SS Kingston Hill
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | SS Kingston Hill |
| Operator: | Counties Ship Management Co Ltd, London |
| Builder: | William Hamilton & Co, Port Glasgow[1] |
| Launched: | 1940 |
| Completed: | 1941 |
| Out of service: | 8 June 1941 |
| Fate: | Sunk by torpedo |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | dry cargo |
| Tonnage: | 7,628 long tons (8,543 ST; 7,750 t) gross tonnage |
| Length: | 421 feet (128 m) |
| Beam: | 61 feet (19 m) |
| Draught: | 35 feet (11 m) |
| Crew: | 62[1] |
SS Kingston Hill was a cargo ship completed by William Hamilton & Co in Port Glasgow on the Firth of Clyde in December 1940[1] She was managed by Counties Ship Management Co Ltd of London (CSM), an offshoot of the Rethymnis & Kulukundis shipbroking company.[2]
On 22 February 1941 she was bombed by Luftwaffe aircraft and damaged.[1] She was repaired at Glasgow.[1]
Sinking
In May 1941 Kingston Hill sailed from Cardiff and Glasgow laden with coal and general cargo for Alexandria in Egypt.[1] To avoid the enemy-controlled waters of the Mediterranean she was heading via Capetown in South Africa, but was unescorted.[1] She was southwest of the Cape Verde Islands heading into the South Atlantic when U-38 hit her with two torpedoes at 0108 hrs on 8 June 1941.[1] She sank at 0125 hrs with the loss of her Master and 13 crew.[1] 16 crew were rescued by the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Achates (H12) and returned to Greenock.[1] 26 crew were rescued by the US tanker Alabama and landed at Capetown.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Helgason, Guðmundur (1995-2010). "Kingston Hill". uboat.net. Guðmundur Helgason. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/979.html. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
- ↑ Fenton, Roy (2006). [http://www.lof-news.co.uk/CountiesHistory/Counties1.htm "Counties Ship Management 1934-2007"]. LOF-News. p. 1. http://www.lof-news.co.uk/CountiesHistory/Counties1.htm. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
Sources & further reading
- Sedgwick, Stanley (1993) [1992]. Kinnaird, Mark; O'Donoghue, K.J.. eds. London & Overseas Freighters, 1948-92: A Short History. World Ship Society. ISBN 0905617681.
- Sedgwick, Stanley; Sprake, R.F. (1977). London & Overseas Freighters Limited 1949-1977. World Ship Society. ISBN 0905617010.
