Ships hit by U-boats


British Renown

British Motor tanker



Photo Courtesy of Library of Contemporary History, Stuttgart

NameBritish Renown
Type:Motor tanker
Tonnage6,997 tons
Completed1928 - Sir James Laing & Sons Ltd, Sunderland 
OwnerBritish Tanker Co Ltd, London 
HomeportLondon 
Date of attack21 Nov 1942Nationality:      British
 
FateDamaged by U-518 (Friedrich-Wilhelm Wissmann)
Position43° 53'N, 55° 02'W - Grid BB 9515
Complement50 (0 dead and 50 survivors).
ConvoyON-145
RouteLiverpool - New York - CuraƧao 
CargoBallast 
History Completed in April 1928

Post-war:
Broken up at Port Glasgow in July 1954.

 
Notes on event

At 04.16 hours on 21 Nov 1942, U-518 fired a spread of two stern torpedoes at two overlapping steamers in convoy ON-145, at 04.24 hours one single bow torpedo at a special ship and one minute later a spread of two bow torpedoes at one of the biggest ships about 200 miles southeast of Sydney, Nova Scotia. Wissmann could not observe the results as he was forced to crash dive after the attack, but heard three detonations and claimed the sinking of two ships. In fact, the British Promise in station #61, the British Renown in station #71 and the Empire Sailor in station #82 had been hit by one torpedo each.

The British Renown managed to reach Halifax and returned to service in June 1943 after being repaired at St. John, New Brunswick.

 


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