MV Languedoc
Encyclopedia
The MV Languedoc was a motor tanker
which initially sailed under the French flag prior to the Second World War. She was taken over by the British after the fall of France
in 1940 and sailed for them in a number of convoys, before being sunk by a German u-boat
later that year.
as MV Actor. She entered service with Société Française de Transports Pétrolièrs (SFTP), Paris
in 1938 and was renamed Languedoc. On the outbreak of war she sailed in a number of short convoys from Verdon
to Casablanca
carrying fuel, as well as sailing from Halifax
, Nova Scotia
to Liverpool
in September 1939. She was part of convoy KS-74 in March 1940, sailing from Casablanca to Brest
, the last one she was to be part of under the French flag. After the fall of France she was seized by the British and taken into service by the Ministry of War Transport. They assigned her to be operated by John I. Jacobs & Co Ltd, of London
. She was homeported in the capital.
. She sailed from Trinidad
to Sydney, Nova Scotia
to join the convoy assembling there, departing there with the convoy on 5 October. She was bound for the Clyde
carrying a cargo of 13,700 tons of fuel oil
under the command of her master John Thomson. The convoy was overwhelmed by a number of u-boat
s successfully employing wolf pack tactics, and many of the merchants were sunk. The Languedoc was an early loss. She was sighted by under the command of Heinrich Bleichrodt
, who fired three torpedo
es at three ships of the convoy at 05.53 hours on 17 October as they passed 160 miles northwest of Rockall
. He reported two ships sunk and a third damaged. In fact only the Languedoc and the were hit, by a single torpedo each, and both were sunk. The master and 38 crew members abandoned ship, and were picked up by the escorting corvette
. The damaged Languedoc was assessed and decided to be beyond salvage. The Bluebell scuttled her with gunfire and went on to land the survivors at Gourock
on 20 October. There were no casualties.
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:...
which initially sailed under the French flag prior to the Second World War. She was taken over by the British after the fall of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
in 1940 and sailed for them in a number of convoys, before being sunk by a German 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...
later that year.
Early career
The Languedoc was built in 1937 by Burmeister & Wain's Maskin & Skibsbyggeri A/S, of CopenhagenCopenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
as MV Actor. She entered service with Société Française de Transports Pétrolièrs (SFTP), Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1938 and was renamed Languedoc. On the outbreak of war she sailed in a number of short convoys from Verdon
Le Verdon-sur-Mer
Le Verdon-sur-Mer is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
to Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
carrying fuel, as well as sailing from Halifax
City 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...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
to Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
in September 1939. She was part of convoy KS-74 in March 1940, sailing from Casablanca to Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
, the last one she was to be part of under the French flag. After the fall of France she was seized by the British and taken into service by the Ministry of War Transport. They assigned her to be operated by John I. Jacobs & Co Ltd, of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. She was homeported in the capital.
SC-7
Her first and last convoy under the British flag was as part of the ill-fated convoy SC-7Convoy SC-7
SC-7 was the code name for a large Allied World War II convoy of 35 merchant ships and six escorts which sailed eastbound from Sydney, Nova Scotia for Liverpool and other United Kingdom ports on 5 October 1940. While crossing the Atlantic, the convoy was intercepted by one of the German Navy's...
. She sailed from 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...
to Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney is a Canadian urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....
to join the convoy assembling there, departing there with the convoy on 5 October. She was bound for the Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
carrying a cargo of 13,700 tons of fuel oil
Fuel oil
Fuel oil is a fraction obtained from petroleum distillation, either as a distillate or a residue. Broadly speaking, fuel oil is any liquid petroleum product that is burned in a furnace or boiler for the generation of heat or used in an engine for the generation of power, except oils having a flash...
under the command of her master John Thomson. The convoy was overwhelmed by a number of 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...
s successfully employing wolf pack tactics, and many of the merchants were sunk. The Languedoc was an early loss. She was sighted by under the command of Heinrich Bleichrodt
Heinrich Bleichrodt
Lieutenant Commander Heinrich Bleichrodt was one of the most successful German U-boat commander of the Second World War. From October 1939 until retiring from front line service in December 1943, he sank 25 ships for a total of . For this he received the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, among other...
, who fired three torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
es at three ships of the convoy at 05.53 hours on 17 October as they passed 160 miles northwest of Rockall
Rockall
Rockall is an extremely small, uninhabited, remote rocky islet in the North Atlantic Ocean. It gives its name to one of the sea areas named in the shipping forecast provided by the British Meteorological Office....
. He reported two ships sunk and a third damaged. In fact only the Languedoc and the were hit, by a single torpedo each, and both were sunk. The master and 38 crew members abandoned ship, and were picked up by the escorting corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
. The damaged Languedoc was assessed and decided to be beyond salvage. The Bluebell scuttled her with gunfire and went on to land the survivors at Gourock
Gourock
Gourock is a town falling within the Inverclyde council area and formerly forming a burgh of the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It has in the past functioned as a seaside resort on the Firth of Clyde...
on 20 October. There were no casualties.