MV Deucalion

Deucalion
History
United Kingdom
NameDeucalion
NamesakeDeucalion
OwnerOcean SS Co Ltd
Operator A Holt & Co
Port of registryLiverpool
BuilderHawthorn, Leslie & Co, Hebburn
Yard number568
Launched29 July 1930
CompletedDecember 1930
Identification
FateScuttled, 12 August 1942
General characteristics
Typerefrigerated cargo ship
Tonnage7,740 GRT, 4,790 NRT, 8,880 DWT
Length460.0 ft (140.2 m)
Beam59.4 ft (18.1 m)
Depth29.3 ft (8.9 m)
Decks2
Installed power1,307 NHP, 8,600 bhp
Propulsion
  • 2 × screws
  • 2 × four-stroke diesel engines
Speed16 kn (30 km/h)
Sensors and
processing systems
ArmamentDEMS
Notessister ships: Agamemnon, Menestheus, Memnon, Ajax

MV Deucalion was a Blue Funnel Line refrigerated cargo ship that was built in England in 1930 and sunk in the Second World War in 1942. She survived being damaged in the Liverpool Blitz in December 1940 and took part in two Malta convoys to relieve the Siege of Malta. She survived air attacks during the first of these, Operation Substance, in July 1941 but was lost on her second Malta Convoy, Operation Pedestal, in August 1942. This was the third of five Blue Funnel ships to be named after Deucalion, a mythological king of Thessaly in Ancient Greece.

Five sister ships

Between 1929 and 1931 Blue Funnel Line had a class of five cargo ships built to the same design by four UK shipyards. Deucalion was the third of the five. R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company built her in Hebburn on the River Tyne as yard number 568. She was launched on 29 July 1930 and completed that December.[1]

The first member of the class was Agamemnon, built by Workman, Clark and Company in Belfast and launched in April 1929.[2] The second was Menestheus, built by Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Company in Dundee and launched in August 1929.[3] The others were Memnon, launched by Caledon in Dundee in October 1930 and Ajax, launched by Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company in Greenock in December 1930.[4][5]

Description and identification

Deucalion's registered length was 460.0 ft (140.2 m), her beam was 59.4 ft (18.1 m) and her depth was 29.3 ft (8.9 m). Her tonnages were 7,740 GRT, 4,790 NRT[6] and 8,880 DWT.[7]

Deucalion was a twin-screw motor ship. She had two eight-cylinder Burmeister & Wain four-stroke single-acting diesel engines. Her twin engines were rated at 1,307 NHP.[6] The engines were supercharged on the Büchi and Rateau systems, which increased their bhp from 6,600 to 8,600.[8] This gave Deucalion a speed of 16 kn (30 km/h).[9]

Blue Funnel Line registered Deucalion at Liverpool. Her UK official number was 162329 and until 1933 her code letters were LGQS. Her wireless telegraph call sign was GSWR.[10] Her navigation equipment included wireless direction finding by 1934 and an echo sounding device by 1936.[11][12]

War service

In the Second World War, Deucalion usually sailed independently. Only a few times did she have the protection of convoys.[13] Early in September 1940 she was in home waters. On 25 September she left Liverpool with Convoy OB 10 and then continued unescorted via Gibraltar, the Suez Canal, Colombo, Penang, Singapore, Manila, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Kobe to Yokohama, where she arrived on 22 November. On 7 December she left Yokohama for home, calling at Kobe, Singapore, Penang, Colombo, Suez and Gibraltar. She reached London on 22 January 1940 and Liverpool on 30 January.[13]

Deucalion's next voyage began from Liverpool on 28 February 1940. She sailed via the Suez Canal, Jeddah, Aden, Penang, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai to Tientsin, where she was in port from 23 to 26 April. She returned home via Singapore, Penang, Colombo, Cape Town and Freetown in Sierra Leone, reaching London on 29 June.[13]

