Buarque
Brazilian Steam merchant
Name | Buarque | ||
Type: | Steam merchant (Hog Island) | ||
Tonnage | 5,152 tons | ||
Completed | 1919 - American International Shipbuilding Corp, Hog Island PA | ||
Owner | Companhia de Navegação Lloyd Brasileiro, Rio de Janeiro | ||
Homeport | Rio de Janeiro | ||
Date of attack | 15 Feb 1942 | Nationality: Brazilian | |
Fate | Sunk by U-432 (Heinz-Otto Schultze) | ||
Position | 36° 35'N, 75° 20'W - Grid CA 8448 | ||
Complement | 85 (1 dead and 84 survivors). | ||
Convoy | |||
Route | Rio de Janeiro (Jan 42) - Recife - Natal - Belém - La Guaira - Curaçao - New York | ||
Cargo | General cargo, including coffee, cotton, cocoa and leather | ||
History | Laid down as Shepaug, completed in September 1919 as Bird City for US Shipping Board (USSB), Philadelphia. 1932 renamed Scanpenn for Moore-McCormack Lines Inc, New York. On 30 Oct 1939, the Scanpenn was detained for 13 days by British authorities at Kirkwall, Orkneys. In January 1940 sold to Brazil and renamed Buarque. | ||
Notes on event | At 07.53 hours on 15 February 1942 the neutral Buarque (Master João Joaquim de Moura) was hit by one torpedo from U-432 30 miles southwest of Cape Henry and sank after being hit by two coups de grâce at 08.11 and 08.43 hours after a first torpedo had missed at 07.56 hours. The master, 73 crew members and eleven passengers abandoned ship in four lifeboats immediately after the first hit, but the Portuguese passenger Manuel Rodrigues Gomes died of a heart-attack. 47 survivors in two of the boats were picked up in the afternoon by USCGC Calypso (WPC 104) after being spotted by an USAAF aircraft and were landed at Norfolk the next morning. On 17 February, the master and 15 survivors were picked up by USS Jacob Jones (DD 130) in 37°42N/74°15W and 21 survivors by USS Eagle 19 (PE 19). They were all landed at Norfolk in the evening. | ||
On board | We have details of 5 people who were on board. |
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