Rose Schiaffino
British Steam merchant
Photo courtesy of Jean-François Durand
| Name | Rose Schiaffino | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 3,349 tons | ||
| Completed | 1920 - Blyth Shipbuilding & Dry Docks Co Ltd, Blyth | ||
| Owner | Mark Whitwell & Son Ltd, Bristol | ||
| Homeport | Cardiff | ||
| Date of attack | 31 Oct 1941 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-374 (Unno von Fischel) | ||
| Position | 47° 57'N, 50° 35'W - Grid BC 4163 | ||
| Complement | 41 (41 dead - no survivors) | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | Wabana, Conception Bay (26 Oct) - St. John’s (31 Oct) - Cardiff | ||
| Cargo | 4200 tons of iron ore | ||
| History | Laid down as War Minaret for The Shipping Controller, completed in March 1920 as Notton for W.J. Tatem Ltd, Cardiff. 1923 sold to France and renamed Rose Schiaffino for Société Algerienne de Navigation Charles Schiaffino & Cie, Algiers. On 29 January 1941 seized by HMS Scottish (FY 245) (Cdr S.A. Brooks, OBE, RN) off Gibraltar and transferred to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). | ||
| Notes on event | At 09.03 hours on 31 October 1941 the unescorted Rose Schiaffino (Master Thomas Percival Evans) was hit on port side by one of two G7e torpedoes fired by U-374 and sank by the stern within 30 seconds about 90 miles east-northeast of St. John’s, Newfoundland. The master, 36 crew members and four gunners were lost. Rose Schiaffino had originally joined convoy SC-51 after leaving Wabana and returned to St. John’s when she became a straggler on 27 October. The ship then sailed again independently, presumably to join another convoy at sea, but was sunk shortly after leaving port. | ||
| On board | We have details of 41 people who were on board. | ||
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