France had capitulated in the Armistice of 22 June 1940, making the English Channel more dangerous for Allied shipping. Deucalion returned from London to Liverpool via the North Sea and around the north of Scotland. She left Southend-on-Sea on 8 July with Convoy FN 217, which took her as far as Methil on the Firth of Forth. From there she continued with Convoy OA 182, which took her to Swansea. She returned unescorted to Liverpool, arriving on 21 July.[13]

Deucalion's next voyage began from Liverpool on 31 July 1940. She vailed via Cape Verde, Cape Town, Penang, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai to Kobe. She left Kobe on 8 October and returned via Cebu, Singapore and Cape Town, reaching Liverpool on 7 December.[13] From 20 to 22 December 1940 there were air raids on Liverpool that came to be called the Christmas Blitz. Deucalion was in Gladstone Dock, where she was damaged on the night of 21–22 December.[14]

Deucalion's next voyage began from Liverpool on 25 January 1941. She sailed via Cape Town, Singapore and Hong Kong to Shanghai, where she was in port from 12 to 14 April. She returned via Manila, Singapore and Cape Town, reaching Liverpool on 11 June 1941.[13]

Force H's escort for Convoy GM 1 included air cover from HMS Ark Royal

On 24 June Deucalion left Liverpool for Swansea, where she was prepared to take part in Operation Substance to relieve the Siege of Malta. She left Swansea on 11 July and became one of six merchant ships in Convoy WS 9C, which reached Gibraltar on 20 July. There the six merchant ships became part of Convoy GM 1, which left that day and reached Malta on 24 July, escorted by the Royal Navy's Force H.[13]

Operation Substance was successful but as Deucalion left Malta on 26 August, a coastal artillery battery inexplicably opened fire on her. She was undamaged but minutes later one of her paravanes detonated a mine that damaged some of her plates. Later that day, Savoia-Marchetti aircraft fired at least two torpedoes at her. By skilful manoeuvring, Deucalion evaded each torpedo, one by only 3 ft (1 m) and another scraped her side. One of the bombers was shot down. Deucalion's crew then sighted the periscope of a submarine, but an Allied destroyer and Short Sunderland arrived, enabling Duecalion to escape.[14][15] Deucalion reached Gibraltar under escort on 29 August and then continued unescorted to New York, where she was in port from 15 to 27 September. She returned unescorted to Britain, arriving in the Firth of Clyde on 8 October.[13]

Nieuw Amsterdam, largest of the troop ships in Convoy WS 12Z

Deucalion's next voyage began from the Clyde on 12 November 1941. She sailed via Freetown and Durban to Bombay with Convoy WS 12Z, a large convoy that included several troop ships. From Bombay she continued independently via Batavia, Surabaya and Fremantle to Sydney, where she was in port from 10 March to 10 April. She returned to Britain via Port Chalmers, Bluff and the Panama Canal, reaching the Clyde on 3 July.[13]

Operation Pedestal

In August 1942 Deucalion took part in Convoy MW 12, part of Operation Pedestal to relieve Malta. MW 12 passed Gibraltar on 10 August and came under attack from 11 August. On 12 August five Heinkel He 111 bombers attacked Deucalion. One bomb penetrated her number 5 hold aft, exploded below the waterline and lifted the ship bodily in the water. Number 1 hold forward also flooded but Deucalion kept under way toward Malta. A few hours later, three bombers made a low-level attack but their bombs missed.[14][15]

Deucalion after being damaged by a bomb. A destroyer, presumably HMS Bramham, is standing by.

An aircraft launched a torpedo at her, hitting her starboard side in number 6 hold aft. The explosion broke her starboard propeller shaft and ignited high-octane spirit that was part of her cargo. A sheet of flame rose twice the height of her masthead, preventing crew members at her stern from reaching their boat stations. Crew members amidships launched life rafts for those crew members who were trapped astern. One badly-injured DEMS gunner had been trapped by a falling raft but two apprentices freed him and lowered him into the water, where one of the apprentices, John Gregson, towed him a distance of about 600 yards to a rescuing destroyer.[14][15] Despite the severity of the attack, only one member of Deucalion's crew was killed.[9] The destroyer HMS Bramham stood by and rescued survivors. Despite being seriously damaged Deucalion did not immediately sink and was scuttled by Bramham.[14]

