Rydboholm
Swedish Motor merchant
Photo courtesy of Sjöhistoriska Museet, Stockholm
| Name | Rydboholm | ||
| Type: | Motor merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 3,197 tons | ||
| Completed | 1933 - A/B Götaverken, Gothenburg | ||
| Owner | A/B Svenska Amerika-Mexiko Linien, Gothenburg | ||
| Homeport | Gothenburg | ||
| Date of attack | 26 Feb 1941 | Nationality:  Swedish | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-47 (Günther Prien) | ||
| Position | 55° 32'N, 14° 24'W - Grid AM 4236 | ||
| Complement | 28 (0 dead and 28 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | OB-290 | ||
| Route | Garston - Liverpool (1 Feb) - Freetown | ||
| Cargo | Ballast | ||
| History | Completed in October 1933. On 5 Jan 1941, the Dutch steam merchant Soemba (6718 grt) was en route from Halifax to Tees with a cargo of steel, when she capsized after the cargo shifted and sank about 300 miles southeast of Cape Race. 34 of her crew were lost and 24 survivors were picked up by Rydboholm. | ||
| Notes on event | In the early morning on 26 Feb 1941, U-47 attacked convoy OB-290 and reported four ships of 22,000 grt sunk. In fact, the Kasongo, Rydboholm and Borgland were sunk and the Diala was damaged. At 02.10 hours, the Rydboholm (Master B. Ryberg) in station #14 was hit on the port side in the bow by one torpedo. She settled slowly by the head until her propeller was above the water while the 26 crew members and two passengers abandoned ship in the lifeboats. The survivors reboarded the vessel when she was still afloat in the morning, but abandoned her again because the wind increased and the weather worsened. Rydboholm eventually foundered in 55°48N/14°25W. The survivors were picked up by HMS Pimpernel (K 71) (Lt F.H. Thornton, RNR) and taken to Britain. | ||
| Revisions | "Lloyds War Losses" mentions that the damaged Rydboholm was bombed and sunk by German Fw200 aircraft later that day, but this is not confirmed by Swedish sources. | ||
| On board | We have details of 2 people who were on board. | ||
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