Ships hit by U-boats


Marslew

British Steam merchant



Photo Courtesy of Library of Contemporary History, Stuttgart

NameMarslew
Type:Steam merchant
Tonnage4,542 tons
Completed1926 - Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow 
OwnerKaye, Son & Co Ltd, London 
HomeportLondon 
Date of attack23 Feb 1941Nationality:      British
 
FateSunk by U-69 (Jost Metzler)
Position59° 18'N, 21° 30'W - Grid AL 2362
Complement36 (13 dead and 23 survivors).
ConvoyOB-288 (dispersed)
RouteGlasgow - Liverpool - Montevideo - Villa Constitucion, Argentina 
Cargo6000 tons of general cargo 
History Completed in July 1926 
Notes on event

At 23.39 hours on 23 Feb 1941 the unescorted Marslew (Master Hubert Roland Watkins), dispersed from convoy OB-288, was hit on the starboard side amidships in the boiler room by one G7e torpedo from U-69 about 265 miles west-northwest of Rockall. The explosion immediately broke the ship in two, its bow and stern raising slowly with the forepart sinking first after approximately 30 minutes and the stern sinking after floating vertically for a while. The master and twelve crew members were lost. 21 crew members and two gunners were picked up by the British steam merchant Empire Cheetah from the same dispersed convoy and were landed at Philadelphia on 11 March.

 
Revisions

November 2005 by Rainer Kolbicz:
Earlier this attack of U-69 was attributed with the sinking of Svein Jarl, but judging from the time and description the ship sunk was the Marslew.

 
On boardWe have details of 18 people who were on board


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