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Allied Ships hit by U-boats


Kellwyn

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NameKellwyn
Type:Steam merchant
Tonnage1.459 tons
Completed1920 - John Lewis & Sons Ltd, Aberdeen 
OwnerDillwyn SS Co Ltd (Stockwood, Rees & Co Ltd), Swansea 
HomeportSwansea 
Date of attack27 Jul, 1941Nationality:      British
 
FateSunk by U-79 (Wolfgang Kaufmann)
Position43N, 17W - Grid BE 8345
- See location on a map -
Complement23 (14 dead and 9 survivors).
ConvoyOG-69 
RouteTyne - Oban - Lisbon 
Cargo1100 tons of coke 
History Completed in December 1920 as Marie Llewellyn for Llewellyn Shipping Co (W.B. Thomas & Co), Cardiff. In December 1925 sold to Federated Coal & Shipping Co, Cardiff and in July 1928 to Cardigan SS Co Ltd (Jenkins Bros), Cardiff. 1937 renamed Kellwyn for Dillwyn SS Co Ltd, Swansea. 
Notes on loss Between 00.21 and 00.24 hours on 27 Jul, 1941, U-79 fired a spread of four torpedoes and the stern torpedo at the convoy OG-69 about 350 miles west-northwest of Cape Finisterre and had to dive because a destroyer was closing in, so Kaufmann only saw a column of fire and heard several detonations. He reported three ships sunk and two others probably damaged. In fact, only the Kellwyn (Master Alexander McLean) was hit and sunk, the later explosions must have been depth charges from the escorts. The master, ten crew members and three gunners were lost. Nine crew members were picked up by the British armed trawler HMS St. Nectan (LtCdr H.B. Phillips, RNR) and landed at Gibraltar on 1 August. 


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