Lubrafol
Tanker · Panama · Lost 1942 · Florida's Atlantic Coast
A Panamanian-flagged tanker torpedoed off Hillsboro Inlet, then drifted burning for days before grounding further up the coast.
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The Vessel and Her Loss
Lubrafol was a Panamanian-registered motor tanker under time-charter to the US War Shipping Administration when U-564 torpedoed her about 3.5 miles off Hillsboro Inlet on 9 May 1942, carrying heating oil from Aruba to New York. The blast ignited two tanks and toppled the foremast onto the bridge, killing two men. Survivors abandoned ship in three lifeboats, one of which caught fire; the remaining two boats were towed clear by Coast Guard vessels and landed at Boynton Beach. The abandoned hull reportedly drifted for days before grounding further north.
Vessel
- 1924
- Sir W.G. Armstrong, Whitworth & Co Ltd
- Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
- Steel
- Not established
- Not established
- 7138
- Motor, single screw
- Belgian Gulf Oil Co SA, Antwerp; time-chartered to the US War Shipping Administration
Loss
- May 9, 1942
- Enemy action
- About 3.5 miles off Hillsboro Inlet, Florida
- Atlantic Ocean
- Aruba → New York (via Bayonne, New Jersey)
- 67,000 barrels of heating oil
- 44
- 13
- E. Van Schoenberg
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Drifted for several days after the attack before grounding further north along the coast.
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- 26.43° N 80.00° W
- Approximate position
- Hillsboro Inlet, Florida
Position reported by uboat.net as 26°26'N, 80°00'W.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (78/100)
The vessel's final grounding location after drifting is not established with precision in the sources reviewed.
Attack narrative, casualties, tonnage, route, position.
NOAA Office of Response and Restoration
Vessel background and casualty narrative.
Derbysulzers.com ship history archive
Ownership and chartering history.
