Oakbank
British Motor merchant
Photo Courtesy of Library of Contemporary History, Stuttgart
| Name | Oakbank | ||
| Type: | Motor merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 5,154 tons | ||
| Completed | 1926 - Harland & Wolff Ltd, Govan, Glasgow | ||
| Owner | Andrew Weir & Co, London | ||
| Homeport | Glasgow | ||
| Date of attack | 27 Dec 1942 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-507 (Harro Schacht) | ||
| Position | 0° 46'S, 37° 58'W - Grid FB 6583 | ||
| Complement | 64 (27 dead and 37 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | Suez - Durban (8 Dec) - Demerara - UK | ||
| Cargo | Ballast | ||
| History | Completed in March 1926 | ||
| Notes on event | On 27 December 1942 the unescorted Oakbank (Master James Stewart) was torpedoed and sunk by U-507 about 200 miles north-northeast of Fortaleza, Brazil. 24 crew members and three gunners were lost. 30 crew members and two gunners were picked up by the Brazilian steam merchant Comandante Ripper and landed at Recife on 3 January. One crew member was rescued by the Argentinian steam tanker Juvenal and landed at Curaçao on 8 January, while two crew members on a raft reached the coast near Para on 15 January. The master and an apprentice were taken prisoner and were lost when the U-boat was sunk on 13 January 1943. | ||
| On board | We have details of 31 people who were on board. | ||
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