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Note:Abbreviated dates = DD/MM/YY DBS = Distressed British Seaman
Fort A La CorneWas torpedoed and sunk by U-596 commanded by Gunter Jahn on 30 March 1943 at position 36°52'N/01°47'E, in the Mediterranean, west of Algiers. Part of convoy ET 16, comprising of 20 ships on a voyage from Bona (28/03/43) to Gibraltar, in ballast. The Master, Captain Reginald A Grove, 43 crew and 10 gunners were rescued and landed at Gibraltar.
Fort AnneOn 18 May 1943 at position 36°35'N/01°01'E whilst in convoy KMS.14, torpedoed and damaged by U-414 Commanded by Walter Huth.
Fort Athabaska2 December 1943 in an air raid at Bari. In total, 17 ships were lost. Several were carrying ammunition and blew up causing extensive damage to nearby ships. Over 1,00 men died as a result of the air attack. Fort Athabaska was a total loss. Roll of Honour
Fort Babine6 February 1943, damaged at position 41°31'N/14°39'W, by aircraft bomb. 13 September 1943, Set sail for U.K, under tow by naval tugs after 7 months of repairs when the ship was bombed by air craft 250 miles S.W. of Cape Finisteere (Spain). The Fort Babine had to be sunk so that it did not remain a drifting menace to shipping. Roll of Honour
Fort Battle RiverOn 6 March 1943 at position 36° 33'N/10° 22'W, west of Gibraltar, whilst in convoy KMS.10 (Liverpool to Bougie, Algeria) comprising of 57 ships, was torpedoed and sunk by U-410 commanded by Horst-Arno Fenski. Cargo was 3000 tons of government stores and also onboard were 9 army personnel. The master, Captain Albert Victor Parkinson Turnbull, crew of 45, 10 gunners and army personnel were rescued by HMCS corvette SHEDIAC and British ship EMPIRE FLAMINGO and landed at Gibraltar.
Fort Bellingham26 January 1944 at position 73° 25'N/25° 10'E whilst in convoy JW.56 comprising of 20 ships (U.K. to Murmansk) on government service with the convoy's commodore, 6 naval staff and 4900 tons of military including 500 tons of cordite and general stores , was first damaged by torpedo from U-360 commanded by Klaus Becker. Later sunk by torpedo from U-957 commanded by Gerd Schaar. The Master, Captain James Ninian Maley, Commodore I.W. Whitehorn RN, 22 crew 7 gunners and 4 naval staff were rescued and landed at Murmansk. Twenty crew, 16 gunners and 2 naval staff were lost. Further information on the fate of Fort Bellingham
Fort Buckingham20 January 1944 at estimated position 08° 19'N/66° 40'E north-west of Maldive Islands (Bombay to Buenos Aires via Durban, in ballast), sunk by torpedo from U-188 commanded by Siegried Lüdden. It is reported that the FORT BUCKINGHAM sank in about 5 minutes. The Master, Captain Murdo McLeod, 30 crew and 7 gunners were lost. On 05/02/44, 28 crew and 9 gunners were rescued by Norwegian ship ORA and transferred to HM destroyer REDOUBT and landed at Bombay on 09/02/44; 8 survivors rescued by Norwegian tanker KONGSDAL were landed at Melbourne on 22/02/44 and 6 survivors rescued by British ship MOORBY landed at Freemantle on 29/01/44. A survivor of the Fort Buckingham, Norman Gibson, tells his moving story (external link)
Fort Camosun20 June 1942 at position 47° 22'N/125° 30'W, damaged by torpedo from Japanese submarine I-25 commanded by Tagami. 3 December 1943 at position 11° 23'N/46° 03E, damaged by Japanese submarine I-27 commanded by Fukumura.
Fort Cedar Lake17 March 1943 at position 52° 14'N/32° 15'W on her maiden voyage (Vancouver to Belfast Lough via Panama and New York with general cargo) whilst in convoy SC.122 comprising 51 ships, damaged by torpedo from U-338 commanded by Manfred Kinzel. Later sunk by torpedo from U-665 commanded by Hans-Jürgen Haupt. The Master, Captain Charles Lloyde Collings, 42 crew and 7 gunners were rescued by rescue ship ZAMALEK and landed at Gourock on 22/03/43.
