USAT Don Esteban Don Esteban , delivered in 1936 , was the first and smaller of two Krupp built motor ships of De La Rama Steamship Company , Iloilo , Philippines in inter - island service . The ship was under a bareboat charter by the United States Army as a transport on 30 October 1941 for use in pre positioning U . S . Army Air Corps ( USAAC ) fuel and munitions in the southern Philippines , Netherlands East Indies , Singapore and Australia . After the Japanese invasion of the Philippines she evacuated personnel Army headquarters , including General MacArthur , from Manila to Corregidor on Christmas Eve , 1941 . The ship was lost off Mindoro on 2 March 1942 while continuing its supply missions . Construction and civilian service . " Don Esteban " was constructed 1939 at Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft A . G . , Kiel , Germany for the inter - island passenger service of the De La Rama Steamship Company in Philippine waters . She was a diesel motor ship with two eight cylinder diesel engines driving two screws for a speed of sixteen knots . Along with the newer and larger " Don Isidro " the ship was noted as being among the more luxurious serving inter - island passengers . U . S . Army transport . On 25 October 1941 , with delivery for service 30 October 1941 , the ship was bareboat chartered by the U . S . Army for its local Philippine fleet in support of a plan to establish pre - deployed fuel and munitions for use of a force of B - 17 bombers being sent to reinforce the Philippines in the event of war with Japan . Dumps were planned for two mission ' s worth of fuel and bombs at Singapore and Darwin , Australia and one mission ' s supply at Rabaul and Port Moresby , both Australian controlled territories , with a depot at Rockhampton , Australia . The ship , with a capacity less than anticipated , only made initial deliveries to Rabaul and Port Moresby . The ship was returning to Manila , after orders to break from the mission due to the worsening situation in the Pacific , when news of the Pearl Harbor attack arrived . If already north of the Equator the ship was directed to continue to Manila , if still south of that line the ship was directed to return to Darwin . The ship was north and returned to Manila 9 December . By 11 December the Japanese invasion was developing with commercial ships evacuating Manila Bay . By 14 December most of the U . S . Asiatic Fleet had withdrawn and all heavy bombers of the USAAC had withdrawn to Mindanao and on the 17th to Darwin . On 13 December " Don Esteban " departed Manila after loading bombs from USS " Canopus " destined for the Del Monte airfield on Mindanao . The ship returned to Manila , already under air attack , on 21 December after a stop at Iloilo to deliver small arms and ammunition . On the 22nd the ship had to evade air attack by getting under way into open waters . After successful evasion the ship was assigned to begin transporting supplies to Corregidor . By 23 December MacArthur had decided to evacuate Manila and on Christmas Eve he , his family and his headquarters evacuated the city aboard " Don Esteban " in early evening with the flames of over a million gallons of Navy fuel oil lighting the sky . The ship landed the headquarters on Corregidor at 9 : 30 that night . During the further evacuation of Manila the ship transported medical personnel and those patients not able to board the improvised hospital ship " Mactan " to field hospitals in Bataan . " Don Esteban " continued evacuating personnel and supplies from the now open city of Manila to Bataan and Corregidor with a final departure assisting in removing Philippine government officials and the country ' s reserve gold and currency . On 19 February 1943 the ship departed with a party composed of Philippine officials , including vice president , Sergio Osmeña , to safety . After making contact with a submarine the ship went to Iloilo where the President briefly boarded until daylight when the ship departed for Cebu City to load supplies for Corrigedor . Shortly after departure the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft and the ship was ordered abandoned by Captain Afable as the damage was severe and a cargo of gasoline was leaking . Survivors saw the ship erupt in flames after bombers returned along with Japanese surface vessels . The ship is shown in official records as being lost on 2 March 1942 . " Don Esteban " , along with some 25 other vessels chartered by Army to form a local Philippine support fleet supporting defense efforts shortly before the war ' s outbreak and to support forces on Bataan and later Corregidor , did not survive to escape to Australa .