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-25 (Viktor Schütze) | ||
| Position | Grid AF 7879 - See estimated map location (60.58N00.53W) * | ||
| Complement | 36 (36 dead - no survivors) | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | Narvik - Middlesbrough | ||
| Cargo | Iron ore | ||
| History | | ||
| Notes on loss | At 11.56 hours on 17 Jan, 1940, U-25 spotted two steamers 6-7 miles north of Muckle Flugga, Shetland Isles and fired one torpedo at 12.35 hours that missed the first ship, the Enid. 20 minutes later, another torpedo was fired at the second ship, the Polzella (Master James Harburn Thompson), which was hit near the bridge and sank in 12 seconds with the loss of all men. The Norwegian ship went to her assistance and the order was given to lower the boats, but the U-boat surfaced and fired a shot across the bow to stop her. When the ship turned away they opened fire and after three shots the crew abandoned ship. Then the U-boat fired 21 rounds from the deck gun and hit seven times. At 14.10 hours a coup de grâce was fired that broke off the forepart and caused the ship to sink. One part of the Norwegian crew reached land in their lifeboats, while the rest were rescued by a Danish merchant of A. P. Møller & Co and taken to Las Palmas. | ||
* Estimated position shown here is based on positions of losses in a roughly the same German grid code. It may be a bit off but should give a good idea as to where the attack took place.
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