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| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | SSCity of Pretoria |
| Operator | Ellerman & Bucknall Steamship Co. Ltd, London |
| Port of registry |  London |
| Builder | Cammell Laird & Co Ltd,Birkenhead |
| Launched | 21 September 1937 |
| Completed | December 1937 |
| Identification | UKofficial number 165620 |
| Fate | Sunk 4 March 1943 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | cargo steamship |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 496.7 ft (151.4 m) |
| Beam | 62.4 ft (19.0 m) |
| Draught | 35 ft 0 in (10.67 m) |
| Depth | 31.3 ft (9.5 m) |
| Installed power | 1,867NHP |
| Propulsion | 6steam turbines, single-reduction geared onto two propeller shafts |
SSCity of Pretoria was a British cargo steamship. She was torpedoed and sunk in theSecond World War with heavy loss of life.
She was built byCammell Laird & Co Ltd, at their yards inBirkenhead in 1937. She was operated byEllerman & Bucknall Steamship Co. Ltd and registered in London. She continued to be operated by Ellerman Lines in the Second World War, making at least one voyage early in the war carryingmateriel from New York to France.
Captain Alfred George Freeman, who went on to captain other Ellerman Lines ships including the SS City of Singapore and a newer SS City of Pretoria from 29 November 1950 to 26 November 1960, was her Chief Officer from 6 August 1939 to 16 August 1939.
Her final voyage took her fromNew York, which she departed on 27 February 1943, bound forLiverpoolviaHolyhead. She was carrying 7,032 tons of general cargo and 145 passengers and crew. Hermaster was Frank Deighton. Her high speed meant that it was deemed an acceptable risk to sail unescorted rather than in a convoy.
She was travelling unescorted through theAtlantic Ocean, when she was sighted on 4 March at 0609 hours by theGerman submarine U-172. TheU-boat torpedoed theCity of Pretoria, causing her to explode and sink northwest of theAzores. All aboard her, including her master, 108 crew, 24DEMS gunners, five apprentices and seven passengers were lost with her. The passengers were "Distressed British Seamen" (DBS) being repatriated to the UK because their former ships had been sunk.
One of the passengers was James Allistair Whyte, previouslythird officer ofCity of Cairo, who had survived 51 days in a lifeboat after she had been torpedoed and sunk byU-68 on 6 November 1942.
41°45′N42°30′W / 41.750°N 42.500°W /41.750; -42.500
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in March 1943 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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