SS Ashantian

“The British Merchant Vessel Ashantian (4917 tons) which for some time was flying the distress signal 1 Mile N.E.of Portacloy L.O.P. was reported later on 27th inst. as being anchored in the same position with the distress signal removed.” G2 Daily report Summary No.323, 27th Sept 1940.

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LOP_63_02 27:09:40 page 67 H.png
LOP_63_02 28:09:40 page 68 H.png
LOP_63_02 29:09:40 page 69 H .png

From 27/07/40 for a two day period the SS Ashantian is sighted off the headland at Portacloy, LOP63.

In the logbooks notes over the following days

Sighted large trader 4 miles north West of Post, going west, Nationality unknown visibility poor

Ship reported is armed and is communicating by semaphore or international code with trawler or small ship

Sighted low winged monoplane 3 miles east of post flying low going west also destroyer 4 miles north of post Nat Unknown.

Trader reported is steamship SS Ashantian, now anchored 1 mile north of post flying distress signal Code flags. Two trawlers in attendance.

Destroyer reported now 2 miles north of post traveling in North Easterly direction

Destroyer has approached to within 1 1/2 miles N.E of post and is in communication with disabled ship Nationality British

Destroyer proceeds to sea in a Northerly direction

Trawler proceeds to sea in a northerly direction WL 158

Sighted armed trawler also Destroyer or Escort Vessel 6 miles north East of Post going east going east Nationality unknown. Also disabled ship still at anchor 1 mile east of post

Armed trawler WL158 now hovering around disabled ship. There are 9 lifeboat aboard disabled ship

Sighted low winged monoplane, flying low 3 miles east of post going west Nationality British same plane returned and flew in direction from which it had first appeared. Communicated with disabled ship with morse light

Second monoplane as above sighted west went west 4 miles distance Nationality British

Sighted low-wined monoplane Hudson type

Disabled ship Ashantian taken into tow by armed tugboat going North Easterly direction Escorted by armed trawler WL158

Below the events are reported in the G2 Daily report summaries 323, 324.

All documents courtesy of Military Archives, Cathal Brugha Barracks, Dublin.

IMG_4261 Ashantian 28 H .jpg
IMG_4476 Ashantian H .jpg
IMG_4478 Ashantian .jpg

From Website UBoat.net, Ships hit by UBoats, the following text. Ashantian. British Steam Merchant for 26th September 1940. (We assume permission to reporoduce text from website is acceptable, apologies if it is not)

At 00.50 and 00.51 hours on 26 Sep 1940, U-137 fired torpedoes at the convoy OB-218 west of Malin Head, sank Manchester Brigade and damaged the Ashantian (Master Charles C. Taylor) in position 55°10N/11°W. She had been en route from Liverpool to Freetown with 2000 tons of general cargo, including 112 mines and explosives. One torpedo struck on the port side in the engine room, disabling the ship and killing four crew members on watch below. As both port lifeboats had been destroyed, the 38 surviving crew members, two gunners (the ship was armed with two guns) and seven passengers immediately abandoned ship in the starboard boats, but one of them swamped in the heavy swell and they all had to board the same lifeboat. At daylight they reboarded the vessel, recovered the swamped lifeboat and sent distress signals to a circling aircraft, which alerted the nearby HMS Gloxinia (K 22) (LtCdr A.J.C. Pomeroy, RNVR). The commander of the corvette ordered the crew to leave again because a U-boat was reported in the nearby Dromore Bay, picked them up and left to investigate. In the meantime, HMS Wolves (FY 158) (Skipper B. Pile, RNR) arrived and four of her crew eventually boarded the vessel as she drifted towards the Irish coast and dropped the port anchor in 54°21N/09°46W. On 27 September, the corvette returned the master and eight crew members to their ship and then left to land the remaining survivors at Belfast. The master was shocked when he discovered that his ship had been looted by the boarding party of the armed trawler during their absence. The next day, the Ashantian was taken in tow by the rescue tug HMS Superman, which was joined by the tug HMS Seaman (W 44) off Innistrahull and together they towed the ship about 220 miles to Rothesay, where she was beached in Kames Bay on 30 September. In May 1941 the ship was refloated and towed to Glasgow where she was repaired and returned to service in September 1941.