Port Gisborne
British Motor merchant
Photo courtesy of Allan C. Green Collection
| Name | Port Gisborne | ||
| Type: | Motor merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 8,390 tons | ||
| Completed | 1927 - Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Wallsend, Sunderland | ||
| Owner | Port Line Ltd, London | ||
| Homeport | London | ||
| Date of attack | 11 Oct 1940 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-48 (Heinrich Bleichrodt) | ||
| Position | 56° 38'N, 16° 40'W - Grid AL 0378 | ||
| Complement | 64 (26 dead and 38 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | HX-77 | ||
| Route | Auckland - Halifax - Belfast - Cardiff | ||
| Cargo | Refrigerated and general cargo, including 2479 bales of wool and 20 bales of sheepskin | ||
| History | Completed in August 1927. In June 1930 the Port Gisborne carried a spare 8in gun turret for HMAS Australia (D 84) to Sydney, NSW. The turret of 90 tons had to be carried on deck resting on wooden beam to spread the load. | ||
| Notes on event | At 22.09 hours on 11 Oct 1940 the Port Gisborne (Master Thomas Kippins, DSC) in convoy HX-77 was hit near the bridge by one torpedo from U-48 about 113 miles west-southwest of Rockall. The crew abandoned ship in three lifeboats, but one of them capsized in gale force conditions and the occupants drowned. The abandoned wreck sank later in 57°02N/17°24W. 26 crew members were lost. The master, 36 crew members and one gunner were rescued: The survivors in one boat were picked up on 22 October by HMS Salvonia (W 43) (Lt G.M.M. Robinson, RNR) and the remaining survivors in another boat on 24 October by the British steam merchant Alpera and landed at Greenock. The master Thomas Kippins was awarded the OBE and the Lloyds War Medal for bravery at sea. | ||
| On board | We have details of 33 people who were on board. | ||
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