Tachirá
Photo courtesy of SSHSA Collection, University of Baltimore Library
| Name | Tachirá | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 2,325 tons | ||
| Completed | 1920 - McDougall-Duluth Shipbuilding Co, Duluth MN | ||
| Owner | Grace Line Inc (W.R. Grace & Co), New York | ||
| Homeport | Wilmington | ||
| Date of attack | 12 Jul 1942 | Nationality:  American | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-129 (Hans-Ludwig Witt) | ||
| Position | 18.15N, 81.45W - Grid EB 2143 - See location on a map - | ||
| Complement | 38 (5 dead and 33 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | Maracaibi - Barranquilla, Colombia - New Orleans | ||
| Cargo | 2100 tons of cacao, dividivi and coffee | ||
| History | Completed in October 1920 as Spanish Antonio for Perez & de Andres. 1922 renamed Elizabeth R. when returned to the builder. 1922 renamed Tachirá for Atlantic & Caribbean Steam Navigation Co, Wilmington DE. | ||
| Notes on loss | At 23.46 hours on 12 Jul, 1942, the unescorted Tachirá (Master Sverre Mordale Gram) was hit on the starboard side by one torpedo from U-129 while steaming on a zigzag course at 11 knots about 375 miles west of Jamaica. The torpedo struck at the #4 hatch and caused the ship to sink in three minutes. The eight officers, 24 crewmen and six armed guards (the ship was armed with one 3in gun) abandoned ship in one lifeboat and three rafts and were questioned by the Germans that provided a bandage for a wounded man and gave directions to the nearest land. One officer, three crewmen and one armed guard were lost. On 16 July, the survivors made landfall at Punta Herrero, Mexico and were later taken to Merida. | ||
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