Fort Chilcotin24 July 1943 at position 15° 03'S/32° 35W in the South Atlantic, south of Recife (sailing independently, Rio de Janiero to the UK via Freetown with a cargo of 9103 tons of rock crystal and iron ore) sunk by torpedo from U-172 commanded by Carl Emmermann. The Master Captain John Kerr, 41 crew and 11 gunners were rescued on 29/07/43 by Argentinean tanker TACITO and landed at Rio de Janeiro on 01/08/43. Four crew were lost. Roll of Honour.
Fort Concord12 May 1943 on passage from St. John, N.B. to Manchester (convoy HX-237 comprising 46 ships) with a cargo of 8,500 tons of grain and 700t of military stores, the ship fell behind the rest of the convoy and was classed as a straggler when north of the Azores she was attacked by U-456 and later sunk by U-403 with the loss of 37 of the 56 on board. The Master, Francis Prideaux Ryan, 28 crew and 8 DEMS gunners were lost. The survivors, Chief Officer J.B. Tunbridge, 17 crew and 1 DBS were rescued by the Corvette, HMCS corvette DRUMHELLER and landed in Londonderry. Roll of Honour Fort Crevier14 April 1944 at Bombay, a fire broke out in the hold of Fort Stikine. There were two huge explosions which destroyed ships and buildings with thousands of people dead and injured. Fort Crevier was severely damaged and used as a hulk. Roll of Honour
Fort Dearborn30 July 1944 at position 50° 40'N/00° 31'E damaged by torpedo from E-Boat.
Fort Drew6 September 1943 at position 35° 52'N/14° 47'E damaged by mine.
Fort Fidler14 May 1944 at position 36° 45'N/00° 55E whilst in convoy GUS.39, damaged by torpedo from U-616 commanded by Siegried Koitschka.
Fort Fitzgerald4 October 1943 at position 36° 42'N/01° 17'E west of Algiers (U.S. to Middle East) sunk by torpedo from enemy aircraft. Roll of Honour.
Fort Franklin16 July 1943 in the Indian Ocean at position 22° 36'S/51° 22'E off East Madagascar whilst sailing independently on a voyage from Port Said and Aden to Lourenco Marques and Durban with 1500 tons of salt as ballast, was sunk by torpedo from U-181 commanded by Woolfgang Lüth. The Master Captain Thomas Witney Trott, 43 crew and 9 gunners landed at Manajara, Madagascar. Two crew were lost. Roll of Honour
Fort Gloucester18 August 1944 10¼ miles from Dungeness, damaged by torpedo from E-Boat.
Fort Good Hope11 June 1942 in the Atlantic at position 10° 19'N/80° 16W near the Panama Canal whilst sailing independently on a voyage from Vancouver to U.K. with a cargo of 9250 tons of wheat, timber, lead and zinc, was sunk by torpedo from U-159 commanded by Helmut Witte. The Master, Captain Horatio Gentles, 40 crew and 4 gunners were rescued by US gunboat ERIE and landed at Cristobal. Two crew were lost. Roll of Honour.
Fort Halkett6 August 1943 in the South Atlantic at position 09° 30'SS 25° 50'W east of Recife whilst sailing independently on a voyage from Africa to Brazil in ballast), sunk by torpedo and gunfire from U-185 commanded by August Maus. The Master, Captain William Walker and 23 survivors landed south of Natal, the Chief Officer and 23 survivors were rescued by US destroyer GOLDSBOROUGH and landed at Recife and the 2nd Officer and 10 survivors landed at Cabaadello, Brazil.
