Maritime record LWT 817 - Wreck of the Avonwood

1942 wreck of English cargo vessel which foundered 3 miles north of the No.4 Buoy off Lowestoft, after being torpedoed while en route from London for the River Tyne in ballast. Constructed of steel, she was a screw-driven steamer. See 880020 for the site believed to be the possible remains of the AVONWOOD. See also 912990 for a wreck formerly thought to be the remains of the AVONWOOD, now positively identified as the remains of the HELENA, and see 892217 for another wreck site also formerly thought to be the remains of the AVONWOOD, now thought to be the possible remains of the GLEN TILT. The AVONWOOD was lost in the same attack which accounted for several other vessels, for which see the accounts of the wreck events: LINDISFARNE, 929051; KNITSLEY, 1443378; GLEN TILT, 1443378; and MARIANNE, 1443383.
Status: Casualty

Torpedoed and sunk by a German E-Boat, causing the AVONWOOD to sink in 9 and a half minutes, killing 9 crew and 4 DEMS gunners. (1)(2)(3)

E-Boats attacked a northbound convoy, sinking the AVONWOOD, 1056 tons (J Constantine SS Line), GLEN TILT...LINDISFARNE...and the KNITSLEY... (4)

Torpedoed while lying with a convoy off Lowestoft, with the loss of 13 lives. The master was one of the survivors. (5)

The remains now thought to be those of the HELENA [q.v.] were formerly thought to be those of the AVONWOOD.

Built: 1934 (1)(5)
Builder: Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. (1)(5)
Where Built: Burntisland (1)
Propulsion: Screw driven, 3 cylinder triple expansion engine (1)(5)
HP: 105 (1)(5)
Boilers: 1 (1)
Machinery: aft, by NE Marine Engineering Co. Ltd., Sunderland (1)
Construction: 1 deck; 3 bulkheads; cruiser stern; quarter-deck 144ft; forecastle 26ft (1)
Master: Wood (5)
Crew: 14 (1)
Crew Lost: 9 (1)
Passengers: 7 (1)
Passengers Lost: 4 (1)
Lives Lost: 13 (5)
Owner: J Constantine SS Line (4); Joseph Constantine (5)

Date of Loss Qualifier: Actual date of loss

Additional sources cited in Shipwreck Index of the British Isles:
LR.1941-2 No.19820(A)