Celtic Sea in WW2 History | World War II Database

8 Dec 1939

Atlantic Ocean

German submarine U-48 sank the ship Brandon of Allied convoy OB-48 in the Celtic Sea at 1155 hours. Master Richard Black Chisholm and other survivors were picked up by the Belgian trawlers Marie Jose Rosette and Tritten and landed at Milford Haven, Wales, United Kingdom. U-48 misidentified her victim as the Navasota, but this ship had been sunk by submarine U-47 three days earlier. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | U-48 | Celtic Sea | CPC]

5 Feb 1940

Atlantic Ocean

German submarine U-41 (Kapitänleutnant Gustav-Adolf Mugler) damaged unarmed and unescorted 8,096-ton Dutch tanker Ceronia at 0332 hours; the damaged tanker would make it to Rotterdam, Netherlands under her own power. At 1310 hours, U-41 attacked the same convoy, OA-84, again, sinking the 9,874-ton Beaverburn (Master Thomas Jones) 150 miles south of Berehaven, County Cork, Ireland, killing 1. The master and 75 crew members were picked up by British tanker Narragansett and landed at Falmouth. Shortly after, U-41 was sunk by British destroyer HMS Antelope, killing all 49 aboard; it was the first time a lone British destroyer destroyed a German submarine, and Lieutenant Commander Richard Taylor White of Antelope was awarded the DSO award. ww2dbase [Celtic Sea | CPC, HM]

21 Jun 1940

Atlantic Ocean

At 1753 hours the 5,809-ton unescorted Belgian freighter Luxembourg was hit aft by a G7e torpedo from German submarine U-38 and sank west of Saint-Nazaire, France. The ship had been bound for Antwerp, Belgium but was diverted to Bordeaux, France and anchored at Le Verdon on 20 Jun 1940 when she was ordered to leave for Falmouth, England, United Kingdom. Five men were killed and one wounded of the 46 crew members on board. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | U-38 | Celtic Sea | HM]

22 Jun 1940

Atlantic Ocean

The 9,026-ton Norwegian motor tanker Eli Knudsen had been in Allied convoy HX-49, which was dispersed approximately 100 miles southwest of Cape Clear, Ireland after German submarine U-47 had torpedoed the San Fernando in the middle of convoy at 2007 hours on 21 Jun 1940. At 0336 hours German submarine U-32 torpedoed the Eli Knudsen, one of the slowest ships in convoy. All crew members abandoned ship in lifeboats and were picked up a few hours later by the sloop HMS Sandwich and taken to Liverpool, England, United Kingdom. The tanker remained afloat, although she would not survive the incident. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | U-32 | Celtic Sea | HM]
At 0158 hours the 3,999-ton unescorted Norwegian steam merchant ship Randsfjord, dispersed from Allied convoy HX-49, was hit by one G7a torpedo from German submarine U-30 about 80 miles south-southwest of Queenstown, Ireland. The torpedo struck on the port side in the foreship and caused the tanker to sink after three minutes. The master and three crew members were lost. Two men were crushed and injured between the starboard lifeboat and the side of the ship when they lost their grip while lowering themselves down to the boat. Some men jumped overboard and were later picked up by the boat. The submarine surfaced and the Germans questioned the survivors, handed them a bottle of brandy before leaving the area at full speed after two destroyers were spotted. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | U-30 | Celtic Sea | HM]

23 Jun 1940

Atlantic Ocean

The survivors of Norwegian steam merchant ship Randsfjord, torpedoed by German submarine U-30 on the previous day, was picked up by the British steam merchant Port Hobart in the Celtic Sea. ww2dbase [Celtic Sea | HM]

24 Jun 1940

Atlantic Ocean

The 9,026-ton Norwegian motor tanker Eli Knudsen, disabled by a torpedo from German submarine U-32 two days prior, sank while in tow by British tanker Corinda. ww2dbase [Celtic Sea | HM]

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis

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