Korsholm
Freighter · Sweden · Lost 1942 · Florida's Atlantic Coast
A Swedish phosphate carrier shelled and set afire by U-123 off Cape Canaveral after the submarine had used up its torpedoes.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Korsholm was a Swedish motor merchant carrying phosphate from Florida toward Britain when U-123, having exhausted her torpedoes, surfaced and shelled the ship about 70 miles off Cape Canaveral on 13 April 1942. Hits to the bridge and waterline set her ablaze, and the crew abandoned ship in lifeboats. The master and eight crewmen died; 17 survivors made it to shore, and two of the dead were buried at Melbourne Cemetery.
Vessel
- 1925
- A/B Götaverken
- Gothenburg, Sweden
- Steel
- 340 ft
- 45.6 ft
- 2647
- Motor, single screw
- A/B Svenska Amerika-Mexiko Linien, Gothenburg
Loss
- April 13, 1942
- Enemy action
- About 70 miles off Cape Canaveral, Florida
- Atlantic Ocean
- Fernandina Beach, Florida (via Tampa) → Halifax and Liverpool
- 4,593 tons of phosphate
- 26
- 9
- Idar Wickberg
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- 28.35° N 80.37° W
- Approximate position
- Cape Canaveral, Florida
Position reported by uboat.net as 28°21'N, 80°22'W.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (78/100)
Exact sinking position and present wreck condition are not established in the sources reviewed.
Attack narrative, casualties, tonnage, route, position.
Ship dimensions, captain's name, attack sequence.
Burial of two Korsholm crewmen at Melbourne Cemetery.
