SS ''Stockport'' was a passenger and cargo vessel built for the

Great Central Railway The Great Central Railway in England was formed when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897, anticipating the opening in 1899 of its London Extension. On 1 January 1923, the company was grouped into the ...

in 1912. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

she served as a

convoy rescue ship A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

until a

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...

sank her in February 1943.

History

The ship was built by

Earle's Shipbuilding Earle's Shipbuilding was an engineering company that was based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England from 1845 to 1932. Earle Brothers The company was started in Hull in 1845 by two brothers, Charles and William Earle. The firm was made u ...

of Hull and launched in 1912. In 1923 she passed into the ownership of the London and North Eastern Railway, and in 1935 to the Associated Humber Lines. On 11 August 1937 she was in collision with the Hull steam trawler ''Lady Beryl'' in the Humber off Immingham in thick fog. Both vessels were damaged but not below the water line. Her convoy rescue service began on 22 October 1941. She rescued 413 survivors from sunken ships while sailing with sixteen convoys, including

convoy SC-107 Convoy SC 107 was the 107th of the numbered series of World War II Slow Convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island to Liverpool. The ships departed New York City on 24 October 1942 and were found and engaged by a wolfpack of ...

. On 21 February 1943 she was part of

convoy ON 166 Convoy ON 166 was the 166th of the numbered ON series of merchant ship convoys Outbound from the British Isles to North America. Sixty-three ships departed Liverpool 11 February 1943 and were met the following day by Mid-Ocean Escort Force Gr ...

and went to the assistance of which had straggled behind the convoy in the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

north of the

Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

, Portugal. After torpedoed and damaged ''Empire Trader'', ''Stockport'' rescued all 106 crew men before scuttled ''Empire Trader'' following orders received from the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...

. However, ''Stockport'' had itself now fallen. She was attempting to regain the convoy when on 23 February torpedoed and sank her at () with the loss of all her crew and the survivors that she had rescued from other vessels. She is commemorated every February in a parade and commemoration service organised by Hazel Grove Royal Naval Association.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stockport 1911 ships Steamships of the United Kingdom Ships built on the Humber Ships of the London and North Eastern Railway Ships of the Great Central Railway Ships of Associated Humber Lines Maritime incidents in February 1943 Ships sunk by German submarines in World War II