Kensington Court

From SN Guides

Image 1:

Introduction

Court Line had just one ship called Kensington Court. She was a cargo ship with a relatively short span of operational use. Launched in 1927 she was sunk within a few days of the declaration of war on Germany by Britain and had already spent a number of years laid up.

The most remarkable event in her life was her sinking by a U-boat and the rescue of her crew by flying-boat. This was the first known rescue by Seaplane in naval history.

Basic Data

• Type: Cargo ship
• Registered owners,managers and operators: The British United Steam Ship Co. Ltd. - managers Haldin and Phillipps Ltd. London
• Builders: Napier & Miller Ltd.
• Yard: Glasgow
• Country: UK
• Yard number: 257
• Registry: N/K
• Official number: 149822
• Signal letters: N/K
• Call sign: N/K
• Classification society: N/K
• Gross tonnage: 4,863
• Net tonnage: 2,951
• Deadweight: N/K
• Length: 396.5 ft
• Breadth: 53.2 ft
• Depth: 26.5 Ft
• Draught: N/K
• Engines: Triple expansion steam engine
• Engine builders: D. Rowan & Co. Ltd.
• Works: Glasgow
• Country: UK
• Power: N/k
• Propulsion: Single screw
• Speed: N/K
• Boilers: N/K
• Cargo capacity:N/K
• Crew: N/K

• Employment: General purpose cargo vessel

Key Events

• 7 Apr 1927: Launched
• May 1927: Completed
• 1936: Owners restyled Court Line Ltd. - same managers
• 18 Sep 1939: Sunk by enemy action

Service Pre WW2

No information is currently available other than that Kensington Court was laid up on the Tyne for several years during the depression of the 1930s.

Service during WW2

There is no reference in External resource #5 to Kensington Court taking part in any convoys.

Kensington Court became one of the earliest merchant shipping casualties of WW2 as she was sunk on 18th September - 15 days after Britain declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939.

Sinking and rescue of crew

Kensington Court was sunk by gunfire from U-32. According to External resource #6 this was at 12:38 on 18th September whilst en route from Rosario to Liverpool carrying a cargo of 8,000 tons of cereals.

This is the introductory quotation from The War Illustrated (see External resource #1)

The story of the rescue of the officers and crew of the SS Kensington Court adds a remarkable page to the history of the RAF. The ship, on her way from Argentina to Birkenhead, was stopped by fire from a U-Boat when nearing the English coast and 34 men were compelled to leave her. An SOS had been sent out before the Kensington Court sunk, and soon after the overloaded boat carrying 34 had pushed off, a flying-boat appeared and alighted near by, followed soon after by a second. Eventually all 34 men were transferred to a collapsible rubber boat launched by one of the 'planes and carried to the aircraft. A few hours later they were safe in England.

The following two accounts of the rescue came from External resource #1.

Captain J Schofield's Account

Captain Schofield said that his ship, the 4,863-ton S.S. "Kensington Court," which was bound for Birkenhead from the Argentine with a cargo of wheat, sent out an SOS when a U-boat appeared and attacked them without warning. They turned the vessel's stern to the submarine, which kept firing at them from a range of about a mile.

"After she had fired about five shots," he said, "she came very close to the ship's stern and I decided it was time to stop the ship. I gave three blasts on the whistle and the crew took to the boats. One of the boats was lost. Shortly after we got away in the port boat there was a big explosion in the starboard well. We did not know whether it was a torpedo or shell. We started rowing away and soon afterwards sighted an aeroplane. I said “This has come in reply to our SOS.” Everybody was pleased and we all started to cheer. Still, we did not think it was possible for them to rescue us that way. We thought they would give a signal to a warship or something like that. When the first 'plane alighted on the water and someone signalled to us from the wing, we began to realize that they were going to take us on board. There was a second 'plane there. We told the officer that there were 34 of us, and he said he would take about 20 and the other 'plane would take the rest.

