Elihu B. Washburne
| Name | Elihu B. Washburne | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant (Liberty) | ||
| Tonnage | 7.176 tons | ||
| Completed | 1943 - California Shipbuilding Corp, Los Angeles CA | ||
| Owner | Matson Navigation Co, San Francisco CA | ||
| Homeport | Los Angeles | ||
| Date of attack | 3 Jul, 1943 | Nationality:  American | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-513 (Friedrich Guggenberger) | ||
| Position | 24.03S, 45.11W - Grid GA 38 - See location on a map - | ||
| Complement | 70 (0 dead and 70 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | Santos, Brazil (3 Jul) - Rio de Janeiro | ||
| Cargo | 7638 tons of coffee | ||
| History | Completed January 1943 | ||
| Notes on loss | At 19.25 hours on 3 Jul, 1943, the unescorted Elihu B. Washburne (Master George Lambert Mollison) was struck by one torpedo from U-513 off the coast of Brazil between the after port peak tank and the #5 hatch. The explosion either knocked off the propeller or broke the shaft. The ship lost the rudder, the after magazine for 3in rounds discharged and the magazine for 20mm ammunition exploded. Without control of the vessel, she turned 90° to port and gradually lost way. The most of the eight officers, 34 men, 25 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 3in gun and nine 20mm guns) and three passengers abandoned ship in three lifeboats. The master, eight crewmen and the armed guards remained on board to attempt to beach the ship. 25 minutes after the first hit, a second torpedo struck the hapless vessel at the #3 bulkhead. This explosion lifted the bow out of the water and threw water over the ship. At 20.00 hours, a third torpedo struck in the engine room and the remaining men now left in the fourth lifeboat. The ship was last seen by the survivors drifting with her bow completely out of the water. All hands survived and landed on the island of São Sabastião early the next morning. | ||
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