 The only known photograph of SSBroompark, taken in June 1940 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | SSBroompark |
| Owner | J. & J. Denholm Ltd, Glasgow |
| Operator | Denholm Line Steamers |
| Port of registry |  Greenock, United Kingdom |
| Builder | Lithgows |
| Yard number | 921 |
| Launched | 12 September 1939 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Sunk 28 July 1942 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Cargo ship |
| Tonnage | 5,136 GRT, 3,057 NRT |
| Length | 446 ft (136 m)overall |
| Beam | 56 ft (17.1 m) |
| Draft | 25 feet 9 inches (7.85 m) |
| Depth | 24.8 ft (7.56 m) |
| Installed power | 1,950 indicated horsepower (1,450 kW) |
| Propulsion | 1 x 3 cyl. triple expansion engine, single shaft, 1 screw, cruiser stern |
| Speed | 10.5 kn (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph) |
| Crew | 49 |
SSBroompark was a Britishcargo ship which wastorpedoed by aU-boat on 25 July 1942 and sank three days later.Launched in October 1939, it was operated by theDenholm Line. In June 1940 as part ofOperation Aerial it brought 33 French scientists includingLew Kowarski andHans Halban, and their families to Britain before theFall of France. They brought with them 26 cans containing 185 kilograms (408 lb) ofheavy water, machine tools, and $10 million in diamonds. The ship was torpedoed on 21 September 1940, but made port under its own steam.
SSBroompark was built byLithgows Limited inPort Glasgow, Scotland, for J. & J. Denholm Limited. It was launched in October 1939, and operated by the Denholm Line.[1] Acargo ship of 5,136 gross register tons, it was 446 feet (136 m)long overall and 56 feet (17.1 m)abeam, with a depth of 24.8 feet (7.56 m).[2] Herdraught was 25 feet 9 inches (7.85 m)[3] She was propelled by a three-cylindertriple expansion engine, with a singledrive shaft andscrew.[2]
Broompark was allocated theCode Letters GCBC and the United KingdomOfficial Number 168288. Her port of registry wasGreenock,Renfrewshire.[3] The ship'smaster was Captain Olaf Paulsen. Born inChristiania, Norway, in 1878, he had left when he was 14 and made his home inLeith, Scotland, becoming a British citizen in 1904. After starting out withChristian Salvesen as a cook, he had earned his master's certificate, and joined the Denholm Line. He had commanded SSBriarpark in the 1920s, but had been forced to retire in 1938 after running his shipaground. Soon after theSecond World War broke out, Paulsen found himself in charge of the line's newest ship, and the most valuable cargo it had ever carried.[4][5][6]
On 13 June 1940,Broompark enteredBordeaux harbour with a load of coal. She had sailed as part ofconvoy OG 33F in company with SSEarlspark, another vessel of the Denholm Line also carrying coal, butEarlspark had been sunken route by a GermanU-boat,U-101 on 12 June.[5][7][8]Paris hadfallen the previous day, and Paulsen agreed that once his cargo was discharged, he would take on refugees and carry them to England.[5]
About a hundred people took up his offer. Amongst those who boarded was theEarl of Suffolk, who had been the British Scientific Liaison Officer from theDepartment of Scientific and Industrial Research to the French government. With Major Ardale Vautier Golding (1902-1992[9]) and their secretaries, Eileen Beryl Morden (Suffolk) and Marguerite Nicolle (Golding), they had left Paris on 10 June. They had escorted thirty-three eminent scientists and technicians, includingLew Kowarski andHans Halban, along with their families, fromClermont Ferrand to Bordeaux, and arranged for their passage to England onBroompark.[5][10]
The scientists brought with them 26 cans containing 185 kilograms (408 lb) ofheavy water worth £22,000. Originally from Norway, it was a vital ingredient innuclear energy research that would find use in the BritishTube Alloys project. The managing director of theAntwerp Diamond Bank, Paul Timbal, joined them, bringing with him between £1 million and £3 million in diamonds. They also discovered 600 long tons (610 t) of machine tools in wagons on the quay, which were loaded on board. The diamonds and the heavy water were strapped to the deck on wooden pallets, so that if the ship was sunk they might float free, and possibly be recovered.[5][11][10] On 19 June,Broompark weighed anchor and sailed down theGironde estuary without the assistance of apilot ortugboats, and made its way safely toFalmouth, arriving on 21 June.[5]
On 21 September 1940,Broompark was travelling fromHalifax to Glasgow in convoy HX 72, laden with 5,130 long tons (5,210 t) of lumber and metal. At 23:38 it was torpedoed by a German U-boat,U-48. One crewman was killed. Paulsen was in his bunk at the time. When he reached the bridge, he found that 40 of his 48 crewmen had abandoned ship. With his chief engineer and the seven other crewmen on board, he had ballast pumped into theleeward bilge to lift the ship onto an even keel, andBroompark continued the voyage under its own steam. It was bombed and strafed by aFocke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor off the coast of Scotland, but the Condor was driven off by anti-aircraft fire fromBroompark and its escort.Broompark made port, and was repaired and restored to service. For his gallantry, Paulsen was made anOfficer of the Order of the British Empire in January 1941.[1][6][12] He was also awarded theLloyd's War Medal for Bravery at Sea.[13]
On 25 July 1942,Broompark, now under the command of Captain John Leask Sinclair wasen route to New York with convoy ON 113. The ship was carrying ballast only. At 03:52, the convoy came under attack fromU-552 under the command ofFregattenkapitänErich Topp, which torpedoed thetankerBritish Merit. At 04:49, it torpedoedBroompark. Four members of the crew were killed, including Sinclair. The remaining 45, including the seven-man naval gun party, were picked up by thecorvetteHMCS Brandon and taken toSt. John's. The ship was taken in tow by thefleet tugUSS Cherokee, but sank at 06:00 on 28 July 1942.[6][1][2]
42°0′N40°26′W / 42.000°N 40.433°W /42.000; -40.433
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in July 1942 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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