Duchess of Atholl
Photo courtesy of the Allen Collection
| Name | Duchess of Atholl | ||
| Type: | Steam passenger ship | ||
| Tonnage | 20,119 tons (one of the largest ships sunk). | ||
| Completed | 1928 - W. Beardmore & Co Ltd, Dalmuir | ||
| Owner | Canadian Pacific Steamships Ltd, Montreal | ||
| Homeport | London | ||
| Date of attack | 10 Oct 1942 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-178 (Hans Ibbeken) | ||
| Position | 07.03S, 11.12W - Grid FM 3734 - See location on a map - | ||
| Complement | 832 (5 dead and 827 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | Durban - Capetown (3 Oct) - UK | ||
| Cargo | 534 passengers, including women and children | ||
| History | Completed in June 1928 | ||
| Notes on loss | At 08.19 hours on 10 Oct, 1942, the unescorted Duchess of Atholl (Master Arthur Henry Allinson Moore) was hit by one of two torpedoes fired by U-178 about 200 miles east-northeast of Ascension. At 08.37 hours, a second spread of two torpedoes were fired of which one hit. Another torpedo fired at 09.18 hours missed, but a coup de grāce fired three minutes later struck. The vessel sank slowly until finally disappearing at 11.25 hours. Five crew members were lost. The master, 267 crew members, 25 gunners and all 534 passengers were picked up by the British ocean boarding vessel HMS Corinthian (F 103) (Cdr E.J.R Pollitt) and landed at Freetown on 14 October. On 15 October, the survivors left Freetown for Glasgow on the British steam passenger ship Carnavon Castle. | ||
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