Sir Huon
Panamanian Motor merchant
Sir Huon under her former name Columbia. Photo courtesy of Alex Duncan
| Name | Sir Huon | ||
| Type: | Motor merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 6,049 tons | ||
| Completed | 1928 - Nakskov Skibsværft A/S, Nakskov | ||
| Owner | US Lines Inc, New York | ||
| Homeport | Panama | ||
| Date of attack | 30 Aug 1942 | Nationality:  Panamanian | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-66 (Friedrich Markworth) | ||
| Position | 10° 52'N, 54° 00'W - Grid EE 9847 | ||
| Complement | 46 (0 dead and 46 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | Suez - Port Elizabeth, South Africa - Port of Spain, Trinidad - Baltimore | ||
| Cargo | 5000 tons of manganese and chrome ore, 1004 tons of sisal, 1623 tons of general cargo, including wool, asbestos and captured damaged Italian and German tanks on deck | ||
| History | Completed in December 1928 as Danish Columbia for A/S D/S Orient, Copenhagen. On 17 Jul 1941, taken over by the US government in Baltimore under Public Law 101 and turned over to the US War Shipping Administration (WSA). The ship was renamed Sir Huon, registered in Panama and assigned to the US Lines Inc under a GAA agreement. | ||
| Notes on event | At 09.26 hours on 30 August 1942 the unescorted Sir Huon (Master Axel R.B. Broner) was hit on the port side at #2 hatch by two torpedoes from U-66 and sank by the bow with a list to port at 09.51 hours after the 37 crew members and nine armed guards abandoned ship in two lifeboats. The men in one of the boats were questioned by the Germans before the U-boat left the area. The 23 survivors in the first boat were picked up on 4 September by the Tambour and landed two days later at Paramaribo, Suriname. The remaining survivors in the second boat were picked up on 3 September by the Argentine steam tanker 13 de Diciembre and landed four days later at Curaçao. | ||
| On board | We have details of 11 people who were on board. | ||
If you can help us with any additional information on this vessel then please contact us.