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Frederick S. Fales - (1939-1940)
"Frederick S. Fales". British Motor tanker.
( Photo Courtesy of Library of Contemporary History, Stuttgart )
Frederick S. Fales
LOA 506'8", Beam 69'9". Depth 37', 15,345 DWT, 131,563 bbls, Fiat diesel 8-cylinder 2-cycle 360OBHP
Launched 20 March and commissioned 26 June 1939 at Cantiere Riunti Dell’Adriatico, Monfalcone, Italy.
For a few short months prior to WWII FALES operated for Stanvac in the eastern Mediterranean.
During the second week of September 1940 FALES, commanded by Captain Frank Ramsay, left Halifax, Canada, bound for the UK in what was to be the War’s unluckiest transatlantic convoy. On 20 September, with the convoy about 600 miles off the Irish coast, three ships were torpedoed and sunk; on the following day seven more, including FALES, were sunk.
On the night of 21 September, FALES was hit twice in quick succession on the port side aft, one hit forward of and the other in the engine-room. The first torpedo started a fire; the second one put it out. FALES was in immediate trouble and the crew abandoned ship. Just five minutes later FALES went down by the stern, standing almost perpendicular for a brief moment before falling over to starboard and crushing the lifeboat in which Captain Ramsay and most of the deck officers were leaving the ship. This, and the second torpedo exploding in the engine-room, accounted for the great loss of life among the licensed personnel of the ship.
The remainder of the crew got away on rafts. After 12 hours of wet and cold, they were picked up by a Free French sloop-of-war, LA MALOUINE; and three days later were landed in Greenock, Scotland. Twenty men lost their lives in the sinking of FALES.
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Name
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Frederick S. Fales
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Type:
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British Motor tanker
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Tonnage
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10,525 tons
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Completed
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1939 - Cantiere Riuniti dell’ Adriatico (CRDA), Monfalcone
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Owner
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Oriental Tankers Ltd (Standard Transp. Co Ltd), Hong Kong
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Homeport
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Hong Kong
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Date of attack
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22 Sep 1940
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Nationality: British
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Location of attack on Frederick S. Fales.
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Fate
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Sunk by U-100 (Joachim Schepke)
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Position
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55.30N, 13.40W - Grid AL 6553
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Complement
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49 (21 dead and 28 survivors).
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Convoy
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HX-72
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Route
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Curaçao - Halifax - Clyde
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Cargo
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13,849 tons of Admiralty fuel oil
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History
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Completed in June 1939
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Notes on loss
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At 01.52 hours on 22 Sep, 1940, the Frederick S. Fales (Master Frank Ramsay) in convoy HX-72 was hit on the port side aft by two torpedoes from U-100 and sank by the stern within 5 minutes about 340 miles west of Bloody Foreland. The master, 19 crew members and one gunner were lost, most of them died when the sinking ship capsized to starboard and hit a lifeboat lying alongside. 28 crew members were picked up after about 12 hours by HMS La Malouine (K 46) (LtCdr R.W. Keymer, RN) and landed at Belfast on 25 September.
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Crew lists from ships hit by U-boats "Frederick S. Fales".
Name
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Age
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Rank
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Served on
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Baker, Jim, Merchant Navy
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18
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Mess Room Boy
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Frederick S. Fales
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Beanland, Jack, Merchant Navy
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Crew member
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Frederick S. Fales
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Beed, Charles Patrick, Merchant Navy
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24
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Able Seaman
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Frederick S. Fales Died 22 Sep 1940
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Bonin, Herber "Boner", Merchant Navy
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Crew member
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Frederick S. Fales
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Cleveland, Clarence, Merchant Navy
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Crew member
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Frederick S. Fales
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Cockrane, George, Merchant Navy
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Crew member
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Frederick S. Fales
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Dawn, Ed, Merchant Navy
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Crew member
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Frederick S. Fales
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English, Leslie Alexander, Merchant Navy
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37
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Chief Officer
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Frederick S. Fales Died 22 Sep 1940
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Gammon, Bayn, Merchant Navy
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19
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Ordinary Seaman
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Frederick S. Fales Died 22 Sep 1940
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Garrod, Geoffrey Phillip, Merchant Navy
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24
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First Radio Officer
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Frederick S. Fales Died 22 Sep 1940
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Gregory, Scott, Merchant Navy
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42
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Second Engineer Officer
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Frederick S. Fales Died 22 Sep 1940
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Ham, Kenneth, Merchant Navy
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25
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Engineer Officer
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Frederick S. Fales Died 22 Sep 1940
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Hansen, Raymond, Merchant Navy
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20
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Wiper
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Frederick S. Fales Died 22 Sep 1940
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Hart, William A., Merchant Navy
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40
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Fireman
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Frederick S. Fales Died 22 Sep 1940
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Hayes, Robert E., Merchant Navy
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33
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Chief Steward
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Frederick S. Fales Died 22 Sep 1940
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Jones, Oliver James, Merchant Navy
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35
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Second Officer
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Frederick S. Fales Died 22 Sep 1940
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Kent, Burton, Merchant Navy
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Crew member
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Frederick S. Fales
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Lawton, Thomas Hatfield, Merchant Navy
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52
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Chief Engineer Officer
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Frederick S. Fales Died 22 Sep 1940
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Moir, Parker G., Merchant Navy
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17
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Crew member
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Frederick S. Fales
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Moore, Cecil, Merchant Navy
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24
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Oiler
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Frederick S. Fales Died 22 Sep 1940
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Morris, Ashley Harl, Merchant Navy
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Crew member
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Frederick S. Fales
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Mount, Ronald Frederick, Merchant Navy
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20
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Engineer Officer
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Frederick S. Fales Died 22 Sep 1940
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Myers, Herbert, Merchant Navy
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18
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Oiler
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Frederick S. Fales
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O'Brien, Dairmuid Phadrig, Merchant Navy
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31
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Fifth Engineer Officer
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Frederick S. Fales
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O'Connell, Richard J., Merchant Navy
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23
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Oiler
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Frederick S. Fales Died 22 Sep 1940
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Ramsay, Frank, Merchant Navy
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53
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Master
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Frederick S. Fales Died 22 Sep 1940
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Richards, Earl, Merchant Navy
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24
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Boatswain (Bosun)
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Frederick S. Fales
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Rodenhizer, Simeon, Merchant Navy
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25
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Pumpman
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Frederick S. Fales
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Saunders, John James, Merchant Navy
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22
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Oiler
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Frederick S. Fales Died 22 Sep 1940
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Scallion, Gerald, Merchant Navy
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28
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Mess Room Boy
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Frederick S. Fales Died 22 Sep 1940
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Scanlon, Francis, Merchant Navy
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Galley Boy
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Frederick S. Fales Died 22 Sep 1940
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Shaw, Ray, Merchant Navy
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Storekeeper
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Frederick S. Fales
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Silver, Arthur, Merchant Navy
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25
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Crew member
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Frederick S. Fales
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Smith, James Donaldson, Merchant Navy
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27
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Fourth Engineer Officer
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Frederick S. Fales Died 22 Sep 1940
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Taylor, Sam, Merchant Navy
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Cook
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Frederick S. Fales
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White, James, Merchant Navy
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29
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Second Cook/Baker
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Frederick S. Fales Died 22 Sep 1940
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36 persons found.