SS Kingston Hill
Encyclopedia
SS Kingston Hill was a cargo ship
completed by William Hamilton & Co
in Port Glasgow
on the Firth of Clyde
in December 1940 She was managed by Counties Ship Management
Co Ltd of London (CSM), an offshoot of the Rethymnis & Kulukundis shipbroking
company.
On 22 February 1941 she was bombed by Luftwaffe
aircraft and damaged. She was repaired at Glasgow.
and Glasgow
laden with coal and general cargo for Alexandria
in Egypt. To avoid the enemy-controlled waters of the Mediterranean she was heading via Capetown in South Africa, but was unescorted. She was southwest of the Cape Verde Islands heading into the South Atlantic when the hit her with two torpedoes at 0108 hrs on 8 June 1941. She sank at 0125 hrs with the loss of her Master and 13 crew. 16 crew were rescued by the Royal Navy
destroyer and returned to Greenock
. 26 crew were rescued by the US tanker Alabama and landed at Capetown.
Bulk carrier
A bulk carrier, bulk freighter, or bulker is a merchant ship specially designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo, such as grains, coal, ore, and cement in its cargo holds. Since the first specialized bulk carrier was built in 1852, economic forces have fueled the development of these ships,...
completed by William Hamilton & Co
William Hamilton and Company
William Hamilton and Company was a British shipyard located in Port Glasgow, Scotland. The company was purchased by Lithgow Ltd., later to become Scott Lithgow which was nationalised into British Shipbuilders in 1977....
in Port Glasgow
Port Glasgow
Port Glasgow is the second largest town in the Inverclyde council area of Scotland. The population according to the 1991 census for Port Glasgow was 19426 persons and in the 2001 census was 16617 persons...
on the Firth of Clyde
Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland. The Kilbrannan Sound is a large arm of the Firth of Clyde, separating the Kintyre Peninsula from the Isle of Arran.At...
in December 1940 She was managed by Counties Ship Management
Counties Ship Management
Counties Ship Management Co. Ltd. was an ocean-going merchant shipping company based in the United Kingdom. During the Second World War CSM merchant ships made a substantial contribution to supplying the British war effort, at a cost of 13 ships lost and 163 officers and men killed.-Founding of...
Co Ltd of London (CSM), an offshoot of the Rethymnis & Kulukundis shipbroking
Shipbroking
Shipbroking is a financial service, which forms part of the global shipping industry. Shipbrokers are specialist intermediaries/negotiators between shipowners and charterers who use ships to transport cargo, or between buyers and sellers of ships.Some brokerage firms have developed into large...
company.
On 22 February 1941 she was bombed by Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
aircraft and damaged. She was repaired at Glasgow.
Sinking
In May 1941 Kingston Hill sailed from CardiffCardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
and Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
laden with coal and general cargo for Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
in Egypt. To avoid the enemy-controlled waters of the Mediterranean she was heading via Capetown in South Africa, but was unescorted. She was southwest of the Cape Verde Islands heading into the South Atlantic when the hit her with two torpedoes at 0108 hrs on 8 June 1941. She sank at 0125 hrs with the loss of her Master and 13 crew. 16 crew were rescued by the 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...
destroyer and returned to Greenock
Greenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
. 26 crew were rescued by the US tanker Alabama and landed at Capetown.