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Contents
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[edit]
Career Highlights[edit]
Pre-War History[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
The table below lists most of those who are known to have died as a result of the sinking of Pennington Court.
Footnotes[edit]
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[edit]
Images[edit]
Contributors[edit]
Contents
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Basic Data
- 3 Career Highlights
- 4 Pre-War History
- 5 Participation in WW2 Convoys
- 6 Sinking
- 7 Roll of Honour
- 8 Footnotes
- 9 External resources
- 10 Images
- 11 Contributors
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[edit]
- 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[edit]
- 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[edit]
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[edit]
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
List of Convoys | |||
| Convoy No. | Route | Convoy No. | Route |
| OB.15 | Oct 1939: Liverpool - Dispersed | ON.18 (Nor)1 | Mar 1940: Methil - Norwegian Waters |
| FS.141 | Apr 1940: Tyne - Southend | HN.24 | Apr 1940: Norwegian Waters - Methil |
| HN.24 | Apr 1940: Norwegian waters - Methil | FS.167 | May 1940: Tyne - Southend |
| SL/MKS.36 | Jun 1940: Freetown - Liverpool | FN.212 | Jul 1940: Southend - Methil |
| OA.190 | Jul 1940: Methil - Dispersed | SL/MKS.46 | Sep 1940: Freetown - Liverpool |
| SL/MKS.46S | Sep 1940: Freetown - Dispersed | SL/MKS.56 | Nov 1940: Freetown - Liverpool |
| SL/MKS.56S | Nov 1940: Freetown - Rendezvous with SL.56 | OB.272 | Jan 1941: Liverpool - Dispersed |
| SC.22 | Feb 1941: Halifax - Liverpool | WN.91 | Feb 1941: Clyde - Methil |
| OG.61 | May 1941: Liverpool - Gibraltar | SC.34 | Jun 1941: Sydney CB - Clyde |
| OG.68 | Jul 1941: Milford Haven - Gibraltar | SL/MKS.91 | Oct 1941: Freetown - Formed SL.91G |
| SL/MKS.93 | Nov 1941: Freetown - Liverpool | SL/MKS.94 | Nov 1941: Freetown - Liverpool |
| SC.68 | Feb 1942: Halifax - Liverpool | WN.249 | Feb 1942: Oban - Methil |
| EN.62 | Mar 1942: Methil - Oban | ON.80 | Mar 1942: Liverpool - Halifax |
| XB.11 | Apr 1942: Halifax - Boston | FH.2 | Sep 1942: St John NB - Halifax |
| SC.103 | Sep 1942: NYC - Liverpool |
Sinking[edit]
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[edit]
The table below lists most of those who are known to have died as a result of the sinking of Pennington Court.
List of those that lost their lives | |||
| Surname. | Forenames | Description | Age and other information |
| ARTHUR | EDGAR | Able Seaman | Age 24. Son of Richard and Margaret Arthur, of Newbridge, Monmouthshire. |
| AYLESBURY | HERBERT JOHN | Boatswain (Bosun) | Age 61. |
| BOWDEN | ARTHUR | Fireman and Trimmer | Age 33. |
| BRACEY | RONALD ALBERT | Fourth Engineer Officer | Age 21. Son of Albert John and Ella Norah Bracey. |
| BURTON | GEORGE WILLIAM | Cabin Boy | Age 17 |
| BUTTERWORTH | ALAN RUPERT CHEADLE | First Radio Officer | Age 33. King's Commendation for Brave Conduct. Son of Dr. Rupert Butterworth, M.B., and Gertrude Helen Butterworth, of Warminster, Wiltshire. |
| CODE | PATRICK | Fireman and Trimmer | Age 36. Son of Patrick Code and of Anne Code (nee O'Brien); husband of Mary Code (nee Campbell), of Liverpool. |
| COLLIER | JOHN | Able Seaman | Age 21. Stepson of Mrs. L. Gravers, of Woolwich, London. |
| COMBE | JAMES FAIRBURN | Chief Officer | Age 26. |
| DAVIS | HERBERT GEORGE | Fireman and Trimmer | Age 33. Husband of M. E. Davies, of Epsom, Surrey. |
| ESSEX | WILLIAM HERBERT | Carpenter | Age 32. Son of Herbert and Sarah Essex, of Willesden, Middlesex. |
