SS Testbank was a British cargo steamship that was built in England in 1937 and sunk with heavy loss of life in the air raid on Bari in December 1943.

[1] In 1937 and 1938 John Readhead & Sons built three sister ships in their shipyard at South Shields on the River Tyne for Bank Line.

She had a single screw, driven by a three-cylinder triple-expansion steam engine that was rated at 524 NHP[5] and gave her a speed of 12 knots (22 km/h).

[3] On 6 November 1937, John Readhead & Sons delivered Testbank to Bank Line, who registered her at Glasgow.

She sailed via Colombo, the Suez Canal and Gibraltar, where she joined Convoy HG 10 bound for home waters.

She sailed via the Panama Canal to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she joined Convoy HX 30 bound for home waters.

This dispersed at sea, after which Testbank continued unescorted to Durban and Cape Town, reaching the latter on 7 August 1940.

[7] The next day Testbank left Cape Town, but on 11 August she collided with the Shaw, Savill & Albion liner Ceramic.

Testbank returned to Cape Town for repairs, and a tug helped Ceramic to reach Walvis Bay.

She called at Lourenço Marques and Beira in Mozambique, and then returned via Cape Town and Freetown in Sierra Leone, where she joined Convoy SL 72.

She returned unescorted as far as Halifax, NS, where she joined Convoy HX 140, with which she reached Liverpool on 6 August 1941.

She continued unescorted via Cape Town, Durban, Aden and the Suez Canal to Alexandria in Egypt, where she was in port from 2 to 22 December.

She returned home via Vizag, Durban, Cape Town and Freetown, where she joined Convoy SL 104.

[7] On 25 April 1942 Testbank left Cowes Roads with Convoy PW 146, which was headed for Milford Haven.

This was headed for Bombay, but Testbank detached for Karachi, and then continued via Colombo and Vizag to Calcutta, where she was in port from 22 October until 3 November.

While crossing the South Atlantic she rescued 50 survivors of the US cargo ship Dona Aurora, which an Italian submarine had sunk on Christmas Day.

She detached from HX 224 to reach Loch Ewe, where she joined Convoy WN 392, which took her around the north of Scotland to Methil.

This divided at sea, where Testbank became part of the even larger Convoy KMS 16, which comprised 121 merchant ships and 17 escorts.

Testbank continued with KMS 31 into the Mediterranean, where she detached to call at Augusta, Sicily from 16 to 17 November.