Honours

On 10 November 1942 Deucalion's Master, Captain Ramsay Brown, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions aboard Deucalion,[16] and the King's Commendation for his actions when I-7 sank a previous command of his, Glenshiel, on 2 April 1942.[17][18] Lloyd's of London awarded Lloyd's War Medal for Bravery at Sea to Captain Brown, apprentice John Gregson,[19] and a Captain Percival Pycraft, OBE, DSC, RNR, who was also aboard Deucalion.[20]

On 6 December 1942, Brown was a passenger on the Elder, Dempster ship Henry Stanley when U-103 sank her. The passengers and crew abandoned ship in her four lifeboats, but none of the boats or its occupants was ever found.[21]

On 6 February 1943, Gregson was awarded the Albert Medal for Lifesaving for his part in freeing the trapped gunner and towing him to safety.[22]

References

  1. ^ "Deucalion". Tyne Built Ships. Shipping and Shipbuilding Research Trust. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  2. ^ "Agamemnon". Shipping and Shipbuilding. Shipping and Shipbuilding Research Trust. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  3. ^ "Menestheus". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  4. ^ "Memnon". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  5. ^ "Ajax". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  6. ^ a b Lloyd's Register 1931, Vol II, DET–DEW.
  7. ^ Lloyd's Register 1931, Vol I.
  8. ^ Le Fleming 1961, p. 26.
  9. ^ a b "MV Deucalion (+1942)". Wrecksite.eu. 4 July 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  10. ^ Mercantile Navy List 1931, p. 675.
  11. ^ Lloyd's Register 1934, DET–DIA.
  12. ^ Lloyd's Register 1936, DES–DEV.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i Hague, Arnold. "Port Arrivals / Departures". Arnold Hague Ports Database. Don Kindell, Convoyweb. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  14. ^ a b c d e Haws 1984, p. 102.
  15. ^ a b c Le Fleming 1961, p. 31.
  16. ^ "The Distinguished Service Cross". The London Gazette (Supplement). No. 35780. 10 November 1942. p. 4880.
  17. ^ "Commendations". The London Gazette (Supplement). No. 35778. 10 November 1942. p. 4874.
  18. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ramsay Brown". uboat.net. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  19. ^ de Neumann, Bernard. "Lloyd's War Medal for Bravery at Sea (Part One)". WW2 People's War. BBC. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  20. ^ de Neumann, Bernard. "Lloyd's War Medal for Bravery at Sea (Part Two)". WW2 People's War. BBC. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  21. ^ "Civilian Ramsay Brown". CWGC. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  22. ^ "No. 35886". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 February 1943. p. 604.

Bibliography

  • "Alphabetical List of Cargo Steamers and Motorships of 500 tons Deadweight capacity and above, with approximate Deadweight and Cubic capacities". Lloyd's Register of Shipping (PDF). Vol. I.–Steamers and Motorships Under 300 Tons, Trawlers, Tugs, Dredgers, etc. Sailing Vessels, Shipowners, etc. London: Lloyd's Register of Shipping. 1931 – via Southampton City Council.
  • Haws, Duncan (1984). Blue Funnel Line. Merchant Fleets. Vol. 6. Burwash: Travel Creatours Ltd Publications. ISBN 0-946378-01-0.
  • Le Fleming, HM (1961). Ships of the Blue Funnel Line. Southampton: Adlard Coles Ltd. OCLC 776899828.
  • Lloyd's Register of Shipping (PDF). Vol. II.–Steamers and Motorships of 300 Tons Gross and Over. London: Lloyd's Register of Shipping. 1931 – via Southampton City Council.
  • Lloyd's Register of Shipping (PDF). Vol. II.–Steamers and Motorships of 300 Tons Gross and Over. London: Lloyd's Register of Shipping. 1934 – via Southampton City Council.
  • Lloyd's Register of Shipping (PDF). Vol. II.–Steamers and Motorships of 300 Tons Gross and Over. London: Lloyd's Register of Shipping. 1936 – via Southampton City Council.
  • Mercantile Navy List. London. 1931 – via Crew List Index Project.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

