Sister Liberty ship
Built 1942
Tonnage 4,375 / 7,177 tons
Cargo: 9,000 tons of manganese ore, tungsten, hides, cased meat and fertilizers.
Route: Buenos Aires - New York
Sunk 16 JUL 43 by U-513 on pos. 28º 10"S 46º 30"W.
9 Dead
60 Survivors
At 21.15 hours on 16 Jul, 1943, the unescorted Richard Caswell (Master Solomon A. Suggs) was hit by one torpedo from U-513 about 150 miles southeast of Florianopolis, Brazil. The torpedo struck on the starboard side at the after end of the engine room, destroying the engines and killing three men on watch below. The most survivors among the eight officers, 34 crewmen, 24 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in and nine 20mm guns) and two passengers on board abandoned ship in three lifeboats and two rafts.
The master and a small party stayed on board but ten minutes after the hit a second torpedo struck at the forward end of the engine room. The explosion blew a few men over the side and caused extensive damage to the amidships deck and the superstructure. Just as the ship broke in two and sank after about 15 minutes, the U-boat surfaced and questioned the survivors.
The commander told the men that he had lived in
On 22 July, the 16 survivors in the third lifeboat made landfall at
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