.jpg) Deucalion | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Deucalion |
| Namesake | Deucalion |
| Owner | Ocean SS Co Ltd |
| Operator |  A Holt & Co |
| Port of registry | Liverpool |
| Builder | Hawthorn, Leslie & Co,Hebburn |
| Yard number | 568 |
| Launched | 29 July 1930 |
| Completed | December 1930 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Scuttled, 12 August 1942 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | refrigerated cargo ship |
| Tonnage | 7,740 GRT, 4,790 NRT, 8,880 DWT |
| Length | 460.0 ft (140.2 m) |
| Beam | 59.4 ft (18.1 m) |
| Depth | 29.3 ft (8.9 m) |
| Decks | 2 |
| Installed power | 1,307NHP, 8,600bhp |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 16 kn (30 km/h) |
| Sensors and processing systems |
|
| Armament | DEMS |
| Notes | sister ships:Agamemnon,Menestheus,Memnon,Ajax |
MVDeucalion was aBlue Funnel Linerefrigerated cargo ship that was built inEngland in 1930 and sunk in theSecond World War in 1942. She survived being damaged in theLiverpool Blitz in December 1940 and took part in twoMalta convoys to relieve theSiege of Malta. She survived air attacks during the first of these,Operation Substance, in July 1941 but was lost on her second Malta Convoy,Operation Pedestal, in August 1942. This was the third of five Blue Funnel ships to be named afterDeucalion, a mythological king ofThessaly inAncient Greece.
Between 1929 and 1931 Blue Funnel Line had a class of five cargo ships built to the same design by four UK shipyards.Deucalion was the third of the five.R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company built her inHebburn on theRiver Tyne as yard number 568. She was launched on 29 July 1930 and completed that December.[1]
The first member of the class wasAgamemnon, built byWorkman, Clark and Company inBelfast and launched in April 1929.[2] The second wasMenestheus, built byCaledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Company inDundee and launched in August 1929.[3] The others wereMemnon, launched by Caledon in Dundee in October 1930 andAjax, launched byScotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company inGreenock in December 1930.[4][5]
Deucalion's registered length was 460.0 ft (140.2 m), her beam was 59.4 ft (18.1 m) and her depth was 29.3 ft (8.9 m). Hertonnages were 7,740 GRT, 4,790 NRT[6] and 8,880 DWT.[7]
Deucalion was a twin-screwmotor ship. She had two eight-cylinderBurmeister & Wainfour-strokesingle-acting diesel engines. Her twin engines were rated at 1,307NHP.[6] The engines weresupercharged on theBüchi andRateau systems, which increased theirbhp from 6,600 to 8,600.[8] This gaveDeucalion a speed of 16 kn (30 km/h).[9]
Blue Funnel LineregisteredDeucalion atLiverpool. Her UKofficial number was 162329 and until 1933 hercode letters were LGQS. Herwireless telegraphcall sign was GSWR.[10] Her navigation equipment included wirelessdirection finding by 1934 and anecho sounding device by 1936.[11][12]
In the Second World War,Deucalion usually sailed independently. Only a few times did she have the protection of convoys.[13] Early in September 1940 she was in home waters. On 25 September she left Liverpool with Convoy OB 10 and then continued unescorted viaGibraltar, theSuez Canal,Colombo,Penang,Singapore,Manila,Hong Kong,Shanghai andKobe toYokohama, where she arrived on 22 November. On 7 December she left Yokohama for home, calling at Kobe, Singapore, Penang, Colombo, Suez and Gibraltar. She reached London on 22 January 1940 and Liverpool on 30 January.[13]
Deucalion's next voyage began from Liverpool on 28 February 1940. She sailed via the Suez Canal,Jeddah,Aden, Penang, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai toTientsin, where she was in port from 23 to 26 April. She returned home via Singapore, Penang, Colombo,Cape Town andFreetown inSierra Leone, reaching London on 29 June.[13]
France had capitulated in theArmistice of 22 June 1940, making theEnglish Channel more dangerous for Allied shipping.Deucalion returned from London to Liverpool via theNorth Sea and around the north ofScotland. She leftSouthend-on-Sea on 8 July with Convoy FN 217, which took her as far asMethil on theFirth of Forth. From there she continued with Convoy OA 182, which took her toSwansea. She returned unescorted to Liverpool, arriving on 21 July.[13]
