Bristol City (1919)
{{Short description|British cargo steamship sunk in the Second World War}}
{{other ships|Bristol (disambiguation)#Ships}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2016}}
| {{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image |Ship image= Bristol City (1920).jpg |Ship caption= Bristol City }} {{Infobox ship career |Hide header= |Ship flag= {{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|civil}} |Ship country= United Kingdom |Ship name= Bristol City |Ship namesake= Bristol |Ship owner= Bristol City Line |Ship operator= CG Hill & CL Hill |Ship registry= Bristol |Ship route= |Ship ordered= |Ship builder= Charles Hill & Sons |Ship original cost= |Ship yard number= 135 |Ship laid down= |Ship launched= 1 November 1919 |Ship completed= March 1920 |Ship acquired= |Ship maiden voyage= |Ship refit= |Ship identification= *UK official number 134722
|Ship fate= Sunk 5 May 1943 |Ship notes= }} {{Infobox ship characteristics |Hide header= |Header caption= |Ship type= cargo ship |Ship tonnage= {{GRT|2858}}, {{NRT|1713}} |Ship displacement= |Ship length= {{cvt|316.5|ft|abbr=on}} |Ship beam= {{cvt|43.8|ft|abbr=on}} |Ship draught= {{cvt|32|ft|10|in|abbr=on|1}} |Ship depth= {{cvt|23.6|ft|abbr=on}} |Ship decks= 2 |Ship power= 357 NHP |Ship propulsion= *1 × triple-expansion engine
|Ship speed= {{convert|10|kn|km/h}} |Ship capacity= |Ship crew= 37 + 7 DEMS gunners |Ship armament= |Ship sensors= by 1932: wireless direction finding |Ship notes= sister ship: Boston City }} |
Bristol City was a British cargo steamship that was launched in 1919 and sunk in the Battle of the Atlantic in 1943. She was the third of five ships of that name owned by Bristol City Line.
Building and identification
Bristol City Line lost four ships to enemy action in the First World War, including the second Bristol City.{{cite web |url= https://shippingandshipbuilding.uk/view.php?&ref=202096 |title=Bristol City (1899) |work=Shipping and Shipbuilding |publisher=Shipping and Shipbuilding Research Trust |access-date=17 March 2024}} In 1919 and 1920 Charles Hill & Sons of Bristol built a pair of new ships for company. Yard number 135 was launched on 1 November 1919 as Bristol City, and completed in March 1920.{{cite web |url= https://shippingandshipbuilding.uk/view.php?&ref=203731 |title=Bristol City (1920) |work=Shipping and Shipbuilding |publisher=Shipping and Shipbuilding Research Trust |access-date=17 March 2024}} Her sister ship was built as yard number 136, launched on 12 June 1920 as Boston City, and completed that August.{{cite web |url= https://shippingandshipbuilding.uk/view.php?&ref=203726 |title=Boston City |work=Shipping and Shipbuilding |publisher=Shipping and Shipbuilding Research Trust |access-date=17 March 2024}}
Bristol City{{'}}s registered length was {{cvt|316.5|ft|abbr=on}}, her beam was {{cvt|43.8|ft|abbr=on}}, her depth was {{cvt|23.6|ft|abbr=on}} and her draught was {{cvt|32|ft|10|in|abbr=on|1}}. Her tonnages were {{GRT|2858}} and {{NRT|1713}}. She had a single screw, driven by a three-cylinder triple-expansion engine built by Richardsons Westgarth & Company of Hartlepool. It was rated at 357 NHP and gave her a speed of {{convert|10|kn|km/h}}.
Bristol City Line registered Bristol City at Bristol. Her UK official number was 134722 and her code letters were KDWC.{{sfn|Lloyd's Register 1921|loc=BRI}} By 1930 her call sign was GDML,{{sfn|Mercantile Navy List 1930|p=69}} and by 1934 this had superseded her code letters.{{sfn|Lloyd's Register 1934|loc=BRI}} By 1932 she was equipped with wireless direction finding.{{sfn|Lloyd's Register 1932|loc=BRI}}
Loss
File:S.S. Bristol City in 1938.jpg
In December 1940 Bristol City was damaged by a bomb dropped on Albion Dockyard during the Bristol Blitz.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} She was repaired and returned to service.
In April 1943 Bristol City left Bristol carrying 2,500 tons of general cargo, including china clay. Her Master was Captain Arthur Webb. He commanded a crew of 36, plus seven DEMS gunners: four Royal Navy and three British Army. Going via Milford Haven she joined Convoy ONS 5,{{cite web |url= https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/2900.html |last=Helgason |first=Guðmundur |title=Bristol City |work=uboat.net |access-date=30 October 2015}} which left Port of Liverpool on 21 April and was bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia.{{cite web |url= https://www.warsailors.com/convoys/ons5.html |title=Convoy ONS 5 |work=Warsailors.com |access-date=17 March 2024}} U-boats wolf packs attacked ONS 5 from 27 April onward. The convoy lost only two ships until 5 May, when U-boats sank 11 ships in a single day, including Bristol City.{{cite web |url= https://uboat.net/ops/convoys/convoys.php?convoy=ONS-5 |last=Helgason |first=Guðmundur |title=ONS–5 |work=uboat.net |access-date=30 October 2015}}
File:HMS Loosestrife FL5465.jpg
During the attack on 5 May, one torpedo fired by {{GS|U-358||2}} hit Bristol City. 15 of her complement were killed, including four DEMS gunners, and she sank in 20 minutes at position {{coord|54|00|N|43|55|W|display=inline,title}}. The corvette {{HMS|Loosestrife}} rescued 29 survivors, including Captain Webb and three DEMS gunners. On 9 May Loosestrife landed the survivors at St. John's, Newfoundland.{{sfn|Malcolm|2013|p=53}}
References
{{reflist}}
Bibliography
- {{cite book |year=1921 |title=Lloyd's Register of Shipping |volume=II.–Steamers |place=London |publisher=Lloyd's Register of Shipping |via=Internet Archive |url= https://archive.org/details/HECROS1922ST/page/n183/mode/1up |ref={{harvid|Lloyd's Register 1921}} }}
- {{cite book |year=1932 |title=Lloyd's Register of Shipping |volume=II.–Steamers and Motorships of 300 tons gross and over |place=London |publisher=Lloyd's Register of Shipping |via=Southampton City Council |url= https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/32/32b0133.pdf |ref={{harvid|Lloyd's Register 1932}} }}
- {{cite book |year=1934 |title=Lloyd's Register of Shipping |volume=II.–Steamers and Motorships of 300 tons gross and over |place=London |publisher=Lloyd's Register of Shipping |via=Southampton City Council |url= https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/34/34b0131.pdf |ref={{harvid|Lloyd's Register 1934}} }}
- {{cite book |last=Malcolm |first=Ian M |year=2013 |title=Shipping Company Losses of the Second World War |place=Stroud |publisher=History Press |isbn=978-0-7509-5371-9}}
- {{cite book |year=1930 |title=Mercantile Navy List |place=London |via=Crew List Index Project |url=
https://www.crewlist.org.uk/data/viewimages?name=Bristol+City&year=1930&submit=Enter |ref={{harvid|Mercantile Navy List 1930}} }}
{{May 1943 shipwrecks}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Bristol City (1919)}}
Category:Maritime incidents in May 1943
Category:Ships built in Bristol
Category:Ships sunk by German submarines in World War II
Category:Steamships of the United Kingdom