MV British Prudence
Encyclopedia
The MV British Prudence was a tanker
built by Sir James Laing & Sons Ltd., Sunderland in 1939 and operated by the British Tanker Company
.
carrying 11,500 tons of Admiralty
fuel oil bound for St. John's, Newfoundland
. She joined eastbound convoy HX
181 but bad weather prevented the convoy from forming correctly. On 22 March the weather worsened with "hail and snow turning to rain, and the wind was south-east, increasing to gale force 7
". Her master, Captain G.A. Dickson, saw ships in the convoy columns to port and starboard of British Prudence repeatedly converging in heavy seas, so at 2100 hrs. to avoid the risk of collision he reduced her speed.
At 1020 hrs. on 23 March the wind had moderated to a westerly force 4. At about 1050 hrs. a torpedo fired by U-boat
U-754 hit the British Prudence amidships on the starboard side, causing extensive damage to No. 8 tank and the midships accommodation. The radio cabin collapsed through the Master's cabin, narrowly missing Captain Dickson who was in his dayroom. Seconds later a second torpedo struck the starboard side of the stern
, extensively damaging the engine room
, which caught fire. The ship then began to sink by her stern. The engineer officer on watch and two members of the engine room crew were lost. The starboard stern motor lifeboat was blown out of her davit
s and broken in two. In the bow of the ship a fire broke out, fuelled by kerosene
barrels and gas cylinders stored in the fo'c's'le
. The crew abandoned ship in the port stern lifeboat and two midships lifeboats.
The stern sank until the bow
became vertical, and then the ship sank completely at about 1115 hrs. The crew used sea anchor
s to keep the three lifeboats close together. Their position before being torpedoed was 45° 28' north and 56° 13' west, and Captain Dickson estimated the boats were 400 or 500 miles from land. The survivors spent a cold, soaking wet night in heavy seas in the lifeboats.
from troopship convoy NA 006 was sent to the area. The survivors did not know this as the receiving part of their main radio had been lost.
On the morning of 24 March the lifeboats were fog-bound until about 1130 hrs. Shortly after the fog lifted, the crew sighted the destroyer and signalled her with flares
and yellow signal flags
. The Witherington rescued all the occupants of the lifeboats, and on 25 March landed them back at Halifax.
For Captain Dickson this was his second sinking in as many months. On 19 February he had been the Master of the when she was torpedoed and sunk at Port of Spain
, Trinidad
. On 2nd May 1942 Dickson returned safely to Glasgow as a passenger aboard the Furness Lines
freighter .
, Glasgow and launched on 20 December 1948. She was similar in size and outward appearance to her predecessor, but her funnel was positioned further aft than on the 1939 ship.
Tanker (ship)
A tanker is a ship designed to transport liquids in bulk. Major types of tankship include the oil tanker, the chemical tanker, and the liquefied natural gas carrier.-Background:...
built by Sir James Laing & Sons Ltd., Sunderland in 1939 and operated by the British Tanker Company
British Tanker Company
British Tanker Company Limited was the maritime transport arm of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, the forerunner of BP. The British Tanker Company was formed in 1915 with an initial fleet of seven oil tankers...
.
Sinking
On 21 March 1942 British Prudence sailed from Halifax, Nova ScotiaCity of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
carrying 11,500 tons of Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
fuel oil bound for St. John's, Newfoundland
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
. She joined eastbound convoy HX
HX convoys
The HX convoys were a series of North Atlantic convoys which ran during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II. They were east-bound convoys and originated in Halifax, Nova Scotia from where they sailed to ports in the United Kingdom...
181 but bad weather prevented the convoy from forming correctly. On 22 March the weather worsened with "hail and snow turning to rain, and the wind was south-east, increasing to gale force 7
Beaufort scale
The Beaufort Scale is an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea or on land. Its full name is the Beaufort Wind Force Scale.-History:...
". Her master, Captain G.A. Dickson, saw ships in the convoy columns to port and starboard of British Prudence repeatedly converging in heavy seas, so at 2100 hrs. to avoid the risk of collision he reduced her speed.
