Ships hit by U-boats


Meropi

Greek Steam merchant



Photo courtesy of Rick Cox Collection

NameMeropi
Type:Steam merchant
Tonnage4,181 tons
Completed1911 - J. Readhead & Sons Ltd, South Shields 
OwnerAndreas Pappas, Cardiff 
HomeportSyra 
Date of attack15 Feb 1942Nationality:      Greek
 
FateSunk by U-566 (Dietrich Borchert)
Position44° 14'N, 62° 41'W - Grid BB 7544
Complement39 (24 dead and 15 survivors).
ConvoyON-60 (straggler)
RouteLondon (27 Dec) - Newcastle-on-Tyne - Loch Ewe - Oban - Halifax 
CargoBallast 
History Completed in June 1911 as Tregurno for The Hain Steamship Co Ltd (E. Hain & Son), St. Ives. 1930 sold to Greece and renamed Meropi for Constantine D. Calafatis, Piræus. 
Notes on event

At 04.34 hours on 15 February 1942 the Meropi (Master Gerasimos Kallinikos) was hit on the starboard side in #3 hold by one G7e torpedo from U-566 about 35 miles east-southeast of Sambro Lighthouse. The ship was straggling from station #93 in convoy ON-60 when approaching Halifax and was about five miles astern of convoy when torpedoed. The master left with the chief officer and the chief engineer in the first lifeboat about 10 minutes after the hit, followed by a second boat with ten crew members and five passengers. HMCS Sherbrooke (K 152) (LtCdr E.G.M. Donald, RN) and HMCS Barrie (K 138) (SkrLt G.N. Downey, RCNR) left convoy to investigate and the latter screened the other corvette while she picked up the 15 occupants of the second lifeboat. The U-boat had left the area when the corvettes approached. The radio operator and the two British DEMS gunners (the ship was armed with four machine guns) were still on the ship and HMCS Sherbrooke sent a crew in the lifeboat to take them off, but Meropi suddenly sank by the stern before they reached her at 07.32 hours. Another boat was lowered immediately and they searched the wreckage in vain for the missing men for 35 minutes. The corvettes then rejoined convoy and landed the survivors in Halifax later that day. The other lifeboat and its occupants were never found.

 
On boardWe have details of 30 people who were on board


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