Meerkerk
Dutch Steam merchant
The Meerkerk sinking after striking a mine in 1946.
| Name | Meerkerk | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 7,995 tons | ||
| Completed | 1916 - Bremer Vulkan, Vegesack | ||
| Owner | Vereenigde Nederlandsche Scheepvaart Mij NV, The Hague | ||
| Homeport | The Hague | ||
| Date of attack | 20 Mar 1941 | Nationality:  Dutch | |
| Fate | Damaged by U-106 (Jürgen Oesten) | ||
| Position | 20° 00'N, 26° 00'W - Grid DT 7643 | ||
| Complement | ? men (? dead and ? survivors). | ||
| Convoy | SL-68 | ||
| Route | Freetown - UK | ||
| Cargo | |||
| History | Built as Nienburg 1921 renamed Tamora 1921 renamed Meerkerk On 16 Jun 1946, the Meerkerk was waiting for a pilot near the Middle Steenbanken off Rotterdam, when she drifted into a minefield near West Kapelle and was hit in the stern. The passengers panicked and some jumped overboard, twelve of them lost their lives. It was attempted to recover the ship, but it was considered lost on 19 June. | ||
| Notes on event | At 23.23 hours on 20 March 1941, U-106 attacked the shadow of a merchant ship with a spread of two stern torpedoes in bad light from the port side of convoy SL-68 about 250 miles west-northwest of the Cape Verde Islands. Oesten heard hits after 2 minutes 37 seconds and 3 minutes 35 seconds. One torpedo damaged the HMS Malaya (01) and the other the Meerkerk. Apparently the Meerkerk was only slightly damaged by the torpedo and returned to Freetown under own power. The Meerkerk left Freetown in late April 1941 with the survivors of Almkerk on board, which had been sunk on 16 March by U-106 and arrived in Oban on 3 May. | ||
| On board | We have details of 8 people who were on board. | ||
If you can help us with any additional information on this vessel then please contact us.