SS Kingston Hill was a cargo ship built by William Hamilton & Co in Port Glasgow on the Firth of Clyde. She was completed in December 1940.[1] She was managed by Counties Ship Management Co Ltd of London (CSM), an offshoot of the Rethymnis & Kulukundis shipbroking company.[3] She was a sister ship of SS Lulworth Hill, SS Marietta E, SS Michael E and SS Primrose Hill, which were also managed by CSM but owned by other R&K companies.
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | SS Kingston Hill |
| Namesake | Kingston Hill, south London |
| Operator | Counties Ship Management Co Ltd, London |
| Builder | William Hamilton & Co, Port Glasgow[1] |
| Launched | 17 October 1940 |
| Completed | December 1940[1] |
| Out of service | 8 June 1941[2] |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Sunk by torpedo |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Cargo ship |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 421.1 ft (128.4 m)[1] p/p |
| Beam | 60.4 ft (18.4 m)[1] |
| Draught | 35.8 ft (10.9 m)[1] |
| Installed power | 520 NHP[1] |
| Propulsion | triple-expansion steam engine; screw[1] |
| Crew | 62[2] |
| Notes | sister ships: SS Lulworth Hill, SS Marietta E, SS Michael E, SS Primrose Hill |
Kingston Hill had a single 520 NHP triple-expansion steam engine[1] driving a single screw. She had eight corrugated furnaces heating two 225 lbf/in2 single-ended boilers with a combined heating surface of 7,643 square feet (710 m2), plus one auxiliary boiler.[1]
On 22 February 1941 Luftwaffe aircraft bombed and damaged the ship.[2] She was repaired at Glasgow.[2]
Sinking edit
In May 1941 Kingston Hill sailed from Cardiff and Glasgow laden with coal and general cargo for Alexandria in Egypt.[2] To avoid the enemy-controlled waters of the Mediterranean she was heading via Cape Town, South Africa, but was unescorted.[2] She was southwest of the Cape Verde Islands heading into the South Atlantic when the German submarine U-38 hit her with two torpedoes at 0108 hrs on 8 June 1941.[2] She sank at 0125 hrs with the loss of her Master and 13 crew.[2] 16 crew were rescued by the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Achates and returned to Greenock.[2] 26 crew were rescued by the US tanker Alabama and landed at Cape Town.[2]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Lloyd's Register, Steamships and Motor Ships (PDF). London: Lloyd's Register. 1941. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Helgason, Guðmundur (1995–2010). "Kingston Hill". uboat.net. Guðmundur Helgason. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
- ^ Fenton, Roy (2006). "Counties Ship Management 1934-2007". LOF-News. p. 1. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
Sources & further reading edit
- Sedgwick, Stanley; Kinnaird, Mark; O'Donoghue, K.J. (1993) [1992]. London & Overseas Freighters, 1948-92: A Short History. World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-68-1.
- Sedgwick, Stanley; Sprake, R.F. (1977). London & Overseas Freighters Limited 1949-1977. World Ship Society. ISBN 0905617037.