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SHIPS HIT USA 80 * - U S SHIPS L / O 9

6)MARK HANNA (DAMAGED U-510)




Photo: http://www.belgian-navy.be/t7381p255-au-jour-le-jour



Built 1942


Tonnage 4,874 / 7176 tons


Cargo: Ballast


Route: Port Elizabeth - Bahia, Brazil - Paramaribo, Dutch Guiana - Trinidad


Attacked and damaged 09 MAR 43 by U-510 in pos. 07º 40”N 52º 07”W


0 Dead


66 Survivors


Between 06.04 and 06.11 hours on 9 Mar, 1943, U-510 fired torpedoes during a second attack at the convoy BT-6 about 175 miles north of CayenneFrench Guiana and reported again four ships sunk. The convoy became unorganized after the first attack because all ships performed evasive maneuvers. In fact, the Mark Hanna and James Smith were damaged and the Thomas Ruffin and James K. Polk were damaged and later declared a total loss.


The Mark Hanna (Master Henry Hoeppner) in station #33 was struck by one torpedo on the port side at the #5 hold. The explosion opened a hole of 40 to 30 foot in the port and several smaller holes in the starboard side. Booms fell, the deck buckled, the hatch cover flew off, the rudder jammed and the shaft broke, but there were no casualties among the 41 crew members and 25 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in, five 20mm and two .30cal guns).


The ship steered towards the also disabled James Smith and the master ordered the men in the two port lifeboats to abandon ship and to return after the collision, but the ships did not colide and the boats drifted away. The 33 men in them were later picked up by the American submarine chaser USS PC-592 and landed at Trinidad on 13 March. The remaining crew helped to get the vessel under tow and arrived in Trinidad on 17 March.


On 23 May, the Mark Hanna left Trinidad in tow after temporary repairs, arriving in New Orleans on 12 June for permanent repairs. She returned to service on 29 September.


By Mark Hanna (American Steam merchant) - Ships hit by German U-boats during WWII - uboat.net


 

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