Second World War: South Atlantic: Torpedoed Merchant ship SS Jeremiah Wadsworth

MERCHANT SHIP SS JEREMIAH WADSWORTH

Col William Marshall (SANDF – Ret)

At 14h35 on 27 November 1942, the unescorted Merchant ship SS Jeremiah Wadsworth (Master Arnt Magnusdal) was hit by two torpedoes fired from U-178 (Fregattenkapitän Hans Ibekken) about 270 miles South of Cape Agulhas while steaming a zig-zag course at 11.4 knots. The first torpedo struck on the starboard side at the No 5 hold and the second at the No.3 hold. A third torpedo fired at 14h44 hours missed, passing under the fantail.

Another torpedo fired two minutes later struck well forward of the bridge in the No.1 hold. The explosions fatally wounded the ship and blew two rafts and one lifeboat overboard. The engines could not be secured because of a jammed valve and the first two lifeboats launched were swamped due to the headway of the ship, which circled out of control at 7 knots until she plunged by the bow with the screws still revolving.

Fifteen minutes after the first hit, the eight Officers, 35 Crewmen and 14 Armed Guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, one 3in and four 20mm guns) abandoned ship in three boats and two rafts.

The survivors were briefly questioned by the U-boat, which left after the ship sank at 15h27. All the survivors eventually combined into the three boats which became separated during the night. 20 survivors in one boat were rescued by an Allied ship and landed safely in Cape Town. The 18 survivors in the second lifeboat were picked up the following day by HMS Alcantara (F 88) and landed safely in Simonstown.

The remaining 15 crew members and four armed guards in the third and last boat were picked up on 03 December by the American Steam Merchant Ship S.S John Lykes and landed at Bermuda. From Bermuda, they were taken to Norfolk in England, arriving there on 01 Jan, 1943.