ROYAL NAVY SOUTH ATLANTIC COMMAND - ROYAL NAVY E F H I 15 SHIPS
15)INKPEN (ARM TRAWLER)
Completed: 1941
Displacement: 750 tons
Length: 155 ft
Beam: 40 ft
Draught: 12 ft
Propulsion: One 1-SE Cylindrical Boiler
Armament: QF 12 pounder (76-mm) HA/LA main gun, 3 x 20 mm Anti Aircraft guns, 4 x 0.5 in machine guns (2x2)
Complement: 37
HMS Inkpen saw active service in the south Atlantic in numerous convoy Escort duties. On 14/Jun44 while based Freetown when escorting a convoy consisting of the French merchant Saint Basile and two A/S trawlers HMS Birdlip (T 218), HMS Turcoman off Greenville, Liberia they were attacked by U-547 which sank HMS Birdlip (T 218) at 01.36 hours with a Gnat and at 02.56 hours the merchant Saint Basile. HMS Inkpen rescued 15 survivors from HMS Birdlip and 43 from Saint Basile being 22 French and 21 DEMS Senegalese ratings.
HMS Inkpen also rescued the master and 28 survivors from Spanish merchant Castillo Montealegre sunk 08/Apr/43 by U-123 on pos 09º46”N 16º50” W. Twelve survivors had abandoned ship on a raft and were never seen again.
