Cortes (British Steam merchant) - Ships hit by German U-boats during WWII (original) (raw)
Ships hit by U-boats
British Steam merchant
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| Name | Cortes | |
|---|---|---|
| Type: | Steam merchant | |
| Tonnage | 1,374 tons | |
| Completed | 1919 - Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Dundee | |
| Owner | MacAndrews & Co Ltd, London | |
| Homeport | London | |
| Date of attack | 26 Sep 1941 | Nationality:  British |
| Fate | Sunk by U-124 (Johann Mohr) | |
| Position | 47° 48'N, 23° 45'W - Grid BE 4166 | |
| Complement | 43 (43 dead - no survivors) | |
| Convoy | HG-73 | |
| Route | Lisbon – Liverpool - London | |
| Cargo | General cargo, including potash and cork | |
| History | Laid down as War Waveney for The Shipping Controller, completed in August 1919 as Cortes for MacAndrews & Co Ltd, London. | |
| Notes on event | At 02.32 hours on 26 September 1941 the Cortes (Master Donald Roy MacRae) in station #12 of convoy HG-73 was hit aft by one torpedo from U-124 and sank immediately by the stern north-northeast of the Azores.After both ships ahead of her were torpedoed, the Lapwing in station #13 stopped and launched a lifeboat for rescue work. Among the survivors picked up were three men from Cortes, but they had to abandon ship again when she was sunk by U-203 (Mützelburg) at 06.34 hours. The lifeboat of Lapwing made landfall in Ireland two weeks later, but two crew members from Cortes had died from exposure in the boat and the last survivor, boatswain Alfonso Pimentil, died later in a hospital in Clifden. The master, 30 crew members, six gunners and six passengers (DBS) were lost. | |
| On board | We have details of 43 people who were on board. |
Location of attack on Cortes.
ship sunk.
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