MV Nottingham (1941)

History
United Kingdom
Name	Nottingham
Namesake	Nottingham
Owner	Federal Steam Nav Co
Port of registry	London
Builder	Alexander Stephen & Sons
Yard number	576
Launched	12 August 1941
Completed	November 1941
Identification	UK Official number 168227 Call sign BCPS
Fate	Sunk by torpedo, 7 Nov 1941
General characteristics
Type	refrigerated cargo ship
Tonnage	8,532 GRT, 5,022 NRT
Length	457.5 ft (139.4 m)
Beam	60.3 ft (18.4 m)
Draught	27 ft 5 in (8.36 m)
Depth	35.6 ft (10.9 m)
Decks	3
Installed power	1,294 NHP
Propulsion	single-acting two-stroke diesel
Speed	15 knots (28 km/h)
Crew	56 crew + 6 DEMS gunners
Sensors and processing systems	wireless direction finding echo sounding device
Notes	sister ship: Gloucester

MV Nottingham was a refrigerated cargo motor ship that was built in Scotland in 1941 for the Federal Steam Navigation Co. On her maiden voyage a u-boat torpedoed her, sinking her with all hands.

She was the first of two ships of this name in the Federal Steam fleet. The second Nottingham was a motor ship that was launched in 1949 and scrapped in 1971.[1]

Building

In 1941 Alexander Stephen and Sons of Linthouse, Glasgow built a pair of refrigerated cargo ships for Federal Steam. Gloucester was launched on 3 March 1941 and completed that July.[2] Her sister ship Nottingham was launched on 12 August and completed at the beginning of November.[3]

Each ship had a registered length of 457.5 ft (139.4 m), beam of 60.3 ft (18.4 m) and depth of 35.6 ft (10.9 m). Each had a single screw driven by a Barclay, Curle & Co six-cylinder, single-acting, two-stroke diesel engine. Nottingham's engine was rated at 1,294 NHP[4] and gave her a speed of 15 knots (28 km/h).[5]

Loss

At the beginning of November 1941 Nottingham left Glasgow on her maiden voyage. She was bound for New York with a general cargo that included Scotch whisky.[6] Her Master was Captain Francis Cecil Pretty, who in 1917 had been awarded the DSC when he was a Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve,[7] and in February 1941 had been made an OBE for keeping control of his ship after she was damaged by enemy action.[8]

On the night of 7 November U-74 engaged Nottingham in mid-Atlantic about 550 nautical miles (1,020 km) southeast of Cape Farewell, Greenland. Nottingham tried to ram the U-boat, but missed. The U-boat fired a torpedo from one of its stern tubes, which hit Nottingham in the stern at 2234 hrs. Nottingham stopped, and at 2250 hrs U-74 fired a spread of two torpedoes, both of which missed. At 2259 hrs a further torpedo from the U-boat hit Nottingham, sinking her.[9]

U-74 saw Nottingham's crew abandon ship in her lifeboats. But none of the boats was seen again, and all of Nottingham's 56 crew and six DEMS gunners were lost.[9]

References

1. "Nottingham (1949)". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
2. "Gloucester". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
3. "Nottingham (1941)". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
4. "Ships & Motorships". Lloyd's Register of Shipping (PDF). Lloyd's Register of Shipping. 1941. Retrieved 7 April 2021 – via Southampton City Council.
5. Claes, Johnny; Vleggeert, Nico. "MV Nottingham (+1941)". Wrecksite. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
6. "British ship with whisky sunk". The New York Times. 15 November 1941. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
7. "No. 29997". The London Gazette (Supplement). 23 March 1917. p. 2951.
8. "No. 35064". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 January 1941. p. 687.
9. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Nottingham". u-boat.net. Retrieved 7 April 2021.

53°24′N 31°51′W