Ships hit by U-boats


Tuscaloosa City

American Steam merchant



Photo from City of Vancouver Archives, CVA 447-2792

NameTuscaloosa City
Type:Steam merchant
Tonnage5,687 tons
Completed1920 - Chickasaw Shipbuilding & Car Co, Chickasaw AL 
OwnerIsthmian SS Co, New York 
HomeportNew York 
Date of attack4 May 1942Nationality:      American
 
FateSunk by U-125 (Ulrich Folkers)
Position18° 25'N, 81° 31'W - Grid EB 2128
Complement34 (0 dead and 34 survivors).
Convoy
RouteCalcutta - Madras - Colombo - Table Bay - Trinidad - New Orleans 
Cargo7916 tons of general cargo, including manganese ore, rubber, jute and shellac 
History Completed in December 1920 for US Shipping Board (USSB) 
Notes on event

At 22.20 hours on 4 May 1942 the unescorted and unarmed Tuscaloosa City (Master Harold W. Hendrickson) was hit on the starboard side at #2 and #4 hatches by two torpedoes from U-125 about 200 miles west of Negrit, Jamaica. The U-boat had followed another ship since the morning, encountered this ship at 15.15 hours and shortly thereafter dived to attack her. The ten officers and 24 crewmen abandoned ship in two lifeboats, but when the first touched the water the ship still had nine knots headway and it swamped, throwing the five occupants into the sea. At 22.52 hours, a coup de grĂ¢ce hit the ship in the starboard bow and caused her to sink fast. The men in the second lifeboat were questioned by the Germans, who also let them to the men swimming in the water and gave the course and distance to the nearest land. The survivors were picked up after about 7 hours by the American steam merchant Falcon and landed at Cartagena, Colombia on 8 May.

 
On boardWe have details of 1 people who were on board


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