Arlington Court (2)

From SN Guides

Image 1:

Introduction

Court Line used the name Arlington Court for three ships to date:

1. Arlington Court (1) - a cargo ship launched in 1905
2. Arlington Court (2) - a cargo ship launched in 1924 - the topic of this article
3. Arlington Court (3) - a cargo ship launched in 1962

The second Arlington Court was in service for 15 years. She was torpedoed and sunk in 1939

Basic Data

• Type: Cargo ship
• Registered owners,managers and operators: United British Steamship Co. Ltd. - Managers Haldin and Philips Ltd. London
• Builders: Workman, Clark & Co. Ltd.
• Yard: Belfast
• Country: UK
• Yard number: 469
• Registry: N/K
• Official number: 147644
• Signal letters: N/K
• Call sign: N/K
• Classification society: N/K
• Gross tonnage: 4,915
• Net tonnage: 2,985
• Deadweight: N/K
• Length: 396.6 ft
• Breadth: 53.1 ft
• Depth: 26.5 Ft
• Draught: N/K
• Engines: 3 cylinder triple-expansion steam engine
• Engine builders: William Doxford & Sons Ltd.
• Works: Sunderland
• Country: UK
• Power: N/K
• Propulsion: N/K
• Speed: N/K
• Boilers: N/K
• Cargo capacity:N/K
• Crew: N/K

• Employment: General purpose cargo vessel

Career Highlights

• 5 Apr 1924: Launched
• May 1924: Completed
• 1936: Owners restyled as Court Line Ltd. - same managers
• 16 Nov 1939: Torpedoed and sunk

Service Pre-WW2

No information is currently known about her service before WW2.

War Service WW2

Arlington Court (2) took part in just one convoy in WW2 and was sunk while taking part in it.

Convoy SL7 Departed Freetown on 31 October 1939 and arrived in Liverpool on 16 November 1939. According to External resource #1, the convoy consisted of 39 merchant ships and 2 escorts. She was carrying 7,340 tons of maize, straggled and was sunk by U 43.

According to External resource #2:

Arlington Court under Captain Hurst took two torpedoes from U43 in the homeward convoy SL7 from Freetown. The radio room and bridge were wrecked with three dead in the explosion and Captain Hurst reluctantly gave the order to abandon ship as he had already survived three WW1 torpedoings. The crew took to the lifeboats and 22 from one boat were rescued although the Chief Engineer died from exposure, and six survived in the second boat alfter wallowing for six bitterly cold days and nightes with a 18-year old apprentice in charge to give encouragement and set course.

According to External resource #3:

U-43 was very successful and sank 21 Allied ships and damaged two more. Arlington Court (2) was her first victim and this was in fact U-43's first patrol. She left Wilhelmshaven under the command of Wilhelm Ambrosius on 6th Nov 1939 and arrived at return on 14th Dec 1939 after five and a half weeks.

According to External resource #4:

U-43 sank 21 ships totalling 117,036 grt, damaged a further ship of 10,350 grt and caused the total loss of another of 9,131 grt. U-43 was herself sunk on 30 July, 1943 south-west of the Azores, in position 34.57N, 35.11W, by a Fido homing torpedo from an Avenger aircraft of the US escort carrier HMS Santee with 55 dead (all hands lost).

At 14.07 hours on 16 Nov, 1939, the Arlington Court (Master Charles Hurst), a straggler from convoy SL-7A, was hit by a G7a torpedo from U-43 320 miles 248° from Start Point. At 14.55 hours, the ship was hit in the foreship by a coup de grâce and sank in 30 minutes. Six crew members were lost and the chief engineer died from exposure in one of the lifeboats. The master and 21 crew members were picked up by the Dutch steam merchant Algenib and landed at Queenstown (Cork). Six crew members in a lifeboat were picked up after six days by Spinanger and landed at Dover.

Roll of Honour

The table below lists most of those who are known to have died as a result of the sinking of Arlington Court (2).

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.

External resources

1. Convoyweb: Arnold Hague Convoy Database
2. Norman Middlemiss: Travel of the Tramps - Twenty Tramp Fleets
3. Ubootwaffe.net: Ubootwaffe.net
4. Uboat.net: Uboat.net

Images

1. From the Allen Collection: The Allen Collection

Contributors

1. Basic information provided by John Powell based on transcriptions of Lloyds register entries
2. Additional information and construction of entry by Benjidog
3. Additional information by Clive Ketley
4. Billy McGee - names and information about those lost