During convoy MW 8B to Malta, Isaac Sweers helped recover Gurkha's crew and pull the damaged ship clear. This Gurkha was the L-class destroyer carrying the name of an earlier lost Tribal-class ship. Operation Torch brought further rescue work, including 240 people taken from the Dutch troop transport Nieuw Zeeland after U-380 torpedoed her. Isaac Sweers was herself struck by two torpedoes from U-431 in November 1942. The sinking killed 108 of the 194 people aboard at the time, compared with a normal crew closer to 230. Her operational record combines repeated rescue work with a heavy loss among her own personnel.
Notable Point · 10:51-12:14
Isaac Sweers's rescues and loss to U-431
Malta convoy and Operation Torch rescue work preceded Isaac Sweers's sinking in November 1942, with 108 of the 194 people aboard lost.