Convoy FS 271 was a North Sea convoy of the FS series (Forth South) to the Thames, which ran during the Second World War from Methil, Fife on the Firth of Forth on the east coast of Scotland to Southend-on-Sea on the Thames, from 3 to 5 September 1940. The convoy was ambushed by German E-boats on the night of 4 September, which sank five ships and damaged one more for no loss.
FS convoys (Forth South), ran from Methil, Fife a big coal port on the Firth of Forth to Southend-on-Sea on the Thames Estuary during the war.[1] Ships joined the convoys as they passed their port and the vast importance of coal to the British economy convoys spent little time in harbour, two FS and two FN (Forth North) convoys were usually at sea, the southbound convoys with the code-names Agent and Arena, the northbound ones known as Booty and Pilot. The first FS convoy assembled off Methill and the first FN convoy formed off Southend-on-Sea on 6 September 1939.[2] At the end of November the assembly port for FS convoys was moved to the Tyne to get cargoes moved quicker, ships proceeding to the Tyne independently but losses were so severe that in February 1940 convoy assemblies were moved back to Methil.[3]
On 4 September, Convoy FS 271 was attacked off Great Yarmouth by the 1st E-boat Flotilla (1.Schnellbootflottille, Kapitänleutnant Karl-Heinz Birnbacher). The convoy was taken by surprise and few of the merchant ships had time to take evasive action. The collier Joseph Swan (1,571 gross register ton GRT) was sunk with seventeen of the eighteen-man crew killed. Beattie had just come off watch when S 18 (Leutnant zur See Christiansen) attacked,
The Chief Officer called down the companion way 'What does six short blasts mean?' I answered 'submarine or track of torpedo on starboard side'.[4]
Beattie looked for the code book to check and there was explosion; when he arrived on deck the rear section of the ship was awash,
All those who were aft at the time had no chance whatsoever … I saw the master step off the bridge … and that was the last I saw of him. Then I felt the water round my ankles and the next thing I knew I was in the water. When I came to the surface the ship had completely disappeared.[4]
Beattie was surrounded by the sound of E-boat engines with machine-gun fire "spattering in the water all around me". As Fulham V passed close by he waved a flare and shouted but its captain obeyed orders and left him behind; Beattie found a raft and was rescued at 11:30 p.m. Soon after Fulham V passed by it was torpedoed amidships to port by S 2 (Leutnant-zur-See Grund). The explosion sent Captain Ramshaw into the air over the bridge and Fulham V sank quickly. The captain of New Lambton saw two of the E-boats which sank his ship, one being S 21 (Leutnant-zur-See Bernd Klug).[4]
Two E-boats came along our port side about 200 feet off and started to machine gun us and they continued to do this while we launched the boat and for twenty minutes in the boat. We all lay flat in the boat and no-one was injured…the E-boats were about fifty to sixty feet long and had a certain amount of superstructure with a machine gun mounted forward.[4]
In the one rush 1.Schnellbootflottille also sank the Dutch collier Nieuwland, the British Corbrook and damaged Ewell, then disappeared into the night.[5]