Ships hit by U-boats


Conch

British Motor tanker



Photo Courtesy of Library of Contemporary History, Stuttgart

NameConch
Type:Motor tanker
Tonnage8,376 tons
Completed1931 - Harland & Wolff Ltd, Govan, Glasgow 
OwnerAnglo-Saxon Petroleum Co Ltd, London 
HomeportLondon 
Date of attack3 Dec 1940Nationality:      British
 
FateSunk by U-99 (Otto Kretschmer)
Position54° 21'N, 19° 30'W - Grid AL 6558
Complement53 (0 dead and 53 survivors).
ConvoyHX-90 (straggler)
RouteTrinidad - Bermuda - Clyde 
Cargo11.214 tons of Admiralty fuel oil 
History Completed in December 1931 
Notes on event

At 05.25 hours on 2 Dec 1940 the Conch (Master Charles George Graham) in convoy HX-90 was hit by one torpedo from U-47 (Prien) about 370 miles west of Bloody Foreland in 55°40N/19°00W and dropped behind convoy. Between 09.05 and 09.32 hours, U-95 (Schreiber) fired four torpedoes at the Conch and hit twice the foreship with only little effect and stopped the vessel with a hit in the engine room, but was then attacked by a destroyer and driven away. The abandoned tanker was finally sunk by one torpedo from U-99 at 10.58 hours on 3 December.

The master and 52 crew members were picked up by the HMCS St. Laurent (H 83) (Lt H.S. Rayner, RCN) and landed at Greenock.

 

Attack entries for Conch

DateU-boatCommanderLoss typeTonsNat.
2 Dec 1940U-47Kptlt. Günther PrienDamaged8,376  
2 Dec 1940U-95Kptlt. Gerd SchreiberDamaged8,376  
3 Dec 1940U-99Kptlt. Otto KretschmerSunk8,376  


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