From:
SeaWaves Magazine
April 11th 1943
1943 - HMAS Pirie, a minesweeper, and the British vessel Hanyang bound from Milne Bay to Oro Bay were attacked by a large force of enemy planes. Pirie fought back and brought down one of the attacking planes. She sustained a direct hit from a bomb, which tore through the bridge structure and exploded near the forward gun. Seven crewmembers were killed. The Hanyang was also damaged during the attack and had three fatal causalities
1943 - USS Branch, commissioned as HMS Beverley on 8 Oct. 1940, part of the destroyers-for-bases deal, is sunk. Beverley was torpedoed by U-188 was sunk with the loss of all but four of the ship's company of 152
1943 - Two US armed freighters are sunk by German submarines U-195 and U-615 in the North Atlantic
1943 - Corvette HMCS Summerside arrived Saint John NB for refit
1943 - U-615 was slightly damaged by debris, when the Liberty ship Edward B. Dudley exploded after being hit by a coup de grāce from a distance of 800 meters. The commander was wounded and the U-boat was forced to return to base
1943 - At 0549, U-188 fired a torpedo at Convoy ON-176 SW of Iceland and observed a hit on a tanker after 1 minute 34 seconds, which finally sank after 45 minutes with a broken back. At 0550, two torpedoes were fired and after 1 minute 58 seconds and 2 minutes 11 seconds hits on two ships were heard. At 0552 again two torpedoes were fired, which hit a fourth ship after 1 minute 58 seconds and began to settle by the bow. However, Allied records indicate that only destroyer HMS Beverley was hit and sunk at that time. There were only 4 survivors out of a crew of 155
1943 - The new 37mm anti-aircraft cannon on U-181 exploded in action while on patrol in the South Atlantic killing one man and wounding two more. [Matrosengefreiter Wilhelm Williger]
1943 - At 1540, the Matt W. Ransom on her maiden voyage in station #32 of Convoy UGS-6A was struck under the #1 hold by two mines laid on 10 April by U-117 off Casablanca. The explosions threw water 100 feet in the air, causing holds #1 and #3 to flood within one hour. The keel was broken, steam lines were severed and other equipment was damaged. The crew of eight officers, 26 crewmen, 28 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in, one 3in and eight 20mm guns) and two passengers abandoned ship in six lifeboats after 25 minutes because they misinterpreted the order of the master to go for their abandon ship stations. One boat swamped because the men mishandled the falls. The men in the lifeboats were picked up by the American submarine chasers USS PC-481 and USS PC-471 and landed at Casablanca. The master and six men later reboarded the ship, got her under way and took her into Casablanca six hours later, where temporary repairs were made until 20 September. Then she left for Gibraltar for further repairs, arriving the next day. On 7 November, the Liberty ship left with convoy GUS-20 for New York, arriving there on 25 November
1943 - The unescorted Empire Whimbrel was torpedoed & sunk by U-181 about 420 miles SW of Freetown. The U-boat reported the vessel under her old name Monasses. The master, 45 crewmembers and seven gunners were picked up by destroyers HMS Wolverine & Witch and landed at Freetown
1943 - At 2041, the James W. Denver was hit by one of three torpedoes fired by U-195 about 475 miles west of Las Palmas, Canary Islands. The ship straggled on her maiden voyage from the convoy UGS-7 due to overheated engine bearings and was proceeding alone on a straggler route at 11 knots. The torpedo was spotted by the coxswain when it was 40 yards from the ship, but it struck on the starboard side between the #2 and #3 holds before evasive maneuvers were taken. The engines were secured and the ship took a heavy list and settled by the head, bringing the propeller out of the water. 20 minutes after the hit the eight officers, 34 crewmen, 26 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in and nine 20mm guns) and one passenger (US Army security officer) abandoned ship in five lifeboats. A motorboat capsized during launching and threw 18 men into the sea, but they all get into other boats. The master stayed on board for an hour and later stayed with his lifeboat in the vicinity of the sinking until the next morning. The other four boats set together sail for the African coast, but became separated during the second night. The U-boat fired hours a coup de grāce at 2207, which missed. The vessel was sunk by another coup de grāce at 0120on 12 April. Six crewmembers and five armed guards in a boat were picked up after seven days by the Spanish SS Cabo Huertas and landed at Las Palmas on 21 April. Another boat with 15 survivors was picked up in 22°42N/35°05W by the Spanish steam merchant Campana after 13 days and landed at Aruba on 3 May. On 6 May, the master and 13 men landed about 90 miles north of Port Etienne, Rio de Oro. These men might have died there on the desert, but a British patrol aircraft spotted them after three days, which dropped food and medical supplies to them. They were picked up the following day by submarine chasers PC-2040 & PC-1041 and landed at Port Etienne on 11 May. After 23 days at sea, another eleven survivors were rescued by the Portuguese steam fishing trawler Albufeira in 21°55N/17°10W and landed at Lisbon on 10 May, but the second engineer died of exposure and was buried at sea. The remaining 18 survivors in the last boat were rescued after 35 days by the Spanish sailing vessel Juan near Belle Nassent and taken to La Aguerrio, Rio de Oro, but an oiler later died in a hospital at Gibraltar
1943 - At 0022 & 0024, U-593 fired four single torpedoes at two ships in a small convoy consisting of four steamers and three escorts about 60 miles northeast of Bardia and observed a hit amidships on the first ship which broke in two and sank and saw a hit on the second. However, the only ship hit was the Runo. 16 crewmembers were lost. The master, 15 crewmembers and five gunners were rescued and landed at Alexandria on 13 April
1943 - At 2228, the Ingerfire was torpedoed by U-613 and sank within one minute about 400 miles east of Newfoundland. The ship had lost Convoy ONS-2 in stormy weather and was proceeding as romper ahead of the convoy. Six Norwegian and two British crewmembers were lost. The survivors were picked up by HMCS St Croix & Camrose early in the afternoon of 12 April