Ships hit by U-boats


Granville

Panamanian Steam merchant



Granville under her former name Tabarka. Photo courtesy of State Library of New South Wales

NameGranville
Type:Steam merchant
Tonnage4,071 tons
Completed1913 - W. Gray & Co, West Hartlepool 
OwnerWessel, Duval & Co, New York 
HomeportPanama 
Date of attack17 Mar 1943Nationality:      Panamanian
 
FateSunk by U-338 (Manfred Kinzel)
Position52° 50'N, 30° 35'W - Grid BD 2131
Complement47 (13 dead and 34 survivors).
ConvoySC-122
RouteBoston - New York - Iceland 
Cargo3700 tons British and American military stores, 500 bags US mail and an invasion barge as deck cargo 
History Completed in February 1913 as Tabarka for La Tunisienne SS Co Ltd (F.C. Strick & Co), Swansea. 1932 sold to Finland and renamed Wipunen for Antti Wihuri, Helsingfors. On 27 Dec 1941, the ship was seized by the US government at Norfolk, renamed Granville and registered in Panama by the US War Shipping Administration (WSA). 
Notes on event

At 14.52 hours on 17 March 1943, U-338 fired torpedoes at convoy SC-122, observed one hit and heard three detonations which were probably depth charges.

The Granville (Master Friedrich Matzen) was struck by one torpedo on the port side at the #2 hatch, starting a fire in the hold. The engine room flooded as the watertight door between the coal bunkers and fireroom was open, because coal was being transferred from the bunkers to the fireroom. Ten crew members working in the engine room were killed. The vessel broke in two amidships and sank within 15 minutes, taking two armed guards with her. The surviving men of her complement of 35 crew members, eleven armed guards and one passenger (an US Army LtCol) abandoned ship in lifeboats and rafts. The survivors, including the master, were picked up about an hour later by HMS Lavender (K 60) (Lt L.G. Pilcher, RNR) and landed at Liverpool on 23 March. The second mate was rescued but died of wounds on the corvette and was buried at sea.

 
On boardWe have details of 14 people who were on board


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