Six years later the S.S. Tela was sunk by a U-Boat while traveling from New Orleans to Costa Rica ... it sunk in only five minutes:
Quote:
The S.S. Tela, a Honduran steam freighter that had been chartered to the War Shipping Administration on 31 May, 1942, was torpedoed without warning just after midnight on 8 June, 1942, while traveling between New Orleans, Louisiana, and Port Limon, Costa Rica.
The Tela, which was traveling at 15 knots on a zigzag course under clear skies, was struck on the port side of the ship at the engine room, completely destroying the entire area, and killing the engine crew on duty. Among those lost in the first impact were William Nelson, the Chief Engineer, and Kenneth McAuliffe, the engine cadet. Both were most likely in the engine room at the time of the attack. Minutes later, a second torpedo struck the port side at the Number 3 hatch, causing the ship to burst into flames. The crew noticed sulphurous fumes during the fire, suggesting that the second impact was caused by an incendiary torpedo.
Two lifeboats and two rafts were launched, carrying 43 of the ship's total complement of 54. Eleven members of the crew went down with the ship when it sank, only five minutes after the initial blast. The ship listed to port, and then plunged into the sea by the stern. All of the ship's confidential papers went down with the ship.
After about 12 hours in the lifeboats and rafts, the survivors of the Tela were picked up by the MV Port Montreal. Two of the Tela's survivors died on the Port Montreal from their injuries. This ship was in turn torpedoed several days later, but the remaining Tela survivors were picked up by the Colombian schooner Hilda, and landed at Cristobal, in the Canal Zone, on 16 June 1942. The submarine which destroyed the Tela, U-504, was sunk on 30 July 1943 by British destroyers northwest of Cape Ortegal, Spain. Cadet McAuliffe was the son of D. C. McAuliffe, the manager of Steamships and Domestic Pier Operations of the United Fruit Company.
Posted 03/14/2015 10:46 am
