Pennington Court

From SN Guides

Image 1:

Introduction

Court Line used the name Pennington Court for just one ship.

She had a service life of 18 years which included a period of several years being laid up in the 1930s, significant contributions to WW2 convoys, but a tragic ending in 1942 when she was torpedoed and sunk by a submarine with the loss of the entire ship's company.

Basic Data

• Type: Cargo ship
• Registered owners,managers and operators: Charles Radcliffe Ltd. - managers C.Radcliffe & Co. Ltd. Cardiff (built as Rochdale)
• Builders: Richardson Duck & Co. Ltd.
• Yard: Stockton-on-Tees
• Country: UK
• Yard number: 687
• Registry: N/K
• Official number: 148274
• Signal letters: N/K
• Call sign: N/K
• Classification society: N/K
• Gross tonnage: 6,098
• Net tonnage: 3,774
• Deadweight: N/K
• Length: 400 ft
• Breadth: 53 ft
• Depth: 32.7 Ft
• Draught: N/K
• Engines: Triple expansion steam engine
• Engine builders: Blair & Co. Ltd.
• Works: Stockton-on-Tees
• 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

Career Highlights

• 3 Jun 1924: Launched as Rochdale
• Jul 1924: Completed
• 1927: Acquired by The United British Steam Ship Co. Ltd. - managers Haldin & Phillipps Ltd. and renamed Pennington Court
• 1936: Owners restyled Court Line Ltd. - same managers
• 9 Oct 1942: Torpedoed and sunk

Pre-War History

No information currently available other than that Pennington Court was laid up for several years at Milford Haven during the depression of the 1930s.

Participation in WW2 Convoys

The data in the following table has been extracted from External Resource #4 which indicates that Pennington Court participated in 29 convoys.

A key to the routes for these convoys can be found on this page: World War 2 Convoy Names

Sinking

Pennington Court was sunk whilst taking part in convoy SC.103. According to External resource #5, she was carrying 8,330 tons of grain and 164 tons of trucks from Halifax to Britain. She was torpedoed by U-254 on 9 October 1942 at 21:01 at position position 58.18N/27.55W. The Master and entire crew of 39 perished - there being no survivors.

According to External resource #6:

At 21.01 hours on 9 Oct, 1942, the Pennington Court (Master John Horne), a straggler from convoy SC-103, was torpedoed by U-254 southeast of Cape Farewell. Until the ship sank the U-boat had fired six torpedoes of which three were hits. The master and 39 crew members were lost.

Roll of Honour

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

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.

Footnotes

U-254 had a relatively short career including 3 patrols between 8 Nov, 1941 and 8 Dec, 1942 during which she sank three ships totalling 18,967 GRT. She in turn sank on 8 Dec, 1942 in the North Atlantic south-east of Cape Farewell, Greenland, in approximate position 55.00N, 40.00W, after a collision with U-boat U-221. There were 41 dead and 4 survivors.

External resources

1. Information extracted from Lloyds Registers by John Powell
2. Norman Middlemiss: Travel of the Tramps - Twenty Tramp Fleets ISBN: 1871128021
3. Miramar Ships Index: http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz
4. Arnold Hague Convoy Database: http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/
5. Ubootwaffe.net
6. Uboat.net

Images

1. From The Allen Collection

Contributors

1. Basic research and construction of entry by Benjidog
2. History and basic details by John Powell and Clive Ketley
3. Details of those lost by Billy McGee