Media related to Deucalion (ship, 1930) at Wikimedia Commons

Read other articles:

Konferensi Tingkat Tinggi Governors Island

Konferensi Tingkat Tinggi Governors IslandBush, Reagan dan GorbachevTuan rumah Amerika SerikatTanggal7 Desember 1988TempatGovernors IslandKotaKota New YorkPeserta Mikhail Gorbachev Ronald ReaganSebelumnyaKTT Moskwa (1988)SelanjutnyaKTT Malta (1989) Konferensi Tingkat Tinggi (KTT) Governors Island adalah pertemuan puncak antara Presiden Amerika Serikat Ronald Reagan dan Sekretaris Jenderal Partai Komunis Uni Soviet Mikhail Gorbachev. Itu diadakan pada tanggal 7 Desember 1988. Wakil Presid...

 

باب العزيزية

باب العزيزيّة صورة للقذافي في لوحة إعلانيّة ضخمة خِلال احتفالهِ عام 2010 بمرور 41 سنة من قيادته للدولة الليبيّةصورة للقذافي في لوحة إعلانيّة ضخمة خِلال احتفالهِ عام 2010 بمرور 41 سنة من قيادته للدولة الليبيّة البلد ليبيا  الموقع طرابلس النوع قاعدة عسكرية الإحداثيات 32°52′20″N...

 

Myron T. Herrick

American politician (1854–1929) Myron T. Herrick42nd Governor of OhioIn officeJanuary 11, 1904 – January 8, 1906LieutenantWarren G. HardingPreceded byGeorge K. NashSucceeded byJohn M. PattisonU.S. Ambassador to FranceIn office1912–1914Preceded byRobert BaconSucceeded byWilliam Graves SharpIn office1921–1929Preceded byHugh Campbell WallaceSucceeded byWalter Evans Edge Personal detailsBornMyron Timothy Herrick(1854-10-09)October 9, 1854Lorain County, Ohio, U.S.DiedMarch 31,...

For You (lagu)

For YouSingel oleh Liam Payne dan Rita Oradari album Fifty Shades Freed: Original Motion Picture SoundtrackDirilis5 Januari 2018 (2018-01-05)FormatUnduhan digitalDirekam2017GenreSynth-popelectropop[1]danceDurasi4:04LabelUniversal StudiosRepublicPenciptaAli PayamiAli TamposiAndrew WotmanProduserAli PayamiWattPeter KarlssonKronologi singel Liam Payne singles Bedroom Floor (2017) For You (2018) Familiar (2018) Kronologi singel Rita Ora Anywhere(2017) For You(2018) Girls(20...

 

Гимн Узбекской ССР

Государственный гимн Узбекской Советской Социалистической РеспубликиЎзбекистон Совет Социалистик Республикасининг давлат мадҳияси Автор слов Тураб Тула и Темур Фаттах Композитор Мута́ль Бурха́нов Страна Узбекская ССР Утверждён 1947 год Отменён 31 августа 1991 года Флаг ...

 

Kiai language

Austronesian language spoken in Vanuatu KiaiFortsenalVara KiaiNative toVanuatuRegionEspiritu Santo IslandNative speakers450 (2001)[1]Language familyAustronesian Malayo-PolynesianOceanicSouthern OceanicNorth-Central VanuatuNorth VanuatuEspiritu SantoKiaiOfficial statusOfficial language inVanuatuLanguage codesISO 639-3frtGlottologfort1240ELPKiaiKiai is not endangered according to the classification system of the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger Kiai is an O...

