Ships hit by U-boats


Koumoundouros

Greek Steam merchant



Photo Courtesy of Library of Contemporary History, Stuttgart

NameKoumoundouros
Type:Steam merchant
Tonnage3,598 tons
Completed1925 - Robert Thompson & Sons Ltd, Bridge Dockyard, Sunderland 
OwnerConstantine E. Embiricos, Athens 
HomeportAndros 
Date of attack8 Oct 1942Nationality:      Greek
 
FateSunk by U-68 (Karl-Friedrich Merten)
Position34° 10'S, 17° 07'E - Grid GR 5689
Complement31 (5 dead and 26 survivors).
Convoy
RouteRosario - Capetown (7 Oct) - Beira 
Cargo5539 tons of maize 
History Completed in January 1925 as British Daybreak for Claymore Shipping Co Ltd, Cardiff. 1934 sold to Greece and renamed Koumoundouros
Notes on event

At 02.31 hours on 8 Oct 1942 the unescorted Koumoundouros (Master N. Logothetis), armed with four machine guns, was hit on the starboard side aft in the boiler room by one torpedo from U-68 while steaming on a non-evasive course at 8 knots about 20 miles southwest of Cape Point, South Africa. The ship had been missed by two torpedoes at 01.22 and 02.17 hours. The phosphorescent trail of the second one had been spotted by a lookout, but no action was taken as they assumed that it was a dolphin. At 03.13 hours, the U-boat fired a coup de grĂ¢ce after the crew abandoned ship and hit the vessel again aft, causing her to sink by the stern in a few minutes. The third engineer and four crewmen on watch below were lost. The survivors were not questioned by the Germans as they rowed away from the sinking ship in the darkness. The boats set sail and were shortly thereafter sighted by aircraft and later that day picked up by HMAS Nizam (G 38) (Cdr M.J. Clark, DSO, RAN) and HMS Foxhound (H 69) (LtCdr G.H. Peters, RN) and landed at Capetown on 9 October.

 
On boardWe have details of 10 people who were on board


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