San Gil
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| Name | San Gil | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 3.627 tons | ||
| Completed | 1920 - Workman, Clark & Co Ltd, Belfast | ||
| Owner | Balboa Shipping Co Inc (United Fruit Co), Balboa | ||
| Homeport | Panama | ||
| Date of attack | 4 Feb, 1942 | Nationality:  Panaman | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-103 (Werner Winter) | ||
| Position | 38.05N, 74.40W - Grid CA 5764 - See location on a map - | ||
| Complement | 41 (2 dead and 39 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | Santa Marta, Colombia - Puerto Cortes, Honduras - Philadelphia | ||
| Cargo | Bananas | ||
| History | Completed in December 1920 for Unifruitco SS Co Ltd (United Fruit Co), Glasgow. 1931 registered in Panama for Balboa Shipping Co Inc (United Fruit Co), Balboa. | ||
| Notes on loss | At 06.43 hours on 4 Feb, 1942, the unescorted and unarmed San Gil (Master Walter W. Koch) was hit on the port side in the engine room by one torpedo from U-103, while steaming at 13 knots on a nonevasive course. The explosion killed two men on watch below, destroyed the port lifeboat and the radio equipment. The flooding of the engine room caused a sharp list to starboard. When they sent distress signals with the emergency radio the U-boat fired with the 37mm and 20mm AA guns at the bridge from the starboard side to prevent further use of the radio and scored 8-12 hits. At 07.23 hours, a coup de grāce struck amidships on the starboard side and caused the ship to sink in 5 minutes. The survivors had abandoned ship in two lifeboats, were picked up by USS Nike (WPC 112) on the same day and landed at Lewes, Delaware. | ||
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