Ships hit by U-boats


Waziristan

British Steam merchant



Photo courtesy of Paul Johnson Collection

NameWaziristan
Type:Steam merchant
Tonnage5,135 tons
Completed1924 - Short Bros Ltd, Pallion, Sunderland 
OwnerCommon Brothers Ltd, Newcastle-upon-Tyne 
HomeportNewcastle 
Date of attack2 Jan 1942Nationality:      British
 
FateSunk by U-134 (Rudolf Schendel)
Position74° 09'N, 19° 10'E - Grid AB 6362
Complement47 (47 dead - no survivors)
ConvoyPQ-7A (straggler)
RouteNew York (23 Nov) - Sydney - Reykjavik (26 Dec) - Murmansk 
Cargo3700 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 boardWe have details of 47 people who were on board


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