SS James Russel Lowell
From Our Contribution
 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | SS James Russel Lowell |
| Owner | McCormick SS Co |
| Builder | Oregon Shipbuilding Co, Portland |
| Completed | May 1942 |
| Fate | Torpedoed by U-371 15 Oct 1943 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Liberty cargo ship |
| Tonnage | 7,176 tons |
| Length | 441 ft 6 in (134.57 m) |
| Beam | 56 ft 10.75 in (17.3 m) |
| Depth | 27 ft 9.25 in (8.5 m) |
| Propulsion | single screw |
| Speed | 11 knots (20.4 kmh) |
| Capacity | 32 crew and 28 gun crew |
armament:
- 1 x 4in gun
- 1 x 3in gun
- 8 x 20mm guns.
Remarks
On October 15th, 1943, U.S. freighter James Russell Lowell, in convoy GUS 18, was torpedoed by German submarine U-371 and abandoned. {At 12.39 hours on 15 Oct 1943, U-371 fired a spread of four torpedoes at convoy GUS-18 off Cape de Fer, Algeria The James Russell Lowell in station #85 was hit by three torpedoes. The first struck on the rudder, carrying it and the rudder post away. The second struck on the port side at the #3 hold and blew off the hatch cover, created cracks in the hull on both sides and flooded the hold and engine room. The third torpedo struck at the #1 hold, blew the hatch cover off and flooded the hold.} British whaler HMS Southern Sea rescued the 41-man merchant complement and the 28-man Armed Guard. With hopes high for saving the ship, the merchant crew reboarded the ship and Southern Sea took James Russell Lowell in tow. As weather conditions worsened, all but the master and two men abandon ship. The next day James Russell Lowell is beached off Colla, Algeria, by a British tug. The ship broke in two and sank two weeks later, a total loss.