Maltran
We don't have a picture of this vessel at this time.
| Name | Maltran | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 3.513 tons | ||
| Completed | 1920 - Merrill-Stevens Shipbuilding Corp, Jacksonville FL | ||
| Owner | Marine Transport Lines Inc, New York | ||
| Homeport | Wilmington | ||
| Date of attack | 5 Jul, 1943 | Nationality:  American | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-759 (Rudolf Friedrich) | ||
| Position | 18.11N, 74.57W - Grid EC 1253 - See location on a map - | ||
| Complement | 47 (0 dead and 47 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | GTMO-134 | ||
| Route | New York - Guantanamo Bay (4 Jul) - Ponce, Puerto Rico | ||
| Cargo | 3200 tons of general cargo | ||
| History | Built as Pinellas, 1922 renamed Carolinas, 1927 renamed Maltran | ||
| Notes on loss | At 03.30 hours on 5 Jul, 1943, the Maltran (Master Donovan Floyd Pierce) in convoy GTMO-134 was torpedoed by U-759 about 70 miles west of Port Salut, Haiti. One torpedo struck on the starboard side at the #2 hatch. The explosion blew the hatch cover off and threw portion of the cargo over the deck and into the sea. As the ship settled rapidly the engines were secured and she first listed to starboard but then settled on even keel. The armed guards fired one round to indicate the direction of the U-boat. As the water reached the forward deck after ten minutes, the eight officers, 27 crewmen and 12 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, two .50cal and two .30cal guns) abandoned ship in two lifeboats and three rafts. The overboard discharge from the condenser swamped one of the boats. The ship sank by the stern 15 minutes after the torpedo hit. The survivors were picked up by the American submarine chaser USS SC-1279 about two and a half hours after the attack and taken to Guantanamo the same day. | ||
If you can help us with any additional information on this vessel then please contact us.