GORFIN, Charles
| Service Numbers: | Not yet discovered |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Ordinary Seaman |
| Last Unit: | SS Cape Finisterre |
| Born: | Thornton Heath, Surrey, England, 1898 |
| Home Town: | Kew, Boroondara, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Sinking of SS Cape Finisterre, At Sea - approximately 1 nautical mile South-South-East of the Manacles Buoy Cornwall, 2 November 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Campbell Australian Merchant Seamen Honour Roll, Tower Hill Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| Date unknown: | Involvement Ordinary Seaman, SS Cape Finisterre |
|---|
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Charles Gorfin (aged 19 years) was a Seaman aboard the s.s. Cape Finisterre when it was torpedoed and sunk by SM UC-17 (commanded by Ulrich Pilzecker) on the 2 November 1917 with the loss of 35 crew.
Born in Thornton Heath, Surrey, Seaman Gorfin was the son of Emily Gorfin, of 21, Fernhurst Grove, Kew, Victoria, Australia, and the late Harry William Gorfin.
The cargo ship s.s. Cape Finisterre had left New York in Convoy HN17 with a Cargo of steel billets, bound for Brest, on the 17th October 1917. However, she was diverted to Falmouth, as she had fallen behind. For the final stretch of her journey to Brest she joined a coal convoy.
The position of the attack, which took place at 1530 hrs, was one nautical mile (i.e. 1.9km) SSE of the Manacle Buoy in the English Channel, (50° 02'N, 5° 01'W). The Manacle Buoy marks the notorious shipwrecking Manacles off Cornwall's coast.