Silesia
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| Name | Silesia | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 1.839 tons | ||
| Completed | 1923 - John Crown & Sons, Sunderland | ||
| Owner | Rederi-A/B Sylvia (Albert Billner), Gothenburg | ||
| Homeport | Gothenburg | ||
| Date of attack | 25 Sep, 1939 | Nationality:  Swedish | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-36 (Wilhelm Fröhlich) | ||
| Position | Grid AN 3181 - See estimated map location (58.27N04.08E) * | ||
| Complement | 19 (0 dead and 19 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | Gothenburg - Hull | ||
| Cargo | Wood and general cargo, including steel and iron pipes | ||
| History | Completed in April 1923 as British Sprightly for Hill Steam Shipping Co Ltd (Witherington & Everett), Newcastle-upon-Tyne. 1934 sold to Denmark and renamed Nell for A/S Rederi Albion (Axel Carl), Copenhagen. 1936 sold to Sweden and renamed Silesia for Rederi-A/B Sylvia (Albert Billner), Gothenburg. | ||
| Notes on loss | At 05.55 hours on 25 Sep, 1939, the Silesia was hit by one torpedo from U-36 and sank 45 miles west-northwest of Egerö Lighthouse, Norway. The ship had been stopped by the U-boat and Fröhlich came to the conclusion that she carried contraband after checking the papers of the ship. The crew was ordered to abandoned ship in two lifeboats, which were then taken in tow by the U-boat and released about 12 miles from the coast. The men in the boats were picked up after three hours by the Suecia and brought to the Egerö Lighthouse. One of the empty lifeboats could still be found on 21 December. | ||
* 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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