SS Somersby
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | SS Somersby |
| Operator: | Sir R. Ropner & Co Ltd, West Hartlepool |
| Builder: | W. Gray & Co Ltd, West Hartlepool |
| Completed: | 1930 |
| Fate: | Sunk on 13 May 1941 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Steam merchant ship |
| Tonnage: | 5,170 tons |
| Crew: | 43 |
The SS Somersby was a steam merchant ship that saw service during the Second World War. She sailed with a number of convoys, including the ill-fated convoy SC-7, but managed to survive most of them before being torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat in 1941.[1]
Early career
Somersby was built in 1930 by W. Gray & Co Ltd, of West Hartlepool. She was operated by Sir R. Ropner & Co Ltd, also of West Hartlepool, and was homeported in the town.[1] On the outbreak of the Second World War she continued to make voyages to and from the British Isles carrying essential supplies. In common with many merchants, she travelled in convoys to protect against the risk of a U-boat attack. She made a number of journeys between UK ports, as well as transatlantic crossings and sailings from Liverpool to Gibraltar and back.[2] She was part of the ill-fated convoy SC-7 in October 1940, but was one of the few merchants to safely reach port in the UK after the convoy was overwhelmed by a U-boat wolf pack attack.[2]
Sinking
She continued to take part in the convoys though. Her last one was with convoy SC-30 under the command of her master John William Thompson. She departed Halifax Nova Scotia on 29 April 1941, carrying a cargo of 8,300 tons of grain and bound for Loch Ewe, before making passage to Hull.[1] She was unable to keep up with the main convoy however and was straggling behind it when she was spotted sailing southwest of Reykjavik during the night of 13 May by U-111, under the command of Wilhelm Kleinschmidt. He fired two torpedoes at the Somersby at 11.41 hours, one of which struck her amidships.[1] She eventually capsized and sank after being hit in the bow by a coup de grâce at 12.46 hours.[1] There were no casualties, the master, 38 crew members and four gunners successfully abandoned ship and survived to be picked up by the Greek merchant Marika Protopapa, which landed them at Loch Ewe.[1]
