Hello Mac.
I have recently come across letters from my late father, in the box was letters etc regarding his brother John Eric Jenkins sailor who went down with the Caledonian Monarch l believe 3/1/42.
Could you please advise as to were l can find any details or listing which might provide details of his death and rank, also were the ship went down, infact any information.
Thank you.
Best regards.
Terry Jenkins.
Here is your Father's certificate from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site:
His name is recorded on the Merchant Navy Memorial at Tower Hill London on Panel 22.
Caledonian Monarch, 5,851grt, (Raeburn & Verel Ltd. Monarch SS C0. Ltd) had
loaded a cargo of wheat in Halifax, Nova Scotia and joined up with the
homeward bound 27 ship Convoy SC-63 which left Sydney, Cape Breton on the
3rd January 1942. During the crossing the Convoy was forced to disperse on
the 9th January due severe bad weather in position 54' 00N 42' 22W. The
Caledonian Monarch had been struggling to keep up with the Convoy and was
last reported on the 7th January. After that she was never seen again. The
ship was officially reported missing/untraced on the 25th February 1942. A
Joint Arbitration Committee considered her loss to be 80% War Loss, 20%
Marine Loss. A Missing Ship Committee considered her lost 14th Janaury
1942.
Even German records are not 100% clear on the loss. First it was thought
that this ship was sunk by U-333 at 13.15 hours on the 18th January in
position 47' 30N 40' 30W. U-333 reported sinking a steamer of 8,000 tons.
But according to Lloyds it is inconceivable that the Caledonian Monarch
would have been in the same position as the U-boat. So the victim of U-333
if any, is still unidentified.
The second possibility was at 04.11 hours on 22nd January, U-588 torpedoed a
steamer of 6,000 tons and sank her by coup de grace after 35 minutes along
the approaches to Loch Ewe via the Minch. Assuming that the Caledonian
Monarch had not been lost and had continued to Loch Ewe, she could have
crossed U-588´s path. What ever the truth maybe, Captain Stewart and all 40
crew perished.
Caledonian Monarch, on a voyage from Rosario (Nov. 24-1941) for Loch Ewe
and London with 8075 tons of wheat, and last reported on Jan. 7-1942, is
believed to have been torpedoed and sunk on Jan. 22 by U-588. She had a
crew of 48 - there were no survivors.
Best wishes,
Mac.
