Clearton
Photo Courtesy of Library of Contemporary History, Stuttgart
| Name | Clearton | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 5.219 tons | ||
| Completed | 1919 - Richardson, Duck & Co Ltd, Stockton-on-Tees | ||
| Owner | R. Chapman & Son, Newcastle-upon-Tyne | ||
| Homeport | Newcastle | ||
| Date of attack | 1 Jul, 1940 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-102 (Harro von Klot-Heydenfeldt) | ||
| Position | 47.53N, 09.30W - - See location on a map - | ||
| Complement | 34 (8 dead and 26 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | SL-36 | ||
| Route | Rosario - Freetown (15 Jun) - Manchester | ||
| Cargo | 7320 tons of cereals | ||
| History | | ||
| Notes on loss | At 11.55 hours on 1 Jul, 1940, the Clearton (Master John Edward Elsdon) in convoy SL-36 was torpedoed and damaged by U-102 about 180 miles west of Ushant. At 13.25 hours, the now straggling vessel was again torpedoed by the U-boat and sank 042° 240 miles from Smalls. Eight crew members were lost. The master, 24 crew members and one gunner were picked up by the HMS Vansittart (D 64) (LtCdr R.G. Knowling), which had sunk U-102 shortly after the last attack and brought the survivors to Plymouth. | ||
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