SS Fanad Head The SS " Fanad Head " was a UK cargo steamship . She was built during the First World War and torpedo ed and sunk 10 days after the UK entered the Second World War . Building . Workman , Clark and Co Ltd of Belfast built " Fanad Head " for the Ulster Steam Ship Co Ltd ( G . Heyn & Sons Ltd ) . She was completed in 1917 and registered in Belfast . She was named after Fanad , a headland in County Donegal . Sinking . Initial attacks and response . When the UK entered the Second World War on 3 September 1939 " Fanad Head " was in Canada . She sailed from Montreal carrying general cargo and grain to the UK , and on 14 September she was steaming unescorted off the coast of Ireland when at 1323 hours she was sighted by the . The U - boat surfaced and gave chase , and " Fanad Head " radioed for assistance . Some west - northwest of Malin Head " U - 30 " fired a shot across the cargo ship ' s bow from her 88mm gun , which persuaded " Fanad Head " s Master , George Pinkerton , to stop . Pinkerton , his 33 crew and eight passengers abandoned ship in two lifeboats . " U - 30 " took them in tow and put a prize crew aboard her to gather provisions and then scuttle the ship . The distress call reached the aircraft carrier , then on an anti - submarine patrol north - east of " Fanad Head " s position . " Ark Royal " quickly launched three Blackburn Skua s of 803 Naval Air Squadron , and detached the destroyer s , and to go to " Fanad Head " s assistance . 30 minutes after launching the first wave of aircraft , " Ark Royal " herself was attacked by . She succeeded in avoiding the torpedoes and her escorts subsequently sank " U - 39 " . After two hours , " Ark Royal " launched six Swordfish aircraft and detached the F class destroyers and as reinforcements . Bombing attempts . When the first Skua reached " Fanad Head " , the pilots were surprised to find the U - boat surfaced alongside her and dropped the bombs immediately at very low level . The bombs detonated on contact with the water , causing shrapnel to hit the aircraft , damaging it enough to force the pilot to ditch his burning Skua in the sea . Both crewmen survived the crash , but were badly burnt and began swimming towards the " Fanad Head " . Only the pilot managed to reach the ship and was pulled unconscious from the water . " U - 30 " had crash - dived by the stern and avoided damage , but one of its crew had not had time to get below deck before she had submerged , so he too swam to " Fanad Head " . Meanwhile , the bombs dropped by the Skua had detonated so close to the ship that three men from the prize crew were wounded by shrapnel . 10 minutes after the first attack , the second Skua reached the scene . Its crew sighted what they believed was a U - boat and dropped their bombs , but this was probably the wreck of the first Skua . When " U - 30 " then surfaced nearby they had no bombs left , but repeatedly strafed her with machine gun fire and forced her to dive again . After the aircraft , low on fuel , left to return to " Ark Royal " , the U - boat re - surfaced and tried to return alongside the " Fanad Head " to take off the prize crew . The third Skua then arrived and sighting " U - 30 " , dropped its bombs , but again from an insufficient height . Damage from the explosion caused the Skua to fall into the sea . The pilot managed to get free , and swim to the " Fanad Head " , where he too was taken aboard by the German prize crew . Torpedoing . " U - 30 " continued to attempt to come alongside , but damaged her bow in her third attempt . She eventually managed to take aboard the five members of the prize crew . The Royal Naval pilots initially remained aboard , but on being told that " U - 30 " intended to torpedo " Fanad Head " , they jumped overboard and were captured . Shortly afterwards , the first Swordfish arrived and made a strafing run that again forced the U - boat to dive . At 1820 hours " U - 30 " launched a G7a torpedo from one of her stern tubes at " Fanad Head " from a range of 500 metres , causing her to sink . " U - 30 " was then repeatedly attacked with bombs from the Swordfishes and depth charges from the two destroyers which had reached the scene . HMS " Tartar " rescued " Fanad Head " s passengers and crew and took them to Mallaig , Scotland . " U - 30 " was attacked until 2200 hours , suffering considerable damage , before managing to escape on the surface one hour later . " U - 30 " then made for Reykjavík , reaching there on 19 September . Here she landed one of her seriously injured crewmen and took aboard a replacement from an interned German freighter . " U - 30 " then returned to Germany with the two captured Royal Naval pilots , reaching Wilhelmshaven on 27 September . The pilots spent the rest of the war in a prisoner of war camp in Brunswick .