 Niger in 1940 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Niger |
| Ordered | 5 February 1935 |
| Builder | J. Samuel White,Cowes[1] |
| Laid down | 1 April 1935 |
| Launched | 29 January 1936 |
| Homeport | Dover,Kent |
| Identification | Pennant number: J73 |
| Fate | Sunk on 5 July 1942 from damage caused by a mine offIceland. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Halcyon-classminesweeper |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 245 ft 3 in (74.75 m) |
| Beam | 33 ft 6 in (10.21 m) |
| Draught | 9 ft (2.7 m) |
| Propulsion | Vertical triple-expansion, 2,000 ihp (1,500 kW) |
| Speed | 17 knots (31 km/h) |
| Range | 7,200 nmi (13,330 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h) |
| Complement | 80 |
| Armament |
|
HMSNiger was aHalcyon-classminesweeper of theRoyal Navy. She waslaunched in 1936 and was sunk during theSecond World War. On 5 July 1942, the vessel sailed into aminefield while escortingConvoy QP 13 and struck one of the mines, later sinking with only eight survivors.
In fog on 5 July 1942Niger mistook an iceberg forIceland's North Western Cape and led six merchant ships ofMurmansk toReykjavíkconvoy QP 13 intoNorthern Barrage minefield SN72 laid one month earlier at the entrance to theDenmark Strait.[2] Every ship detonated Britishmines. There were no crewmen lost aboard the Soviet freighterRodina (4,441GRT),[3] thePanamanian-flagged freighterExterminator (6,115 GRT), or the American freighterHybert (6,120 GRT); but 46 civilian crew and 9Naval Armed Guards died aboard the AmericanLiberty shipJohn Randolph (7,191 GRT) and freightersHefron (7,611 GRT) andMassmar (5,825 GRT);[4] and there were only eight survivors of the 127 men aboardNiger. OnlyExterminator could be salvaged.[5] The value of the Northern Barrage was questioned following the accident.[6]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in July 1942 | |
|---|---|
| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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