LAING, Andrew Jordan

NAME               LAING          Andrew Jordan
RANK               Second Radio Officer                                                                                                                                                   Canadian Merchant Navy
SHIP                 SS Cingalese Prince                                                                                                                    Born                                                                                                                                                            Residence   
Died                  September 20, 1941          25 years
Memorial           Halifax Memorial - Halifax - Nova Scotia
                          Panel 18
Mother.              Mrs. Laing - Woodham

Andrew we believe enlisted with the Canadian Merchant Navy but was serving on a British registered ship and was the Second Radio Officer.
He had mailed a letter home, and he stated that he had been in India the past 3 months and was stationed in
Bombay.
Two of the last 3 ships Radio Officer Laing had served on had been torpedoed. From 1940 until his death he had been in the danger zone. On April 10, 1941 he was on board the SS Northern Prince when it was torpedoed and sunk. Four weeks later in May, 1941 he was serving on another ship that was torpedoed and sunk off of the coast of Crete.
The SS Cingalese Prince had been launched in Glasgow. Scotland in 1929 and her GRT was listed as 8,474
with her homeport being London in England. She was a fast ship. On September 20, 1941, while she was
sailing unescorted U-111 commanded by Kptlt Wilhelm Kleinschmidt torpedoed her at 04:30 hours,
causing her to sink. She sank east southeast of St. Pauls Rocks which are located hundreds of miles off the
coast of Brazil. The U-boat made two attacks on the Cingalese Prince. During the first attack 3 torpedoes
were fired and all missed their mark. The second involved firing 2 torpedoes and both these hit their target
and she sank rapidly. Both attacks took place during a very dark night. After the attack the U-boat closed with a raft and gave the survivors provisions and found out at that time that the cargo was machinery parts and that she had been bound for England.
She had a crew of 77 men and of this number 57 men lost their lives including Second Radio Officer Laing.
The remaining 20 crew members were adrift for 12 days, rescued and then taken to Spain.
The Laing family did receive a cable telling them he was missing in action, but in fact this was not the case
and he had lost his life when his ship sank.
Her route was Bombay, Capetown, Trinidad and then to Liverpool and she was carrying 11.156 tons of general cargo, manganese ore and pig iron.
Her location when she was sunk was 02:00 S and 25:30 W.

Andrew is honoured and remembered on the Cenotaphs of Exeter, Usborne-Hensall Cemetery Cenotaph and on the the St Marys cenotaph. He is honoured and remembered in the Books of Remembrabce which are located in the Centre Block of the Canadian Parliament and on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial. He is honoured and remembered by the Canadian Merchant Navy Memorial located at Spring Bay on Manitoulin Island - Ontario. He is honoured and remembered by the Allied Merchant Navy Memorial located in the Marine Institute at St. John's - Newfoundland. He is honoured and remembered on the Halifax Memorial in Halifax - Nova Scotia. He is honoured and remembered on the Merchant Marine Memorial located at the Sackville Landing in Halifax - Nova Scotia. He was also honoured and remembered on  the Memorial Plaque of either Woodham United Church in Woodham - Ontario or Kirkton United Church in Kirkton - Ontario.