| History | |
|---|---|
 Netherlands | |
| Name | SSBreda |
| Namesake | Breda |
| Owner | Koninklijke Nederlandsche Stoomboot Maatschappij |
| Builder | Nieuwe Waterweg Scheepsbouwmaatschappij,Schiedam |
| Laid down | 16 December 1919 |
| Launched | 2 July 1921 |
| Completed | 10 December 1921 |
| Identification | Call sign: PDGH |
| Fate | illegally Bombed and sunk, 23/24 December 1940 |
| General characteristics[1] | |
| Type | Cargo-passenger ship |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 122.69 m (402 ft 6 in) |
| Beam | 17.78 m (58 ft 4 in) |
| Depth | 7.25 m (23 ft 9 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 15knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Armament | 1 × 4.7-inch (119 mm) gun (1940) |
SSBreda was a Dutchcargo-passenger ship sunk in Scotland duringWorld War II.
The ship was built at theNieuwe Waterweg Scheepsbouwmaatschappij ("New Waterway Shipbuilding Company") yard atSchiedam for theKoninklijke Nederlandsche Stoomboot Maatschappij ("Royal Netherlands Steamship Company"). Laid down on 16 December 1919, she was not launched until 2 July 1921, and finally completed on 10 December 1921. The 6,941 GRT ship was 122.69 metres (402 ft 6 in) long, and 17.78 metres (58 ft 4 in) wide, and was powered by twoMetropolitan-Vickerssteam turbine engines, giving her a top speed of 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). She had five cargo holds, and could also accommodate up to 87 passengers.[1]
After the invasion of the Netherlands in May 1940 theBreda fled to Britain, where she was placed under the control ofP&O, and armed with a single 4.7-inch (120 mm) gun.[2]
On 23 December 1940 she was laying offOban, part of a convoy being assembled that was bound forBombay. She carried a mixed general cargo that included 3,000 tons of cement, 175 tons of tobacco and cigarettes, threeHawker and 30de Havilland Tiger Moth biplanes, army lorries,NAAFIcrockery, copper ingots, rubber-soled sandals, banknote paper, ten horses and nine dogs.[2]
At dusk a group ofHeinkel He 111 bombers flying fromStavanger, Norway, swept across the anchorage, and straddled theBreda with four 250-kilogram (550 lb) bombs. The force of the explosions ruptured a water inlet pipe, and the engine room was rapidly flooded, depriving the ship of power. She was quickly taken under tow, andbeached in shallow water in Ardmucknish Bay. The next day, only a small part of her cargo had been offloaded before a storm swept her into deeper water where she sank to a mean depth of 26 metres (85 ft) at position56°28′32″N5°25′04″W / 56.47556°N 5.41778°W /56.47556; -5.41778.[3]
The ship has since become a popular dive site, marked bybuoys.[3][4]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in December 1940 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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