Aviemore
British Steam merchant
Photo courtesy of Harold Appleyard
| Name | Aviemore | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 4,060 tons | ||
| Completed | 1920 - Irvine’s Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co Ltd, Middleton Shipyard, West Hartlepool | ||
| Owner | Furness, Withy & Co Ltd, Liverpool | ||
| Homeport | Liverpool | ||
| Date of attack | 16 Sep 1939 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-31 (Johannes Habekost) | ||
| Position | 49° 11'N, 13° 38'W - Grid BE 3850 | ||
| Complement | 34 (23 dead and 11 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | Swansea - Montevideo - Buenos Aires | ||
| Cargo | 5105 tons of tinplate and black sheets | ||
| History | Completed in October 1920 | ||
| Notes on event | At 08.15 hours on 16 Sep 1939, U-31 fired one torpedo at the first ship in a convoy and saw it sinking after breaking in two. The Aviemore (Master Morton Forsythe) was in fact not part of the chased convoy OB-4, but was crossing ahead of convoy and sank immediately after being torpedoed about 220 miles southwest of Cape Clear. The master and 22 crew members were lost. Eleven crew members were picked up by HMS Warwick (D 25) (LtCdr M.A.G. Child, RN) and landed at Liverpool on 18 September. The Aviemore was the first ship sunk by an U-boat during an attack on a convoy in the Second World War. The first successful attack on a ship in a convoy was made by U-35 when attacking convoy OA-7 on 21 September. | ||
| On board | We have details of 23 people who were on board. | ||
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