SS Anselm

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quimby

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Does anyone have surviving relative from the sinking of SS Anselm ? Torpedoed north of the Azores July5th 1941,Sunk by U boat U96
 

claire09

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anselm

hi my name is claire watson i am the grand-daughter of mr alfred watson (taff) who was aboard that ship although he passed away 12 yrs ago i do know a small amount of info + have small amount of press coverage i would love to swap any stories or information ....:D
 
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quimby

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hi my name is claire watson i am the grand-daughter of mr alfred watson (taff) who was aboard that ship although he passed away 12 yrs ago i do know a small amount of info + have small amount of press coverage i would love to swap any stories or information ....:D[/QUOTE

My uncle was killed on the Anselm, U96 was the Uboat in the doc/film "Das Boot"
Pm me with details please.
 

edstar54

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ss anselm

hi , my uncle edward ( teddy ) maher served on the anselm as a trimmer , not sure what that job entailed ! he was one of the unlucky ones who unfortunately did not survive the torpedo attack by u 96 , all we know about the anselm is what i have read on the internet .
we did apply to see if my uncle was entitled to any medals and we were glad that he was awarded the 1939/45 war medal and the atlantic star,hope this is of any use to you !
 

AnF

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Hi, my Grandfather was a serving crewmember aboard and as far as i am aware he was 17 years old when it was torpedoed. we was discussing it today and he said he was going to get all his memorabilia out to show me one day, so i googled the ship name and here I am, I am sure he would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have. I also realise that this is a reply to a post that is a few years old and the poster may not be around.
 
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quimby

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Hi, my Grandfather was a serving crewmember aboard and as far as i am aware he was 17 years old when it was torpedoed. we was discussing it today and he said he was going to get all his memorabilia out to show me one day, so i googled the ship name and here I am, I am sure he would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have. I also realise that this is a reply to a post that is a few years old and the poster may not be around.

My Uncle was lost on the Anselm, lots of bits on this tragic loss. Ask your G/father why was the convoy was so small? They left Gurrock on the Tyne on the 29 june 1941 and I was born on the 2nd July 1941. Anselm torpedoed in the early hours of the 5th July.
 

AnF

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My Grandad tells me he has a crew list, and as for the convoy being so small he doesnt know the answer to that, 2x corvettes as escort. My grandad was asleep in his bunk when the 2 torpedoes hit, he managed to get to a lifeboat and was knocked out of it due to the sheer number of people in it, then was pulled back in, His boat was picked up by another corvette about 2hr later.
 
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quimby

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My Grandad tells me he has a crew list, and as for the convoy being so small he doesnt know the answer to that, 2x corvettes as escort. My grandad was asleep in his bunk when the 2 torpedoes hit, he managed to get to a lifeboat and was knocked out of it due to the sheer number of people in it, then was pulled back in, His boat was picked up by another corvette about 2hr later.

Saturday, July 5, 1941

The British troop transport Anselm was torpedoed and sunk by the U-96, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock, about 300 miles north of the Azores in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Of the ship’s complement and passengers, 254 died and 1062 survivors were picked up by a survey ship and a corvette. The 5,954 ton Anselm was carrying RAF and military personnel and was heading for Freetown, Sierra Leone. The U-96 suffered enough damage in the counterattack by the Anselm’s escorts that it had to abort its patrol and return to port for repairs. For more information on these vessels visit the Anselm and the U-96 pages on www.uboat.net.

Tuesday, July 22, 1941
 

scowales

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Does anyone have surviving relative from the sinking of SS Anselm ? Torpedoed north of the Azores July5th 1941,Sunk by U boat U96

My father, Alexander Davidson Mowatt, serving with RAF was lost at se when SS Anselm was sunk off the Azores in July 1941. I was 18 months old at the time and have no memories of my father. I was an only child, now 73 and am his lsat surviving relative.
 

