Samuel Heintzelman
American Steam merchant
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| Name | Samuel Heintzelman | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant (Liberty) | ||
| Tonnage | 7,176 tons | ||
| Completed | 1942 - California Shipbuilding Corp, Los Angeles CA | ||
| Owner | Coastwise SS Co, San Francisco CA | ||
| Homeport | Los Angeles | ||
| Date of attack | 9 Jul 1943 | Nationality:  American | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-511 (Fritz Schneewind) | ||
| Position | 9° 00'S, 81° 00'E - Grid LY 26 | ||
| Complement | 75 (75 dead - no survivors) | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | Charleston (11 May) - Balboa (24 May) - Fremantle (1 Jul) - Colombo - Karachi - Calcutta | ||
| Cargo | 5644 tons of ammunition and general cargo | ||
| History | Completed in October 1942 | ||
| Notes on event | On 9 July 1943 the unescorted Samuel Heintzelman (Master Johann W.G. Wilkie) was torpedoed and sunk by U-511 in the Indian Ocean. The U-boat dived after firing torpedoes and not observed the results, but they heard underwater explosions and found no trace of the ship after surfacing, only debris floating in the water and lying on deck. All eight officers, 34 crewmen, 27 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in, one 3in and eight 20mm guns) and six passengers on board were lost. The Samuel Heintzelman was reported missing after being seen the last time in 20°S/103°E on 4 July and it was first believed that she had been sunk by a Japanese surface raider. On 30 September, wreckage of the ship was found off Minni Minni village, Maledive Islands and two empty lifeboats had been spotted the day before. | ||
| On board | We have details of 70 people who were on board. | ||
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