The armed freighter Beaverford,
originally a Canadian Pacific Railways cargo ship, and the full complement of
Captain Hugh Pettigrew and crew took up the struggle and held the German
battleship for a further five hours but at 10:45 sank with all hands.
The
Role of the CPR Ships in World War II further covers the story of
the Beaverford and her sister ships. Again, this site is worth a visit
as it is done with a personal touch by the daughter of a Merchant Sailor who
served on a CPR ship both before and during hostilities.
Excerpt from
Fighting
Ships Of World War 2 |
Only
sixty-five men were picked up by the Swedish freighter Stureholm under
the command of Capt. Sven Olander. But the sacrifice (see Casualty List) had not been in vain, for
the Admiral Scheer only succeeded in destroying five of the freighters
in the short time before nightfall.
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