Gulf Of Mexico in WW2 History | World War II Database

21 Oct 1939

Atlantic Ocean

British light cruiser HMS Orion and Canadian destroyer HMCS Saguenay located German tanker Emmy Friedrich in the Yucatán Channel, and began to move to intercept. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | Yucatán Channel, Gulf of Mexico | CPC]

7 May 1942

Atlantic Ocean

German submarine U-507 sank Honduran ship Ontario with the deck gun 100 miles south of Mobile, Alabama, United States at 0335 hours; all 45 aboard survived. ww2dbase [Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico Campaigns | Gulf of Mexico | CPC]

28 May 1942

Atlantic Ocean

U-106 sank British ship Mentor (4 were killed, 82 survived) in the Gulf of Mexico. ww2dbase [Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico Campaigns | U-106 | Gulf of Mexico | CPC]

1 Jul 1942

Atlantic Ocean

US merchant ship Edward Luckenbach mistakenly entered a US minefield and struck two mines; she sank 20 miles north of the Florida Keys, Florida, United States; lost with the ship was a very large supply of tungsten, prompting the Americans to later launch an operation to salvage it. ww2dbase [Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico Campaigns | Gulf of Mexico | CPC]
The small 1,855-ton Norwegian merchant steamer Cadmus was en route from Honduras to Galveston, Texas, United States with a cargo of bananas when at 1744 hours she was hit by a single torpedo fired from German submarine U-129, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Hans-Ludwig Witt. The torpedo struck the Cadmus between the No. 4 hatch and the poop deck, killing two of the crew and immediately the vessel started to sink by the stern. The remaining crew abandoned ship and were questioned by the Germans who had surfaced and were taking bunches of bananas from the sea before moving off. The crew split into two lifeboats, 1st Mate Tellefsen was in severe pain and had difficulties breathing, having injured his back, as well as broken his arm at the wrist. The chief engineer had also injured his back. The 2nd mate was ordered to the port boat to replace the 1st mate in command (10 in each boat). ww2dbase [Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico Campaigns | Gulf of Mexico | HM]

2 Jul 1942

Atlantic Ocean

German submarine U-129 (Kapitänleutnant Hans-Ludwig Witt) fired two G7a torpedoes at 1,841-ton Norwegian merchant ship Gundersen in the Gulf of Mexico at 0616 hours, scoring one hit on the port side at 0617 hours, killing one. The 25 surviving crew boarded three lifeboats, but one of them was quickly wrecked by the propeller of the slowly sinking ship. At about 0630 hours the submarine surfaced, firing her deck guns at the ship. She finally sank at 0759 hours. The survivors were picked up by Norwegian merchant ship Dea within hours. ww2dbase [Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico Campaigns | Gulf of Mexico | CPC]

13 Aug 1942

Atlantic Ocean

German submarine U-658 sank Dutch ship Medea of Allied convoy WAT-13 between Cuba and Haiti at 0507 hours; 5 were killed, 23 survived. German submarine U-171 sank US tanker R. M. Parker, Jr. with two torpedoes and her deck gun 25 miles off Louisiana, United States at 0750 hours; all 44 aboard survived. At 0948 hours, U-600 attacked Allied convoy TAW-12 between Cuba and Haiti, sinking Latvian ship Everlza (23 were killed, 14 survived) and US passenger-cargo ship Delmundo (8 were killed, 50 survived). ww2dbase [Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico Campaigns | Gulf of Mexico | CPC]

11 Mar 1943

Atlantic Ocean

At 0752 hours the 2,493-ton Honduran steam merchant Olancho was hit by a torpedo from German submarine U-183 about 30 miles west of Cape San Antonio, Cuba. The torpedo struck on the starboard side ripping open the hull and demolishing the wheelhouse and starboard engine wing. The engine room flooded immediately and the port engine could not be stopped thus the ship kept going at full speed in circles until the screw was clear of the water due to the settling by the bow. After another torpedo hit, the ship sank. The 41 crew members and five armed guards abandoned ship after the second torpedo hit in one lifeboat, on one raft and by jumping overboard. Two men went under with the suction of the sinking ship after they jumped from the stern and one was hit by the turning screw and later died after being picked up by the raft. Seven more survivors clung to a hatch cover. The occupants of the lifeboat and the nine men on the raft were picked up at 1255 hours by the Honduran steam merchant Choluteca. ww2dbase [Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico Campaigns | Gulf of Mexico | HM]

13 Mar 1943

Atlantic Ocean

Seven of the survivors of Honduran steam merchant Olancho, victim of German submarine U-183 two days prior, were picked up by the American seaplane tender USS Absecon (AVP 23) and taken to Jacksonville, Florida, United States. ww2dbase [Gulf of Mexico | HM]

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis

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