Tankexpress

Requisitioned Auxiliary - Tankexpress

Owner: Skibs – A/S Tankexpress

Tonnage: 10.095 grt, 6127 nett, 15,310 dwt

Length: 496.1 feet

Beam: 64.4 feet

Draught: 38.7 feet

Machinery: Diesel engines by builder

In Admiralty Service (Royal Fleet Auxiliary) from 1940

The ship was in convoy OS.30 on passage from Milford Haven to Trinidad in ballast.  The convoy had arrived at Freetown on the 19 June 1942; Tankexpress left Freetown in convoy on the 22 July 1942, and left this convoy to continue independently on the 24 July.

On July 25 at 13:05 hrs, whilst South of the Cape Verde Islands the ship was hit by a torpedo fired by U 130, the torpedo hit the Starboard side of the ship in No 4 wing tank, blowing away the boat deck on that side, the ship started to list heavily and began losing way.  The crew abandoned ship in the remaining lifeboats, and were about 100 yards away from the ship when another torpedo found its mark, the ship slowly turned on her side until she was bottom up.  The U boat then surfaced and proceeded to shell the ship.

All of the crew of 33 Norwegian, 2 Swedish and 4 British seamen survived.