Capo Olmo
British Steam merchant
Capo Olmo under her former name Bardistan. Photo courtesy of State Library of New South Wales
| Name | Capo Olmo | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 4,712 tons | ||
| Completed | 1923 - W. Gray & Co Ltd, West Hartlepool | ||
| Owner | Moss Hutchinson Line Ltd, Liverpool | ||
| Homeport | Liverpool | ||
| Date of attack | 8 Nov 1942 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Damaged by U-67 (Günther Müller-Stöckheim) | ||
| Position | 10° 56'N, 61° 14'W - Grid ED 9863 | ||
| Complement | 64 (0 dead and 64 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | Mombasa - Beira - Durban - Capetown - St. Helena - Ascension (24 Oct) - Port of Spain | ||
| Cargo | 5000 tons of general cargo and 2500 tons of copper and zinc | ||
| History | Ordered as French Saint Stanislas for Société Navale de l'Ouest, Dunkirk. Completed in April 1923 as Bardistan for F.C. Strick & Co Ltd, London. 1928 sold to France and renamed Saint Roch for Cie Navale et Commerciale de l'Océanie, Bordeaux. In May 1930 renamed Recherche for Cie des Messageries Maritimes, Dunkirk. 1935 sold to Italy and renamed Capo Olmo for Co Genovese di Nav. a Vapore SA, Genoa. On 10 Jun 1940, seized by France in Marseilles and sent to Oran in a Vichy French convoy on 27 June, but the crew reported engines troubles to leave the convoy and then brought the ship to Gibraltar, where she was taken over by the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). It was planned to rename the ship Empire Fighter, but she then retained the old name. Post-war: Transferred to France as war reparation and renamed Koufra for Worms & Cie, Le Havre. 1948 renamed Madali for Les Cargos Algériens SA, Algier. 1951 renamed Leon Mazzella for Mazzella & Cie, Oran. 1954 sold to Turkey and renamed Seferoglu for Rami Seferoglu. Scrapped at Izmir in November 1976. | ||
| Notes on event | At 10.39 hours on 8 Nov 1942 the unescorted Capo Olmo (Master Jean E. Hennuyer) was hit by one of two G7e torpedoes from U-67 north of Trinidad. The torpedo hit on the starboard side in #2 hold, blew off the hatch covers and flooded #2 and #3 holds, causing the ship to settle by the bow. Some of the crew began to abandon ship without orders, but the officers could prevent this. As the engines were undamaged, the ship escaped towards the nearby coast on a zigzag course, arrived in Port of Spain after 8 hours and was beached off the harbor. Only one man of the 47 crew members, six gunners (the ship was armed with one 4in, one 12pdr and four machine guns) and eleven passengers (military personnel) aboard was injured in the attack by falling debris. In June 1943 the Capo Olmo was refloated and temporary repairs carried out on the hole of 60 x 27 feet in her side. On 18 July, she left Trinidad for Baltimore, arriving on 18 August. The ship was repaired there and returned to service in December 1943. | ||
| On board | We have details of 1 people who were on board. | ||
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