At 03.36 hours on the 14th October 1941, U Boat U-206, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Herbert Opitz, fired a spread of three torpedoes at HMS Fleur de Lys (K 122) (Lt A. Collins, RNR) about 55 miles west of Gibraltar. The corvette had escorted convoy OG-75 to port the day before and was ordered to patrol in the Straits of Gibraltar to search for U-boats that had chased convoy. One of the torpedoes struck her on port side under the bridge after a running time of 92 seconds, causing the magazine to explode. The ship broke in two and both parts disappeared within a few minutes. The commander, four officers and 65 ratings were lost. Only three ratings, two of them injured, survived the sinking and were picked up after a few hours by the Spanish motor merchant Castillo Villafranca.

Acknowledgments: Barney Rice.

William Parker is remembered at New Hartley on N50.03 and on our List of Ships’ crews.

H.M.S. Fleur de Lys
Crew List from H.M.S. Fleur de Lys
The CWGC entry for Able Seaman Parker