 Persier | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Owner |
|
| Operator |
|
| Port of registry |
|
| Builder | Northumberland Shipbuilding Co Ltd |
| Yard number | 248 |
| Launched | February 1918 |
| Completed | June 1918 |
| Out of service | 1941–43 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Torpedoed and sunk on 11 February 1945 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Cargo ship |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 400 ft 2 in (121.97 m) |
| Beam | 52 ft 3 in (15.93 m) |
| Draught | 25 ft 3 in (7.70 m) |
| Depth | 28 ft 5 in (8.66 m) |
| Propulsion | Triple expansion steam engine |
| Speed | 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h) |
| Crew | 51 |
Persier was a 5,382 GRT cargo ship which was built in 1918 asWar Buffalo for theBritish Shipping Controller. In 1919, she was sold toBelgium and renamedPersier. Between 1934 and 1941 she also held a passenger certificate. She was driven ashore on theIcelandic coast in a storm in February 1941 which put her out of action for two years. Returned to service in February 1943, she served until 11 February 1945, when she was torpedoed and sunk byU-1017 with the loss of 20 crew.
The ship was built as yard number 248 in 1918 by Northumberland Shipbuilding Ltd,Newcastle-on-Tyne,Northumberland. She was completed in June 1918.[1]
The ship was 400 feet 2 inches (121.97 m) long, with a beam of 52 feet 3 inches (15.93 m). She had a depth of 28 feet 5 inches (8.66 m) and a draught of 25 feet 3 inches (7.70 m). She was assessed at 5,349 GRT, 3,271 NRT.[2]
The ship was propelled by atriple expansion steam engine, which had cylinders of 27 inches (69 cm), 44 inches (110 cm) and 73 inches (190 cm) diameter by 48 inches (120 cm) stroke. The engine was built by North East Marine Engine Co (1938) Ltd,Newcastle upon Tyne.[2] It produced 517nhp.[1] It could propel the ship at 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h).[3]
War Buffalo was built for the British Shipping Controller. Her port of registry wasLondon and she was operated under the management of Ranking, Gilmour & Co Ltd. In 1919, she was sold to Lloyd Royal BelgeSA,Antwerp and renamedPersier,[1] TheCode Letters MPDI were allocated.[2] She was the second Lloyd Royal Belge ship to bear that name.[4] On 19 January 1922,Persier rescued five crew from theNewfoundland-registeredschoonerEileen Lake, which foundered in theAtlantic Ocean west of Newfoundland.[5] In 1930, Lloyd Royal Belge was merged with the Compagnie Maritime Belge du Congo to formCompagnie Maritime Belge SA.[6]Persier was operated under the management of Agence Maritime Internationale.[2] In 1934, her Code letters were changed to OOZA.Lloyd's Register shows that the ship held a passenger certificate from that date.[2]
In May 1940,Persier took part inOperation Dynamo.[7] On 28 October 1940,Persier departedHalifax,Nova Scotia as a member ofConvoy HX 84. She was carrying a cargo ofsteel destined ofHull.[8] In December 1940, she was anchored atOban,Argyllshire when an air raid was carried out byHeinkel He 111 bombers based atStavanger,Norway. Two bombs fell astern ofPersia. ADutch ship, theBreda was sunk. Although it was not realised at the time,Persier had been damaged in the raid, and some leaks were discovered during her next voyage, which was across theAtlantic.[7] Her destination wasBaltimore, Maryland.[1] Once she was fully loaded, further damage was discovered and repairs had to be made, which left her straggling behind her convoy.[7]
On 28 February 1941,[1]Persier was battered by a storm, with a hatch cover being ripped off and the steering and electrical systems failing.[7] She was stranded east off Vik in Myrdalur,Iceland and was severely damaged.[1]Persier was refloated in April,[7] and towed toReykjavík by thetugAegir for initial repairs to be made. On 9 June,Persier was taken to the Kleppsvik Strand, but broke her back as she was insufficiently supported, and was subsequently beached. On 8 February 1942, she was refloated and re-beached, finally being refloated on 20 May. She was towed by the tugsEmpire Bascobel andEmpire Larch to aTyneside shipyard for repairs, which were completed in February 1943.[1]Persier's first voyage on return to service was fromLiverpool toNew York,United States as a member ofConvoy ON 169. Departing on 22 February, the convoy arrived on 21 March.[9] In September 1943,Persier was a member of Convoy SC 141, which departed Halifax, Nova Scotia on 3 September, and arrived at Liverpool on 17 September. She was carrying a cargo of steel andwoodpulp and was bound for London.[10]
In 1944,Persier was selected to be one of theblockships whenOperation Overlord, the invasion ofFrance took place. Although she was prepared for scuttling, the decision was later reversed and she was refitted and returned to service.[7] On 8 February 1945Persier began her final voyage as part of Convoy BTC 65, setting off from Cardiff to take food to the liberated but starving people of Belgium.[11] Carrying the convoy'sCommodore,[7]Persier was carrying a cargo consisting 2,400 tons soup, 1,400 tonsdried eggs, 1,000 tons meat and 20 tons of general cargo. On 11 February 1945Persier was 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) off theEddystone Lighthouse when she was hit by one of three torpedoes fired byU-1017. The ship developed a list to port and began to sink by the bows. One of thelifeboats was swamped and another was driven into the propeller, which was still turning. Twenty of the 51 crew, 8 naval personnel and fourstowaways were killed. The BritishcoastersBirker Force andGem rescued seven and 20 people respectively.HMS Cornelian rescued 16 people. AlthoughPersier was taken in tow, she later sank.[12]
In 1969, the wreck ofPersier was discovered by Plymouth SoundBritish Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC) at50°17′00″N3°58′15″W / 50.28333°N 3.97083°W /50.28333; -3.97083.[13] She sits on her port side in 92 feet (28 m) of water, with the bow at a depth of 59 feet (18 m).[14]
In 1975, adiabeticdiver was injured on the wreck, resulting in aban by BSAC of diving by diabetics.[15]This ban has now been lifted.[16] The wreck ofPersier is host to a variety of marine life, includingconger eels andlobsters.[7]
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