Fort la Reine
We don't have a picture of this vessel at this time.
| Name | Fort la Reine | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant (North Sands) | ||
| Tonnage | 7.133 tons | ||
| Completed | 1942 - Burrard Dry Dock Co, North Vancouver | ||
| Owner | Joseph Constantine SS Line Ltd, Middlesbrough | ||
| Homeport | London | ||
| Date of attack | 17 Aug, 1942 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-658 (Hans Senkel) | ||
| Position | 18.30N, 75.20W - Grid DN 7892 - See location on a map - | ||
| Complement | 44 (3 dead and 41 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | PG-6 | ||
| Route | Vancouver - Cristobal (13 Aug) - Guantanamo Bay - Halifax - London | ||
| Cargo | 5200 tons of general cargo and 4100 tons of grain and lumber | ||
| History | Completed July 1942, with the Hull built by Vancouver Dry Dock Co, for US War Shipping Administration (WSA), lend-leased on bareboat charter to British Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). | ||
| Notes on loss | At 06.19 on 17 Aug, 1942, U-658 fired a spread of two torpedoes at the convoy PG-6 in the Windward Passage west of Haiti and hit the Fort la Reine with the first torpedo after 3 minutes 50 seconds and observed the ship sinking after eight minutes. The second torpedo hit the Laguna after 4 minutes 10 seconds and Senkel reported the sinking of this ship, but could not observe it. The master, 37 crew members and three gunners from the Fort la Reine (Master Percy William Pennock), which was on her maiden voyage, were rescued: 29 survivors by the HMS Pimpernel (K 71) (LtCdr F.H. Thornton) and landed at Guantanamo Bay and 12 survivors rescued by a US patrol boat landed at New Orleans. Two crew members and one gunner were lost. | ||
If you can help us with any additional information on this vessel then please contact us.