Virginia Sinclair
| Name | Virginia Sinclair | ||
| Type: | Steam tanker | ||
| Tonnage | 6.151 tons | ||
| Completed | 1930 - Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp, Quincy MA | ||
| Owner | Sinclair Refining Co, New York | ||
| Homeport | Wilmington | ||
| Date of attack | 10 Mar, 1943 | Nationality:  American | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-185 (August Maus) | ||
| Position | 20.11N, 74.04W - Grid DN 7636 - See location on a map - | ||
| Complement | 44 (7 dead and 37 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | KG-123 | ||
| Route | Baytown, Texas - Key West - Cristobal | ||
| Cargo | 66.211 barrels of aviation gasoline | ||
| History | | ||
| Notes on loss | At 05.37 hours on 10 Mar, 1943, the Virginia Sinclair (Master Fred Charles Vosloh) in convoy KG-123 was hit on the starboard side in the stern by one torpedo from U-185 off Cape Maysi, Cuba. The explosion stopped the engines, disabled the steering gear and killed one officer and two men on watch below. At 05.54 hours, the tanker was hit by a coup de grāce and was last seen by the crew almost vertical with about 15 feet of the bow above water at 06.15 hours. Four crewmen were lost. She was scuttled with gunfire by an escort about 45 minutes later. Eight officers, 23 crewmen, four armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in and two .30cal guns) and two naval signalmen abandoned ship in three lifeboats and one raft as the ship settled fast by the stern. A few hours later the survivors were picked up by USS SC-742 and landed at 14.00 hours in Guantanamo Bay where four were hospitalized for injuries. | ||
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