SS Thurso

SS Thurso was a cargo steamship operated by Ellerman's Wilson Line. She was sunk during the Second World War by a German submarine.

Thurso was built in 1919 by S. P. Austin & Sons in Sunderland. Displacing 2,436 tons she entered service with Ellerman Lines, and took part in the Second World War. Under Master William Walker, Thurso was part of Convoy HG 84 Convoy HG-84 which had left Lisbon for Liverpool, and called at Gibraltar on 9 June to join with the 36th Escort Group under the command of Captain "Johnnie" Walker.

Thurso carried 850 tons of cork, general cargo, and 1,500 bags of mail for German Prisoners of War in Britain. She had a crew of 36 and six gunners.

The convoy was sighted approximately 300 nautical miles to the west of Cape Finisterre early in the morning of 15 June 1942 by U-552, under Kapitänleutnant Erich Topp. Following a preliminary skirmish Topp fired three torpedoes at the convoy between 0432 and 0434 hrs. Thurso was sailing in the middle, and was one of two ships hit and sunk
 * the other being the SS City of Oxford.

According to an oral history recounted by Cpt. "Johnnie" Walker, the Thurso was the first to be struck by torpedoes:

"... the SS Thurso in the middle of the convoy, literally exploded into fragments and for a moment seemed to disintegrate into a white, blazing ball of fire."

Thirteen of Thurso's crew were lost. The Master, 22 crew members and the six gunners survived to be picked up by the corvette HMS Marigold (K87) and were landed at Greenock.