Sea Thrush
American Steam merchant
Photo courtesy of the Mariners Museum, Newport News VA
| Name | Sea Thrush | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 5,447 tons | ||
| Completed | 1920 - Merchant Shipbuilding Corp, Harriman PA | ||
| Owner | Shepard Steamship Co, Boston MA | ||
| Homeport | Portland | ||
| Date of attack | 28 Jun 1942 | Nationality:  American | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-505 (Axel-Olaf Loewe) | ||
| Position | 22° 38'N, 60° 59'W - Grid DO 6687 | ||
| Complement | 66 (0 dead and 66 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | Philadelphia - New York - Trinidad - Capetown - Bandar Shapur | ||
| Cargo | 6800 tons of general cargo and war material, including ammunition and aircraft | ||
| History | Completed in January 1920 as Delanson for US Shipping Board (USSB). 1929 renamed Exilona for American Export Lines Inc, New York. 1937 renamed Sea Thrush for Shepard Steamship Co, Boston MA. | ||
| Notes on event | At 18.55 hours on 28 June 1942 the unescorted Sea Thrush (Master Arthur C. Hunt) was hit on the port side forward of the collision bulkhead by one torpedo from U-505 about 425 miles northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The eight officers, 33 crewmen, eleven armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, four 20mm and two .30cal guns) and 14 passengers (US Army officers and technicians) abandoned ship in four lifeboats. At 20.00 hours, the U-boat fired a coup de grâce that hit on the starboard side in the #2 hold and caused the ship to break in two and sink immediately. The survivors in three of the boats were picked up after 48 hours by USS Surprise (PG 63) and landed in San Juan. The remaining 16 survivors in the last boat were spotted by a patrol aircraft about 8 miles off St. Thomas, Virgin Islands and were brought to the island by a rescue craft on 3 July. | ||
| On board | We have details of 2 people who were on board. | ||
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