Chris O'Donnell

Chris O'DonnellChris saat menghadiri premier Film Max Payne (film), Hollywood, CA pada 10 Maret 2008LahirChristopher Eugene O'DonnellSuami/istriCaroline Fentress(1997–sekarang)5 anak Christopher Eugene O'Donnell (lahir 26 Juni 1970) merupakan seorang aktor berkebangsaan Amerika Serikat yang memenangkan nominasi Golden Globe. Dia menjadi terkenal saat bermain di film utamanya seperti Batman dan Scents a Woman. Dia dilahirkan di Winnetka, Illinois. Dia berkarier di dunia film sejak tahun...

 

Depo Changi

Depo Changi樟宜车厂Aerial view of the Changi DepotIkhtisarLokasi5 Koh Sek Lim Road, Singapore 486050Koordinat1°19′46.67″N 103°57′27.33″E / 1.3296306°N 103.9575917°E / 1.3296306; 103.9575917PemilikLand Transport AuthorityOperatorSMRT CorporationJenisAt-gradeDibuka1989DetailsRolling stockC151, C651, C751B, C151ARuteEast West Line Depo Changi (Tionghoa: 樟宜车厂) terletak di Changi, dekat Jalan Koh Sek Lim, Singapura. Depo Changi meliputi sebuah pangka...

 

Foulsham railway station

Former railway station in England FoulshamFoulsham station, 2014General informationLocationFoulsham, Broadland, NorfolkEnglandGrid referenceTG027242Platforms1Other informationStatusDisusedHistoryPre-groupingEast Norfolk Railway Great Eastern RailwayPost-groupingLondon & North Eastern Railway Eastern Region of British RailwaysKey dates1 May 1882Opened15 September 1952Closed to passengers31 October 1964Closed to freight Foulsham was a railway station in North Norfolk. It served the village ...

Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao

Peta menunjukkan lokasi Sultan Kudarat Sultan Kudarat adalah munisipalitas yang terletak di provinsi Maguindanao, Filipina. Pada tahun 2010, munisipalitas ini memiliki populasi sebesar 150.475 jiwa atau 29.505 rumah tangga. Pembagian wilayah Secara administratif Sultan Kudarat terbagi menjadi 39 barangay, yaitu: Alamada Banatin Banubo Bulalo Bulibod Calsada Crossing Simuay Dalumangcob (Pob.) Darapanan Gang Inawan Kabuntalan Kakar Kapimpilan Katidtuan Katuli Ladia Limbo Maidapa Makaguiling Kat...

 

Ahn So-hee

Ini adalah nama Korea; marganya adalah Ahn. Ahn So-heeAhn untuk Marie Claire KoreaNama asal안소희LahirAhn So-hee27 Juni 1992 (umur 31)Seoul, Korea SelatanPekerjaanAktrisduta merekpenyanyiTahun aktif2007–sekarangAgenKeyEastKarier musikGenreK-popInstrumenVokalTahun aktif2007 (2007)–2013 (2013)LabelJYP EntertainmentArtis terkaitWonder GirlsJYP Nation Nama KoreaHangul안소희 Hanja安昭熙 Alih AksaraAn So-huiMcCune–ReischauerAn Sohŭi Templat:Korean membutuhka...

 

Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District

An MTD bus at UCSB in 2007.Founded1968Headquarters1020 Chapala StreetSanta Barbara, CaliforniaService areaSanta Barbara, Carpinteria, Goleta, Montecito, Summerland, Isla VistaService typeTransit busRoutes37Fleet113 busesDaily ridership16,200 (weekdays, Q1 2024)[1]Annual ridership4,579,600 (2023)[2]Fuel typeCNG, battery electricWebsitesbmtd.gov The Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD) is a public transit agency providing bus service in the southern portion of ...

Crime Museum

Collection of memorabilia in London Black Museum redirects here. For other uses, see Black Museum (disambiguation) and Crime museum (disambiguation). The Crime Museum in its former home at New Scotland Yard, 8–10 Broadway (now demolished) The Crime Museum is a collection of criminal memorabilia kept at New Scotland Yard, headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service in London, England. Known as the Black Museum until the early 21st century, the museum came into existence at Scotland Yard ...

