Elmbank
Photo Courtesy of Library of Contemporary History, Stuttgart
| Name | Elmbank | ||
| Type: | Motor merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 5,156 tons | ||
| Completed | 1925 - Harland & Wolff Ltd, Govan, Glasgow | ||
| Owner | Andrew Weir & Co, London | ||
| Homeport | Glasgow | ||
| Date of attack | 21 Sep 1940 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-99 (Otto Kretschmer) | ||
| Position | 55.20N, 22.30W - Grid AL 5462 - See location on a map - | ||
| Complement | 56 (2 dead and 54 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | HX-72 | ||
| Route | Cowichan, British Columbia - Panama - Halifax - Belfast | ||
| Cargo | General cargo, including timber and metals | ||
| History | Completed in April 1925 | ||
| Notes on loss | At 04.47 hours on 21 Sep, 1940, the Elmbank (Master Harold Tyler Phillips) in convoy HX-72 was hit by one torpedo from U-99 and fell behind the convoy. About 06.00 hours, the U-boat began shelling the ship, firing 88 rounds, many of them hitting the vessel. After 15.00 hours, U-47 (Prien) helped to shell the abandoned Elmbank, setting her on fire. Eventually, U-99 administered a coup de grāce and the ship sank south of Iceland. Two crew members were lost. The master and 53 crew members were picked up by the British steam merchant Pikepool and landed at St. Johns, Newfoundland. | ||
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