El Occidente
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| Name | El Occidente | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 6.008 tons | ||
| Completed | 1910 - Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co, Newport News VA | ||
| Owner | US Lines Inc, New York | ||
| Homeport | Panama | ||
| Date of attack | 13 Apr, 1942 | Nationality:  Panaman | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-435 (Siegfried Strelow) | ||
| Position | 73.28N, 28.30E - Grid AC 4662 - See location on a map - | ||
| Complement | 41 (20 dead and 21 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | QP-10 | ||
| Route | Murmansk - Reykjavik - New York | ||
| Cargo | A part cargo of chrome ore as ballast | ||
| History | Built as American El Occidente for Southern Pacific SS Line, purchased by the US Government on 7 Jul, 1941, was turned over to US Lines under a GAA agreement at Galveston, Texas and was placed under Panamanian flag. | ||
| Notes on loss | On 30 Jan, 1942, the El Occidente (Master Olaf Nannestad) had left Boston, stopping at Halifax on 1 February. She left Halifax in convoy HX-174 six days later and after arrival at Clyde River left on 23 February, arriving in Reykjavik six days later. On 1 March, the vessel (now armed and with British gunners on board) left in convoy PQ-12 for Murmansk, arriving on 13 March. After discharging her cargo, she left in the convoy QP-10 on 10 April. At 01.29 hours on 13 April, the El Occidente was hit by one or two torpedoes from U-435 in the engine room nearly breaking her in two. The vessel sank stern first within two minutes, so fast that there was no time to launch lifeboats. The survivors were forced to jump overboard and were picked up by the HMS Speedwell about 30 minutes later. Nine bodies were also picked up and later buried at sea. The survivors were landed at Reykjavik from where they were eventually repatriated to the US aboard the steam merchants Capulin and Artigas. | ||
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