Fort Howe30 September 1943 in the Mediterranean at position 37° 19'N/06° 40'E East of Bougie whilst on a voyage from Salerno to U.K. in ballast convoy MKS.26 comprising 21 ships) was sunk by torpedo from U-410 commanded by Horst-Arno Fenski. The Master, Captain William Williams, crew of 49 and 18 gunners were rescued by HM corvettes SPIRAEA (landed at Bougie) and ALISMA (landed at and Algiers). Two gunners were lost. Roll of Honour
Fort Jemseg23 September 1943 in the Atlantic at position 53° 118'N/40° 24'W north-east of Newfoundland whilst on a voyage from Hull, U.K. to New York via Loch Ewe in ballast (convoy ON.202 comprising 38 ships), was sunk by torpedo from U-238 commanded by Horst Hepp. The Master, Captain Leslie Joseph White, 22 crew and 7 gunners were rescued by HM trawler NORTHERN FOAM and 22 crew were rescued by the Norwegian ship ROMULUS and landed at New York on 02/10/43. One crew was lost. Roll of Honour
Fort Kaskaskia30 July 1943 at position 50° 38'N/00° 27'E damaged by torpedo from E-Boat.
Fort La Baye10 November 1944 at position 31° 25'N/32° 23'E, damaged by mine.
Fort La Maune25 January 1944 in the Arabian Sea at position 13° 04'N/56° 30E, near Socotra Island whilst sailing independently on a voyage from New York, Suez and Aden to Cochin, India with a cargo of 8130 tons of general cargo and military stores, was sunk by torpedo from U-188 commanded by Siegfried Lüdden. The Master, Captain James William Binns, crew of 48 and 7 gunners landed on the Arabian coast and were taken by HM corvette NIGELLA to Aden on 06/02/44.
Fort La Reine17 August 1942 in the Windward Passage at position 18° 30'N/75° 20'W south-west of Mole St Nicholas, Haiti whilst in convoy PG.6 comprising of 23 ships, on a voyage from Vancouver to the UK via Cristobal, Guantanamo Bay and Halifax, NS with 9300 tons of general cargo including grain and lumber, was sunk by torpedo from U-658 commanded by Hans Senkel. The Master, Captain Percy William Pennock, 37 crew and 3 gunners were rescued by HM corvette PIMPERNEL and landed at Guantanamo Bay and 12 survivors were rescued by a US patrol boat landed at New Orleans. Two crew and 1 gunner were lost. Roll of Honour
Fort Lac La Ronge3 August 1944 at position 49° 22'N/00° 21'W off Le Havre, irreparably damaged by German human torpedo.
Fort Lajoie2 December 1943 in an air raid at Bari, German Ju 88 bombers attacked the harbour. In total, 17 ships were lost. Several were carrying ammunition and blew up causing extensive damage to nearby ships. Over 1,00 men died as a result of the air attack, 800 were taken to hospital, 628 suffered from mustard gas exposure which was in the cargo of one of the ships. Fort Lajoie was damaged. Roll of Honour
Fort Longueuil19 September 1943 at position 10° S/68° torpedoed and sunk by U-532 commanded by Ottoheinrich Junker. See The Fort Longueuil
Fort Louisbourg29 January 1944 at Surrey Commercial Docks, London damaged by aircraft bombs. Roll of Honour
Fort McLeod4 March 1944 in the Indian Ocean at position 02° 01'N/77° 06'E South-west of the Maldive Islands whilst sailing independently on a voyage from Durban to Majunga, Tamatave and Aden to the UK with a cargo of 2000 tons of copper and 1000 tons of military stores was sunk by torpedo and gunfire by Japanese submarine I-162 commanded by Doi. Thirty-four crew and 3 gunners landed 60 miles south of Lumbo, Portuguese East Africa on 26/08/44.
Fort McPherson11 June 1944 Damaged by bombs at position 50° 2N/00° 36W 26 July 1944 at Victoria Dock, London, damaged by Flying bomb.
