Nailsea Court
Photo Courtesy of Library of Contemporary History, Stuttgart
| Name | Nailsea Court | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 4.946 tons | ||
| Completed | 1936 - Bartram & Sons Ltd, South Dock, Sunderland | ||
| Owner | E.R. Management Co Ltd, Cardiff | ||
| Homeport | Cardiff | ||
| Date of attack | 10 Mar, 1943 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-229 (Robert Schetelig) | ||
| Position | 58.45N, 21.57W - Grid AL 2537 - See location on a map - | ||
| Complement | 49 (45 dead and 4 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | SC-121 | ||
| Route | Beira - New York (23 Feb) - London | ||
| Cargo | 7661 tons of general cargo, including 650 tons of copper bars, 800 tons of nickel ore and asbestos | ||
| History | | ||
| Notes on loss | At 01.04 hours on 10 Mar, 1943, U-229 fired a torpedo at the convoy SC-121 south of Reykjavik, followed by a spread of two torpedoes at 01.05 hours and reported two ships sunk and another damaged. In fact, the Nailsea Court was sunk and the Coulmore, which was damaged and managed to reach port safely. At 11.15 hours the same day, the U-boat attacked the convoy a second time in grid AL 2622, heard detonations after 2 minutes 45 seconds and 4 minutes 15 seconds and reported one ship damaged and another probably damaged. No ship was hit at this time, but the British steam merchant Scorton in station #52 saw one torpedo that missed. The master, 33 crew members, nine gunners and two passengers from the Nailsea Court (Master Robert James Lee) were lost. One crew member was picked up by the British rescue ship Melrose Abbey (Master Ralph Good OBE) and landed at Gourock on 13 March. Three crew members were rescued by HMCS Dauphin (K 157) (Lt M.H. Wallace) and landed at Londonderry on 13 March. | ||
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