Steel Seafarer: The Steel Seafarer was a 5,719 Grt. Cargo Ship built at Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Kearny New Jersey (Yard No. 43) for the U.S. Steel Products Co., New York. She was launched on 18 October 1921 and completed the following November. The ship was 424-feet 5-inches in length, 56-feet 2-inches in beam, and 26.5-feet in draught. Propulsion was provided by 2 steam turbines with double-reduction engines geared to twin shafts providing her with a speed of 10.5 knots. She had two decks and was originally constructed to carry oils and fuels as cargo. Homeported in New York for her entire service. In May 1930, ownership was transferred to the Isthmian Steamship Co. (call sign "MDGQ") and then re-registered in 1933 to the Isthmian Lines under call sign "KDVN". Ship's History located to date: On 12 September 1923, the Steel Seafarer collided with the US Navy battleship Texas approximately 14 miles north of Port Arguello, California. This occurred 4-days after 7 of 14 US Navy Destroyers, traveling at nighttime in wartime convoy, were lost to grounding. This was later explained as possibly being caused by a change of sea currents caused by an earthquake in Japan on 05 September which pushed the ships landward without them realizing their change in position. The "Steel Seafarer" On 05 September 1941, while enroute from New York to Suez with a cargo of 4,157 tons of stores for the British army and 1,895 tons of general cargo under the command of John D. R. Halliday, the Steel Seafarer was steaming northwards at 4-knots in clear weather and rought seas with all navigational lights lit. The ship's nationality was clearly marked with a large American flag mounted amidships on the port and starboard sides. At 2330 that night, a Friday, the ship was attacked by a lone aircraft which dropped a bomb or aerial torpedo on the ship, hitting the ship amidships. Two explosions were reported: one in the #5 double-bottom tank and the second in the amidships area. The ship immediatley started listing to the starboard side. The ship's Master, John D. R. Halliday immediatley stopped the ship's engines and ordered abandon ship. Three lifeboats were lowered (2 from the port side, 1 from the starboard side) with all 9 officers and 27 crew. The ship then rolled over and sank in 15-20 minutes at position 27.20N/34.15E near Shadwin Island. The crew reached land the following morning at approximately 1100 where the local Egyptians provided assistance in contacting the Royal Navy. All crewmembers were picked up that same day and 5 men were treated for minor injuries. "Seaports South of Sahara" later reported that the stores for the British army that the Steel Seafarer had been carrying were actually munitions! As the United States had yet to enter WWII, numerous American flagged ships were carrying munitions for the British under very lucrative terms. In the States, the president Franklin Delano Roosevelt mentioned the sinking of the Steel Seafarer, among other ship sinkings, in his "Fireside Chat" on 11 September as a reason that the Nazi regime must be stopped. Critics against entering the war stated that, because the Steel Seafarer, and ships like her, were assisting in supplying Britain with supplies and munitions, that they were actually carrying contraband because it was not authorized by the U.S. Government. References: Miramar Single Ship Report for 2221707 http://www.armed-guard.com/ag84.html http://www.usmm.org/sunkaz.html#anchor29645 http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/USN-Chron/USN-Chron-1941.html http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?14591 http://www.isthmianlines.com/sa_steel_seafarer.html http://www.thewarillustrated.info/107/i-was-there-i-was-on-the-bombed-steel-seafarer.asp Shipwrecks, Smugglers and Maritime Mysteries, By Eugene D. Wheeler, Robert E. Kallman (Chapter 5) FDR's Fireside Chats (By Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Russell D. Buhite, David W. Levy)