SS Lossiebank
From Our Contribution
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | SS Lossiebank |
| Owner | Bank Line (Andrew Weir & C0) |
| In service | 1930 |
| Out of service | 1962 |
| Fate | broken up in Japan 1962 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | cargo |
| Tonnage | 5,626 tons |
| Propulsion | Twin screw |
Remarks
SS Lossiebank was part of Convoy AS31 which also included the Dutch SS Nieuw Zeeland, which under escort was evacuating troops from Crete. The "Lossiebank" survived breaking down during the evacuation. She suffered from engine room defects after leaving Suda Bay with 2,000 troops on board and broke down while in convoy, spending several hours going round in a circle. Signaling to the convoy escort that she would be ready to resume in 15 minutes, the Commodore replied that if she wasn't under way in ten minutes, the troops would be disembarked and "Lossiebank" sunk by gunfire! As if by magic, the main engines were re-activated within the allotted time, and although the convoy was heavily bombed by five Italian bombers from Rhodes and the Lossiebank was straddled by bomb bursts, she emerged comparatively unscathed and sailed on to Port Said in Egypt.
She was later a participant in Convoy HX 229A from Halifax, Canada to Liverpool 12 - 26 March 1943, one of the mammoth convoys used to defeat the U Boats.