Aracataca
Photo courtesy of the Allen Collection
| Name | Aracataca | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 5.378 tons | ||
| Completed | 1924 - Cammell Laird & Co Ltd, Birkenhead | ||
| Owner | Elders & Fyffes Ltd, London | ||
| Homeport | Liverpool | ||
| Date of attack | 30 Nov, 1940 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-101 (Ernst Mengersen) | ||
| Position | 57.08N, 20.50W - Grid AL 0245 - See location on a map - | ||
| Complement | 70 (36 dead and 34 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | Port Antonio, Jamaica - Halifax (21 Nov) - Avonmouth | ||
| Cargo | 1600 tons of bananas | ||
| History | Completed in March 1925 | ||
| Notes on loss | At 00.41 hours on 30 Nov, 1940, the unescorted Aracataca (Master Samuel Brown) was hit in the bow by one G7e torpedo from U-101 west-northwest of Rockall. The crew abandoned ship but soon reboarded her when she did not sink. The U-boat then tried to shell the vessel but high seas prevented the use of the deck gun. At 01.11 hours, one G7e coup de grāce was fired that hit underneath the bridge. The Germans questioned the survivors but the strong wind made it impossible to understand the name of the ship. Afterwards they returned to the Aracataca and fired one G7e torpedo from the stern tube at 02.04 hours. The torpedo hit the engine room and caused the ship to sink fast after a boiler explosion. 36 crew members were lost. The master, 16 crew members and one passenger were picked up by the British merchant Potaro and landed at Buenos Aires on 23 December. 14 crew members, one gunner and one passenger were picked up by the British merchant Djurdjura were landed at St. Johns. | ||
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