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Laurence Binyon (1869-1943)

Ellerman Lines War Losses 1939 - 1945

At the outbreak of World War II, The Ellerman group (excluding the Wilson Line which was a separate entity) owned 105 cargo and passenger ships. Below are listed the group's war losses (60) including those not lost to enemy action.

Ellerman Line main page.

The Ellerman Line's War Losses 1939 - 1945
Name O/N Date Fate/Comments Dead
1939
CITY OF MANDALAY 147942 17/10/39 Torpedoed and sunk by U-46 (Sohler) 7
DARINO 139323 19/11/39 Torpedoed and sunk by U-41 (Mugler) 16
IONIAN 166236 29/11/39 Mined and sunk by U-20 (Moehle) 0
CITY OF KOBE 147266 19/12/39 Mined and sunk by U-60 (Schewe) 1
1940
DIDO 144058 May 1940 Stranded off Ushant and abandoned during the fall of France 0
LESBIAN 147232 23/6/1940 Seized at Beirut by Vichy French, June 1941 scuttled 0
CITY OF BAGDAD 144643 11/7/40 Captured and scuttled by raider Atlantis 15
CITY OF BRISBANE 143641 2/8/40 Bombed by a/c in the Thames Estuary 9
CITY OF BIRMINGHAM 137857 16/8/40 Struck a mine 53.32.26N/00.15.30E off Spurn Head 0
MARDINIAN 140644 9/9/40 Torpedoed and sunk by U-28 (Kuhnke) 6
CITY OF MOBILE 133304 16/9/40 Bombed by a/c in Irish channel 0
CITY OF BENARES 164096 17/9/40 Torpedoed and sunk by U-48 (Bleichrodt) 261
CITY OF SIMLA 146273 21/9/40 Torpedoed and sunk by U-138 (Luth) 4
ASSYRIAN 143952 19/10/40 Torpedoed and sunk by U-101 (Frauenheim) 17
LISBON 143673 30/10/40 Wrecked 1nm East of Rattray Head 0
FABIAN 140655 16/11/40 Torpedoed and sunk by U-65 (v. Stockhausen) 6
PALMELLA 143639 1/12/40 Torpedoed and sunk by U-37 (Clausen) 1
CITY OF BEDFORD 147284 30/12/40 Sunk after collision with mv BODNANT 60.03N/23.01W 48
1941
FLORIAN 166292 20/1/41 Torpedoed and sunk by U-94 (Kuppisch) 44
ESTRELLANO 143689 9/2/41 Torpedoed and sunk by U-37 (Clausen) 6
ANDALUSIAN 140557 17/3/41 Torpedoed and sunk by U-106 (Oesten) 0
CITY OF ROUBAIX 149661 6/4/41 Set on fire after bombing of CLAN FRASER - exploded and sank 0
CITY OF KARACHI 165925 13/4/41 Bombed by a/c at Volos. Attacked again and total loss 15/4/41. 1
CITY OF NAGPUR 146310 29/4/41 Torpedoed and sunk by U-75 (Ringlemann) 16
CITY OF WINCHESTER 140546 9/5/41 Torpedoed and sunk by U-103 (Schutze) 6
CITY OF SHANGHAI 140533 10/5/41 Torpedoed and sunk by U-103 (Schutze) 8
MALVERNIAN 164324 1/7/41 Bombed by a/c off Spain. Abandoned, presumed sunk 19/7/41 28
BELGRAVIAN 164337 5/8/41 Torpedoed and sunk by U-372 (Neumann) 3
SERBINO 140621 21/10/41 Torpedoed and sunk by U-82 (Rollman) 12
1942
CITY OF PITTSBURG 145898 11/1/42 Wrecked. Great Pass, Alexandria 0
CITY OF MANCHESTER 164262 28/2/42 Torpedoed and sunk by I-53 (Nakamura) 4
CRESSADO 144644 8/5/42 Collision with HMS POZARICA in convoy, HG.82 off The Skerries 0
CITY OF MELBOURNE 140631 13/5/42 Torpedoed and sunk by U-156 (Hartenstein) 1
CITY OF OXFORD 149600 15/6/42 Torpedoed and sunk by U-552 (Topp) 1
CITY OF MANILA 137508 19/8/42 Torpedoed and sunk by U-406 (Dieterichs) 1
CITY OF WELLINGTON 147340 21/8/42 Torpedoed and sunk by U-506 (Wurdemann) 7
CITY OF CARDIFF 140556 28/8/42 Torpedoed by U-566 (Remus) remained afloat but foundered 30/8/42 21
KIOTO 140571 15/9/42 Torpedoed and sunk by U-514 (Auffermann) 22
CITY OF ATHENS 147227 8/10/42 Torpedoed and sunk by U-179 (Sobe) 1
CITY OF JOHANNESBURG 143712 23/10/42 Torpedoed and sunk by U-504 (Poske) 4
CITY OF CAIRO 137423 6/11/42 Torpedoed and sunk by U-68 (Merten) 107
CITY OF CORINTH 140555 17/11/42 Torpedoed and sunk by U-508 (Staats) 14
CITY OF BATH 147370 2/12/42 Torpedoed and sunk by U-508 (Staats) 8
CITY OF BOMBAY 164342 13/12/42 Torpedoed and sunk by U-159 (Witte) 18
CITY OF HANKOW 137452 18/12/42 Wrecked, South Point, 4nm N Saldanha Bay 0
1943
CITY OF MARSEILLES 135436 21/1/43 Wrecked 1nm off Batticaloa, Ceylon 0
CASTILIAN 143384 12/2/43 Wrecked East Platters, Anglesey 0
CITY OF PRETORIA 165620 4/3/43 Torpedoed and sunk by U-172 (Emmermann) 145
EGYPTIAN 143646 6/3/43 Torpedoed and sunk by U-230 (Siegmann) 40
OPORTO 149684 13/3/43 Torpedoed and sunk by U-107 (Gelhaus) 41
CITY OF CHRISTCHURCH 143088 21/3/43 Bombed by a/c off Portugal and sank next day 0
CITY OF PERTH 133318 26/3/43 Torpedoed and sunk by U-431 (Schoneboom) 2
CITY OF GUILDFORD 140630 27/3/43 Torpedoed and sunk by U-593 (Kelbling) 123
CITY OF BARODA 140594 2/4/43 Torpedoed and damaged (CTL) U-509 (Witte) 8
CITY OF SINGAPORE 147197 1/5/43 Torpedoed and sunk by U-515 (Henke) 0
VOLTURNO 135597 23/6/43 Bombed by a/c 10nm WNW Cape St Vincent 4
CITY OF VENICE 147890 4/7/43 Torpedoed and sunk by U-375 (Konenkamp) 20
CITY OF CANTON 137520 16/7/43 Torpedoed and sunk by U-178 (Dommes) 13
CITY OF ORAN 137804 2/8/43 Torpedoed and scuttled by U-196 (Kentrat) 0
1944
CITY OF ADELAIDE 143683 30/3/44 Torpedoed and sunk by I-8 (Ariizumi) 1
Losses of Ellerman Line Managed Vessels 1939 - 1945
Name O/N Date Fate/Comments Dead
1942
D'ENTRECASTEAUX No number 7/11/42 Torpedoed and sunk by U-154 (Schuch) 3
1943
CAP PADARAN 168261 9/12/43 Torpedoed and sunk by U-596 (Victor-Wilhelm Nonn) 5

