Sicilien
Photo courtesy of SSHSA Collection, University of Baltimore Library
| Name | Sicilien | ||
| Type: | Motor merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 1,654 tons | ||
| Completed | 1938 - Helsingørs Jernskibs-og Maskinbyggeri A/S, Elsinore | ||
| Owner | US Army Transport Service | ||
| Homeport | Norfolk | ||
| Date of attack | 8 Jun 1942 | Nationality:  American | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-172 (Carl Emmermann) | ||
| Position | 17.30N, 71.20W - Grid EC 3198 - See location on a map - | ||
| Complement | 75 (44 dead and 31 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | New Orleans - Kingston, Jamaica - San Juan, Puerto Rico | ||
| Cargo | General cargo, including beer, foodstuffs and mattresses | ||
| History | Completed in August 1938 as Danish Sicilien for Det Forenede D/S (DFDS), Copenhagen. In April 1940 laid up in New York. On 30 Mar, 1941, seized by the US government and later handed over to the US Maritime Commission. On 23 Jul, 1941, taken over by the War Department and used as US Army transport. | ||
| Notes on loss | At 04.58 hours on 8 Jun, 1942, the unescorted Sicilien (Master Albert F. Sundmacher) was hit by one G7a torpedo from U-172 about 10 miles south of Cape Beata, Dominican Republic. The torpedo struck on the starboard side at #3 hold, destroyed the lifeboats and started small fires. The ship listed to starboard due the flooding of the engine room, #3 and #4 holds and sank by the stern after nine minutes. The master, 24 crew members and 19 passengers (US Army troops) were lost. The survivors jumped overboard, swam to rafts and were questioned by the Germans. They made landfall after few hours at Barahona, Dominican Republic. | ||
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