| History | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Namesake | |
| Owner |
|
| Operator |
|
| Port of registry | |
| Builder | Hamburger Elbe Schiffswerft AG |
| Yard number | 5 |
| Completed | April 1923 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Sunk by air attack, 8 August 1940 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Cargo ship |
| Tonnage | 942 GRT, 510 NRT |
| Length | 221.1 ft (67.4 m) |
| Beam | 34.5 ft (10.5 m) |
| Depth | 13.4 ft (4.1 m) |
| Decks | 1 |
| Installed power | 126NHP |
| Propulsion | triple-expansion steam engine |
| Speed | 10.5 knots (19 km/h) |
SSAjax was acargosteamship that was built inGermany in 1923 asElbe. In 1927 she was renamed twice, first toCeuta and then toAjax.
A series of German shipping companies owned the ship until 1927, when a Dutch company bought her. ALuftwaffe air raid sank her in theEnglish Channel in 1940. Her wreck off theIsle of Wight is now a destination forwreck diving.
The Hamburger Elbe Schiffswerft builtElbe inHamburg for Kirsten Adolf & Co. Her registered length was 221.1 ft (67.4 m), herbeam was 34.5 ft (10.5 m) and her depth was 13.4 ft (4.1 m). Hertonnages were 942 GRT and 510 NRT.[1]
Gute Hoffnungshütte ofOberhausen built her three-cylindertriple-expansion steam engine, which was rated at 126NHP[1] and gave her a speed of 10.5 knots (19 km/h).[2]
Kirsten Adolf & Co registeredElbe inHamburg. In 1924 Rochling, Menzell & Co bought her. In 1927 the Oldenburg-Portugiesische Dampfschiffs-Rhederei (OPDR) boughtElbe and renamed herCeuta. Later in 1927, OPDR soldCeuta to theKoninklijke Nederlandse Stoomboot-Maatschappij (KNSM), which renamed herAjax and registered her inAmsterdam.[3]
Under KNSM ownershipAjax had the Dutchcode letters NBTJ until 1933−34,[1] when they were superseded by thecall sign PCFQ.[4]
On 10 May 1940Germany invaded the Netherlands. On 31 JulyAjax leftFalmouth, Cornwall in Convoy CE 8, which reached theThames Estuary offSouthend on 5 August.[5] On 7 AugustAjax left Southend with Convoy CW 9 to head west down theEnglish Channel.[6] CW 9 wascode named Peewit.[7] It comprised 26 cargo ships with no naval escort.[6]
GermanFreya radar detected CW 9 as it passed through theStrait of Dover. FourE-boats attacked the convoy, sinking four ships. As CW 9 passed south ofSt Catherine's Point on the Isle of Wight,Junkers Ju 87dive bombers andMesserschmitt Bf 109fighter aircraft attacked.RAF Fighter Command counter-attacked,[7] but at 0910 hrs[2] two Ju 87s and a Bf 109 hit the forward part ofAjax with three bombs.[6] She sank within five minutes, and four members of her crew were killed.[7]
Ajax's wreck lies on itsport side on white sand at a depth of about 40 m (130 ft). Her stern is broken up but her bow, boilers, engine and helm can all be identified. Her wreck is now arecreational dive site.[7]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in August 1940 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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