MV Nottingham was a Scottish-built refrigerated cargo motor ship constructed in 1941 by Alexander Stephen and Sons in Linthouse, Glasgow, for the Federal Steam Navigation Co. She measured a length of 457.5 feet (139.4 meters), with a beam of 60.3 feet (18.4 meters) and a depth of 35.6 feet (10.9 meters). Power was provided by a Barclay, Curle & Co six-cylinder, single-acting, two-stroke diesel engine, which generated approximately 1,294 NHP, enabling her to reach a speed of 15 knots (28 km/h). The vessel was designed to carry refrigerated cargo, notably including Scotch whisky, across the Atlantic. Her service history was tragically brief. MV Nottingham embarked on her maiden voyage from Glasgow in early November 1941, heading for New York. Her master was Captain Francis Cecil Pretty, a decorated officer awarded the DSC and OBE for bravery and leadership during wartime. On the night of November 7, 1941, approximately 550 nautical miles southeast of Greenland, Nottingham was engaged by the German U-boat U-74 in the mid-Atlantic. During the encounter, Nottingham attempted to ram the submarine but missed. U-74 then fired a torpedo that struck her in the stern at 22:34 hours. Despite the damage, Nottingham attempted to evade further attack, and U-74 fired two more torpedoes at 22:50 hours, both of which missed. A final torpedo hit at 22:59 hours sank the ship, leading to the loss of all 56 crew members and six DEMS gunners. The crew abandoned ship in lifeboats, but none were seen again, and there were no survivors. The MV Nottingham's sinking marked a tragic early loss during wartime maritime operations, exemplifying the peril faced by Allied merchant ships in the Battle of the Atlantic. She was the first of two ships bearing the name in the Federal Steam fleet, with her successor launched in 1949 and scrapped in 1971.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.