Kafiristan
Photo Courtesy of Library of Contemporary History, Stuttgart
| Name | Kafiristan | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 5,193 tons | ||
| Completed | 1924 - Short Bros Ltd, Pallion, Sunderland | ||
| Owner | Common Brothers Ltd, Newcastle-upon-Tyne | ||
| Homeport | Newcastle | ||
| Date of attack | 17 Sep 1939 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-53 (Ernst-Günter Heinicke) | ||
| Position | 50.16N, 16.55W - Grid BE 2384 - See location on a map - | ||
| Complement | 35 (6 dead and 29 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | Jucaro, Cuba - Liverpool | ||
| Cargo | 8870 tons of sugar | ||
| History | | ||
| Notes on loss | At 15.55 hours on 17 Sep, 1939, the unescorted Kafiristan (Master John Busby) was torpedoed by U-53 about 350 miles west of Cape Clear. The ship had been missed by a first torpedo at 15.42 hours and was sunk by a coup de grâce at 16.14 hours. Six crew members were lost. The master and 28 crew members were picked up by the American merchant American Farmer and landed at New York. | ||
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