SS Corvus
Encyclopedia
SS Corvus was a 1,317 GRT
Norwegian
steamship built in Copenhagen
in 1920/21 by Kjøbenhavns Flydedok & Skibsværft A/S for the Norwegian passenger ship company Det Bergenske Dampskibsselskab of Bergen
, which was attacked and sunk by two German U-boat
s in the Western Approaches
of the English Channel
on 27 February 1945.
. She joined Convoy HN 25, which left Bergen
on 7 April 1940, thus managing to get out of Norway just before the German invasion
which was initiated on 9 April. She spent the rest of 1940 in the coastal waters around the UK, with occasional passages across the Atlantic Ocean
to Canada. In 1941 she made one voyage to West Africa
visiting Lagos
and Port Harcourt as well as crossing the Atlantic twice, visiting Halifax, Nova Scotia
and New York City
. During these voyages she carried various general cargoes, as well as palm kernel
s from Nigeria and lumber
from North America.
During 1942 and early 1943 she sailed in the areas around the British Isles
, before a voyage to Gibraltar
and North Africa
as part of Convoy KMS16 commencing in June. She remained in the Mediterranean
until her return to Liverpool
in February 1944. After spending four months undergoing repairs, she returned to service around the British Isles in July, continuing until her final voyage.
near Liverpool bound for Plymouth
with a cargo of 1,800 tons of coal, with Alexander Wallace as captain, carrying a crew of 22 plus a DEMS
gun crew of three British Royal Navy
gunners. She changed convoy at Mumbles
, and left Mumbles Head on the morning of 26 February to join Convoy BTC 81 near Scarwater Lightship.
At 10:15 BST on 27 February, the convoy was attacked by two German U-boat
s, U-327 and U-1018
about seven miles from Lizard Point, Cornwall
(at 49°55′N 05°22′W). She was hit by a torpedo
launched by U-1018 which ripped her starboard side open, causing her to develop a heavy list and sink within minutes, resulting in the death of four of the freighter's Norwegian crew, the Latvia
n stoker, a 16-year old British cabin boy, Thomas Boniface, and two of the Royal Navy gunners, Dennis Baker and former professional footballer Charlie Sillett
.
Some of the crew had been able to launch a raft, while others had to jump overboard. Most of the survivors were picked up by the British steam merchant ship Baronscourt, one survivor by the Swedish steam ship Wallonia and landed in Falmouth
for medical treatment of four injured survivors.
The convoy escort ships immediately launched heavy counter-attacks. Less than two hours later, both U-1018 and U-327 were sunk by depth charge
s dropped by HMS Loch Fada
under the command of Cdr. Benjamin Andrew Rogers, RD, RNR.
Gross Register Tonnage
Gross register tonnage a ship's total internal volume expressed in "register tons", one of which equals to a volume of . It is calculated from the total permanently enclosed capacity of the vessel. The ship's net register tonnage is obtained by reducing the volume of non-revenue-earning spaces i.e...
Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
steamship built in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
in 1920/21 by Kjøbenhavns Flydedok & Skibsværft A/S for the Norwegian passenger ship company Det Bergenske Dampskibsselskab of Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
, which was attacked and sunk by two German U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
s in the Western Approaches
Western Approaches
The Western Approaches is a rectangular area of the Atlantic ocean lying on the western coast of Great Britain. The rectangle is higher than it is wide, the north and south boundaries defined by the north and south ends of the British Isles, the eastern boundary lying on the western coast, and the...
of the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
on 27 February 1945.
World War II
She spent the early part of 1940 plying between Norway and the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. She joined Convoy HN 25, which left Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
on 7 April 1940, thus managing to get out of Norway just before the German invasion
Operation Weserübung
Operation Weserübung was the code name for Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign...
which was initiated on 9 April. She spent the rest of 1940 in the coastal waters around the UK, with occasional passages across the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
to Canada. In 1941 she made one voyage to West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
visiting Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
and Port Harcourt as well as crossing the Atlantic twice, visiting Halifax, Nova Scotia
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. During these voyages she carried various general cargoes, as well as palm kernel
Palm oil
Palm oil, coconut oil and palm kernel oil are edible plant oils derived from the fruits of palm trees. Palm oil is extracted from the pulp of the fruit of the oil palm Elaeis guineensis; palm kernel oil is derived from the kernel of the oil palm and coconut oil is derived from the kernel of the...
s from Nigeria and lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
from North America.
During 1942 and early 1943 she sailed in the areas around the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
, before a voyage to Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
and North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
as part of Convoy KMS16 commencing in June. She remained in the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
until her return to Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
in February 1944. After spending four months undergoing repairs, she returned to service around the British Isles in July, continuing until her final voyage.
Final voyage
On 23 February 1945, Corvus departed GarstonGarston, Merseyside
Garston is a district of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is bordered by Aigburth, Allerton, and Speke.-History:Gaerstun, meaning 'grazing settlement' or 'grazing farm' in Old English, is one possible root of the name....
near Liverpool bound for Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
with a cargo of 1,800 tons of coal, with Alexander Wallace as captain, carrying a crew of 22 plus a DEMS
Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships
Defensively Equipped Merchant Ship was an Admiralty Trade Division program established in June, 1939, to arm 5,500 British merchant ships with an adequate defence against enemy submarines and aircraft...
gun crew of three British Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
gunners. She changed convoy at Mumbles
Mumbles
Mumbles or The Mumbles is an area and community in Swansea, Wales which takes its name from the adjacent headland stretching into Swansea Bay...
, and left Mumbles Head on the morning of 26 February to join Convoy BTC 81 near Scarwater Lightship.
At 10:15 BST on 27 February, the convoy was attacked by two German U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
s, U-327 and U-1018
German submarine U-1018
German submarine U-1018 was a German Type VIIC/41 U-boat, built during World War II for service in the Battle of the Atlantic. The U-boat was fitted with the Schnorchel underwater-breathing apparatus which enabled her to stay under-water for extended periods thus avoiding detection by enemy...
about seven miles from Lizard Point, Cornwall
Lizard Point, Cornwall
Lizard Point in Cornwall is at the southern tip of the Lizard Peninsula. It is situated half-a-mile south of Lizard village in the civil parish of Landewednack and approximately 11 miles southeast of Helston....
(at 49°55′N 05°22′W). She was hit by a torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
launched by U-1018 which ripped her starboard side open, causing her to develop a heavy list and sink within minutes, resulting in the death of four of the freighter's Norwegian crew, the Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n stoker, a 16-year old British cabin boy, Thomas Boniface, and two of the Royal Navy gunners, Dennis Baker and former professional footballer Charlie Sillett
Charlie Sillett
Charles Thomas "Charlie" Sillett was an English professional footballer who played as a full back for Southampton in the 1930s...
.
Some of the crew had been able to launch a raft, while others had to jump overboard. Most of the survivors were picked up by the British steam merchant ship Baronscourt, one survivor by the Swedish steam ship Wallonia and landed in Falmouth
Falmouth, Cornwall
Falmouth is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,635.Falmouth is the terminus of the A39, which begins some 200 miles away in Bath, Somerset....
for medical treatment of four injured survivors.
The convoy escort ships immediately launched heavy counter-attacks. Less than two hours later, both U-1018 and U-327 were sunk by depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
s dropped by HMS Loch Fada
HMS Loch Fada (K390)
HMS Loch Fada was the lead ship of the s of the British Royal Navy, built by John Brown & Company of Clydebank, Scotland, and named after Loch Fada in Scotland....
under the command of Cdr. Benjamin Andrew Rogers, RD, RNR.