 

التحالف الإسلامي العسكري لمحاربة الإرهاب

  التحالف الإسلامي العسكري لمحاربة الإرهاب الْتَّحَالُفُ الْإِسْلَامِيُّ الْعَسْكَرِيّ لِمُحَارَبَةِ الْإِرْهَاب  التحالف الإسلامي العسكري لمحاربة الإرهاب‌ الدول الإسلامية المشاركة في التحالف العسكري. الاختصار (بالإنجليزية: IMCTC)‏،  و(بالفرنسية: AMICT)‏  المق�...

 

Kwon Sang-woo

South Korean actor In this Korean name, the family name is Kwon. Kwon Sang-wooKwon Sang-woo in September 2019Born (1976-08-05) August 5, 1976 (age 47)Daejeon, South KoreaEducationHannam University - B.A.[1]OccupationActorYears active2001–presentSpouse Son Tae-young ​(m. 2008)​Children2Korean nameHangul권상우Hanja權祥佑[2][3][4]Revised RomanizationGwon Sang-uMcCune–ReischauerKwŏn Sang'u Kwon Sang-woo (in Korean: ...

Primer (molecular biology)

Short strand of RNA or DNA that serves as a starting point for DNA synthesis For other uses, see Primer. The DNA replication fork. RNA primer labeled at top. A primer is a short, single-stranded nucleic acid used by all living organisms in the initiation of DNA synthesis. A synthetic primer may also be referred to as an oligo, short for oligonucleotide. DNA polymerase (responsible for DNA replication) enzymes are only capable of adding nucleotides to the 3’-end of an existing nucleic acid, ...

 

Meteņi

Part of a series onBaltic religion Mythology Prussian Lithuanian Latvian Indo-European Deities Panbaltic Perkūnas Velnias Dievas Saulė Mėnulis Prussian Patollo Peckols Potrimpo Swayxtix Autrimps Aušlavis Bardoayts Kurka Pilnytis Puszajtis Latvian Ūsiņš Ceroklis Jumis Auseklis Laima Dēkla Kārta Lauma Māra Mahte Lithuanian Gabija Žemyna Laima Medeina/Žvorūna Laumė/Ragana Aušrinė Bangpūtys/Vėjopatis Rūgutis Miscellaneous Aitvaras Kaukai Barstukai Lauksargiai/Žemėpačiai Fest...

 

Лебедев, Лев Алексеевич

В Википедии есть статьи о других людях с такой фамилией, см. Лебедев; Лебедев, Лев. Лев Алексеевич Лебедев Деятельность священник, публицист Рождение 27 июля 1935(1935-07-27)Курск, РСФСР, СССР Смерть 29 апреля 1998(1998-04-29) (62 года)Нью-Йорк, Нью-Йорк, США Лев Алексе́евич Ле́бедев (27 июля...

Apostolic Lutheran Church of America

Apostolic Lutheran Church of AmericaAbbreviationThe Federation, ALCAClassificationProtestantOrientationLutheranRegionUnited StatesFounderSalomon KorteniemiOrigin1872Members6,000 (2009)Other name(s)Salomon Korteniemi Lutheran Society (1872–1879)Finnish Apostolic Lutheran Congregation (1879–1900s)Finnish Apostolic Lutheran Church Part of a series onLutheranism in the United States Heritage of Mainline Protestantism and the Confessing Movement Augsburg Lutheran Churches Evangelical Lutheran...

 

The Incredible Dr. Pol

Artikel atau sebagian dari artikel ini mungkin diterjemahkan dari The Incredible Dr. Pol di en.wikipedia.org. Isinya masih belum akurat, karena bagian yang diterjemahkan masih perlu diperhalus dan disempurnakan. Jika Anda menguasai bahasa aslinya, harap pertimbangkan untuk menelusuri referensinya dan menyempurnakan terjemahan ini. Anda juga dapat ikut bergotong royong pada ProyekWiki Perbaikan Terjemahan. (Pesan ini dapat dihapus jika terjemahan dirasa sudah cukup tepat. Lihat pula: panduan p...