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SS Aguila Plaque Inscription : March 2014
Photographs supplied by Peter F Williams
The plaque commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the sinking of the S.S. Aguila and the loss of 22 members of the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRENS) during World War Two.
SS Aguila was a British steam passenger liner. She was built in Dundee in 1917 and was sunk by enemy action in the North Atlantic in 1941. Aguila loaded general cargo in Liverpool and embarked at least 86 Royal Navy personnel bound for Gibraltar and six civilian passengers. The RN personnel included the 22 Wrens who were all volunteers for duties at Gibraltar: 12 as cypher officers and 10 as wireless operators.
Aguila was one of 23 merchant ships that formed Convoy OG 7, which left Liverpool on 13 August 1941. On 17 August a Luftwaffe Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor sighted OG 71, and the next day it became the first convoy to be attacked by a U-boat wolfpack. Bath fell behind while defending the convoy, and in the small hours of 19 August at 0205 hrs she was torpedoed and sunk by U-204 400 nautical miles (740 km) southwest of Ireland. Three minutes later U-559 attacked the main convoy about 600 nautical miles (1,100 km) west of Ushant, sinking the cargo ship Alva. The corvette HMS Hydrangea went to rescue Bath's survivors, thus further depleting OG 71's escort, while HMS Campanula and the Irish Clonlara rescued Alva's survivors.
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SS Aguila was a British steam passenger liner. She was built in Dundee in 1917 and was sunk by enemy action in the North Atlantic in 1941. Aguila loaded general cargo in Liverpool and embarked at least 86 Royal Navy personnel bound for Gibraltar and six civilian passengers. The RN personnel included the 22 Wrens who were all volunteers for duties at Gibraltar: 12 as cypher officers and 10 as wireless operators.
Aguila was one of 23 merchant ships that formed Convoy OG 7, which left Liverpool on 13 August 1941. On 17 August a Luftwaffe Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor sighted OG 71, and the next day it became the first convoy to be attacked by a U-boat wolfpack. Bath fell behind while defending the convoy, and in the small hours of 19 August at 0205 hrs she was torpedoed and sunk by U-204 400 nautical miles (740 km) southwest of Ireland. Three minutes later U-559 attacked the main convoy about 600 nautical miles (1,100 km) west of Ushant, sinking the cargo ship Alva. The corvette HMS Hydrangea went to rescue Bath's survivors, thus further depleting OG 71's escort, while HMS Campanula and the Irish Clonlara rescued Alva's survivors.
Two hours later the wolfpack again attacked OG 71, and U-201 torpedoed and sank Aguila and the cargo ship Ciscar.
Location
| Address: | Argyle Place & Lower Fort Street, The Garrison Church, Millers Point, 2000 |
|---|---|
| State: | NSW |
| Area: | Foreign |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -33.858434 Long: 151.205546 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Plaque |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Conflict |
| Sub-Theme: | WW2 |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 19-August-1941 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 19-August-1941 |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Sunday 18th August, 1991 |
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Front Inscription
Source: MATo Commemorate The
50th Anniversary
Of The Sinking Of The
SS Aguila In The Atlantic Ocean
On The 19th August 1941 With The Loss Of
22 Members Of The
Womens Royal Naval Service
Assoc Of WRENS
Sydney NSW 18 Aug 1991
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au
