Aguila
British Steam passenger ship
Photo courtesy of State Library of New South Wales
| Name | Aguila | ||
| Type: | Steam passenger ship | ||
| Tonnage | 3,255 tons | ||
| Completed | 1917 - Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Dundee | ||
| Owner | Yeoward Line Ltd, Liverpool | ||
| Homeport | Liverpool | ||
| Date of attack | 19 Aug 1941 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-201 (Adalbert Schnee) | ||
| Position | 49.23N, 17.56W - Grid BE 2567 | ||
| Complement | 168 (152 dead and 16 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | OG-71 | ||
| Route | Liverpool (13 Aug) - Gibraltar - Lisbon | ||
| Cargo | 1288 tons general cargo, including 397 bags of mail | ||
| History | Completed in November 1917 At 14.00 hours on 19 Aug, 1940, the Aguila was attacked by the Italian submarine Barbarigo (Ghilieri) with her 4in gun in 31°15N/13°02W. The submarine reported five hits on the Aguila, which was identified by the xB-Dienst through sending SOS messages. In fact, the vessel was not hit. | ||
| Notes on loss | At 04.06 hours on 19 Aug, 1941, U-201 fired a salvo of four torpedoes at the convoy OG-71 west-southwest of Fastnet Rock and observed two detonations on a tanker and two further detonations on two ships beyond her. Schnee claimed three ships sunk with 20,000 grt, but in fact the Ciscar and Aguila were sunk. The Aguila (Master Arthur Firth) was the ship of the convoy commodore (Vice-Admiral Patrick E. Parker, DSO, RN) and sank within 90 seconds. The commodore, four naval staff members, 58 crew members and 89 passengers were lost. The master, six crew members, one naval staff member and two passengers were picked up by HMS Wallflower (K 44) (LtCdr I.J. Tyson, RN) and landed at Gibraltar. Six crew members were rescued by the Empire Oak, but were lost when this ship was sunk by U-564 (Suhren) on 22 August. Among the passengers on board the Aguila were 22 women from the WRNS (Womens Royal Navy Service) who had volunteered for cypher and wireless duties in Gibraltar. None of the Wrens survived the sinking. As a tribute to their memory, a lifeboat named Aguila Wren was built and launched on 28 Jun, 1952 for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. | ||
| Crewlists | We have listing of 145 people who were on this vessel | ||
Location of attack on Aguila.
ship sunk.
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