Oberon
Dutch Steam merchant
Photo Courtesy of arendnet.com
| Name | Oberon | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 1,996 tons | ||
| Completed | 1911 - Clyde Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Port Glasgow | ||
| Owner | Koninklijke Nederlandsche Stoomboot Mij NV, Amsterdam | ||
| Homeport | Amsterdam | ||
| Date of attack | 27 Jun 1941 | Nationality:  Dutch | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-123 (Reinhard Hardegen) | ||
| Position | 25° 43'N, 22° 47'W - Grid DT 2626 | ||
| Complement | 34 (6 dead and 28 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | SL-78 | ||
| Route | Duala - Freetown - Hull | ||
| Cargo | 2355 tons of palm kernels and 253 tons of general cargo | ||
| History | Built as Ussa 1912 renamed Oberon | ||
| Notes on event | At 23.57, 23.58 and 24.00 hours on 27 June 1941, U-123 fired one torpedoes each at three ships in convoy SL-78 from between the columns west-southwest of the Canary Islands. The first torpedo sank P.L.M. 22, the second the Oberon and the third missed the intended target, but was thought to have hit another ship in convoy. The Oberon (Master E.O.J. Jans) was struck by a torpedo in the engine room, killing four men on watch below and a purser. The survivors were picked up by a British corvette, but one man later died of wounds. | ||
| On board | We have details of 16 people who were on board. | ||
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