Silvermaple
British Motor merchant
Photo Courtesy of Library of Contemporary History, Stuttgart
| Name | Silvermaple | ||
| Type: | Motor merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 5,313 tons | ||
| Completed | 1927 - Sir James Laing & Sons Ltd, Sunderland | ||
| Owner | Silver Line Ltd (Stanley & John Thompson Ltd), London | ||
| Homeport | London | ||
| Date of attack | 26 Feb 1944 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-66 (Gerhard Seehausen) | ||
| Position | 4° 44'N, 3° 20'W - Grid EV 7154 | ||
| Complement | 64 (7 dead and 57 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | STL-12 | ||
| Route | Bathurst (11 Feb) - Freetown - Takoradi | ||
| Cargo | 5395 tons of general cargo and mail | ||
| History | Completed in November 1927 At 15.10 hours on 23 Apr 1943, U-306 (Trotha) fired a spread of four torpedoes at the convoy HX-234 southwest of Iceland and heard two detonations. The Silvermaple en route from Matadi to Liverpool via Halifax with general cargo and military stores was hit in 59°05N/35°40W, but managed to reach her destination on 29 April without casualties among her crew of 55 men and returned to service after being repaired in July 1943. | ||
| Notes on event | On 26 Feb 1944, U-66 attacked convoy STL-12 about 130 miles west of Takoradi and reported one ship sunk and another damaged. However, the only ship hit and sunk was the Silvermaple (Master William Candlish Brydson). The master, five crew members and one gunner were lost. 47 crew members, nine gunners and one passenger were picked up by HMS Kildwick (Z 06) (Lt P. Pannell) and landed at Takoradi on 27 February. | ||
| On board | We have details of 10 people who were on board. | ||
Attack entries for Silvermaple
| Date | U-boat | Commander | Loss type | Tons | Nat. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Apr 1943 | U-306 | Kptlt. Claus von Trotha | Damaged | 5,313 | |
| 26 Feb 1944 | U-66 | Oblt. Gerhard Seehausen | Sunk | 5,313 | |
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