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SS Fanad Head

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44-785: SS Fanad Head was a UK cargo steamship . She was built during the First World War and torpedoed and sunk ten days after the UK entered the Second World War . Workman, Clark and Company of Belfast built Fanad Head for the Ulster Steam Ship Co Ltd (G. Heyn & Sons Ltd). She was completed in 1917 and registered in Belfast . She was named after Fanad , a headland in County Donegal . When

88-455: A force been sent into battle with such a useless weapon." In general, all issues were resolved by 1942 when new depth mechanisms and new pistols had been developed and put into service. The TII was then also replaced by the TIII with improved batteries. There is at least one recorded case of a U-boat being bombed based upon her position being given away by a TI's wake. On 14 September 1939, U-30

132-505: A life expectancy of 25 to 30 years before being scrapped. The words cargo and freight have become interchangeable in casual usage. Technically, "cargo" refers to the goods carried aboard the ship for hire, while "freight" refers to the act of carrying of such cargo, but the terms have been used interchangeably for centuries. Generally, the modern ocean shipping business is divided into two classes: Larger cargo ships are generally operated by shipping lines : companies that specialize in

176-625: A merchant ship's prefix, denotes that it is a T urbine S teamer. Famous cargo ships include the 2,710 Liberty ships of World War II , partly based on a British design . Liberty ship sections were prefabricated in locations across the United States and then assembled by shipbuilders in an average of six weeks, with the record being just over four days. These ships allowed the Allies in World War II to replace sunken cargo vessels at

220-541: A narrow channel between Indonesia and Singapore / Malaysia , and cargo ships are still commonly targeted. In 2004, the governments of those three nations agreed to provide better protection for the ships passing through the Straits. The waters off Somalia and Nigeria are also prone to piracy, while smaller vessels are also in danger along parts of the South American coasts, Southeast Asian coasts, and near

264-588: A range of 7,500 metres (24,600 ft) at 40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph) speed. In 1936, the Kriegsmarine's first electrical powered torpedo was introduced with the G7e(TII). It was replaced beginning in 1942 by the G7e(TIII) . The G7a(TI) remained in service as the main torpedo of Kriegsmarine for the length of the war, being the only torpedo used from surface vessels, and alongside electric torpedoes on

308-571: A rate greater than the Kriegsmarine 's U-boats could sink them, and contributed significantly to the war effort, the delivery of supplies, and eventual victory over the Axis powers. Liberty ships were followed by the faster Victory ships . Canada built Park ships and Fort ships to meet the demand for the Allies shipping. The United Kingdom built Empire ships and used US Ocean ships . After

352-431: A separate category). Cargo ships fall into two further categories that reflect the services they offer to industry: liner and tramp services. Those on a fixed published schedule and fixed tariff rates are cargo liners. Tramp ships do not have fixed schedules. Users charter them to haul loads. Generally, the smaller shipping companies and private individuals operate tramp ships. Cargo liners run on fixed schedules published by

396-587: A shot across the cargo ship's bow from her 88 mm gun , which persuaded Fanad Head ' s Master , George Pinkerton, to stop. Pinkerton, his 33 crew and eight passengers abandoned ship in two lifeboats . U-30 took them in tow and put a prize crew aboard her to gather provisions and then scuttle the ship. The distress call reached the aircraft carrier HMS  Ark Royal , then on an anti-submarine patrol 200 miles (320 km) north-east of Fanad Head ' s position. Ark Royal quickly launched three Blackburn Skuas of 803 Naval Air Squadron , and detached

440-565: A strafing run that again forced the U-boat to dive. At 1820 hours U-30 launched a G7a torpedo from one of her stern tubes at Fanad Head from a range of 500 metres (550 yd), causing her to sink. U-30 was then repeatedly attacked with bombs from the Swordfishes and depth charges from the two destroyers which had reached the scene. HMS Tartar rescued Fanad Head ' s passengers and crew and took them to Mallaig , Scotland . U-30

484-465: Is a merchant ship that carries cargo , goods , and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade . Cargo ships are usually specially designed for the task, often being equipped with cranes and other mechanisms to load and unload, and come in all sizes. Today, they are almost always built of welded steel , and with some exceptions generally have

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528-433: Is increasing: with bunker fuel consumption at 278 million tonnes per year in 2001, it is projected to be at 500 million tonnes per year in 2020. International standards to dramatically reduce sulphur content in marine fuels and nitrogen oxide emissions have been put in place. Among some of the solutions offered is changing over the fuel intake to clean diesel or marine gas oil, while in restricted waters and cold ironing

