Stonepool
British Steam merchant
Photo courtesy of Paul Johnson Collection
| Name | Stonepool | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 4,803 tons | ||
| Completed | 1928 - Smith´s Dock Co Ltd, South Bank, Middlesbrough | ||
| Owner | Sir R. Ropner & Co Ltd, West Hartlepool | ||
| Homeport | West Hartlepool | ||
| Date of attack | 11 Sep 1941 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-207 (Fritz Meyer) | ||
| Position | 63° 05'N, 37° 50'W - Grid AD 63 | ||
| Complement | 49 (42 dead and 7 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | SC-42 | ||
| Route | Montreal - Sydney (30 Aug) - Avonmouth | ||
| Cargo | 7000 tons of grain, 528 tons of oats and 115 tons of trucks | ||
| History | Completed in July 1928 About 08.30 hours on 13 Oct 1939, the Stonepool, dispersed from convoy OB-17, was damaged by gunfire from U-42 (Dau) south of Bantry Bay in position 48°40N/15°30W. The ship was en route from Barry to St. Vincent loaded with 6600 tons of coal and general cargo. After ten minutes, the U-boat was forced to dive by the accurate returned fire, leaving the deck gun crew in the water. While the Germans surfaced again to pick up their men, the steamer sent distress signals which brought HMS Ilex (D 61) (LtCdr P.L. Saumarez, RN) and HMS Imogen (D 44) (Cdr E.B.K. Stevens, RN) to the scene. At 18.55 hours, the steamer spotted the U-boat on the surface, which was shortly thereafter sunk by the destroyers. | ||
| Notes on event | At 02.45 hours on 11 Sep 1941 the Stonepool at station #111 and five minutes later the Berury at station #112 in convoy SC-42 were torpedoed and sunk east of Cape Farewell. There are no attack reports for this time from the German side, so the attacker must have been U-207, which was sunk a few hours later by the escorts. The master, 33 crew members and eight gunners from Stonepool (Master Joseph Hewitson Nicholson) were lost. Six crew members and one gunner were picked up by HMCS Kenogami (K 125) (LtCdr R. Jackson, RCNVR) and landed at Loch Ewe. | ||
| On board | We have details of 42 people who were on board. | ||
Attack entries for Stonepool
| Date | U-boat | Commander | Loss type | Tons | Nat. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Oct 1939 | U-42 | Kptlt. Rolf Dau | Damaged | 4,803 | |
| 11 Sep 1941 | U-207 | Oblt. Fritz Meyer | Sunk | 4,803 | |
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