Chief Officer

Douglas H. Clegg

Conflict: 
WW2
Additional Information: 

Son of Alfred Joseph Clegg and of Elinore Emily Clegg (nee Hollington); husband of Ruth Eleanor Clegg, of Mount Eden, Auckland, New Zealand. Master Mariner, Merchant Navy.

References:
  • CWGC
NZ WAR GRAVES

Biographical Notes:

"At 15.12 hours on 11 Dec 1940 the Rotorua (Master Edgar Reginald Harrison Kemp) in convoy HX-92 was hit by one G7e torpedo from U-96 while steaming at 9.5 knots about 110 miles northwest of St. Kilda, Outer Hebrides. The ship had been in station #61 as the ship of convoy commodore (Rear-Admiral J.U.P. Fitzgerald, CB, RN) with 20 passengers (service personnel), but convoy had been scattered in a gale on 7/8 December and she was leading a group of about twelve merchant ships without escort when attacked. The lookout in the crow’s nest spotted the torpedo only 100 yards away and tried to telephone the bridge but it struck on starboard side at the forward end of #5 hold before he got through. The explosion shattered the bulkhead to the engine room that was flooded, causing all lights to fail and an immediate list of 15-20° to starboard. The wireless room was completely wrecked, but nevertheless the operator attempted to send a distress signal before the crew, passengers and three gunners (the ship was armed with one 4.7in and one 12pdr gun) began to abandon ship about 10 minutes after being hit. The #2 port boat had been damaged by the gale and #7 starboard boat had its after davit carried away by the explosion, so they launched the remaining six lifeboats but had some difficulties due to moderate sea with a high confused swell that kept crashing the boats against the side of the ship. The Rotorua sank by the stern after about 20 minutes. The master, the commodore, three naval staff members, 14 crew members, one passenger and two gunners were lost. At 15.40 hours, the U-boat surfaced to question the survivors in the boats but had to dive again before they could do so because the Cardita had turned back to come to assistance and opened fire with her stern gun. 15 minutes later U-96 fired one G7e torpedo at the tanker which was missed and managed to escape after laying a smoke screen." [Source: https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ship/714.html, Accessed: 28/05/2022]

Public Contributions:

Submitted by: Robin Knight
Relationship to casualty: None
Douglas Hollington Clegg was born in 1903/04 and was one of the first cadets educated at The Nautical College, Pangbourne in England. He died on 11th December 1940 when his ship, the SS Rotorua owned... Read More

Personal Tributes:

Casualty

Name:
Douglas H. Clegg
Rank: 
Chief Officer
Date of Birth:
Not known
Date of Enlistment:
Not known
Unit:
Merchant Navy, SS Rotorua (Plymouth)

Casualty Details

Cause of Death:
Not known
Date of Death:
11 December 1940
Day of Death:
Wednesday
Age at Death: 
37
Conflict: 
WW2

Embarkation Details

Text in italics supplied by Cenotaph Online, Auckland War Memorial Museum

Cemetery

Cemetery Reference: 
Panel 88.
Cemetery Location: 
United Kingdom
Douglas H. Clegg
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