From SN Guides
Introduction
Court Line used the name Dorington Court for five ships:
Dorington Court (3) had a short working life of just over three years. During this time she served on many WW2 convoys but was torpedoed and then finished off by gunfire from a German submarine in 1942 with the loss of the lives of four crew members. She had her revenge as her design became the basis of the Empire, then Ocean and Liberty ships.
Basic Data
- Type: Cargo ship
- Registered owners,managers and operators: Court Line. Ltd. - Managers Haldin & Phillipps
- Builders: J.L.Thompson & Sons Ltd.
- Yard: Sunderland
- Country: UK
- Yard number: 592
- Registry: N/K
- Official number: 167241
- Signal letters: N/K
- Call sign: N/K
- Classification society: N/K
- Gross tonnage: 5,281
- Net tonnage: 3,113
- Deadweight: N/K
- Length: 426 ft
- Breadth: 59.9 ft
- Depth: 25.5 ft
- Draught: N/K
- Engines: 3 cylinder triple expansion steam engine
- Engine builders: North Eastern Marine Engineering (1938) Ltd.
- Works: Newcastle-on-Tyne
- Country: UK
- Power: 420 hp
- Propulsion: Single screw
- Speed: 11 knots
- Cargo capacity: N/K
- Crew: N/K
Career Highlights
- 7 Mar 1939: Launched
- May 1939: Completed
- 1942: Torpedoed and sunk by gunfire
Participation in WW2 Convoys
The data in the following table has been extracted from External Resource #1. Dorington Court (3) took part in 34 convoys.
A key to the routes for these convoys can be found on this page: World War 2 Convoy Names
|
List of Convoys
|
| Convoy No.
| Route
| Convoy No.
| Route
|
| OB.38
| Nov 1939: Liverpool - Dispersed
| OA.30
| Nov 1939: Southend - Dispersed
|
| FN.102
| Feb 1940: Southend - Methil
| SL/MKS.19F
| Feb 1940: Freetown - Liverpool
|
| SL/MKS.19
| Feb 1940: Freetown - Joined SL.19F
| FS.123
| Mar 1940: Tyne - Southend
|
| OA.114
| Mar 1940: Southend - Dispersed
| HX.37
| Apr 1940: Halifax - Liverpool
|
| FN.165
| May 1940: Southend - Methil
| FN.173
| May 1940: Southend - Methil
|
| OA.157
| May 1940: Southend - Dispersed
| FS.180
| May 1940: Tyne - Southend
|
| SL/MKS.44
| Aug 1940: Freetown - Liverpool
| FS.281
| Sep 1940: Methil - Southend
|
| FN.293
| Sep 1940: Southend - Methil
| FN.308
| Oct 1940: Southend - Methil
|
| EN.18/1
| Nov 1940: Methil - Oban
| OB.240
| Nov 1940: Liverpool - Dispersed
|
| SL/MKS.63
| Jan 1941: Freetown - Liverpool
| OB.298
| Mar 1941: Liverpool - Dispersed
|
| SL/MKS.89
| Oct 1941: Freetown - Liverpool
| EN.10
| Nov 1941: Methil - Oban
|
| WN.198
| Oct 1941: Oban - Methil
| OS/KMS.14
| Dec 1941: Liverpool - Freetown
|
| OS/KMS.15
| Dec 1941: Liverpool - Bathurst
| SL/MKS.102
| Mar 1942: Freetown - Liverpool
|
| SL/MKS.103
| Mar 1942: Freetown - Liverpool
| WN.265
| Apr 1942: Loch Ewe - Methil
|
| EN.78
| Apr 1942: Methil - Oban
| FN.692
| Apr 1942: Southend - Methil
|
| FS.769
| Apr 1942: Methil - Southend
| XB.21
| May 1942: Halifax - Boston
|
| ON.92
| May 1942: Liverpool - Halifax
| KS.508
| Jun 1942: Hampton Roads - Key West
|
Sinking
According to External resource #5, Dorington Court (3) was sunk by German submarine U-181 (Captain Wolfgang Lüth) on 24 Nov 1942 at position 27.00S, 34.45E while she was sailing a route between Calcutta - Madras (4 Nov) - Lourenco Marques - Durban - UK with 9,261 tons of general cargo.
Of her complement of 43 there were 39 survivors and 4 dead.
Notes on loss: At 20.34 hours on 24 Nov, 1942, the unescorted Dorington Court (Master Ernest Douglas Aynge Gibbs) was torpedoed and sunk by gunfire by U-181 105 miles east-southeast of Inhaca Island. Four crew members were lost. The master, 33 crew members and five gunners landed at Inhaca Island near Lourenco Marques.
Roll of Honour
The table below lists the crew members that died. All are listed on panel 36 of the Tower Hill memorial.
|
List of those that lost their lives
|
| Surname.
| Forenames
| Description
| Age and other information
|
| BAIRD
| JOHN C
| Fourth Engineer Officer
| Age 27
|
| DIXON
| SEPAH
| Fireman and Trimmer
| Age 32
|
| GLASGOW
| TOM
| Fireman and Trimmer
| Age 52
|
| SALEH
| MATHAND
| Fireman and Trimmer
| Age 31
|
|
| 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
- Information extracted from Lloyds Registers
- Norman Middlemiss: Travel of the Tramps - Twenty Tramp Fleets ISBN: 1871128021
- Miramar Ship Index: [1]
- Convoyweb (Arnold Hague Convoy Database): [2]
- Uboat.net: [3]
- Ubootwaffe.net website: [4]
- Sharkhunters website: [5]
Images
To date no photo of this ship has been identified. If any reader has one, please contact SN member Benjidog so it can be added to this entry.
Main Contributors
- Basic information from John Powell and Clive Ketley
- Additional research and construction of page by Benjidog
