Ships hit by U-boats


Andrew G. Curtin

American Steam merchant



NameAndrew G. Curtin
Type:Steam merchant (Liberty)
Tonnage7,200 tons
Completed1943 - Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards Inc, Baltimore MD 
OwnerCalmar SS Co Inc, New York 
HomeportBaltimore 
Date of attack26 Jan 1944Nationality:      American
 
FateSunk by U-716 (Hans Dunkelberg)
Position73° 22'N, 24° 15'E - Grid AC 4552
Complement71 (3 dead and 68 survivors).
ConvoyJW-56A
RouteAkureyri, Iceland (21 Jan) - Murmansk 
Cargo9000 tons of general cargo, steel, 26 bags of mail and a deck cargo of 2 locomotives and 2 PT boats 
History Completed in February 1943 
Notes on event

At 00.20 hours on 26 Jan 1944, U-716 fired a spread of three FAT torpedoes on convoy JW-56A, heard two hits and reported one ship with 7000 grt sunk and another of 7000 grt damaged.

In fact, only the Andrew G. Curtin (Master Jacob Olai Jacobsen) in station #61 was hit by one torpedo on the starboard side between the #2 and #3 holds. The watch below secured the engines as the ship settled by the head and listed to starboard. The deck cracked forward of the #3 hold and extended across the vessel. As the Liberty ship sank, the crack widened and the bow soon hogged about 25°. The complement of eight officers, 35 men and 28 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in, one 3in and eight 20mm guns) abandoned ship in some confusion in one raft and four lifeboats aft of the crack. Two crew members drowned and one armed guard died in the explosion. The survivors observed the Andrew G. Curtin breaking in two before sinking. In less than 30 minutes, the HMS Inconstant (H 49) (LtCdr J.H. Eaden, DSC and Bar, RN) picked up the survivors and landed them later in Murmansk.

 
On boardWe have details of 4 people who were on board


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