SS Santa Rita
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | SS Santa Rita |
| Owner | United States Maritime Commission (USMC)[2] |
| Operator | Grace Line[2] |
| Port of registry | San Francisco[1] |
| Builder |
|
| Yard number | 228 |
| Launched | 11 July 1941 |
| Completed | September 1941 |
| Fate | Sunk by U-172, 9 July 1942[2] |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | {Type C2-G ship |
| Tonnage | 8,379 GRT |
| Length | 441 ft 3 in (134.49 m)[1] |
| Beam | 63 ft 1 in (19.23 m)[1] |
| Draft | 37 ft 4 in (11.38 m)[1] |
| Decks | three decks |
| Propulsion | 2 screw propeller[1] |
| Speed | 15.5 knots (28.7 km/h)[3] |
| Crew | 8 officers, 44 sailors, 10 Naval Armed Guardsmen (83 total)[2] |
| Armament |
|
SS Santa Rita was a refrigerated
When the boat did not immediately sink, U-172 fired machine gun bursts at the vessel to discourage her crew from returning. The U-boat got off four quick shots with her deck gun that struck Santa Rita's superstructure, but did not finish off the ship. After taking Stephenson prisoner aboard the submarine, crewmen from U-172 boarded the still-floating Santa Rita and searched the ship for two hours, finally emerging with some scavenged food. After seven more shots from the deck gun were fired, Santa Rita rolled over on an even keel and sank at 15:20 near position 26°11′N 55°40′W / 26.183°N 55.667°W. American destroyers Livermore and Mayo rescued most of the survivors and landed them at Port of Spain, Trinidad, while another boat rescued the rest and took them to Puerto Rico. Stephenson was repatriated to the United States in February 1945.[2]
Notes
- ^ Lloyd's Register of Shipping. Register of Ships (1941–42 ed.). London: Lloyd's Register of Shipping. Scan of page "San" (pdf) hosted at Plimsoll Ship Data Archived 2012-02-18 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4 July 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g Browning, pp. 180–81.
- ^ a b "Santa Rita (2240916)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 4 July 2009.
References
- Browning, Robert M. (1996). U.S. Merchant Vessel War Casualties of World War II. OCLC 32310902.
