Tillie Lykes
Photo courtesy of Eric Steinfeldt
| Name | Tillie Lykes | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 2.572 tons | ||
| Completed | 1920 - McDougall-Duluth Shipbuilding Co, Duluth MN | ||
| Owner | Lykes Bros SS Co Inc, New Orleans LA | ||
| Homeport | Galveston | ||
| Date of attack | 28 Jun, 1942 | Nationality:  American | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-154 (Walther Kölle) | ||
| Position | Grid EC 3586 - See estimated map location (17.30N68.34W) * | ||
| Complement | 33 (33 dead - no survivors) | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | Galveston (13 Jun) - San Juan, Puerto Rico | ||
| Cargo | 2705 tons of general cargo, including food and machinery | ||
| History | Built as Lake Florian, 1922 renamed Tillie Lykes | ||
| Notes on loss | At 03.50 hours on 28 Jun, 1942, U-154 fired a single torpedo at an unescorted zigzagging steamer with East course and scored a hit amidships after 18 seconds. The ship sank after 2 minutes 30 seconds and only left a few survivors on a raft and clinging to debris. The survivors were questioned by the Germans, but they were hard to understand due to the heavy seas and because they all yelled together in great confusion. The vessel was identified as Clyde with 3200 grt, but no such vessel could be found in the ship listings. The Tillie Lykes (Master Gus Warren Darnell) was reported missing with the eight officers, 21 crewmen and four armed guards (the ship was armed with one 3in and two .30cal guns) on board after leaving Galveston and was considered lost by war cause in 19°N/85°W on 18 Jun, 1942. It is likely that the vessel was sunk in this attack. The master Gus Warren Darnell had been on Cardonia, when she was sunk by U-126 (Bauer) on 7 Mar, 1942. | ||
* Estimated position shown here is based on positions of losses in a roughly the same German grid code. It may be a bit off but should give a good idea as to where the attack took place.
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