At 1020 hrs. on 23 March the wind had moderated to a westerly force 4. At about 1050 hrs. a torpedo fired by U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
U-754 hit the British Prudence amidships on the starboard side, causing extensive damage to No. 8 tank and the midships accommodation. The radio cabin collapsed through the Master's cabin, narrowly missing Captain Dickson who was in his dayroom. Seconds later a second torpedo struck the starboard side of the stern
Stern
The stern is the rear or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite of the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Originally, the term only referred to the aft port section...
, extensively damaging the engine room
Engine room
On a ship, the engine room, or ER, commonly refers to the machinery spaces of a vessel. To increase the safety and damage survivability of a vessel, the machinery necessary for operations may be segregated into various spaces, the engine room is one of these spaces, and is generally the largest...
, which caught fire. The ship then began to sink by her stern. The engineer officer on watch and two members of the engine room crew were lost. The starboard stern motor lifeboat was blown out of her davit
Davit
A davit is a structure, usually made of steel, which is used to lower things over an edge of a long drop off such as lowering a maintenance trapeze down a building or launching a lifeboat over the side of a ship....
s and broken in two. In the bow of the ship a fire broke out, fuelled by kerosene
Kerosene
Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
barrels and gas cylinders stored in the fo'c's'le
Forecastle
Forecastle refers to the upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters...
. The crew abandoned ship in the port stern lifeboat and two midships lifeboats.
The stern sank until the bow
Bow (ship)
The bow is a nautical term that refers to the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is most forward when the vessel is underway. Both of the adjectives fore and forward mean towards the bow...
became vertical, and then the ship sank completely at about 1115 hrs. The crew used sea anchor
Sea anchor
A sea anchor, is a device external to the boat, attached to the bow used to stabilize a boat in heavy weather. It anchors not to the sea floor but to the water itself, as a kind of brake. Sea anchors are known by a number of names, such as drift anchor, drift sock, para-anchor, and boat brakes...
s to keep the three lifeboats close together. Their position before being torpedoed was 45° 28' north and 56° 13' west, and Captain Dickson estimated the boats were 400 or 500 miles from land. The survivors spent a cold, soaking wet night in heavy seas in the lifeboats.
Crew rescue
On 23 March distress messages from the wireless operators on the lifeboats were received, and the W class destroyerV and W class destroyer
The V and W class was an amalgam of six similar classes of destroyer built for the Royal Navy under the War Emergency Programme of the First World War and generally treated as one class...
from troopship convoy NA 006 was sent to the area. The survivors did not know this as the receiving part of their main radio had been lost.
On the morning of 24 March the lifeboats were fog-bound until about 1130 hrs. Shortly after the fog lifted, the crew sighted the destroyer and signalled her with flares
Flare gun
A flare gun is a firearm that launches flares. It is typically used for signalling, as distress signalling, at sea or from the ground to aircraft...
and yellow signal flags
International maritime signal flags
The system of international maritime signal flags is one system of flag signals representing individual letters of the alphabet in signals to or from ships...
. The Witherington rescued all the occupants of the lifeboats, and on 25 March landed them back at Halifax.
For Captain Dickson this was his second sinking in as many months. On 19 February he had been the Master of the when she was torpedoed and sunk at Port of Spain
Port of Spain
Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...
, Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
. On 2nd May 1942 Dickson returned safely to Glasgow as a passenger aboard the Furness Lines
Furness Withy
Furness Withy was a major British transport business. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange.-History:The Company was founded by Christopher Furness and Henry Withy in 1891 in Hartlepool. This was achieved by the amalgamation of the Furness Line of steamers with the business of Edward Withy and...
freighter .
Replacement ship
A replacement ship of the same name was built by the Blythswood Shipbuilding Company of ScotstounScotstoun
Scotstoun is a historic district of Glasgow, Scotland, west of Glasgow City Centre. It is bounded by Yoker and Knightswood to the west, Victoria Park, Broomhill and Whiteinch to the east, Jordanhill to the north and the River Clyde to the south...
, Glasgow and launched on 20 December 1948. She was similar in size and outward appearance to her predecessor, but her funnel was positioned further aft than on the 1939 ship.
Sources
- Shipping Casualties Section - Trade Division Report of an Interview with the Master, Captain G.A. Dickson, SS [sic.] British Prudence, 12 May 1942, ref. TD/139/ 1230
- Letter from James Baillie at Grangemouth to Captain Waters, 2 May 1942