SS Persier ( 1918 ) Persier was a 5 , 382 GRT cargo ship which was built in 1918 as War Buffalo for the British Shipping Controller . In 1919 , she was sold to Belgium and renamed " Persier " . Between 1934 and 1941 she also held a passenger certificate . She was driven ashore on the Icelandic coast in a storm in February 1941 which put her out of action for two years . Returned to service in February 1943 , she served until 11 February 1945 , when she was torpedoed and sunk by with the loss of 20 crew . Description . The ship was built as yard number 248 in 1918 by Northumberland Shipbuilding Ltd , Newcastle - on - Tyne , Northumberland . She was completed in June 1918 . The ship was long , with a beam of . She had a depth of and a draught of . She was assessed at 5 , 349 GRT , 3 , 271 NRT . The ship was propelled by a triple expansion steam engine , which had cylinders of , and diameter by stroke . The engine was built by North East Marine Engine Co ( 1938 ) Ltd , Newcastle upon Tyne . It produced 517nhp . It could propel the ship at . History . " War Buffalo " was built for the British Shipping Controller . Her port of registry was London and she was operated under the management of Ranking , Gilmour & Co Ltd . In 1919 , she was sold to Lloyd Royal Belge SA , Antwerp and renamed " Persier " , The Code Letters MPDI were allocated . She was the second Lloyd Royal Belge ship to bear that name . On 19 January 1922 , " Persier " rescued five crew from the Newfoundlan - registered schooner " Eileen Lake " , which foundered in the Atlantic Ocean west of Newfoundland . In 1930 , Lloyd Royal Belge was merged with the Compagnie Maritime Belge du Congo to form Compagnie Maritime Belge SA . " Persier " was operated under the management of Agence Maritime Internationale . In 1934 , her Code letters were changed to OOZA . Lloyd ' s Register shows that the ship held a passenger certificate from that date . In May 1940 , " Persier " took part in Operation Dynamo . On 28 October 1940 , " Persier " departed Halifax , Nova Scotia as a member of Convoy HX 84 . She was carrying a cargo of steel destined of Hull . In December 1940 , she was anchored at Oban , Argyllshire when an air raid was carried out by Heinkel He 111 bombers based at Stavanger , Norway . Two bombs fell astern of " Persia " . A Dutch ship , the was sunk . Although it was not realised at the time , " Persier " had been damaged in the raid , and some leaks were discovered during her next voyage , which was across the Atlantic . Her destination was Baltimore , Maryland . Once she was fully loaded , further damage was discovered and repairs had to be made , which left her straggling behind her convoy . On 28 February 1941 , " Persier " was battered by a storm , with a hatch cover being ripped off and the steering and electrical systems failing . She was stranded off Myralladur , Iceland and was severely damaged . " Persier " was refloated in April , and towed to Reykjavík by the tug " Aegir " for initial repairs to be made . On 9 June , " Persier " was taken to the Kleppsvik Strand , but broke her back as she was insufficiently supported , and was subsequently beached . On 8 February 1942 , she was refloated and re - beached , finally being refloated on 20 May . She was towed by the tugs " Empire Bascobel " and " Empire Larch " to a Tyneside shipyard for repairs , which were completed in February 1943 . " Persiers " first voyage on return to service was from Liverpool to New York , United States as a member of Convoy ON 169 . Departing on 22 February , the convoy arrived on 21 March . In September 1943 , " Persier " was a member of Convoy SC 141 , which departed Halifax , Nova Scotia on 3 September , and arrived at Liverpool on 17 September . She was carrying a cargo of steel and woodpulp and was bound for London . In 1944 , " Persier " was selected to be one of the blockship s when Operation Overlord , the invasion of France took place . Although she was prepared for scuttling , the decision was later reversed and she was refitted and returned to service . On 8 February 1945 " Persier " began her final voyage as part of Convoy BTC 65 , setting off from Cardiff to take food to the liberated but starving people of Belgium . Carrying the convoy ' s Commodore , " Persier " was carrying a cargo consisting 2 , 400 tons soup , 1 , 400 tons dried eggs , 1 , 000 tons meat and 20 tons of general cargo . On 11 February 1945 " Persier " was off the Eddystone Lighthouse when she was hit by one of three torpedoes fired by . The ship developed a list to port and began to sink by the bows . One of the lifeboats was swamped and another was driven into the propeller , which was still turning . Twenty of the 51 crew , 8 naval personnel and four stowaway s were killed . The British coasters " Birker Force " and " Gem " rescued seven and 20 people respectively . rescued 16 people . Although " Persier " was taken in tow , she later sank . Wreck . In 1969 , the wreck of " Persier " was discovered by Plymouth Sound British Sub - Aqua Club ( BSAC ) at . She sits on her port side in of water , with the bow at a depth of . In 1975 , a diabetic diver was injured on the wreck , resulting in a ban by BSAC of diving by diabetics . This ban has now been lifted . The wreck of " Persier " is host to a variety of marine life , including conger eels and lobsters .