Ships hit by U-boats


Kingsbury

British Steam merchant



Photo Courtesy of Library of Contemporary History, Stuttgart

NameKingsbury
Type:Steam merchant
Tonnage4,898 tons
Completed1937 - Burntisland Shipbuilding Co Ltd, Burntisland 
OwnerAlexander Capper & Co Ltd, London 
HomeportLondon 
Date of attack17 Mar 1943Nationality:      British
 
FateSunk by U-338 (Manfred Kinzel)
Position51° 55'N, 32° 41'W - Grid AK 8599
Complement48 (4 dead and 44 survivors).
ConvoySC-122
RoutePort Harcourt - New York (5 Mar) - London 
CargoWest African produce, including building timber, soya and 2000 tons of bauxite 
History Completed in November 1937 
Notes on event

At 03.05 hours on 17 March 1943, U-338 fired a spread of two torpedoes at convoy SC-122 southeast of Cape Farewell and Kinzel thought that he had hit one ship, but in fact the Kingsbury in station #51 and the King Gruffydd in station #52 were hit and sunk. At 03.06 hours, a second spread of two torpedoes was fired, one of them struck the Alderamin in station #61, which sank later in 51°30N/34°55W. At 03.07 hours, the stern torpedo was fired, which missed the intended target, the Alderamin, but damaged the Fort Cedar Lake in station #124.

Three crew members and one passenger from Kingsbury (Master William Laidler) were lost. The master , 36 crew members, six gunners and one passenger were picked up by the British rescue ship Zamalek (Master Owen Charles Morris, DSO) and landed at Gourock on 22 March.

 
On boardWe have details of 8 people who were on board


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