The following table comprises those ships of the Ellerman Wilson line lost during WW2. Although coming under the the control of the Ellerman group it was run as a seperate entity. I am grateful to Captain Mike Kinnear who has compiled the Ellerman Wilson Line losses with help from the Mercantile Marine Forum (no longer online).

The Ellerman Wilson Line's War Losses 1939 - 1945
Name O/N Date Fate/Comments Dead
1939
TRURO 146434 15/9/39 Torpedoed and sunk by U-36 (Frohlich) 0
1940
ALBANO 133420 2/3/40 Struck a mine and sank E. of Hartlepool 9
SALMO 147141 3/7/40 seized by Vichy French at Morocco 0
LEO 118791 25/7/40 bombed by German aircraft off Dover 7
KYNO 147156 28/8/40 Torpedoed and sunk by U-28 (Kuhnke) 5
TASSO 165697 2/12/40 Torpedoed and sunk by U-52 (Salman) 5
SILVIO 133467 21/12/40 Bombed, sunk and scrapped in Alexandra Dock, Liverpool 1
1941
BASSANO 165691 9/1/41 Torpedoed and sunk by U-105 (Schewe) 1
DRACO 146435 11/4/41 Bombed and sunk at Tobruk 1
CAVALLO 146461 25/4/41 Bombed and sunk at Greece 0
DOMINO 148423 4/5/41 Bombed and sunk in Liverpool Docks 0
TRENTINO 139335 8/5/41 Scrapped after bombing in Liverpool Docks 0
ERATO 147108 27/7/41 Torpedoed and sunk by U-126 (Bauer) 9
ARIOSTO 167082 24/10/41 Torpedoed and sunk by U-564 (Suhren) 6
VOLO 165701 28/12/41 Torpedoed and sunk by U-75 (Ringelmann) 25
1942
CITY OF RIPON 139278 11/11/42 Torpedoed and sunk by U-160 (Lassen) 62
DAGO 124810 15/3/42 Bombed and sunk off Portugal 0
THURSO 144022 15/6/42 Torpeded and sunk by U-552 (Topp) 13
KELSO 148395 8/8/42 Torpeded and sunk by U-176 (Dierksen) 3
1943
POLO 139337 19/1/43 Lost by cargo fire and explosion at Bougie 2
RUNO 144061 11/4/43 Torpedoed and sunk by U-593 (Kelbling) 17
DYNAMO 144044 17/4/43 Mined and sunk in Thames Estuary 7
TEANO 148475 8/11/43 Sunk in collision with 'CHYEBASSA' (British India SN Co) in River Humber. 1
Losses of Ellerman Wilson Managed Vessels 1939 - 1945
Name O/N Date Fate/Comments Dead
1940
BELONA II 167512 9/10/40 Bombed by German aircraft 8/10/40 and beached near Stonehaven 9
1941
CELTE 167103 27/4/41 Bombed and sunk by German aircraft 0
DIANA 167511 9/6/41 Bombed and sunk by German aircraft 1
1942
EBRO 167438 18/3/42 Wrecked Rattray Head 0
FLORA II 167558 2/8/42 Torpedoed and sunk by U-254 (Gilardone) 0
1943
LWOW No number 2/12/43 Bombed and sunk by German aircraft 2
1945
EGHOLM 175793 25/2/1945 Torpedoed and sunk by U-2322 (Heckel) 5

In a work such as this it is virtually impossible to be 100% accurate but it was clear to me that more work was needed to be done.

In my research I have discovered that many established sources disagree, and in some cases differ substantially, on the casualties. This is perhaps not surprising given the fact that some of these ships carried many passengers including women and children and sustained heavy loss of life. Where established sources disagree, I have carried out further research by obtaining primary records including crew agreements, C & D lists and shipping company communications.

I am indebted to Billy McGee, Roger Griffiths RIP, Ray Buck and Captain Mike Kinnear for all their help in obtaining a more accurate casualty figure.

The background research for this project carried out with help from the Mercantile Marine Forum (no longer online).

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