Gonçalo Velho
Portuguese Steam merchant
Gonçalo Velho under her former name Balboa. Photo courtesy of State Library of New South Wales
| Name | Gonçalo Velho | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 1,595 tons | ||
| Completed | 1913 - Murdoch & Murray Ltd, Port Glasgow | ||
| Owner | Cia de Navegação Carregadores Açoreanos, São Miguel, Azores | ||
| Homeport | Punta Delgada | ||
| Date of attack | 8 Nov 1940 | Nationality:  Portuguese | |
| Fate | Damaged by U-47 (Günther Prien) | ||
| Position | 52° 30'N, 17° 30'W - Grid AL 9533 | ||
| Complement | ? men (0 dead and ? survivors). | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | to Oporto | ||
| Cargo | |||
| History | Completed in March 1913 as Linmere for Watson SS Co Ltd, Manchester. 1923 renamed Balboa for MacAndrews & Co Ltd, London. 1928 sold to Portugal and renamed Gonçalo Velho for Cia de Navegação Carregadores Açoreanos, São Miguel, Azores. Post-war: 1949 sold to Italy and renamed Generoso for San Giorgio. Broken up in La Spezia in March 1963. | ||
| Notes on event | At 13.47 hours on 8 Nov 1940, U-47 tried to stop the neutral Gonçalo Velho (Master Joel Gomes) by a shot over the vessel with the deck gun. The ship slowed down and prepared to launch a boat, but steered towards the U-boat so they fired two more warning shots to force the ship to stop immediately. One of them hit the stem and damaged her slightly. The master boarded the U-boat with the papers of the ship. After one hour she was allowed to proceed because no contraband could be found. | ||
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