Corte Real
| Name | Corte Real | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 2.044 tons | ||
| Completed | 1922 - A. Vuijk & Zonen, Capelle an der Ijssel | ||
| Owner | Cia de Navegação Carregadores Açoreanos, São Miguel, Azores | ||
| Homeport | São Miguel | ||
| Date of attack | 12 Oct, 1941 | Nationality:  Portuguese | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-83 (Hans-Werner Kraus) | ||
| Position | Grid CG 5445 - See estimated map location (39.40N11.34W) * | ||
| Complement | 42 (0 dead and 42 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | Lisbon - Madeira - New York | ||
| Cargo | Cork, dyes, watches, wine and tinned food | ||
| History | Completed in June 1922 as Dutch Peursum for NV Stoomvaart Mij Oostzee (Vinke & Co), Amsterdam. 1934 sold to Portugal and renamed Corte Real. | ||
| Notes on loss | At 14.00 hours on 12 Oct, 1941, the neutral Corte Real was stopped for inspection by U-83 80 miles west of Lisbon. It was established that they were carrying contraband because most of the cargo was bound for Canada and Australia, so Kraus ordered the crew and passengers (among them women and children) to abandon ship in the three lifeboats. The U-boat then opened fire with the deck gun, setting the ship on fire and finally sank her with two torpedoes at 16.54 hours. When it was noticed that one of the lifeboats was taking on water, the Germans transferred the occupants to the other two boats and took them in tow towards the coast for 3 hours. The lifeboats later landed near Lisbon. | ||
* Estimated position shown here is based on positions of losses in a roughly the same German grid code. It may be a bit off but should give a good idea as to where the attack took place.
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