Rigel (left) and an escort (right) under attack
| |
History | |
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Norway | |
Name | MS Rigel |
Namesake | The star Rigel |
Owner | Bergen Steamship Company |
Builder | Burmeister & Wain, Copenhagen[1] |
Yard number | 326[1] |
Acquired | August 1924[2] |
Fate | Sunk by aircraft, 27 November 1944[2] |
General characteristics | |
Type | Cargo steamer |
Tonnage | |
Length | 367 ft 6 in (112.01 m)[2] |
Beam | 51 ft 6 in (15.70 m)[2] |
Depth | 22 ft 6 in (6.86 m)[2] |
Propulsion | 2 × 6-cylinder B&W diesel engines, 2,076 ihp (1,548 kW)[2] |
Speed | 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph)[2] |
MS Rigel was a Norwegian vessel built in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1924. The ship was used as a German prisoner of war (POW) transport during World War II, and was sunk by British Fleet Air Arm aircraft off Norway on 27 November 1944 with more than 2,500 dead, mostly POWs.