SS Lulworth Hill
Encyclopedia
SS Lulworth Hill was a cargo ship
completed by William Hamilton & Co
in Port Glasgow
on the Firth of Clyde
in 1940. She was owned by Dorset Steamships Co Ltd and managed by Counties Ship Management
Co Ltd of London (CSM), both of which were offshoots of the Rethymnis & Kulukundis shipbroking
company.
submarine Leonardo da Vinci
torpedoed the Lulworth Hill in the South Atlantic on 19 March 1943. Fourteen survivors made it onto a life raft. One source, seemingly quoting one of only three men to survive the sinking and subsequent ordeal on the life raft, states that the Germans surfaced and machine gunned the survivors; however, this is unlikely as the submarine was not German and the only other survivor of the life raft, in his book of the events, made no such accusation The Leonardo da Vinci captured and took on board one survivor of the sinking, James Leslie Hull. After 29 days the UK authorities assumed that the Lulworth Hill had been lost with all hands and duly informed their families.
On 7 May the Royal Navy
destroyer HMS Rapid
picked up one of the Lulworth Hills liferafts. Of the 14 men that had survived the sinking, after 50 days adrift only two, Seaman Shipwright (i.e. carpenter) Kenneth Cooke and Able Seaman Colin Armitage, remained alive. On 7 December 1943 both men were awarded the George Medal
and on 7 November 1944 the Lloyd's War Medal for Bravery at Sea
In 1985 a radio interview was broadcast in which Cooke described their ordeal and survival.
On 23 May 1943 Leonardo da Vinci was in the North Atlantic returning from patrol 300 miles (482.8 km) west of Vigo
, Spain when the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Active
depth charge
d and sank her. There were no survivors. James Hull, the prisoner from Lulworth Hill, had previously been transferred to the Italian submarine Finzi.
SS Empire Mandarin and renamed her Lulworth Hill. In 1949 she was renamed Castle Hill. In 1950 she was transferred to a new Rethymnis & Kulukundis company, London & Overseas Freighters
Ltd, who renamed her London Builder. LOF sold her in 1951 to new owners who registered her under the Panama
nian flag of convenience
as Silver Wake. She changed owners and names several more times, becoming Navarino in 1954, Stanhope in 1955 and Ardbrae in 1961. She was scrapped at Onomichi, Japan in 1966.
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 1940. She was owned by Dorset Steamships Co Ltd and 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), both of which were offshoots 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.
Sinking
The Italian navyRegia Marina
The Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...
submarine Leonardo da Vinci
Italian submarine Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci was a of the Italian navy during World War II. The unit operated in the Atlantic from September 1940 until its loss in May 1943, and became the top scoring non-German submarine of the all war.-Construction:...
torpedoed the Lulworth Hill in the South Atlantic on 19 March 1943. Fourteen survivors made it onto a life raft. One source, seemingly quoting one of only three men to survive the sinking and subsequent ordeal on the life raft, states that the Germans surfaced and machine gunned the survivors; however, this is unlikely as the submarine was not German and the only other survivor of the life raft, in his book of the events, made no such accusation The Leonardo da Vinci captured and took on board one survivor of the sinking, James Leslie Hull. After 29 days the UK authorities assumed that the Lulworth Hill had been lost with all hands and duly informed their families.
On 7 May 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 HMS Rapid
HMS Rapid (H32)
HMS Rapid was an R-class destroyer of the Royal Navy that saw service during the Second World War. She was part of Force 68, serving in the Indian Ocean, and later the Pacific. In one operation she was damaged by fire from a shore battery, with 11 killed and 23 wounded. She was towed to Akyab for...
picked up one of the Lulworth Hills liferafts. Of the 14 men that had survived the sinking, after 50 days adrift only two, Seaman Shipwright (i.e. carpenter) Kenneth Cooke and Able Seaman Colin Armitage, remained alive. On 7 December 1943 both men were awarded the George Medal
George Medal
The George Medal is the second level civil decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth.The GM was instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI. At this time, during the height of The Blitz, there was a strong desire to reward the many acts of civilian courage...
and on 7 November 1944 the Lloyd's War Medal for Bravery at Sea
Lloyd's War Medal for Bravery at Sea
The Lloyd's War Medal for Bravery at Sea is one of the four Lloyd's Medal types bestowed by Lloyd's of London. In 1939, with the coming of World War II, Lloyd's set up a committee to find means of honouring seafarers who performed acts of exceptional courage at sea, and this resulted in the...
In 1985 a radio interview was broadcast in which Cooke described their ordeal and survival.
On 23 May 1943 Leonardo da Vinci was in the North Atlantic returning from patrol 300 miles (482.8 km) west of Vigo
Vigo
Vigo is a city and municipality in north-west Spain, in Galicia, situated on the ria of the same name on the Atlantic Ocean.-Population:...
, Spain when the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Active
HMS Active (H14)
HMS Active, the tenth Active , launched in 1929, was an A class destroyer. She served in World War II, taking part in the sinking of four submarines. She was broken up in 1947....
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...
d and sank her. There were no survivors. James Hull, the prisoner from Lulworth Hill, had previously been transferred to the Italian submarine Finzi.
Replacement ship
In 1947 Dorset Steamships bought the Empire shipEmpire ship
The Empire ships were a series of ships in the service of the British Government. Their names were all prefixed with "Empire". Mostly they were used during World War II by the Ministry of War Transport , who owned the ships but contracted out their management to various shipping lines. Some ships...
SS Empire Mandarin and renamed her Lulworth Hill. In 1949 she was renamed Castle Hill. In 1950 she was transferred to a new Rethymnis & Kulukundis company, London & Overseas Freighters
London & Overseas Freighters
London & Overseas Freighters Ltd. was an ocean-going merchant shipping company that for most of its history was based in the United Kingdom.-Counties Ship Management:...
Ltd, who renamed her London Builder. LOF sold her in 1951 to new owners who registered her under the Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
nian flag of convenience
Flag of convenience
The term flag of convenience describes the business practice of registering a merchant ship in a sovereign state different from that of the ship's owners, and flying that state's civil ensign on the ship. Ships are registered under flags of convenience to reduce operating costs or avoid the...
as Silver Wake. She changed owners and names several more times, becoming Navarino in 1954, Stanhope in 1955 and Ardbrae in 1961. She was scrapped at Onomichi, Japan in 1966.