SS San Gerardo
 SS San Gerardo viewed in daylight | |
| History | |
| Name | San Gerardo |
|---|---|
| Namesake | Salvadorian municipality |
| Owner | Eagle Oil and Shipping Company |
| Registry | London, England |
| Route | United Kingdom–Mexico |
| Ordered | 1 February 1920 |
| Builder | Palmer’s Shipbuilding and Iron Company |
| Yard number | 870 |
| Completed | February 1922 |
| In service | 1922–1942 |
| Identification | Call sign: GFDW    Official number: 146518 |
| Fate | Sunk by U-71 on 31 March 1942 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 12,915 GRT 19,245 DWT |
| Length | 530 feet (160 m) |
| Beam | 64 feet (20 m) wide |
| Depth | 30.9 feet (9.4 m) |
| Installed power | 3x steam turbines, 5x boilers |
| Propulsion | 1 screw |
| Speed | 10 knots (12 mph; 19 km/h) |
SS San Gerardo was a British oil tanker built in 1922 for the Eagle Oil and Shipping Company. She was torpedoed on 31 March 1942, by the German submarine U-71.
Construction
[edit]San Gerardo was ordered on 1 February 1920, launched on 19 October 1921 and completed in February 1922.[1][2] She was built by Palmer’s Shipbuilding and Iron Company in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. The tanker was yard number 870[3] and was assigned the Official number 146518 and the call sign GFWK.[4] She was registered in London.[5]
Specifications
[edit]San Gerardo was 530 feet (160 m) long, 64 feet (20 m) wide, and had a depth of 30.9 feet (9.4 m).[6] She had three Palmer's steam turbines geared to one screw shaft and five single boilers with 15 total corrugated furnaces.[4] The tanker had one four-bladed propeller[6] and a maximum speed of 10 knots (12 mph; 19 km/h).[4] She also had a gross register tonnage of 12,915 and a deadweight tonnage of 19,245.[1]
Service history
[edit]San Gerardo operated for the Eagle Oil and Shipping Company. She primarily traveled between the UK and Mexico, notably the ports of Tillbury in Essex and Tampico in Tamaulipas.[6] She carried a cargo primarily consisting of crude oil from Mexico to the UK.[3]
Sinking
[edit]San Gerardo left for her final voyage from Curacao, capital of the Dutch West Indies, on 23 March 1942. The tanker loaded 17,000 tons of fuel oil and was bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she would join a convoy to carry her cargo to the UK. She was under the command of Captain Stanley Foley, and carried 57 people total: 56 officers and crewmembers, as well as one passenger.[3]
On 31 March, San Gerardo found herself sailing up the East Coast of the United States. She was 350 nautical miles (400 mi; 650 km) north-northwest of Bermuda, 230 nautical miles (260 mi; 430 km) south-southeast of Nantucket Island, and 475 nautical miles (547 mi; 880 km) south of Halifax. She entered the waters of North Carolina and neared U-71, which had sunk the Norwegian tanker Ranja, the American cargo ship Oakmar, and the American oil tanker Dixie Arrow in the previous days.[3]
At 3:22 PM Eastern War Time, U-71 fired two torpedoes at San Gerardo.[5] The tanker rapidly sank by the stern, with none of her lifeboats being launched. Two liferafts floated off the ship and were promptly occupied by three sailors and three naval gunners.[3] They were picked up on 2 April, after floating for three days,[3] by the British tanker Regent Panther and taken to Halifax.[5] 51 people, including the passenger, perished.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "ST San Gerardo". ShipVault. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ^ "San Gerardo". Tyne Built Ships. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Wiberg, Eric (23 November 2014). "S/T San Gerardo sunk by U-71/Flachsenberg N of Bermuda, 6 survived on 2 rafts, 51 perished". ericwiberg.com. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ^ a b c Allen, Tony (5 April 2009). "SS San Gerardo (+1942)". wrecksite.eu. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ^ a b c d Helgason, Guðmundur. "San Gerardo". uboat.net. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ^ a b c Kent, J. L. (25 January 1924). "The Effect of Wind and Waves on the Propulsion of Ships". The Shipbuilder. 30 (161): 384 – via Google Books.