The Fifth Voyage
After arriving in Glasgow on 16th January 1941 the Dorelean was again in for repairs, these were completed on 24th January.On 30th January Alister and the Dorelean left Glasgow for St John’s joining convoy OB-280 outbound which left Liverpool on 31st. Duncan Macqueen was again captain, I assume he had been allowed one voyage off.
The convoy dispersed on 3rd February maybe 500 nautical miles out. That evening HMS Crispan, an Ocean Boarding Vessel was sunk, 20 men died but 121 survived. The next day, 4th February Ringhorn which had straggled from OB-280 on 2nd February was torpedoed, 14 men drowned and only 5 survived, the ship having rolled over onto the lifeboat as it was leaving the ship.
The Ringhorn had used all its luck in November 1940. She had been attacked by U-95 and abandoned by its crew after shell fire, but after the U-boat missed with three torpedoes, it left the area thinking that the ship was sinking but the Ringhorn was reoccupied and saved.
The Dorelian arrived at St John’s on 14th February and then went on to Halifax arriving on 16th.
View Convoy OB-280 in a larger map
