Ships hit by U-boats


HMS Audacity (D 10)

British Escort carrier



NameHMS Audacity (D 10)
Type:Escort carrier
Tonnage11,000 tons
Completed1939 - Bremer Vulkan, Vegesack 
OwnerThe Admiralty 
Homeport 
Date of attack21 Dec 1941Nationality:      British
 
FateSunk by U-751 (Gerhard Bigalk)
Position43° 45'N, 19° 54'W - Grid BE 8719
Complement298 officers and men (73 dead and 225 survivors).
ConvoyHG-76
Route 
Cargo 
History Completed in March 1939 as German motor merchant Hannover (5537 grt) for Norddeutscher Lloyd, Bremen. On 7 March 1940 the Hannover was captured in the Mona Passage off Dominica by HMCS Assiniboine (I 18) (Cdr E. Mainguy, RCN) and prevented from scuttling by a boarding party from HMS Dunedin (I 93) (Capt C.E. Lambe, RN). The ship was first renamed Sinbad by the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and then Empire Audacity, managed by Cunard White Star Line. From January 1941 to June 1941 converted by Blyth Shipbuilding to the first escort carrier of the Royal Navy equipped with six Martlet aircraft and renamed HMS Audacity (D 10) on 30 July 1941. 
Notes on event

At 21.37 hours on 21 December 1941 HMS Audacity (D 10) (Cdr D.W. Mackendrick, RN) was hit at the stern by one of four torpedoes fired by U-751 while escorting convoy HG-76 about 470 miles west of Cape Finisterre. The Germans reloaded two of the bow torpedo tubes as fast as possible in order to attack the stopped aircraft carrier again, firing a spread of two torpedoes at 22.55 hours and the U-boat withdrew after launching the stern torpedo too at 22.57 hours. The latter missed, but the others struck the stricken vessel and caused her to sink by the stern in less than 15 minutes. The survivors were picked up by HMS Convolvulus (K 45) (T/Lt R.S. Connell, RNR), HMS Marigold (K 87) (Lt W.S. Macdonald, RNVR) and HMS Pentstemon (K 61) (LtCdr J. Byron, RNR).

 
More infoMore on this vessel 
On boardWe have details of 77 people who were on board


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Media links


U-Boat Attack Logs

Daniel Morgan and Bruce Taylor


amazon.co.uk
(£ 38.25)

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