Athelbeach
Photo courtesy of the Allen Collection
| Name | Athelbeach | ||
| Type: | Motor tanker | ||
| Tonnage | 6.568 tons | ||
| Completed | 1931 - Cammell Laird & Co Ltd, Birkenhead | ||
| Owner | United Molasses Co Ltd, London | ||
| Homeport | Liverpool | ||
| Date of attack | 7 Mar, 1941 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-99 (Otto Kretschmer) | ||
| Position | 60.30N, 13.30W - - See location on a map - | ||
| Complement | 44 (7 dead and 37 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | OB-293 | ||
| Route | Greenock - New York | ||
| Cargo | Ballast | ||
| History | Completed in March 1931 | ||
| Notes on loss | On 7 Mar, 1941, U-70 (Matz) attacked the convoy OB-293 southeast of Iceland, but was lost after a second attack at 07.25 hours. The survivors claimed that they had hit three ships in the first attack at 04.45 hours and another in the second. But in fact three ships were damaged: Athelbeach, Delilian and Mijdrecht. At 06.40 hours on 7 March, U-99 torpedoed the already damaged Athelbeach (Master Malcolm McIntyre) and the crew abandoned ship. At 07.15 hours, the U-boat began to shell the tanker and sank her with a coup de grāce 15 minutes later. The master and six crew members were lost. 37 crew members were picked up by HMS Camellia (K 31) (LtCdr A.E. Willmot, RNR) and landed at Greenock. | ||
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