SS ''Presidente Trujillo'' was a Dominican

Cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usu ...

that was torpedoed by the German submarine ''U-156'' in the Caribbean Sea off

Fort-de-France Fort-de-France (, , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Fodfwans) is a Communes of France, commune and the capital city of Martinique, an overseas department and region of France located in the Caribbean. It is also one of the major cities in the ...

, Martinique on 21 May 1942 while she was travelling from

, Martinique to San Juan, Puerto Rico carrying a cargo of beer,

machinery A machine is a physical system using power to apply forces and control movement to perform an action. The term is commonly applied to artificial devices, such as those employing engines or motors, but also to natural biological macromolecule ...

and forage.

Construction

''Presidente Trujillo'' was built at the Howaldtswerke A. G. shipyard in Kiel, Germany in December 1900. Where she was launched and completed that same year. The ship was long, had a beam of and had a depth of . She was assessed at and had a triple expansion steam engine. The ship could generate 204 n.h.p. with a speed of 11 knots. She was also armed with a 75mm deck gun and three AA

machine guns A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...

Sinking

''Presidente Trujillo'' was travelling unescorted from

, Martinique to San Juan, Puerto Rico while carrying a general cargo of beer,

and forage when on 21 May 1942 at 18.29 pm, she was hit

aft "Aft", in nautical terminology, is an adjective or adverb meaning towards the stern (rear) of the ship, aircraft or spacecraft, when the frame of reference is within the ship, headed at the fore. For example, "Able Seaman Smith; lie aft!" or "Wh ...

by a G7e torpedo from the German submarine ''U-156'' in the Caribbean Sea off

, Martinique. The ship sank in four minutes and claimed the lives of 24 crewmen. The 15 survivors were rescued soon after.

Wreck

The wreck of ''Presidente Trujillo'' lies at ().

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Presidente Trujillo 1900 ships Ships built in Kiel Cargo ships World War II shipwrecks in the Caribbean Sea Ships sunk by German submarines in World War II Maritime incidents in May 1942