MV Nottingham (1941)

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History
Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
NameNottingham
Namesake Nottingham
Owner Federal Steam Nav Co
Port of registry London
Builder Alexander Stephen & Sons
Yard number576
Launched12 August 1941
CompletedNovember 1941
Identification
FateSunk by torpedo, 7 Nov 1941
General characteristics
Type refrigerated cargo ship
Tonnage8,532  GRT, 5,022  NRT
Length457.5 ft (139.4 m)
Beam60.3 ft (18.4 m)
Draught27 ft 5 in (8.36 m)
Depth35.6 ft (10.9 m)
Decks3
Installed power1,294 NHP
Propulsion single-acting two-stroke diesel
Speed15 knots (28 km/h)
Crew56 crew + 6 DEMS gunners
Sensors and
processing systems
Notes sister ship: Gloucester

MV Nottingham was a refrigerated cargo motor ship that was built in Scotland in 1941 for the Federal Steam Navigation Co. On her maiden voyage a u-boat torpedoed her, sinking her with all hands.

Contents

She was the first of two ships of this name in the Federal Steam fleet. The second Nottingham was a motor ship that was launched in 1949 and scrapped in 1971. [1]

Building

In 1941 Alexander Stephen and Sons of Linthouse, Glasgow built a pair of refrigerated cargo ships for Federal Steam. Gloucester was launched on 3 March 1941 and completed that July. [2] Her sister ship Nottingham was launched on 12 August and completed at the beginning of November. [3]

Each ship had a registered length of 457.5 ft (139.4 m), beam of 60.3 ft (18.4 m) and depth of 35.6 ft (10.9 m). Each had a single screw driven by a Barclay, Curle & Co six-cylinder, single-acting, two-stroke diesel engine. Nottingham's engine was rated at 1,294 NHP [4] and gave her a speed of 15 knots (28 km/h). [5]

Loss

At the beginning of November 1941 Nottingham left Glasgow on her maiden voyage. She was bound for New York with a general cargo that included Scotch whisky. [6] Her Master was Captain Francis Cecil Pretty, who in 1917 had been awarded the DSC when he was a Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve, [7] and in February 1941 had been made an OBE for keeping control of his ship after she was damaged by enemy action. [8]

On the night of 7 November U-74 engaged Nottingham in mid-Atlantic about 550 nautical miles (1,020 km) southeast of Cape Farewell, Greenland. Nottingham tried to ram the U-boat, but missed. The U-boat fired a torpedo from one of its stern tubes, which hit Nottingham in the stern at 2234 hrs. Nottingham stopped, and at 2250 hrs U-74 fired a spread of two torpedoes, both of which missed. At 2259 hrs a further torpedo from the U-boat hit Nottingham, sinking her. [9]

U-74 saw Nottingham's crew abandon ship in her lifeboats. But none of the boats was seen again, and all of Nottingham's 56 crew and six DEMS gunners were lost. [9]

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References

  1. ↑ "Nottingham (1949)". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  2. ↑ "Gloucester". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  3. ↑ "Nottingham (1941)". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  4. ↑ "Ships & Motorships". Lloyd's Register of Shipping (PDF). Lloyd's Register of Shipping. 1941. Retrieved 7 April 2021– via Southampton City Council.
  5. ↑ Claes, Johnny; Vleggeert, Nico. "MV Nottingham (+1941)". Wrecksite. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  6. ↑ "British ship with whisky sunk" . The New York Times . 15 November 1941. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  7. ↑ "No. 29997". The London Gazette (Supplement). 23 March 1917. p. 2951.
  8. ↑ "No. 35064". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 January 1941. p. 687.
  9. 1 2 Helgason, Guðmundur. "Nottingham". u-boat.net. Retrieved 7 April 2021.

53°24′N31°51′W / 53.400°N 31.850°W / 53.400; -31.850

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