Sawahloento
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| Name | Sawahloento | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 3,085 tons | ||
| Completed | 1921 - NV Scheepsbouwwerf Gebr Pot, Bolnes | ||
| Owner | Koninklijke Paketvaart Mij., Amsterdam | ||
| Homeport | Batavia | ||
| Date of attack | 14 Dec 1942 | Nationality:  Dutch | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-177 (Robert Gysae) | ||
| Position | 31.02S, 34.00E - Grid KP 8990 - See location on a map - | ||
| Complement | 72 (53 dead and 19 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | Port Sudan - Beira (7 Dec) - Durban | ||
| Cargo | Ballast | ||
| History | Completed in June 1921 | ||
| Notes on loss | At 16.36 hours on 14 Dec, 1942, the unescorted Sawahloento (Master J.B. Swieringa) was hit by the last torpedo of U-177. The torpedo had been spotted by lookouts moments before it struck on the starboard side near the engine room and caused the ship to sink by the stern after 7 minutes. The crew abandoned ship in four lifeboats, but three of them capsized when the boiler exploded, drowning most occupants. The 19 survivors in the last lifeboat were questioned by the Germans and then set sail towards the coast of South Africa, which was first sighted two days later. About seven hours later, the survivors were picked up by a trawler and landed at Durban the next day. | ||
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