572-724: The Caribbean Sea . A category designation appears before the vessel's name. A few examples of prefixes for naval ships are "USS" ( United States Ship ), "HMS" ( Her/His Majesty’s Ship ), "HMCS" ( Her/His Majesty's Canadian Ship ) and "HTMS" (His Thai Majesty's Ship), while a few examples for prefixes for merchant ships are "RMS" ( Royal Mail Ship , usually a passenger liner), "MV" ( Motor Vessel , powered by diesel ), "MT" (Motor Tanker, powered vessel carrying liquids only) "FV" Fishing Vessel and "SS" ( Screw Steamer , driven by propellers or screws, often understood to stand for Steamship ). "TS", sometimes found in first position before

616-510: The European Union is planning stricter controls on emissions. Cargo ships have been reported to have a possible negative impact on the population of whale sharks. Smithsonian Magazine reported in 2022 that whale sharks , the largest species of fish, have been disappearing mysteriously over the past 75 years, with research pointing to cargo ships and large vessels as the likely culprits. A study involving over 75 researchers highlighted

660-458: The F-class destroyers HMS  Fame and HMS  Forester as reinforcements. When the first Skua reached Fanad Head , the pilots were surprised to find the U-boat surfaced alongside her and dropped the bombs immediately at very low level. The bombs detonated on contact with the water, causing shrapnel to hit the aircraft, damaging it enough to force the pilot to ditch his burning Skua in

704-459: The Tribal-class destroyers HMS  Bedouin , HMS  Punjabi and HMS  Tartar to go to Fanad Head ' s assistance. 30 minutes after launching the first wave of aircraft, Ark Royal herself was attacked by U-39 . She succeeded in avoiding the torpedoes and her escorts subsequently sank U-39 . After two hours, Ark Royal launched six Swordfish aircraft and detached

748-452: The German prize crew. U-30 continued to attempt to come alongside, but damaged her bow in her third attempt. She eventually managed to take aboard the five members of the prize crew. The Royal Naval pilots initially remained aboard, but on being told that U-30 intended to torpedo Fanad Head , they jumped overboard and were captured. Shortly afterwards, the first Swordfish arrived and made

792-503: The Japanese surface-launched Type 93 and submarine-launched Type 95 , which were fuelled by an enriched oxygen wetheater engine. For U-boats, this relegated the TI for use mainly at night, when its wake was least noticeable, so as to not give away the element of surprise and the location of the submarine that fired it. During daytime, the electrical propulsioned torpedoes were favoured. For

836-689: The UK entered the Second World War on 3 September 1939 Fanad Head was in Canada. She sailed from Montreal carrying general cargo and grain to the UK, and on 14 September she was steaming unescorted off the coast of Ireland when at 1323 hours she was sighted by the German submarine  U-30 . The U-boat surfaced and gave chase, and Fanad Head radioed for assistance. Some 280 nautical miles (520 km) west-northwest of Malin Head U-30 fired

880-463: The aircraft, low on fuel, left to return to Ark Royal , the U-boat re-surfaced and tried to return alongside Fanad Head to take off the prize crew. The third Skua then arrived and sighting U-30 , dropped its bombs, but again from an insufficient height. Damage from the explosion caused the Skua to fall into the sea. The pilot managed to get free, and swim to Fanad Head , where he too was taken aboard by

924-400: The bottom of the combustion chamber. The resulting superheated steam powered a four cylinder reciprocating engine , in turn powering a pair of contra-rotating propellers . Though this system of propulsion gave the TI great speed and endurance it had the distinct disadvantage of being very noisy and leaving a long wake of bubbles, common to most torpedoes of the period, with the exception of

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968-408: The canal locks a ship can fit in, water depth ( draft ) is a limitation for canals, shallow straits or harbors and height is a limitation in order to pass under bridges. Common categories include: [REDACTED] The TI-class supertanker is an Ultra Large Crude Carrier, with a draft that is deeper than Suezmax, Malaccamax and Neopanamax. This causes Atlantic/Pacific routes to be very long, such as

1012-564: The combined mechanical/magnetic Pi2. Also, the depth mechanism had a design-issue leading to leakage of vacuum when stored on the U-boats, causing the torpedo to run deep. The problems were common for the TI and TII torpedoes, but the TI also had issues with weak engine blocks (cracking at 44 kt setting), and the TII had issues with poorly performing batteries. The problems were so serious, Admiral Dönitz said, "...never before in military history has

