Battle of the Atlantic: HMT Bedfordshire-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

The HMT Bedfordshire was a British armed anti-submarine trawler sunk by the U-558 11 May 1942 off Ocracoke Island, NC, with the loss of all hands.

It had been built in 1935 as a commercial fishing trawler. In 1939, it was sold to the Admiralty and armed with a 4-inch gun, machine guns and depth charges for use against submarines. The ship weighed 443 tons, was 162 feet long and had a 27 foot beam.

In early 1942, the Battle of the Atlantic was going badly for the Allies. In January, 35 Allied ships were sunk by U-boats along the US Atlantic coast. In March, the British government sent 24 ships, including the Bedfordshire, to patrol the American coast.

From February to April, another 45 ships were sunk. The only German loss during that time was the U-85.

More to Come. --GreGen