I'm sick to the core of spending my time deleting all the spam messages that appear in the old thread for Abbotsford, so I'm going to transfer all the information from it here, then delete the old thread (in which a code appears to have been planted by these idiots).

Here goes:

Author: Fred
Date:   06-02-03 18:55

Can anyone give me any information on the simk of the Br ship
SS Abbotsford?

I know she was sunk mar 9, 1940, but hav no other information on her.
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Author: Theodor Dorgeist
Date:   06-02-03 21:49

Hallo Fred,

Abbotsford 1585 BRT 1924 gebaut, wurde durch U 14 mit Torpedo auf Pos 41.44 N 03.22 E versenkt.

Grüße

Theo
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Author: Ron
Date:   06-03-03 02:25

Hello Fred

She was owned by George Gibson & Co and built by Goole Ship Building & Repairing Co Ltd at Goole in 1924, dimensions: 76.40m length, 11.58m-beam & 4.40m draught. Engine Triple expansion 240hp & speed of 10.5-knots

Homeward bound from Ghent, Captain A. Watson, lost with all hands 24-officers & men.

Cheers Ron
PS
Disasters at Sea says she was sunk on 11th March
----------------------------
Author: Bill Watt
Date:   06-03-03 02:26

Abbotsford ex-Cyrille Daneels. Owners George Gibson & Co. Leith.
9.3.40 Torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-14 (Wohlfarth)in the North Sea N. of Zeebruge, while sailing independently on a voyage from Ghent to Grangemouth, with a cargo of steel and flax. The Master Alexander John Watson, and crew of 17 were lost.
Source - British & Commonwealth Merchant Ship Losses to Axis submarines 1939-1945.

Regards,

Bill
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Author: Dave Weaver
Date:   06-03-03 03:26

Something is wrong here.

Theo says the position was 41.44'North by 03.22' East. This position is in the Mediterranean just north of Barcelona.

Bill Watt says "Torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-14 (Wohlfarth)in the North Sea N. of Zeebruge."

41.44' North by 3.22'West is dry land - in Spain.

Or have I got it all wrong???????

Dave Weaver
Hong Kong.
---------------------------
Author: Dave Weaver
Date:   06-03-03 03:37

I think Theo has made a typing error.

The correct position should probably be

51.44' North by 03.22 East.

Dave
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Author: Billy McGee
Date:   06-03-03 04:18

Casualties from the SS Abbotsford are listed below. Their commemoration is on the Tower Hill Memorial on Panel No. 1.

BLACK, Assistant Steward, WILLIAM, S.S. Abbotsford (Grangemouth). Merchant Navy. 8th March 1940. Age 21. Son of Mary Gambie, of Jarrow-on-Tyne, Co. Durham.

FOWELL, Fireman, ROBERT CANDLAND, S.S. Abbotsford (Grangemouth). Merchant Navy. 8th March 1940. Age 33. Son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Fowell, of Alloa, Clackmannanshire; husband of Barbara Fowell, of Tullibody, Clackmannanshire.

HAYES, Chief Engineer Officer, ARTHUR SAMUEL, S.S. Abbotsford (Grangemouth). Merchant Navy. 8th March 1940. Age 49. Son of John Patrick and Mary Eliza Hayes, of Plymouth; husband of Anne Jupp Hayes, of Blackhall, Edinburgh.

HORNE, Ordinary Seaman, THOMAS HUNNAM, S.S. Abbotsford (Grangemouth). Merchant Navy. 8th March 1940. Age 23. Son of Archibald and Jeanie Hunnam Horne.

IRVINE, Able Seaman, JOHN DICK, S.S. Abbotsford (Grangemouth). Merchant Navy. 8th March 1940. Age 28. Son of Roy and Mary Irvine, of Edinburgh; husband of Clara Sim Irvine, of Eastbourne, Sussex.

JOHNSON, Boatswain, PETER, S.S. Abbotsford (Grangemouth). Merchant Navy. 8th March 1940. Age 39. Husband of Margaret Johnson, of Edinburgh.

JOHNSTON, Second Engineer Officer, GEORGE, S.S. Abbotsford (Grangemouth). Merchant Navy. 8th March 1940. Age 46. Son of John and Margaret Johnston; husband of Mary Simpson Johnston, of Edinburgh.

MACHEN, Ordinary Seaman, FREDERICK CHARLES, S.S. Abbotsford (Grangemouth). Merchant Navy. 8th March 1940. Age 25. Son of Frederick Charles Machen, and of Agnes Machen, of Larhert, Stirlingshire.

NICOL, Donkeyman, JAMES RUTHERFORD, S.S. Abbotsford (Grangemouth). Merchant Navy. 8th March 1940. Age 42. Son of David and Grant Nicol, of Leith, Edinburgh; husband of J. B. Nicol, of Edinburgh. His brother, Walter King Nicol, also fell.

PETERSON, Chief Officer, LAURENCE, S.S. Abbotsford (Grangemouth). Merchant Navy. 8th March 1940. Age 38. Son of Robert and Elizabeth Peterson; husband of Catherine L. Peterson, of Kilchoan, Argyllshire.

