 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | San Gerardo |
| Owner | Eagle Oil and Shipping Company |
| Port of registry |  London |
| Route | United Kingdom–Mexico |
| Ordered | 1 February 1920 |
| Builder | Palmer’s Shipbuilding and Iron Company |
| Yard number | 870 |
| Launched | 19 October 1921 |
| Completed | February 1922 |
| In service | 1922 |
| Out of service | 1942 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Sunk on 31 March 1942 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Oil tanker |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 530 ft (160 m) |
| Beam | 64 ft (20 m) |
| Depth | 30.9 ft (9.4 m) |
| Installed power | 3 ×steam turbines, 5 × boilers |
| Propulsion | 1screw |
| Speed | 10knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
SSSan Gerardo was a Britishoil tanker built in 1922 for theEagle Oil and Shipping Company. She was torpedoed on 31 March 1942, by theGerman submarine U-71.
San Gerardo was ordered on 1 February 1920, launched on 19 October 1921 and completed in February 1922.[1][2] She was built byPalmer’s Shipbuilding and Iron Company inNewcastle-Upon-Tyne. The tanker wasyard number 870[3] and was assigned theOfficial number 146518 and thecall sign GFWK.[4] She wasregistered in London.[5]
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'ssteam turbines geared to onescrew shaft and five singleboilers with 15 totalcorrugated furnaces.[4] The tanker had one four-bladed propeller[6] and a maximum speed of 10knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).[4] She was assessed at 12,915 gross register tons (GRT) and 19,245 tonsdeadweight (DWT).[1]
San Gerardo operated for theEagle Oil and Shipping Company. She primarily traveled between the United Kingdom andMexico, notably the ports ofTilbury inEssex andTampico inTamaulipas.[6] She carried a cargo primarily consisting ofcrude oil from Mexico to the United Kingdom.[3]
San Gerardo left for her final voyage fromCuraçao, capital of theDutch West Indies, on 23 March 1942. The tanker loaded 17,000 tons offuel oil and was bound forHalifax, Nova Scotia, where she would join a convoy to carry her cargo to the United Kingdom. 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 theEast Coast of the United States. She was 350nautical miles (650 km; 400 mi) north-northwest ofBermuda, 230 nautical miles (430 km; 260 mi) south-southeast ofNantucket Island, and 475 nautical miles (880 km; 547 mi) south of Halifax. She entered the waters ofNorth Carolina and neared theGerman submarine U-71, which had sunk the Norwegian tankerRanja, the American cargo shipOakmar, and the American oil tankerDixie Arrow in the previous days.[3]
At 3:22 PMEastern War Time,U-71 fired twotorpedoes atSan Gerardo.[5] The tanker rapidly sank by thestern, with none of herlifeboats being launched. Twolife rafts floated off the ship and were promptly occupied by three sailors and threenaval gunners.[3] They were picked up on 2 April, after floating for three days,[3] by the British tankerRegent Panther and taken to Halifax.[5] 51 people, including the passenger, perished.[5]
