Ships hit by U-boats


Jacksonville

American Turbine tanker



NameJacksonville
Type:Turbine tanker (T-2 class)
Tonnage10,448 tons
Completed1944 - Kaiser Co Inc, Swan Island Shipyard, Portland OR 
OwnerDeconhill Shipping Co, San Franciso CA 
HomeportPortland 
Date of attack30 Aug 1944Nationality:      American
 
FateSunk by U-482 (Hartmut Graf von Matuschka, Freiherr von Toppolczan und Spaetgen)
Position55° 30'N, 7° 30'W - Grid AM 5397
Complement80 (78 dead and 2 survivors).
ConvoyCU-36
RouteNew York (19 Aug) - Loch Ewe 
Cargo141,000 barrels of 80 octane gasoline 
History Completed January 1944 
Notes on event

At 15.55 hours on 30 August 1944, U-482 fired two torpedoes at a group of five ships from convoy CU-36 about 50 miles north of Londonderry and hit the last ship of the single column, the Jacksonville (Master Edgar Winter) after 3 minutes 32 seconds. This group had split from the port side of convoy to proceed to Loch Ewe and was attacked just after completing the turn. The torpedo struck on the starboard side at the #7 tank, igniting the cargo. Flames covered the ship from stem to stern and leapt 300 feet in the air in a matter of seconds. The second torpedo struck the same tanker after 4 minutes 5 seconds and broke her in two. The complement of nine officers, 40 crewmen and 31 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in, one 3in and eight 20mm guns) had no chance to launch any of the lifeboats or rafts. A few men jumped overboard with life preservers, but the most died in the sea of flames around the ship. One armed guard and a fireman survived and were picked up by the USS Poole (DE 151) after they spent 90 minutes in the water.
Both sections of the tanker remained afloat. The after section was sunk by the escort vessels with depth charges and gunfire. The forward section sank 15 hours later.

 
On boardWe have details of 80 people who were on board


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