Meton
American Steam tanker
Name | Meton | ||
Type: | Steam tanker | ||
Tonnage | 7,027 tons | ||
Completed | 1920 - Moore Shipbuilding Co, Oakland CA | ||
Owner | Paco Tankers Inc (Pennsylvania Shipping Co), Philadelphia PA | ||
Homeport | Wilmington | ||
Date of attack | 5 Nov 1942 | Nationality: American | |
Fate | Sunk by U-129 (Hans-Ludwig Witt) | ||
Position | 12° 21'N, 69° 21'W - Grid EC 9296 | ||
Complement | 50 (1 dead and 49 survivors). | ||
Convoy | TAG-18 | ||
Route | Curaçao (4 Nov) - Cienfuegos, Cuba | ||
Cargo | 66000 barrels of bunker C fuel oil | ||
History | | ||
Notes on event | At 08.07 hours on 5 Nov 1942, U-129 fired four single bow torpedoes at four ships in convoy TAG-18 about 100 miles of the north coast of Curaçao and observed three hits. The three torpedoes all hit the Meton (Master Victor Axel Hagstrom), the lead ship in the outside column on the starboard side of convoy. The tanks #4, #6 and #9 were hit and the cargo caught fire for a short time, because it was extinguished by the explosion of the last torpedo. As the ship settled slowly, the eight officers, 30 crewmen and twelve armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in and four 30cal guns) abandoned ship in one lifeboat, because the other three lifeboats and all rafts had been destroyed. A fireman had been killed in the explosions, the tanker finally sank ten hours later. The survivors were picked up after two hours by the Dutch MTB HNMS TM-23 and landed at Curaçao. | ||
On board | We have details of 2 people who were on board. |
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