CAPTAIN STEPHENSON :

We were bound from Sydney, C.B. to Manchester with a general cargo of 7,200 tons. Wireless was fitted and we were armed with a 4.7" gun. We were not flying an ensign at the time of the attack. The crew, including myself, numbered 63, of whom one man is missing and one was injured. The confidential books went down with the ship. Degaussing was fitted but was not switched on as we were in deep water.

We left Sydney, Cape Britain, at 1030 Local Time on the 10th September in convoy, our position being No. 52, in the fifth column. We proceeded without incident until the 21st September, at a speed of 7 knots on a steady course. On the 21st at 8 o'clock I went up to see the 3rd Officer on the bridge and he reported that everything was quite normal. The sea was choppy, visibility good.

I went below to my cabin and had a cup of tea and was just going out again when at 2105 G.M.T., in position 54°55'N., 18°25'W., 250 miles from land, we were struck by a torpedo. There was only one explosion, which was dull and heavy, a certain amount of water was thrown up on the starboard sidebut there was no smoke or smell. I think we were hit about 300 feet from the stem on the starboard side, the ship did not list but immediately settled by the stern.

All the lights went out so I found a torch then went to instruct the W.T. Operator to send out an S.O.S. message, which he did. I saw the 3rd Officer and then ordered everyone to boat stations. I went along the deck, looked into the stokehold and saw the water rising, the engineroom was rapidly filling, and No. 5 hatch was blown off. The deck between No. 4 and 5 hatches on the starboard side was badly buckled.

I went to see how they were getting on with lowering the boats, there was no difficulty with the falls, so I went along to the starboard boat. We cleared away and lowered this boat, the men got into it and I waited for about 20 minutes to see that everyone was off the ship, then I too left. We pulled away from her about 300 yards, and as we left I noticed that the after deck was awash to the mainmast. My boat pulled round to the port side and after about 3 hours we watched the "CANONESA" sink, going down by the stern without listing.

We were eventually picked up by a Frennch vessel and I was landed at Greenock last Wednesday at 8 p.m. The other boats were picked up by a warship.

DISTRIBUTION:
D.T.D
Rear-Admiral Taylor.
N.I.D.9.
Sec. to A.C.N.S.

Cdr. Robertson MacDonald.
N.I.D.8.
Cdr. Oswald, D.N.O.,London.
D.T.S.D.