Ships hit by U-boats


Coracero

British Steam merchant



Photo courtesy of Rick Cox Collection

NameCoracero
Type:Steam merchant
Tonnage7,252 tons
Completed1923 - Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow 
OwnerDonaldson Brothers Ltd, Glasgow 
HomeportGlasgow 
Date of attack17 Mar 1943Nationality:      British
 
FateSunk by U-384 (Hans-Achim von Rosenberg-Gruszczynski)
Position51° 04'N, 33° 20'W - Grid AK 8867
Complement58 (5 dead and 53 survivors).
ConvoyHX-229
RouteBuenos Aires - New York (8 Mar) - Liverpool 
Cargo5758 tons of refrigerated meat and mail 
History Completed in May 1923 
Notes on event

At 14.05 hours on 17 March 1943, U-384 fired three torpedoes at convoy HX-229 northeast of St. John’s, heard three detonations and claimed two ships sunk and another as damaged. At the same time U-631 (Krüger) reported the sinking of a tanker with one torpedo. It is unlikely that the Coracero in station #92 and the Terkoelei were hit by the same U-boat, apparently U-384 sank the first ship and U-631 the latter.

Five crew members from the Coracero (Master Robert Clarke Young) were lost. The master, 44 crew members, seven gunners and one passenger (DBS) were picked up by HMS Mansfield (G 76) (LtCdr L.C. Hill, OBE, RNR) and landed at Gourock.

 
On boardWe have details of 8 people who were on board


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