Ships hit by U-boats


Rose Castle

Canadian Steam merchant



NameRose Castle
Type:Steam merchant
Tonnage7,803 tons
Completed1915 - Short Bros Ltd, Pallion, Sunderland 
OwnerRose Castle SS Co Ltd (Mng Donaldson Brothers Ltd), Sydney 
HomeportHalifax 
Date of attack2 Nov 1942Nationality:      Canadian
 
FateSunk by U-518 (Friedrich-Wilhelm Wissmann)
Position47° 36'N, 52° 58'W - Grid BB 6371
Complement43 (23 dead and 20 survivors).
Convoy
RouteWabana - Sydney - UK 
Cargo10.200 tons of iron ore 
History At 08.54 hours on 20 Oct 1942, the unescorted Rose Castle was hit by a dud torpedo from U-69 (Gräf) in grid BB 6498 without being damaged. The xB-Dienst intercepted the distress message from the ship, which stopped for 20 minutes but then continued. The U-boat had fired its last torpedo and was not able to attack with the deck gun due to bad weather. 
Notes on event

At 07.03 and 07.06 hours on 2 Nov 1942, U-518 fired two bow torpedoes and one stern torpedo at ore ships at anchor off Bell Island, Conception Bay, waiting to sail with convoy WB-9. The U-boat reported the sinking of three ore carriers, but two torpedoes sank the Rose Castle and one the P.L.M. 27.

22 crew members and one gunner from the Rose Castle (Master Walter J. MacDonald) were lost. The master, 17 crew members and two gunners were rescued by Canadian Fairmile motor launches.

 
On boardWe have details of 26 people who were on board


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