British cargo ship ss Doric Star lost in December 1939

 

German Admiral Graf Spee original appearance. ©Warshipsresearch.blogspot.com

German Admiral Graf Spee disguised appearance. ©Warshipsresearch.blogspot.com

An item reported that the 10,086 tons cargo ship ss Doric Star (1) loaded with general and refrigerated cargo departed Capetown, South Africa on 28 November bound for Freetown, Sierra Leone was reported as being by artillery fire from a battleship 600 miles east south east of St. Helena in the afternoon of 2 December and presumed to be lost.(1)

Notes

1. Launched by Lithgows, Port Glasgow, Scotland with yard number 731 on 24 February 1921, completed in 1922, taken into service as Doricstar in 1922, renamed Doric Star in 1929 and sunk on 2 December 1939 after leaving Auckland, New Zealand in November 1939.

2. She was destroyed by the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee and not by her sister ship Admiral Scheer. Part of Of the Deutschland-class panzerschiffe, nicknamed pocket battleships by the Allied forces, later classified as heavy cruisers preceded by the Admiral Hipper-class. Main armament 2x3-28cm/11” guns, on fore and aft ship one turret. Building ordered as the Ersatz Braunschweig. Laid down on the Reichmarinewerft, Wilhelmshaven, Germany with yard number 125 on 1 October 1932, launched on 30 June 1934, commissioned on 6 January 1936, successful in destroying 50.089 gross tonnage of merchant ships, participated in the Battle of the Rio de La Plata on 13 December 1939 and finally scuttled to prevent capture on 17 December1939. Her captain was mislead believing that a large Allied naval force was approaching which was not true. Despite being damaged in the battle was she still superior to the Allied ships waiting outside Montevideo, Uruguay who were far more damaged. She was however lacking enough ammunition and had severe problems while the oil purification and desalination plants destroyed.

Sources

The National Archives, Kew Gardens, England CAB-66-4-1 Weekly Résumé (No. 14) of the naval, military and air situation from 12 noon 30 November to 12 noon 7 December 1939.

Lloyd’s Register 1939-1940.