SS Marietta E
Encyclopedia
SS Marietta E was completed by William Hamilton & Co
in Port Glasgow
on the Firth of Clyde
in June 1940. She was managed by Counties Ship Management
Ltd of London, an offshoot of the Rethymnis & Kulukundis shipbroking
company. She was named after Marietta E Kulukundis, a member of the Kulukundis family
that had a major shareholding in her.
in Egypt via Durban
and Aden
. She was laden with a cargo of government and commercial stores and deck cargo of eight LCPL
landing craft. In Durban she joined convoy DN-21 to Alexandria via Aden
. At 0346 hrs on 4 March in the Indian Ocean east of East London U-160 fired two torpedoes at the convoy, one of which sank the Marietta E killing four crew and a gunner. South African Navy
rescue launch R8 rescued the Master, 33 crew and six gunners and landed them at Durban.
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 June 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...
Ltd of London, 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. She was named after Marietta E Kulukundis, a member of the Kulukundis family
Eddie Kulukundis
Sir Eddie Kulukundis OBE is a member of a Greek shipping family whose professional career has spanned shipping and the theatre....
that had a major shareholding in her.
Sinking
Early in 1943 she sailed from New York, bound for AlexandriaAlexandria
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 via Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
and Aden
Aden
Aden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a...
. She was laden with a cargo of government and commercial stores and deck cargo of eight LCPL
LCPL
The Landing Craft Personnel was a landing craft used extensively in the Second World War. Its primary purpose was to ferry troops from transport ships to attack enemy-held shores. The craft derived from a prototype designed by the Eureka Tug-Boat Company of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA...
landing craft. In Durban she joined convoy DN-21 to Alexandria via Aden
Aden
Aden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a...
. At 0346 hrs on 4 March in the Indian Ocean east of East London U-160 fired two torpedoes at the convoy, one of which sank the Marietta E killing four crew and a gunner. South African Navy
South African Navy
The South African Navy is the navy of the Republic of South Africa.-Formation:The South African Navy can trace its official origins back to the SA Naval Service, which was established on 1 April 1922....
rescue launch R8 rescued the Master, 33 crew and six gunners and landed them at Durban.