| FRASER | JOSEPH | Chief Engineer Officer | Age 40. Son of the Revd. Hugh Fraser and Jessie Fraser. |
| GIBSON | AUGUSTUS | Fireman and Trimmer | Age 21. |
| GRAY | ARTHUR | Boy | Age 16. |
| GRIFFITHS | ANEURIN LOVEDEN ANTHONY | Third Radio Officer | Age 32. Son of John Griffiths, and of S. A. Griffiths, of Aberdare, Glamorgan. |
| HAMLETT | HAROLD WINTER | Second Engineer Officer | Age 57. |
| HENDERSON | FRANCIS | Assistant Steward | Age 20. Son of Walter and Grace Henderson, of South Shields, Co. Durham |
| HORNE | JOHN | Master | Age 56. Son of John and Elizabeth Horne; husband of Isabella Horne, of Glasgow. |
| JONES | JOHN | Fireman | |
| JONES | ROBERT CHARLES | Third Radio Officer | Age 19. Son of William David and Annie Jones, of Maghull, Lancashire. |
| JULIEN | JOHANNES WILLIAM | Able Seaman | Age 52. Son of Frederick and Mary Julien; husband of Edith Alice Julien, of Newport, Monmouthshire. |
| MAYES | FREDERICK WILLIAM | Able Seaman | Age 41. Husband of E. Mayes, of Newport, Monmouthshire. |
| MICHIE | ALFRED | Able Seaman | Age 42. Son of Arthur and Mary Michie; husband of Helen S. Michie, of Lumphanan, Aberdeenshire. |
| MULCAHY | RICHARD | Fireman and Trimmer | Age 35. |
| MURPHY | MICHAEL JOSEPH | Ordinary Seaman | Age 19. Son of Mrs. N. Murphy, of Newport, Monmouthshire. |
| MURPHY | WILLIAM MICHAEL | Fireman and Trimmer | Age 21. Son of Mr. and Mrs. R. Murphy, of Newport, Monmouthshire. |
| McMURCHIE | WILLIAM MICHAEL | Second Officer | Age 24. Son of John Welsh McMurchie and Ellice Isles McMurchie. |
| PIERCE | RAYMOND | Deck Boy | Canadian Merchant Navy. Recorded on panel 22 of the Halifax memorial Nova Scotia |
| PRATT | WILLIAM EMMANUEL | Third Officer | Age 28. Son of George and Emma Pratt; husband of Lilian Pratt, of Barry, Glamorgan. |
| QUAYLE | JOHN EDWARD | Greaser | Age 62. Husband of M. J. Quayle, of Liverpool. |
| RISK | WILLIAM | Second Radio Officer | Age 29. Son of Mr. and Mrs. William Risk; husband of Jane Alexander Risk, of Paisley, Renfrewshire. |
| SIMONS | CHARLES WILLIAM | Fireman and Trimmer | Age 36. |
| SIMPSON | JAMES | Able Seaman | Age 36. Son of John George and Elizabeth Simpson. |
| SMITH | HERBERT | Greaser | Age 35. Son of David John Smith, and of Mary Ann Smith, of Newport, Monmouthshire. |
| STAMATAKIS | JOHN STANLEY | Cabin Boy | Age 16. |
| TIERNEY | DENNIS | Fireman and Trimmer | Age 19. Son of Mr. and Mrs. D. Tierney, of St. Pancras, London. |
| TURPIN | ALAN | Steward | Age 30. Husband of Eva Turpin, of Gipsyville, Hull. |
| WARD | EDWARD | Able Seaman | Age 31. |
| WATSON | FRANCIS JOSEPH | Donkeyman | Age 28. Son of F. and Mary Watson, of Cabra, Dublin, Irish Republic. |
| WATTS | GILBERT SHIRLEY JOSEPH | Boy | Age 19. |
| WHITE | THOMAS NESBITT | Cook | Age 37. Son of Thomas Nesbitt White and Elizabeth Freeman White; husband of Agnes Gertrude White, of South Shields, Co. Durham. |
| 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[edit]
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[edit]
- Information extracted from Lloyds Registers by John Powell
- Norman Middlemiss: Travel of the Tramps - Twenty Tramp Fleets ISBN: 1871128021
- Miramar Ships Index: http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz
- Arnold Hague Convoy Database: http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/
- Ubootwaffe.net
- Uboat.net
Images[edit]
- From The Allen Collection
Contributors[edit]
- Basic research and construction of entry by Benjidog
- History and basic details by John Powell and Clive Ketley
- Details of those lost by Billy McGee
