Major General Henry Gibbins
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| Name | Major General Henry Gibbins | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 5.766 tons | ||
| Completed | 1918 - Skinner & Eddy Corp, Seattle WA | ||
| Owner | US Army Transport Service | ||
| Homeport | Washington | ||
| Date of attack | 23 Jun, 1942 | Nationality:  American | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-158 (Erwin Rostin) | ||
| Position | 24.35N, 87.45W - Grid DL 2918 - See location on a map - | ||
| Complement | 68 (0 dead and 68 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | Buenaventura, Colombia - Panama Canal - New Orleans | ||
| Cargo | 5235 tons of coffee | ||
| History | Built as West Elcasco for US Maritime Commission, Washington DC 1940/41 requisitioned by the US Army Transport Service and renamed Major General Henry Gibbins | ||
| Notes on loss | At 08.40 hours on 23 Jun, 1942, the unescorted Major General Henry Gibbins (Master Peter A. Kalleberg) was torpedoed and sunk by U-158 about 375 miles west of Key West, Florida. The torpedo struck the port side at #2 hold, causing the ship to take a sharp port list. 20 minutes later, a second torpedo struck amidships between #3 hold and the engine room, causing the ship to sink shortly after the hit. The 47 crew members and 21 US Army armed guards abandoned ship after the first hit in three lifeboats. A flying boat directed the schooner Dolphin to two of the lifeboats. The survivors in these boats were picked up and flown to Pensacola, Florida on 26 June. The survivors in the third boat were picked up the next day and also taken to Pensacola. | ||
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