1056-504: The danger posed to whale sharks by shipping activities in various regions, including Ecuador, Mexico, Malaysia, the Philippines, Oman, Seychelles, and Taiwan. See also, similar role:- Empire ship , Fort ship , Park ship , Ocean ship . G7a torpedo The G7a(TI) was the standard issue Kriegsmarine torpedo introduced to service in 1934. It was a steam-powered design, using a wet heater engine burning decaline , with

1100-483: The end of WW2. The torpedo was a straight-running unguided design, controlled by a gyroscope . The TI had variable speed, running a distance of 5,000 m at 81 km/h (5,500 yd at 44kt), 7,500 m at 74 km/h (8,250 yd at 40 kt), and 12,000 m at 55.6 km/h (13,200 yd at 30 kt). The 44 kt setting was used only by torpedo boats like the Schnellboote on torpedoes with a reinforced engine. The TI

1144-405: The handling of cargo in general. Smaller vessels, such as coasters , are often owned by their operators. Cargo ships/freighters can be divided into eight groups, according to the type of cargo they carry. These groups are: Specialized types of cargo vessels include container ships and bulk carriers (technically tankers of all sizes are cargo ships, although they are routinely thought of as

1188-706: The locks on the Saint Lawrence Seaway . The earliest records of waterborne activity mention the carriage of items for trade; the evidence of history and archaeology shows the practice to be widespread by the beginning of the 1st millennium BC, and as early as the 14th and 15th centuries BC small Mediterranean cargo ships like those of the 50 foot long (15–16 metre) Uluburun ship were carrying 20 tons of exotic cargo; 11 tons of raw copper, jars, glass, ivory, gold, spices, and treasures from Canaan , Greece , Egypt , and Africa . The desire to operate trade routes over longer distances, and throughout more seasons of

1232-606: The long voyages south of Cape of Good Hope or south of Cape Horn to transit between Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Lake freighters built for the Great Lakes in North America differ in design from sea water–going ships because of the difference in wave size and frequency in the lakes. A number of these ships are larger than Seawaymax and cannot leave the lakes and pass to the Atlantic Ocean, since they do not fit

1276-563: The passengers and at the time of rescue by HMS Tartar her grandfather asked to remove and keep the compass and binnacle. Photographs of her family in the lifeboat at the time were shown and she related how her grandmother lost a shoe climbing the boarding net. The binnacle was lovingly restored both as a family heirloom and as a tribute to the two airmen who lost their lives in the attack on the submarine. 56°43′N 15°21′W  /  56.717°N 15.350°W  / 56.717; -15.350 Cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter

1320-553: The period 1934-1940 the only available warhead for the TI and TII were the Type Ka, with two available pistols: The Pi G7A-AZ and the Pi G7a-MZ. The former was a direct-acting mechanical pistol, while the latter had an additional influence-mechanism (magnetic). Both mechanisms were flawed and contributed to the german "Torpedokrise"( torpedo crisis ) which lasted from the start of the war and through 1942. The mechanical deflection arms

1364-510: The rest of the war in a prisoner of war camp in Brunswick . The Repair Shop is a UK television programme in which people bring in artefacts with an interesting history for restoration by a team of craftsmen. In Series 6 Episode 2 a Jo Blackwell from Chichester brought in the compass and binnacle from one of the lifeboats used to escape from SS Fanad Head at its sinking. She related how her grandparents, father and his two brothers were amongst

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1408-423: The sea. Both crewmen survived the crash, but were badly burnt and began swimming towards Fanad Head . Only the pilot managed to reach the ship and was pulled unconscious from the water. U-30 had crash-dived by the stern and avoided damage, but one of its crew had not had time to get below deck before she had submerged, so he too swam to Fanad Head . Meanwhile, the bombs dropped by the Skua had detonated so close to

1452-409: The ship that three men from the prize crew were wounded by shrapnel. Ten minutes after the first attack, the second Skua reached the scene. Its crew sighted what they believed was a U-boat and dropped their bombs, but this was probably the wreck of the first Skua. When U-30 then surfaced nearby they had no bombs left, but repeatedly strafed her with machine gun fire and forced her to dive again. After

1496-518: The ship while it is in port. The process of removing sulphur from the fuel impacts the viscosity and lubricity of the marine gas oil though, which could cause damage in the engine fuel pump . The fuel viscosity can be raised by cooling the fuel down. If the various requirements are enforced, the International Maritime Organization 's marine fuel requirement will mean a 90% reduction in sulphur oxide emissions; whilst

