Ships hit by U-boats


British Vigilance

British Motor tanker


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NameBritish Vigilance
Type:Motor tanker
Tonnage8,093 tons
Completed1942 - Harland & Wolff Ltd, Govan, Glasgow 
OwnerBritish Tanker Co Ltd, London 
HomeportLondon 
Date of attack24 Jan 1943Nationality:      British
 
FateSunk by U-105 (Jürgen Nissen)
Position21° 00'N, 45° 00'W - Grid DQ 7345
Complement54 (27 dead and 27 survivors).
ConvoyTM-1 (straggler)
RouteCuraçao - Trinidad - Gibraltar 
Cargo11.000 tons of clean petroleum products 
History Launched as Empire Vigilance for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT), completed in May 1942 as British Vigilance for British Tanker Co Ltd, London. 
Notes on event

At 22.52 hours on 3 Jan 1943 the British Vigilance (Master Evan Owen Evans) in convoy TM-1 was torpedoed by U-514 (Auffermann) about 900 miles northeast of Barbados in 20°58N/44°40W and abandoned. 25 crew members and two gunners were lost. The master, 21 crew members and five gunners were picked up by HMS Saxifrage (K 04) (Lt N.L. Knight, RNR) and landed at Gibraltar.

The burning tanker was abandoned and drifted for three weeks, before the wreck was sunk by U-105 with two torpedoes at 10.05 hours on 24 January.

 
On boardWe have details of 29 people who were on board

Attack entries for British Vigilance

DateU-boatCommanderLoss typeTonsNat.
3 Jan 1943U-514Kptlt. Hans-Jürgen AuffermannDamaged8,093  
24 Jan 1943U-105Oblt. Jürgen NissenSunk8,093  


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