page_title: SS Cornwallis
section_title: 1942 First U-boat attack
hierarchical_section_title: SS Cornwallis / History / 1942 First U-boat attack
caption_attribution_description: The U-505, a Type IXC U-boat (1940). She was laid down in late 1940 and first saw action the following year for the Kriegsmarine in WWII. U-505 sank five ships off the west coast of Africa in early 1942, three in the Caribbean in June, and one north of Venezuela in November. Shortly afterward, it was successfully attacked around Trinidad by a Lockheed Hudson bomber and badly damaged. However, the staff was able to save it, and the safe return of the most damaged submarine to date boosted morale. In 1943, she was attacked by a fleet of British destroyers, prompting the captain to commit suicide, the only officer in any navy to commit suicide while commanding a ship in battle.In June 1944, it was again on patrol off the coast of Morocco when it was intercepted by a US naval task group. The USS Chatelain destroyer escort hit the sub, forcing it to surface. The Germans on board failed to scuttle the ship when they evacuated and it was captured by the USS Pillsbury destroyer escort. The captured ship provided the Allies with useful intelligence on German Enigma Machines, which was used to decipher German transmissions. The leader of the boarding party was awarded the Medal of Honor. The submarine was donated to the Museum of Science and Industry in 1954 and has been a museum ship ever since. This is an image of a place or building that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the United States of America. Its reference number is 89001231
context_page_description: SS Cornwallis was a 5,438 gross register tons steam merchant ship built in 1921 for the Canadian Government as Canadian Transporter. In 1932 she was transferred to Canadian National Steamships Ltd and renamed SS Cornwallis. She was sunk on 3 December 1944 after being torpedoed by the German submarine U-1230 on its way to St John with a loss of 43 crew.
context_section_description: On 11 September 1942 while moored at the harbour of Bridgetown, Barbados she was fired upon by U-514 with multiple G7e torpedoes at a distance of 2,400 yards (2,200 m). Although the majority of the torpedoes were caught by the harbour's torpedo net, a single torpedo managed to breach the net and hit Cornwallis just abreast of the #2 hold. The ship sunk only partially due to its location in shallow waters. She was raised and then towed to the port at Trinidad and then towed again to Mobile on 24 January 1943. She would finish repairs in August 1943 and would subsequently return to service.
caption: A Type IXC U-boat similar to U-514 that attacked Cornwallis on 11 September 1942
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