Remembering World War II

Jack Fong Assistant Steward MV Afrika (Glasgow) Canadian Merchant Navy Canada Windsor, Hants Co., Nova Scotia Mrs. G. Fong (Mother) Windsor, NS February 7, 1943 20 (Lost at Sea, Presumed drowned) Halifax Memorial Jack Fong served in the Canadian Merchant Navy during WWII and was serving on the MV Africa as an assistant Steward in February of 1943. On February 7, 1943, the MV Afrika was steaming in convoy SC-118 carrying a cargo of 5000 tons of steel and 6457 tons of government and general cargo, including grain and explosives. Convoy SC- 118 consisting of sixty-one ships was the 118th of the numbered series of World War II slow convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island, to Liverpool, UK. The convoy came under attack from German U-boats. One torpedo from U-402 hit in hold #5 of the Afrika at 6:36 am. The ship sank in eight minutes south-east of Cape Farewell, Greenland. Heavy weather made it difficult to abandon ship and one of the three launched lifeboats capsized. The master, eighteen crew members and four gunners were lost. Twenty nine crew members, six gunners and two passengers were rescued.

Jack Fong

Sources: Canadian Virtual War Memorial Commonwealth War Graves Commission uboat.net