President Francqui
Belgian Motor tanker
| Name | President Francqui | ||
| Type: | Motor tanker | ||
| Tonnage | 4,919 tons | ||
| Completed | 1928 - New Waterway Shipbuilding Co, Schiedam | ||
| Owner | Compagnie Financière Belge des Petroles (Petrofina) SA, Antwerp | ||
| Homeport | Gent | ||
| Date of attack | 29 Dec 1942 | Nationality:  Belgian | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-336 (Hans Hunger) | ||
| Position | 43° 23'N, 27° 14'W - Grid CE 3142 | ||
| Complement | 57 (5 dead and 52 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | ONS-154 (straggler) | ||
| Route | Belfast - New York | ||
| Cargo | Ballast | ||
| History | | ||
| Notes on event | Between 23.53 and 23.56 hours on 28 Dec 1942, U-225 (Leimkühler) fired four single torpedoes at convoy ONS-154 north of the Azores in 43°23N/27°14W (grid BD 9869). One torpedo damaged the President Francqui and two struck the ship of convoy commodore the Empire Shackleton. The fourth torpedo detonated after 2 minutes 15 seconds and Leimkühler thought that he had hit another ship, but this can not be confirmed by Allied sources. Between 07.24 and 07.28 hours on 29 December, U-336 fired three torpedoes at the now straggling President Francqui (Master G. Bayot) that were duds, but she was stopped by one torpedo from U-225 at 08.13 hours in grid CE 2332. After two further duds at 09.16 and 10.10 hours, the tanker was sunk by a coup de grâce from U-336 at 10.25 hours. | ||
| On board | We have details of 49 people who were on board. | ||
Attack entries for President Francqui
| Date | U-boat | Commander | Loss type | Tons | Nat. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Dec 1942 | U-225 | Oblt. Wolfgang Leimkühler | Damaged | 4,919 | |
| 29 Dec 1942 | U-336 | Kptlt. Hans Hunger | Sunk | 4,919 | |
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