SEATON, Second Officer, WILLIAM LIDDLE, S.S. Abbotsford (Grangemouth). Merchant Navy. 8th March 1940. Age 45. Husband of May Alice Seaton, of Edinburgh.

SINCLAIR, Fireman, WILLIAM, S.S. Abbotsford (Grangemouth). Merchant Navy. 8th March 1940. Age 69. Husband of Janet Shearer Sinclair (nee Sutherland), of Leith, Edinburgh.

SMITH, Fireman, FRANCIS DOMINIC DUNN, S.S. Abbotsford (Grangemouth). Merchant Navy. 8th March 1940. Age 24.

SMITH, Fireman, HUGH, S.S. Abbotsford (Grangemouth). Merchant Navy. 8th March 1940. Age 59.

SMITH, Able Seaman, PATRICK JAMES DUNN, S.S. Abbotsford (Grangemouth). Merchant Navy. 8th March 1940. Age 17

SUTHERLAND, Steward, JOHN WILLIAM, S.S. Abbotsford (Grangemouth). Merchant Navy. 8th March 1940. Age 39. Son of George and Alexandrina Sutherland, of Edinburgh.

WATSON, Master, ALEXANDER JOHN, S.S. Abbotsford (Grangemouth). Merchant Navy. 8th March 1940. Age 59. Son of Alexander and Catherine Watson; husband of Anne Jane Nicolson Watson, of Edinburgh.

WHITSON, Able Seaman, ALEXANDER, S.S. Abbotsford (Grangemouth). Merchant Navy. 8th March 1940. Age 33. Husband of Henrietta Whitson, of Leven, Fife.
-------------------------------
Author: Fred
Date:   06-03-03 05:21

Thank you Gentlemen

The resources that you have accumulated are amazing....
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Author: Walter Janssens
Date:   06-03-03 22:49

Hello all,

I can add the following on the sinking of Abbotsford :

The ship was damaged by a torpedo at 23:30 CET, 9 Marche 1940, in German naval grid AN 8730. . U-14 then proceeded and sank the Akeld at 23:45 CET. At 23:55 CET Abbotsford was hit with a torpedo finishing shot. The ship sank on 10 March shortly after midnight. The ship was reported missing on 11 March. The sinking could only have been done by U-14 which at that time was operating in that area.

Source : Deutsche U-Boot Erfolge von September 1939 bis May 1945 - Rainer Busch und Hans-Joachim Röll


Regards,

Walter
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Author: Marcel Bul
Date:   09-07-04 14:58

Fred wrote:

> Can anyone give me any information on the simk of the Br ship
> SS Abbotsford?
>
> I know she was sunk mar 9, 1940, but hav no other information
> on her.

Been there.

All tree ships sunk by the U14 that day are lying in line close together,
the one we think is the Abbotsford is missing a big part of the hull: parts are scattered over the site.

Does anyone have a picture or any remarks to identify which ship is which ?

Regards,

Marcel
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Author: frog
Date:   10-09-05 11:06

een weet het misschien, of niet? grins. leef noch, maar bin noch niet an duiken. groete an Conny en dich
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Author: Marcel Bul
Date:   01-14-06 03:13

Frogman
groeten terug!
plse contact me off-site
Marcel
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Author: Fred Groen
Date:   12-17-04 08:04

We are still looking for someone in the UK that would find out for us if there are still family memebers alive these days that want to get in contact with us. In March 2005 its been 65 years ago and it would be great, if we can bring people over to the actual wrecksite, were the remains are of these members lost at sea in these cold waters.
Thanks for any help in our search to get in contact with relatives or family to give them a place were they can commemorate there loved ones.
Remember,we are a non profit organisation, and our only goal is to help people to find the last resting place.

Thanks again for any help to solve this.

Fred Groen
Secretary
Wreckdivefoundation "de Roompot" www.wdsr.nl
wdsr (at) zeelandnet.nl
The Netherlands
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Author: Rena Johnson
Date:   10-28-05 09:11

Re: Peter Johnson, boatswain of above ship. I am Rena Johnson (married name Harvey) the daughter of Peter Johnson. I was a baby of 18 months of age when my father's ship was torpedoed. My brother Donald was 6 and my brother Norman was 8. My father was from the Shetland Isles and my mother Margaret Johnson (formerly MacDonald) was a Gaelic speaker from the Isle of North Uist in the Western Isles. They lived in the Leith area of Edinburgh. The loss of my father was an overwhelming tragedy for her in all respects. It is of some comfort to learn that the ship's location is known and i would one day like to visit the site.
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Author: Marcel Bul
Date:   01-14-06 03:06

Dear R Jonson,

A visit to the site is possible.
When you ever go to The Netherlands, mail me private, and we wil arrange this.

Do you have a piture or other details of the ship (crew) it is hard to get any info...

Regards,
Marcel Bul
mbul@zeelandnet.nl
www.wdsr.nl
---------------------------
Author: Diane Anderson
Date:   10-30-05 08:06

The following link gives information, including photos, on Herbert Wohlfarth, the Commander in charge of U-14, which sank SS Abbotsford:

[www.uboat.net]