Official Number:                       164702

Laid down:

Builder:                                   Harland & Wolff Ltd, Belfast

Launched:                               26 March 1936

Pennant No:                           

Into Service:                           3 September 1939

Out of service:                         28 August 1940

Fate:                                      Torpedoed and sunk

Items of historic interest involving this ship: –

Background Data:  One of an additional group of ships requisitioned by the Admiralty during WW2 to augment the ships of the RFA

Career Data:

26 March 1936 launched by Harland & Wolff Ltd., Belfast as Yard Nr: 960 named Dunvegan Castle for Union Castle Mail Steamship Co Ltd., London

27 March 1936 the Belfast News-Letter newspaper reported …

18 August 1936 completed. 258 x 1st class & 250 tourist class passengers. Sister to Dunnottar Castle

18 September 1936 sailed London for the owners Round Africa service via the Suez Canal with 375 passengers. Captain H R Northwood was Master

26 February 1937 sailed Southampton for South African ports

2 July 1937 sailed Southampton for South African ports

7 January 1938 sailed Southampton for South African ports

10 February 1939 sailed London for Durban

3 September 1939 requisitioned for Admiralty service as an Armed Merchant Cruiser and sailed East London, South Africa for Cape Townindependently arriving 5 September 1939

10 September 1939 sailed Cape Town independently to Freetown arriving 20 September 1939

20 December 1939 commissioned as HMS Dunvegan Castle

28 January 1940 sailed Freetown unescorted in convoy SL18F joining convoy SL18 on 8 February 1940

17 May 1940 sailed Freetown in convoy SL32 – as one of the convoy escorts – to Dakar arriving 8 June 1940

15 June 1940 sailed Freetown in convoy SL36 – as one of the convoy escorts – to Liverpool arriving 3 July 1940

9 July 1940 sailed Freetown in convoy SL39 – as one of the convoy escorts – to Liverpool arriving 29 July 1940

27 August 1940 torpedoed by the German submarine U-46 west of Ireland 120 miles SW of Cape Clear in position 55°05N 11°00W while escorting convoy SL43 from Freetown to Belfast. She stopped in the water and caught fire

28 August 1940 foundered in position 54.54N 11.00W with the loss of 27 lives. 250 survivors were rescued by the destroyer HMS Harvester and the corvette HMS Primrose and were landed in Scotland