Observer
| Name | Observer | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 5.881 tons | ||
| Completed | 1928 - C. Connell & Co Ltd, Glasgow | ||
| Owner | T. & J. Harrison, Liverpool | ||
| Homeport | Liverpool | ||
| Date of attack | 16 Dec, 1942 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-176 (Reiner Dierksen) | ||
| Position | 05.30S, 31.00W - Grid FC 8474 - See location on a map - | ||
| Complement | 81 (66 dead and 15 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | Mersin, Turkey - Capetown (29 Nov) - Trinidad - New York | ||
| Cargo | 3000 tons of chrome ore | ||
| History | | ||
| Notes on loss | At 21.27 hours on 16 Dec, 1942, the unescorted Observer (Master John Davidson) was hit by two G7a torpedoes from U-176 and sank within 30 seconds about 350 miles east of Cabo Sao Roque, Brazil. The Germans had chased the zigzagging ship for nine hours before attacking and questioned the survivors afterwards. The master, 57 crew members and eight gunners were lost. 14 crew members and one gunner landed at Fortaleza. | ||
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