Ships hit by U-boats


HMCS St. Croix (I 81)

Canadian Destroyer



NameHMCS St. Croix (I 81)
Type:Destroyer (Town)
Tonnage1,190 tons
Completed1919 - Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp, Quincy MA 
OwnerRoyal Canadian Navy 
Homeport 
Date of attack20 Sep 1943Nationality:      Canadian
 
FateSunk by U-305 (Rudolf Bahr)
Position57° 30'N, 31° 10'W - Grid AK 0218
Complement149 officers and men (68 dead and 81 survivors).
ConvoyON-202
Route 
Cargo 
History Completed in April 1919 as USS McCook (DD 252) for the US Navy and decommissioned on 30 June 1922. On 18 December 1939 recommissioned and transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy as HMCS St. Croix (I 81) on 24 September 1940. The destroyer sank U-90 (Oldörp) on 24 July 1942 and participated in the sinking of U-87 (Berger) on 4 March 1943. 
Notes on event

At 21.51 hours on 20 September 1943 HMCS St. Croix (I 81) (LtCdr A.H. Dobson, DSC, RCNR) was hit in the stern by a Gnat from U-305 while escorting convoy ON-202 southwest of Iceland. She sank within six minutes after being hit by a T-3 coup de grâce from the same U-boat at 22.44 hours. The next morning, five officers and 76 men were picked up from two rafts and a half sunken whaler by HMS Itchen (K 227) (LtCdr C.E. Bridgman, DSO, RNR) which also had been attacked with a Gnat by U-305 at 22.53 hours, but was missed. Only one of the rescued men survived the sinking of the frigate by U-666 (Engel) on 23 September.

HMCS St. Croix (I 81) was one of the first victims of the newly developed acoustic torpedo Gnat.

 
More infoMore on this vessel 
On boardWe have details of 149 people who were on board


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Media links


U-Boat Attack Logs

Daniel Morgan and Bruce Taylor


amazon.co.uk
(£ 38.25)

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