 SSDumaru in theWillamette River,Portland, Oregon, on April 17, 1918. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | SSDumaru |
| Owner | United States Shipping Board |
| Builder | Grant Smith-Porter Ship Co. |
| Laid down | November 17, 1917 |
| Launched | April 17, 1918 |
| Fate | Exploded and sank October 16, 1918 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Hough |
| Length | 268 Feet |
SSDumaru was aDesign 1003, Hough-type wooden steam ship launched on April 17, 1918, inPortland, Oregon, as part of theUnited States Shipping Board Merchant Fleet Corporation. On October 16, 1918, during her maiden voyage,Dumaru was struck by lightning off the coast ofGuam, igniting her munitions cargo and destroying the ship.[1][2]
All hands were able to evacuate into two lifeboats and one raft prior toDumaru´s destruction, with the raft and its five passengers, including Captain Ole Berrensen, being rescued nine days later near the site of the sinking.
The two lifeboats, one undermanned with only nine of its 20 seats filled and the other severely overcrowded with 32 crewmen aboard, drifted for approximately three weeks across thePacific Ocean to thePhilippine Islands. The latter boat quickly exhausted its fresh water supply, forcing the crew to construct a crudewater desalination device[1] and eventually resort tocannibalism, consuming the bodies of other crewmen who had died of exposure.[2]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in October 1918 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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