Ships hit by U-boats


Western Prince

British Motor passenger ship



NameWestern Prince
Type:Motor passenger ship
Tonnage10,926 tons
Completed1929 - Napier & Miller Ltd, Old Kilpatrick, Glasgow 
OwnerFurness, Withy & Co Ltd, Liverpool 
HomeportLondon 
Date of attack14 Dec 1940Nationality:      British
 
FateSunk by U-96 (Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock)
Position59° 32'N, 17° 47'W - Grid AL 3337
Complement169 (15 dead and 154 survivors).
Convoy
RouteNew York - Halifax (29 Nov) - Liverpool 
Cargo3384 tons of base metal, 1864 tons of foodstuffs and 511 tons of general cargo 
History Completed in October 1929 for Prince Line Ltd. 
Notes on event

At 08.55 hours on 14 Dec 1940 the unescorted Western Prince (Master John Reed) was hit in the forward part by one G7e torpedo from U-96 about 400 miles 280° from Cape Wrath. The U-boat had encountered a small freighter during the night and missed it twice with a G7e torpedo before the bigger ship was spotted and also missed with a first G7e torpedo at 07.20 hours. While the ship settled by the bow and stopped, the U-boat dived to reload the torpedo tubes and then waited until the crew abandoned ship in lifeboats. At 10.21 hours, a coup de grâce hit again the forward part of the vessel and caused her to sink within one minute. The master, eight crew members and six passengers were lost. 98 crew members and 55 passengers were picked up by the Baron Kinnaird and one crew member by HMS Active (H 14) (Cdr E.C.L. Turner, RN) and landed at Gourock.

 
On boardWe have details of 30 people who were on board


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