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Frederick S. Fales - (1939-1940)
"Frederick S. Fales". British Motor tanker.
( Photo Courtesy of Library of Contemporary History, Stuttgart )

Frederick S. Fales
LOA 506'8", Beam 69'9". Depth 37', 15,345 DWT,  131,563 bbls, Fiat diesel 8-cylinder 2-cycle 360OBHP

Launched 20 March and commissioned 26 June 1939 at Cantiere Riunti Dell’Adriatico, Monfalcone, Italy.
For a few short months prior to WWII FALES operated for Stanvac in the eastern Mediterranean.
During the second week of September 1940 FALES, commanded by Captain Frank Ramsay, left Halifax, Canada, bound for the UK in what was to be the War’s unluckiest transatlantic convoy. On 20 September, with the convoy about 600 miles off the Irish coast, three ships were torpedoed and sunk; on the following day seven more, including FALES, were sunk.
On the night of 21 September, FALES was hit twice in quick succession on the port side aft, one hit forward of and the other in the engine-room. The first torpedo started a fire; the second one put it out. FALES was in immediate trouble and the crew abandoned ship. Just five minutes later FALES went down by the stern, standing almost perpendicular for a brief moment before falling over to starboard and crushing the lifeboat in which Captain Ramsay and most of the deck officers were leaving the ship. This, and the second torpedo exploding in the engine-room, accounted for the great loss of life among the licensed personnel of the ship.
The remainder of the crew got away on rafts. After 12 hours of wet and cold, they were picked up by a Free French sloop-of-war, LA MALOUINE; and three days later were landed in Greenock, Scotland. Twenty men lost their lives in the sinking of FALES.

Name
Frederick S. Fales
Type:
British Motor tanker
Tonnage
10,525 tons
Completed
1939 - Cantiere Riuniti dell’ Adriatico (CRDA), Monfalcone
Owner
Oriental Tankers Ltd (Standard Transp. Co Ltd), Hong Kong
Homeport
Hong Kong
Date of attack
22 Sep 1940
Nationality: British
Location of attack on Frederick S. Fales.
Fate
Sunk by U-100 (Joachim Schepke)
Position
55.30N, 13.40W - Grid AL 6553
Complement
49 (21 dead and 28 survivors).
Convoy
HX-72
Route
Curaçao - Halifax - Clyde
Cargo
13,849 tons of Admiralty fuel oil
History
Completed in June 1939

Notes on loss
At 01.52 hours on 22 Sep, 1940, the Frederick S. Fales (Master Frank Ramsay) in convoy HX-72 was hit on the port side aft by two torpedoes from U-100 and sank by the stern within 5 minutes about 340 miles west of Bloody Foreland. The master, 19 crew members and one gunner were lost, most of them died when the sinking ship capsized to starboard and hit a lifeboat lying alongside. 28 crew members were picked up after about 12 hours by HMS La Malouine (K 46) (LtCdr R.W. Keymer, RN) and landed at Belfast on 25 September.

Crew lists from ships hit by U-boats "Frederick S. Fales".

Name
Age
Rank
Served on
Baker, Jim, Merchant Navy
18
Mess Room Boy
Frederick S. Fales
Beanland, Jack, Merchant Navy
Crew member
Frederick S. Fales
Beed, Charles Patrick, Merchant Navy
24
Able Seaman
Frederick S. Fales   Died   22 Sep 1940
Bonin, Herber "Boner", Merchant Navy
Crew member
Frederick S. Fales
Cleveland, Clarence, Merchant Navy
Crew member
Frederick S. Fales
Cockrane, George, Merchant Navy
Crew member
Frederick S. Fales
Dawn, Ed, Merchant Navy
Crew member
Frederick S. Fales
English, Leslie Alexander, Merchant Navy
37
Chief Officer
Frederick S. Fales   Died   22 Sep 1940
Gammon, Bayn, Merchant Navy
19
Ordinary Seaman
Frederick S. Fales   Died   22 Sep 1940
Garrod, Geoffrey Phillip, Merchant Navy
24
First Radio Officer
Frederick S. Fales   Died   22 Sep 1940
Gregory, Scott, Merchant Navy
42
Second Engineer Officer
Frederick S. Fales   Died   22 Sep 1940
Ham, Kenneth, Merchant Navy
25
Engineer Officer
Frederick S. Fales   Died   22 Sep 1940
Hansen, Raymond, Merchant Navy
20
Wiper
Frederick S. Fales   Died   22 Sep 1940
Hart, William A., Merchant Navy
40
Fireman
Frederick S. Fales   Died   22 Sep 1940
Hayes, Robert E., Merchant Navy
33
Chief Steward
Frederick S. Fales   Died   22 Sep 1940
Jones, Oliver James, Merchant Navy
35
Second Officer
Frederick S. Fales   Died   22 Sep 1940
Kent, Burton, Merchant Navy
Crew member
Frederick S. Fales
Lawton, Thomas Hatfield, Merchant Navy
52
Chief Engineer Officer
Frederick S. Fales   Died   22 Sep 1940
Moir, Parker G., Merchant Navy
17
Crew member
Frederick S. Fales
Moore, Cecil, Merchant Navy
24
Oiler
Frederick S. Fales   Died   22 Sep 1940
Morris, Ashley Harl, Merchant Navy
Crew member
Frederick S. Fales
Mount, Ronald Frederick, Merchant Navy
20
Engineer Officer
Frederick S. Fales   Died   22 Sep 1940
Myers, Herbert, Merchant Navy
18
Oiler
Frederick S. Fales
O'Brien, Dairmuid Phadrig, Merchant Navy
31
Fifth Engineer Officer
Frederick S. Fales
O'Connell, Richard J., Merchant Navy
23
Oiler
Frederick S. Fales   Died   22 Sep 1940
Ramsay, Frank, Merchant Navy
53
Master
Frederick S. Fales   Died   22 Sep 1940
Richards, Earl, Merchant Navy
24
Boatswain (Bosun)
Frederick S. Fales
Rodenhizer, Simeon, Merchant Navy
25
Pumpman
Frederick S. Fales
Saunders, John James, Merchant Navy
22
Oiler
Frederick S. Fales   Died   22 Sep 1940
Scallion, Gerald, Merchant Navy
28
Mess Room Boy
Frederick S. Fales   Died   22 Sep 1940
Scanlon, Francis, Merchant Navy
Galley Boy
Frederick S. Fales   Died   22 Sep 1940
Shaw, Ray, Merchant Navy
Storekeeper
Frederick S. Fales
Silver, Arthur, Merchant Navy
25
Crew member
Frederick S. Fales
Smith, James Donaldson, Merchant Navy
27
Fourth Engineer Officer
Frederick S. Fales   Died   22 Sep 1940
Taylor, Sam, Merchant Navy
Cook
Frederick S. Fales
White, James, Merchant Navy
29
Second Cook/Baker
Frederick S. Fales   Died   22 Sep 1940
36 persons found.