SS Oropesa (1919)

SS ''Oropesa'' was a British steam turbine ocean liner of the Pacific Steam Navigation Company (PSNC). She was built on Merseyside in 1920 and operated between Liverpool and South America. In 1941 the sank her in the Western Approaches, killing 106 people aboard.

Building and civilian service

Cammell Laird built ''Oropesa'' at Birkenhead, launching her on 9 December 1919 and completing her in September 1920.

She was built as a coal-burner, with 32 corrugated furnaces with a combined grate area of that heated four double ended boilers with a combined heating surface of . They supplied steam at 190 lb_f/in² to six turbines with a combined rating of 1,647 NHP. They drove her twin propeller shafts ''via'' single reduction gearing, giving her a cruising speed of .

''Oropesa''s maiden voyage began from Liverpool on 4 September 1920, taking her to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and Buenos Aires in Argentina.

In May 1921 PSNC chartered ''Oropesa'' to Royal Mail Lines, for whom she worked the Hamburg – Southampton – New York route. She reverted to her owners in November 1922.

In 1924 PSNC had ''Oropesa'' converted to oil fuel, which is a more efficient fuel and takes less bunker space. In 1927 the company transferred her to the route between Liverpool and Valparaíso in Chile.

In January 1931 ''Oropesa'' took Edward, Prince of Wales and his brother Prince George to South America. She was then laid up at Dartmouth, Devon from October 1931 until 1937.

War service

In September 1939 ''Oropesa'' was requisitioned as a troop ship. However, she spent the next 16 months carrying general cargo and passengers.

On 27 September carrying general cargo she left Liverpool with Convoy OB 11: an outward-bound convoy which then dispersed in the North Atlantic. On 2 December 1939 ''Oropesa'' left Halifax, Nova Scotia with Convoy HXF 11 bound for Liverpool. The next day, about out of port she and the steam turbine cargo liner collided. 50 of the latter's crew were transferred to ''Oropesa'' and ''Manchester Regiment'' was taken in tow, but the cargo ship foundered and sank with a number of deaths. ''Oropesa'' returned the survivors to Halifax. On 12 January 1940 carrying general cargo ''Oropesa'' left Halifax again, this time with Convoy HXF 16, reaching Dover on 24 January.

On 3 March 1940 ''Oropesa'' left Liverpool with Convoy OB 103. Two days later, on 5 March, OB 103 joined Convoy OG 21F, which was bound for Gibraltar. Further out at sea ''Oropesa'' left OG 21F and continued independently to Bermuda. On 7 May carrying general cargo ''Oropesa'' left Bermuda with Convoy BHX 41, which joined Convoy HX 41 at sea on 13 May. HX 41 reached Liverpool on 23 May.

On 15 June 1940 carrying general cargo ''Oropesa'' left Liverpool with Convoy OB 168. Two days later, on 17 June, OB 168 formed Convoy OG 34F, which was bound for Gibraltar. Further out at sea ''Oropesa'' left OG 34F and continued independently to Panama. She returned with another general cargo, sailing independently as far as Bermuda. On 27 August she left Bermuda with Convoy BHX 69, which joined Convoy HX 69 at sea on 1 September. HX 69 reached Liverpool on 12 September.

''Oropesa''s next destination was Suez in Egypt. In June Italy had entered the War and France had surrendered. This made the Mediterranean unsafe for Allied ships, so thereafter nearly all Allied merchant shipping to the Near East and the Indian Ocean went ''via'' the South Atlantic and around the Cape of Good Hope. On 3 October 1940 ''Oropesa'' left Liverpool with Convoy WS 3A, which reached Cape Town, South Africa on 27 October. On 29 October she continued from Cape Town with Convoy WS 3, which reached Suez on 16 November.

Final voyage and sinking

''Oropesa'' left Suez on 30 November with Convoy BS 9A, which dispersed off Aden on 5 December. On 12 December 1940 ''Oropesa'' left Mombasa in Kenya, calling at Beira, Mozambique, on 19 December and Cape Town on Christmas Day.

On 16 January 1941 at 03:56 hrs ''Oropesa'' was southeast of Rockall in the Western Approaches when the German Type VIIC submarine , commanded by '' Kptlt.'' Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock, hit her in the stern with one G7a torpedo. ''Oropesa'' did not sink immediately, so ''U-96'' waited and at 04:40 hrs fired another torpedo, but that malfunctioned and went in circles. ''U-96'' fired again at 05:03 and 05:59 hrs, this time hitting ''Oropesa'' beneath her bridge and amidships. The liner capsized and sank at 06:16 hrs.

The Master, Harry Croft, 98 crew, a DEMS gunner and six passengers were killed. The Royal Navy tugs HMS ''Superman'' and HMS ''Tenacity'' and anti-submarine destroyer rescued 109 crew, one DEMS gunner and 33 passengers and landed them at Liverpool.

''U-96'' had been at the scene for more than two hours, but escaped before ''Westcott'' could detect her. The next morning the submarine struck in the Western Approaches again, sinking and killing all 360 people aboard.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Oropesa, SS
1919 ships
Maritime incidents in January 1941
Passenger ships of the United Kingdom
Ships of the Pacific Steam Navigation Company
Ships sunk by German submarines in World War II
Steamships of the United Kingdom
Troop ships of the United Kingdom
World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean