MS Ponzano was a British cargo ship. It was one of the first British merchant vessels to be sunk during the Second World War. Ponzano, 1,346 tons,[1] was built in 1928 for the MacAndrews Line service between Britain and Spain.
| History | |
|---|---|
| Owner | MacAndrews Line |
| Launched | 21 December 1927 |
| Fate | Sunk 1939 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Cargo ship |
| Tonnage | 1,346 GRT |
On 13 November 1939, Ponzano hit a mine and sank off North Foreland.[2] Its crew was rescued by two Norwegian fishing boats.
The ship's fate[3] was blamed on a wrongly decoded radio signal, which delayed minesweeping trawlers from passing on a warning about the extent of mines laid by the Germans.
References edit
- ^ "MacAndrews & Co". The Fleets. The Ships List. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
- ^ "Ponzano [+1939]". WreckSite. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
- ^ Carlson, Andy. "The Mining of HMS Blanche, S.S. Ponzano and S.S. Matra". Retrieved 20 September 2013.