Cabletoffee

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My father Arthur Patrick Nolan was in the crew of the Anselm. He was an Able Seaman and one of those whose job was lowering the boats after the torpedo struck. He survived and eventually returned from Freetown aboard a ship called the Ville De Tamatave, arriving back in Liverpool in Sept. 1941
He was toubled right to the end of his life by the memory of the cries for help of those who were trapped below as the ship was sinking but couldn't be helped because the ladders to below decks had been destroyed by the initial explosion. It was something he found difficult to talk or even think about.
He died in 2009 aged 88.
In his later years he took up the making of ship models as a hobby and created a model of the Anselm based on photographs of the ship which I got for him off the internet. I have the model now and it takes pride of place in our house.
I would be pleased to hear from anyone else who may have family memories/newspaper cuttings etc relating to the Anselm. In particular does anyone still have a copy of the list of the ships crew ?

Steve Nolan
 

Flunob

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Really interesting to come across this thread. My Dads oldest brother, Philip Henry Frederick Cane, Aircraftman 2nd Class, 623464, Royal Air Force, was one of those who lost their lives on the Anselm. Dad (who also served in the RAF during WWII) passed away last year... Ironically I became a submariner back in 1985 and at the time had no idea that my uncle had been killed in a U-boat attack as my Dad and grandparents never talked about it...
 

simon_head

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Hi

Its a bit of an old thread this one. However does anyone have a crew list for the SS Anselm? I want to check whether my Grandfather is listed. He was rescued and eventually made his way home from Sierra Leone. I am researching his history.

Could any one please help

Thanks

Simon Head
 

TOKOLOSHI

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Hi

Its a bit of an old thread this one. However does anyone have a crew list for the SS Anselm? I want to check whether my Grandfather is listed. He was rescued and eventually made his way home from Sierra Leone. I am researching his history.

Could any one please help

Thanks

Simon Head

Google SS Anselm
https://www.google.co.uk/search?saf...ZTctWrYl4oeABviPgJAM&q=das+boot+full+movie&oq

To find if your grandfather was on board check his war record , you will need to have his service number or its a long job tracing records.
Das Boot had the U96 commander as technical director for the making of the film.
I cross referenced details on the German Uboat site and the U96 sank the Anselm on the date stated. It was depth charged but managed to limp back to Brest for repairs. and was later sunk by aircraft in the Baltic in 1945.

https://uboat.net/boats/u96.htm U96 record here.
 
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simon_head

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Hi Quimby

My Grandfather was the Chief Steward on the Anselm so would have been in the Merchant Navy. He only managed to get off and was missing for a time. My dad who died in 2014 said that his slippers saved him. I want the crew list for the survivors at this time. I have him joining the SS Anselm on the 12 December 1940. It appears that the list I have seen are for those souls (Armed Forces) who lost their lives not those in the Merchant Navy.

Unfortunately the discharge books are missing for this period but as I know the ship numbers for this time presumably I need to review the Ships Agreements.

Later he was on the SS Hilary at the landing in Anzio and was very affected by the scene of all the dead floating in the sea.

I also want to trace his whereabouts at this time- the SS Hilary was a sister to the Anselm but was a HQ ship and was under RN command as the HMS Hillary at this time. It was requisitioned twice by the RN during the war. Again it was a Booth Line ship. Most of the ships were named after Saints.

He was a Booth Line man most of his life (another ship I have him on was the SS Cuthbert in 1919)- I am trying to trace his agreements as the family no longer have his discharge books.

Eventually he came home via Sierra Leone. In those days if you were in the Merchant Navy if you were shipwrecked you had to make your own way home as your employment agreement ceased if the vessel was lost. I do not know if this changed during the war.

As a matter of interest I was an Engineer apprentice with Ellerman City Line but was also offered the same with Blue Star Line in the late 70s so I could have worked for the company which absorbed the Booth Line. I was at the time advised to go with Ellerman Lines which in hindsight was possibly not the best as I was made redundant in 1984!

Kind regards

Simon Head
 
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Historyjournal

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Reviving this topic - Northleach a town close to me raised money for HMS Starwort - one of the corvettes escorting Anselm and i am wrting an ebook on Starwort. I have tried to message one or to people here but will try again - really interested in anything that people may have please

Thanks
Guy
 
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