1540-468: The shipping companies. Each trip a liner takes is called a voyage. Liners mostly carry general cargo. However, some cargo liners may carry passengers also. A cargo liner that carries 12 or more passengers is called a combination or passenger-run-cargo line. Cargo ships are categorized partly by cargo or shipping capacity ( tonnage ), partly by weight ( deadweight tonnage DWT), and partly by dimensions. Maximum dimensions such as length and width ( beam ) limit

1584-484: The uboats. The G7a(TI) torpedo was 533.4 mm (21.00 in) in diameter, 7,163 millimetres (23 feet 6.0 inches) in length (with a type Ka or Kb warhead and Pi1 or Pi2 pistol), the warhead holding a charge of approximately 280 kg (620 lb) of so-called Schießwolle 36 . It was Kriegsmarine's first operational torpedo (hence "TI" = Torpedo number one), and the standard issue torpedo for all German U-boats and surface torpedo-bearing vessels from 1934 to

1628-796: The war many of the ships were sold to private companies. The Ever Given is a ship that was lodged into the Suez Canal from March 25 to 28, 2021, which caused a halt on maritime trade. The MV Dali , which collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore , Maryland , United States , on 26 March 2024, causing a catastrophic structural failure of the bridge that resulted in at least 6 deaths. Due to its low cost, most large cargo vessels are powered by bunker fuel , also known as heavy fuel oil, which contains higher sulphur levels than diesel. This level of pollution

1672-580: The year, motivated improvements in ship design during the Middle Ages . Before the middle of the 19th century, the incidence of piracy resulted in most cargo ships being armed, sometimes quite heavily, as in the case of the Manila galleons and East Indiamen . They were also sometimes escorted by warships . Piracy is still quite common in some waters, particularly in the Malacca Straits ,

1716-690: Was RNoN with the T1 mod 1 (G7a with wire-guidance: Although four modifications to the torpedo were carried out over the years – the last with computerised control in 1992 – the same designation "mod 1" was applied throughout its service). In the RNoN, T1 mod 1 was used from FACs (until ca 1995), submarines (until ca 1990) and Coastal artillery shore batteries (until 2001). Other versions: Note 1) For launch with program setting, speed could only be set to 30 kn. Note 2) For launch with program setting, speed could be set to 30 or 40 kn. Exercise- and Warheads/pistols used on

1760-597: Was attacked by loitering United Kingdom Fairey Swordfish naval bombers when she fired a TI from her stern torpedo tube at the SS Fanad Head . U-30 was undamaged in the attack and served until she was scuttled at the end of the war. The TI were also issued in versions with program-steering gyroscopes, using the Fat I and Lut I or Lut II pattern running mechanisms - primary for use in attacking convoys and as self-defence against allied escorts. Note 1) 44kn

1804-447: Was attacked until 2200 hours, suffering considerable damage, before managing to escape on the surface one hour later. U-30 then made for Reykjavík , reaching there on 19 September. Here the submarine landed one of her seriously injured crewmen and took aboard a replacement from an interned German freighter. U-30 then returned to Germany with the two captured Royal Naval pilots, reaching Wilhelmshaven on 27 September. The pilots spent

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1848-401: Was designed too short, and the magnetic igniting-mechanism couldn't be properly tuned for the natural magnetic fields in the northern hemisphere and narrow fiords. These issues led to premature or late detonations, as well as failing to detonate even when hitting the target, in numerous cases during this period until properly working pistols were introduced with first the mechanical Pi1, and later

1892-434: Was the last naval torpedo of German design in operational use with the traditional standard wet heat method of propulsion. The torpedo was powered by an engine fed by a mixture of compressed air and steam. Decaline fuel was burning in a combustion chamber, creating steam from fresh water. The torpedo's speed was determined by the level of pressure (three settings for 30/40/44 kn) from the low-pressure regulator feeding air to

1936-561: Was used only by S-Boote (problems with initial design led to breakdown on engines running 44 kn, so this setting was banned until the new engine was available). Note 2) Black used only from shore torpedo batteries, red from uboats and blue from surface vessels. Note 3) Pre-war produced models had 4-blade propellers. Post war use: The TI were used post-war by several navies with different modifications and designations (Marina Española: G-7a, Bundesmarine: DM11, Royal Danish Navy: T1 and T1T, Royal Norwegian Navy: T1 and T1 mod 1). Last known operator

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