S.S. Clearton

Albert Creek was a seaman. He was born in 1908 and when he was old enough to get a job he joined the merchant navy. On his travels he met a Norwegian girl, Thyra Arntzen, and they were married in 1931 when she was 18 and a year later they had a son Jacky.

Thyra died when Jacky was 5 years old so her mother in law, Polly Creek, looked after Jacky when his father was at sea. When war broke out in 1939 Albert stayed in the merchant navy and was assigned to the SS Clearton.

The Clearton had been built in 1919 in Stockton on Tees and weighed 5,219 tons. In the summer of 1940, under the command of John Edward Elsdon, was on the Atlantic route carrying grain from Rosario in Argentina to Manchester.

On the 1st of July the convoy came under attack from a German submarine, the U-102 , about 180 miles off the south west tip of Ireland. The Clearton was torpedoed at 11.55 a.m. but did not sink. However it was slowed down and was left behind. When the torpedo struck there were only six fatalities and Captain Elsdon abandoned ship. Once the crew was in the lifeboats Elsdon realised that the ship’s log had been left on board in the rush to abandon the ship.

He sent two crewmen back to the Clearton to obtain the log. One of these sailors was able seaman Creek. At 13.25 the U-102 attacked again and this time the Clearton sank taking Albert and his colleague to the bottom of the Atlantic.