Spar
Photo Courtesy of arendnet.com
| Name | Spar | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 3.616 tons | ||
| Completed | 1924 - C. van der Giessen & Zonenīs Scheepswerven NV, Krimpen | ||
| Owner | NV Hudig & Pieters Algemeene Scheepvaart Mij, Rotterdam | ||
| Homeport | Rotterdam | ||
| Date of attack | 5 Aug, 1942 | Nationality:  Dutch | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-593 (Gerd Kelbling) | ||
| Position | 53.05N, 43.38W - Grid AJ 9191 - See location on a map - | ||
| Complement | 39 (3 dead and 36 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | SC-94 | ||
| Route | Kingston, Jamaica (25 Jun) - Sydney - London | ||
| Cargo | 4900 tons of general cargo, including sugar, fruit pulp, timber, tobacco and cars | ||
| History | | ||
| Notes on loss | At 18.48 hours on 5 Aug, 1942, U-593 fired three torpeodes at three ships in a two column convoy and after 30 seconds observed a hit on the ship in station #12 and assumed a hit on the vessel in station #11, because they heard a second detonation after 46 seconds. The ships attacked came from the convoy SC-94, which had been separated into several smaller convoys due to fog on 3 August. These ships failed to hear the signals for a course change and regained contact later on 5 August. One torpedo struck the Spar in the engine room and killed three of the four men on watch below. The survivors abandoned ship in two lifeboats and were picked up by one of the escorting corvettes HMS Nasturtium (K 107) or HMCS Orillia (K 119). The ship capsized and sank in a short time. | ||
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