Maria da Glória
Portuguese Sailing ship
Photo courtesy of Antonio Fangueiro
| Name | Maria da Glória | ||
| Type: | Sailing ship | ||
| Tonnage | 320 tons | ||
| Completed | 1919 - Gafanha da Nazaré | ||
| Owner | Empresa União d’Aveiro Lda, Aveiro | ||
| Homeport | Aveiro | ||
| Date of attack | 5 Jun 1942 | Nationality:  Portuguese | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-94 (Otto Ites) | ||
| Position | 50° 14'N, 39° 12'W - Grid BD 1422 | ||
| Complement | 44 (36 dead and 8 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | Lisbon (19 May) - Codfish fishing grounds off Greenland | ||
| Cargo | None | ||
| History | Built as three masted lugger Portugalia. 1927 renamed Maria da Glória (B 201) and fitted with an auxiliary engine in 1937. | ||
| Notes on event | At 21.50 hours on 5 June 1942, U-94 sighted a sailing ship without visible markings in the blockade area and began shelling the ship without warning at 22.10 hours. The neutral Maria da Glória (Master Sílvio Ramalheira) raised the Portuguese flag and stopped after two rounds hit the vessel, killing two crewmen. The U-boat ceased fire while the crew abandoned ship in nine dories and then shelled the lugger until she sank at 22.50 hours. The dories first kept together for five days, but were then separated in fog and bad weather. On 15 July, the master and seven men were picked up by the US Coast Guard yacht USCG Sea Cloud (WPG 284) and landed at Boston on 18 July, where they were admitted to a hospital as they had suffered badly from hunger and thirst. Despite a search for the other dories, the remaining 34 men were never found. | ||
| On board | We have details of 44 people who were on board. | ||
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