Waziristan
British Steam merchant
Photo courtesy of Paul Johnson Collection
| Name | Waziristan | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 5,135 tons | ||
| Completed | 1924 - Short Bros Ltd, Pallion, Sunderland | ||
| Owner | Common Brothers Ltd, Newcastle-upon-Tyne | ||
| Homeport | Newcastle | ||
| Date of attack | 2 Jan 1942 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-134 (Rudolf Schendel) | ||
| Position | 74° 09'N, 19° 10'E - Grid AB 6362 | ||
| Complement | 47 (47 dead - no survivors) | ||
| Convoy | PQ-7A (straggler) | ||
| Route | New York (23 Nov) - Sydney - Reykjavik (26 Dec) - Murmansk | ||
| Cargo | 3700 tons of military supplies, including 1000 tons of copper and 410 Ford trucks | ||
| History | Completed in January 1924 | ||
| Notes on event | At 06.48 hours on 2 Jan 1942, U-134 hit an unescorted freighter with one G7e torpedo about 20 miles south of Bear Island and observed how the crew abandoned ship before it broke in two and sank at 07.20 hours. The vessel had been missed with two G7e torpedoes at 06.22 and 06.39 hours. The ship must have been Waziristan (Master Reynold Tate) from convoy PQ-7A which was reported missing after being last seen by Cold Harbor in bad weather during the afternoon of 1 January. The master, 36 crew members and ten gunners were lost. It was considered that the ship was lost in the thick ice or had been attacked by German aircraft. The Waziristan was the first British ship to load military supplies in the USA for Russia and made the North Atlantic passage in convoy SC-60. | ||
| On board | We have details of 47 people who were on board. | ||
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