Technical
general cargo vessel - steam
7,177 GRT
Armament: 1 x 4 inch, 1 x 3 inch - 8 x 20 mm
Class: Liberty

The ship was in station Nr.45 (last ship in the extreme port column of the convoy) when she was torpedoed. Originally the vessel had been in station Nr.11 of the convoy but she had trouble keeping station during the night. Only once in seven night had she kept her position, each time during daytime she managed to catch up with the convoy and consequently her position changed.

The ship was hit by two torpedoes on port in the Nr.1 hold. A hole of 8 by 30 feet was created by the blast, the hatch cover was blown off, cargo was strewn overboard and the ship caught fire. A bit later a third torpedo hit on the port side at the N�4 hatch, a truck from the deck cargo was blown overboard and another small fire was started.

The engines now were secured and some of the eight officers, 34 crew, 28 armed guards and one passenger, abandoned ship in panic. They tried to launch three lifeboats but two of them capsized in the rough seas. Eight men managed to get away in the remaining lifeboat. Other men jumped overboard trying to swim to three rafts. Due to the cold water and the harsh weather, however, most of them died of exposure.

Only one officer, six crewmen and 17 armed guards survived. Twenty-three survivors and three bodies were picked up after five hours by the British rescue ship Accrington and landed at Gourock. A boarding party from the US Coast Guard cutter USS Ingham (WPG 35) later boarded the ship and noted that she could have been saved, but the watch below left the boilers fire lit, which had burned the boilers out.

The vessel was scuttled by gunfire at 13.00 hours. The boarding party also found one man who had not left the ship, they took him to the escort vessel. One week later two bodies were recovered from a raft by the French corvette Lobelia. U-456 also torpedoed Inverilen in this convoy.

Thanks to Walter Janssens for extra information on this page.

Unless otherwise stated, all dates and times are from the German perspective and are given in CET.
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