Deucalion's next voyage began from Liverpool on 31 July 1940. She vailed viaCape Verde, Cape Town, Penang, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai to Kobe. She left Kobe on 8 October and returned viaCebu, Singapore and Cape Town, reaching Liverpool on 7 December.[13] From 20 to 22 December 1940 there were air raids on Liverpool that came to be called theChristmas Blitz.Deucalion was inGladstone Dock, where she was damaged on the night of 21–22 December.[14]
Deucalion's next voyage began from Liverpool on 25 January 1941. She sailed via Cape Town, Singapore and Hong Kong to Shanghai, where she was in port from 12 to 14 April. She returned via Manila, Singapore and Cape Town, reaching Liverpool on 11 June 1941.[13]
On 24 JuneDeucalion left Liverpool for Swansea, where she was prepared to take part in Operation Substance to relieve the Siege of Malta. She left Swansea on 11 July and became one of six merchant ships in Convoy WS 9C, which reached Gibraltar on 20 July. There the six merchant ships became part of Convoy GM 1, which left that day and reached Malta on 24 July, escorted by theRoyal Navy'sForce H.[13]
Operation Substance was successful but asDeucalion left Malta on 26 August, acoastal artillerybattery inexplicably opened fire on her. She was undamaged but minutes later one of herparavanes detonated a mine that damaged some of her plates. Later that day,Savoia-Marchetti aircraft fired at least two torpedoes at her. By skilful manoeuvring,Deucalion evaded each torpedo, one by only 3 ft (1 m) and another scraped her side. One of the bombers was shot down.Deucalion's crew then sighted the periscope of a submarine, but an Allieddestroyer andShort Sunderland arrived, enablingDuecalion to escape.[14][15]Deucalion reached Gibraltar under escort on 29 August and then continued unescorted toNew York, where she was in port from 15 to 27 September. She returned unescorted to Britain, arriving in theFirth of Clyde on 8 October.[13]
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Deucalion's next voyage began from the Clyde on 12 November 1941. She sailed via Freetown andDurban toBombay with Convoy WS 12Z, a large convoy that included severaltroop ships. From Bombay she continued independently viaBatavia,Surabaya andFremantle toSydney, where she was in port from 10 March to 10 April. She returned to Britain viaPort Chalmers,Bluff and thePanama Canal, reaching the Clyde on 3 July.[13]
In August 1942Deucalion took part in Convoy MW 12, part of Operation Pedestal to relieve Malta. MW 12 passed Gibraltar on 10 August and came under attack from 11 August. On 12 August fiveHeinkel He 111 bombers attackedDeucalion. One bomb penetrated her number 5 hold aft, exploded below the waterline and lifted the ship bodily in the water. Number 1 hold forward also flooded butDeucalion kept under way toward Malta. A few hours later, three bombers made a low-level attack but their bombs missed.[14][15]
An aircraft launched a torpedo at her, hitting her starboard side in number 6 hold aft. The explosion broke her starboard propeller shaft and ignited high-octane spirit that was part of her cargo. A sheet of flame rose twice the height of her masthead, preventing crew members at her stern from reaching their boat stations. Crew members amidships launched life rafts for those crew members who were trapped astern. One badly-injuredDEMS gunner had been trapped by a falling raft but two apprentices freed him and lowered him into the water, where one of the apprentices,John Gregson, towed him a distance of about 600 yards to a rescuing destroyer.[14][15] Despite the severity of the attack, only one member ofDeucalion's crew was killed.[9] The destroyerHMS Bramham stood by and rescued survivors. Despite being seriously damagedDeucalion did not immediately sink and wasscuttled byBramham.[14]
On 10 November 1942Deucalion'sMaster,Captain Ramsay Brown, was awarded theDistinguished Service Cross for his actions aboardDeucalion,[16] and theKing's Commendation for his actions whenI-7 sank a previous command of his,Glenshiel, on 2 April 1942.[17][18]Lloyd's of London awardedLloyd's War Medal for Bravery at Sea to Captain Brown, apprentice John Gregson,[19] and a Captain Percival Pycraft, OBE, DSC,RNR, who was also aboardDeucalion.[20]
On 6 December 1942, Brown was a passenger on theElder, Dempster shipHenry Stanley whenU-103 sank her. The passengers and crew abandoned ship in her four lifeboats, but none of the boats or its occupants was ever found.[21]
On 6 February 1943, Gregson was awarded theAlbert Medal for Lifesaving for his part in freeing the trapped gunner and towing him to safety.[22]
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Media related toDeucalion (ship, 1930) at Wikimedia Commons