While we were getting on board, a third 'plane came over and flew round. We wondered how they would get us on board, because the sea was choppy, but a door in the side of the flying-boat opened and a small collapsible boat was pushed out. It was all very remarkable to us. It was the modern method of rescue and we had never had any experience like it. When we got on board they gave us cups of tea and cigarettes.

Captain Schofield said that they sighted the first 'plane half an hour after they took to the boats. The submarine steamed away after seeing that the ship was settling. She had left before the 'planes arrived.

"The submarine," he declared, "gave no warning at all that she was going to sink us. The first shot she fired was straight at the ship, and it was an explosive shell. We saw the submarine for a few minutes before she opened fire."

RAF Pilots Account

The pilot of the first machine on the spot, a 23-year-old flight-lieutenant, whose home is in Wimbledon, explained that they picked up Captain Schofield's SOS while they were in the air on patrol duty.

"We at once set our course for the spot indicated," he said, "and eventually found the 'Kensington Court' sinking. We alighted and, after signalling the men in the boat, blew up our rubber dinghy and pushed it out with a line to each end, and by this means we were able to ferry the men across two or three at a time."

The pilot commanding the other flying-boat was a 25-year-old flight-lieutenant from Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. When we arrived," he said, we saw the other aircraft on the water and had a darn good look round for the submarine. We saw that the other 'plane was making attempts to take' off the men. Quite obviously there were a lot, and so we decided to go down. In the meantime another aircraft arrived, and we signalled it to look 'out for the submarine. We took off 14 men."

One of the crew of the second: flying-boat was a young South African, who was second pilot.

"We were patrolling quite independently," said one of the pilots. "The ship sank while the remainder of the crew were getting into a position to be taken off by us. The rescue was not very difficult." Here Captain Schofield interposed with the remark: " It was not difficult because they were efficient. There was a swell on the sea at the time." Then he concluded with the assertion, " If all the officers and men of the R.A.F. are like these young fellows who rescued us, then England has nothing to fear."

Image 2 below shows the ship's boat with the crew on board nearing one of the seaplanes - Kensington Court can be seen in the background with her bows already under water and a flying boat overhead.

Image 2:

Image 3 below shows another view of the ship's boat with the crew on board nearing one of the seaplanes with a wing at the lower right of picture.

Image 3:

Image 4 below shows Captain Schofield (right) with Flight-Lt. Thurston Smith (centre) and his fellow RAF Officer involved in the rescue (left).

Image 4:

Image 5 below shows a circle of foam marking the spot where Kensington Court went down. It was taken by one of the flying boats involved in the rescue.

Image 5:

Footnotes

U-32 despatched 20 Allied ships between the outbreak of war and October 1940 - an active career of just over a year. Details of ships sunk are in External resource #6; the overall loss was 116,836 GRT. In addition she damaged four merchant ships totalling 32,274 GRT plus a warship of 8,000 GRT. A further two ships were damaged by mines laid by the submarine.

U-32 was herself sunk on 30 October 1940 north-west of Ireland at position 55.37N, 12.19W by depth charges from British destroyers HMS Harvester and HMS Highlander with 9 dead and 33 survivors.

External resources

1. The War Illustrated: 14 October 1939 pages 156-7 (reprint of an article from the Daily Telegraph on an unknown date)
2. Information extracted from Lloyds Registers by John Powell
3. Norman Middlemiss: Travel of the Tramps - Twenty Tramp Fleets
4. Miramar Ships Index: http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz
5. Arnold Hague Convoy Database: http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/
6. Website Ubootwaffe.net: [Ubootwaffe.net]
7. Website Uboat.net: [1]

Images

1. From the The Allen Collection
2. From Reference #1
3. From Reference #1
4. From Reference #1
5. From Reference #1

Contributors

1. Starting information provided by SN Member Stan Mayes
2. Further research, transcription and Guide setup by SN Member Benjidog
3. Additional information from John Powell