Shillong
British Motor merchant
| Name | Shillong | ||
| Type: | Motor merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 5,529 tons | ||
| Completed | 1939 - A. Stephen & Sons Ltd, Linthouse, Glasgow | ||
| Owner | P. & O. Steam Navigation Co Ltd, London | ||
| Homeport | London | ||
| Date of attack | 5 Apr 1943 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-630 (Werner Winkler) | ||
| Position | 57° 10'N, 35° 30'W - Grid AK 0114 | ||
| Complement | 78 (71 dead and 7 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | HX-231 | ||
| Route | Port Lincoln, South Australia - New York (25 Mar) - Belfast Lough - Swansea | ||
| Cargo | 4000 tons of zinc concentrates and 3000 tons of grain and general cargo | ||
| History | Completed in February 1939 At 24.00 hours on 11 Apr 1941, U-124 (Schulz) fired one G7e torpedo from a distance of 2500 meters at the zigzagging and unescorted Alcinous about 110 miles southwest of Freetown in 07°17N/14°29W. The torpedo passed from starboard to port ahead of the ship, which tried to escape at full speed and reported the attack by wireless. While chasing this ship, the U-boat then spotted another one and tried to get into an attack position, but was sighted by the Shillong which turned away at full speed and also sent a warning signal. Eventually both ships escaped. | ||
| Notes on event | In the late evening on 4 April 1943, U-635 (Eckelmann) attacked convoy HX-231 and reported two ships with 13,000 grt sunk. At 01.58 hours on 5 April, U-630 also attacked two ships from the same convoy southeast of Cape Farewell, heard two detonations and sinking noises and reported one ship sunk and another probably sunk. The ships were Shillong and Waroonga, which had both been damaged in the attack of U-635 earlier. The master, 67 crew members and three gunners from the Shillong (Master James Harry Hollow) were lost. Apprentice David Clowe, one crew member and five gunners in a lifeboat were picked up after eight days by the British rescue ship Zamalek (Master Owen Charles Morris, DSO) and landed at Halifax on 21 April. | ||
| On board | We have details of 70 people who were on board. | ||
Attack entries for Shillong
| Date | U-boat | Commander | Loss type | Tons | Nat. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Apr 1943 | U-635 | Oblt. Heinz Eckelmann | Damaged | 5,529 | |
| 5 Apr 1943 | U-630 | Oblt. Werner Winkler | Sunk | 5,529 | |
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