ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 274795
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| Date: | Saturday 12 September 1942 |
| Time: | 08:21 LT |
| Type: |  De Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth |
| Owner/operator: | RAF for SAAF |
| Registration: | N9325 |
| MSN: | 82412 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | s.s 'Trevilley' Atlantic Ocean, off West Africa at 04’30S:07’50W -
 Atlantic Ocean
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Middlesborough, North Yorkshire |
| Cape Town, South Africa |
De Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth MSN82412 (Gipsy Major #82149); Taken on charge as N9325 at 10 MU RAF Hullavingtonm Chippenham, Wiltshire 25.10.39. To 2 Squadron, RAF Odiham, Alton, Hampshire 7.7.40. Crashed at RAF Odiham, Hampshire 7.4.42; to Southern Aircraft, Gatwick for repairs 12.4.42. Upon completion of repairs, to 20 MU RAF Aston Down, Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire 14.5.42. To 222 MU RAF High Ercall, Shropshire 15.7.42 for packing and crating for overseas shipment.
Despatched to South Africa via Middlesbrough Docks 14.8.42 on the s.s "Trevilley". Lost at sea 12.9.42 when vessel torpedoed in Atlantic off West Africa at 04’30 South,07’50 West; all 43 crew survived.
At 03.32 hours on 12 September 1942 the unescorted s.s Trevilley (Master Richard Harvey), dispersed from convoy OS-38, was hit amidships by one torpedo from U-68 east-northeast of Ascension Island. The master, 32 crew members, eight gunners and two passengers abandoned ship in three lifeboats after the ship stopped. The Germans questioned the survivors and took the master and the chief engineer officer as prisoners aboard. The U-boat then fired seven shots from the 37mm AA gun into the superstructure because lifeboats were seen to approach the ship again and then opened fire with the deck gun, firing 50 high explosive and 36 incendiary rounds until the ship sank at 08.21 hours. Afterwards, the U-boat recovered 66 tubes for aircraft tires from the debris floating around at the sinking position. On 22 September, the prisoners were transferred to U-459 (von Wilamowitz-Moellendorf), landed at St. Nazaire on 4 November and taken to the POW camp Marlag und Milag Nord.
The 13 crew members and one passenger in the lifeboat in charge of the second officer were picked up by Annamite, which was searching for survivors from Laconia, in position 02°07S/07°06W on 17 September, landed at Dakar seven days later and interned by the Vichy French authorities in Sebikotane, Senegal. They were released at the end of the year, but two men had died during internment. The eleven crew members and four gunners in the boat of the chief officer were picked up by the Portuguese steam merchant Cubango in position 01°40N/06°42W on 20 September and taken to Lisbon, arriving on 5 October. The third lifeboat with nine crew members, four gunners and one passenger reached the Ivory Coast, but the third officer decided to proceed towards Takoradi to avoid internment and on 25 September eventually made landfall near Half Assini, Gold Coast. However, two crew members had jumped overboard and swam ashore to be interned by the Vichy French authorities at Abidjan.
The s.s Trevilley had 14 Tiger Moths on board as cargo, all were intended for the SAAF and/or the RATG (Rhodesian Air Training Group) use, and all 14 were lost. Struck off charge 28.10.42.
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft N1000-N9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
2. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
3. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p824.html
4. https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ship/2149.html
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Jan-2022 19:30 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 28-Jan-2022 19:31 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Category] |
| 28-Jan-2022 19:33 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Category] |
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