Ships hit by U-boats


Winnipeg II

British Steam passenger ship



Photo from City of Vancouver Archives, CVA 447-2852

NameWinnipeg II
Type:Steam passenger ship
Tonnage9,807 tons
Completed1918 - Ateliers & Chantiers de France, Dunkirk 
OwnerCanadian Pacific Steamships Ltd, Montreal 
HomeportLiverpool 
Date of attack22 Oct 1942Nationality:      British
 
FateSunk by U-443 (Konstantin von Puttkamer)
Position49° 51'N, 27° 58'W - Grid BD 3544
Complement192 (0 dead and 192 survivors).
ConvoyON-139
RouteLiverpool (15 Oct) - St. John, New Brunswick 
Cargo3000 tons of general cargo 
History Completed in October 1918 as French Jacques Cartier for Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, Paris. 1930 renamed Winnipeg for the same owner. 1938 renamed Paimpol for one voyage to South America for Compagnie France-Navigation, Dunkirk.

In the evening on 26 May 1941, the Vichy French Winnipeg enroute from Casablanca to Guadeloupe with about 750 passengers was captured by HNMS Van Kinsbergen (U 93) (Cdr J.L.K. Hoeke, RNN) and taken the next day to Port of Spain, Trinidad. The ship was taken over by the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and renamed Winnipeg II
Notes on event

At 21.45 hours on 22 Oct 1942, U-443 fired a spread of two torpedoes at convoy ON-139 southwest of Fastnet and heard two hits but no detonations after 1 minutes 14 seconds. These were probably duds. At 21.48 hours, the U-boat fired another spread of two torpedoes, which sank the Winnipeg II. Two minutes later the stern torpedo was fired, which damaged the Donax.

The master, 113 crew members, ten gunners and 68 passengers from Winnipeg II (Master Oswald Franklin Pennington, DSC) were picked up by HMCS Morden (K 170) (T/Lt J.J. Hodgkinson, RCNR) and landed at St. John’s on 25 October.

 
On boardWe have details of 4 people who were on board


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