Fort Maisonneuve15 December 1944 8.5 miles from NF14 buoy in Scheldt Est. (bound for Antwerp), sunk by mine. Roll of Honour
Fort Missanabie19 May 1944 in the Mediterranean at position 38° 20'N/16° 28'E south of Taranto whilst in convoy HA.43 comprising 40 ships, on a voyage from Taranto to Augusta on government service, was sunk by torpedo from U-453 commanded by Dierk Lührs. The Master, Captain Charles Robert Williamson, 10 crew and 1 gunner were lost. Thirty-five crew and 13 gunners were rescued by Norwegian ship SPERO and Italian corvette URANIA and landed at Augusta, Sicily. Roll of Honour
Fort Mumford20 May 1943 in the Indian Ocean at estimated position 10° N/71° E whilst on her maiden voyage from Vancouver BC and Lyttelton, New Zealand to Suez, Alexandria via Colombo and Aden with 6649 tons of military stores, was sunk by torpedo from Japanese submarine I-27 commanded by Fukumura. The Master, Captain John Henry Reardon Smith, 45 crew and 4 gunners were lost. Sole survivor, Gunner H Bailey was rescued by an Arab dhow and landed at Mikindani, Tanganyika. Roll of Honour
Fort Norfolk24 June 1944 off the assault beach at Normandy, sunk by mine. Read the report by the ship's Master, Captain G Hornsby.
Fort Norman9 March 1943 at position 36° 51N/01° 09'E whilst in convoy KMS.10, damaged by torpedo from U-596 commanded by Günter Jahn.
Fort Paskoyac6 March 1943 at position 36° 27'N/10° 17'W west of Gibraltar (UK to North Africa) whilst in convoy KMS.10, damaged by torpedo from U-410 commanded by Horst-Arno Fenski.
Fort Pelly20 July 1943 at Augusta, Sicily, sunk by aircraft bomb. Roll of Honour
Fort Perrot27 July 1944 at position 50° 50'N/00° 44'E (English Channel, south of Hastings during Normandy operations), damaged by torpedo from E-Boat.
Fort Qu'Appelle17 May 1942 in the North Atlantic at position 59° 50'N/63° 30'W north of Bermuda whilst sailing independently on her maiden voyage from Vancouver, Seattle and Kingston, Jamaica to the UK via Panama and Halifax NS with 9200 tons of general cargo including 500 tons of acetone, was sunk by torpedo from U-135 commanded by Friedrich-Hermann Praetorius. The Master, Captain Wilfred Alexander Murray, 12 crew and 1 gunner were lost. Ten crew and 1 gunner were rescued by RCN minesweeping sloop MELVILLE and landed at Shelburne NS and 22 crew were rescued by US ship GREEN ISLAND and landed at Kingston, Jamaica. Roll of Honour
Fort Rampart17 April 1943 in the Atlantic at position 47° 22N/21° 58'W whilst on a voyage from Port Alberini BC to Hull via Panama and New York with 8700 tons of general cargo and lumber, in convoy HX.233 comprising 54 ships, was damaged by torpedo from U-628 commanded by Heinrich Hasenschar and later sunk by U-628 and U-226 (Borchers). The Master, Captain William Henry Stein, 40 crew, 6 gunners and 3 DBS were rescued by HMCS corvette ARVIDA and landed at Greenock. Six crew were lost. Roll of Honour
Fort St Nicholas15 February 1944 in the Tyrrhenian Sea, east of Capri at position 40° 34'N/14° 38'E whilst on a voyage from Hull to August and Naples on government service with 4 passengers and a cargo of 4000 tons of military stores, was sunk by torpedo from U-410 commanded by Horst-Arno Fenski. The Master, Captain Kenneth Howard Pengelly, 48 crew, 14 gunners and 4 passengers landed at a small village on the coastline between Capri and Salerno.
Fort Stikine14 April 1944 at Bombay, a fire broke out in the hold. There were two huge explosions which destroyed ships and buildings with thousands of people dead and injured. Total loss. An excellent article to the events at the Merchant Navy Officers website (external link)
Fort Thompson2 November 1944 at position 48° 55'N/67° 41'W damaged by torpedo from U-1223 commanded by Albert Kneip.
Fort Yale8 August 1944 at position 49° 26'N/00° 33'W, damaged by mine 23 August 1944 in the English Channel, 17 miles SE of St Catherine's Point, Isle of Wight at position 50° 23'N/00° 55'W while under tow from Juno beach, Normandy to Portsmouth by HM tug HUDSON and US tug FARALLON, having been previously damaged by mine whilst part of convoy ETC 72, was sunk by torpedo from U-480 commanded by Hans-Joachim Förster. The Master, Captain George William Mortimer, 57 crew and 8 gunners were rescued by 3 Landing Craft Infantry and landed at Portsmouth. One navy signalman was lost.
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