SS Antilla
Cargo/Passenger Freighter · Germany · Lost 1940 · The Lesser Antilles
A German freighter scuttled by her own crew off Aruba in 1940 to keep her from Allied hands, now the island's largest wreck dive.
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The Vessel and Her Loss
SS Antilla was a modern turbo-electric freighter built in 1939 for HAPAG's Caribbean and Central American trade. Caught at Aruba when the Netherlands joined the Allied cause in May 1940, her German crew opened her sea valves and scuttled her off Malmok rather than allow her seizure. She now rests largely intact and is Aruba's best-known wreck dive.
Vessel
- 1939
- Deutsche Werft
- Hamburg, Germany
- Steel
- 400 ft
- Not established
- 4363
- Turbo-electric, single screw
- Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft (HAPAG)
Loss
- May 10, 1940
- Intentional sinking
- Off Malmok, Aruba
- Caribbean Sea
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 18-60
- Largely intact, lying on its side, heavily encrusted
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- 12.58° N 70.05° W
- Approximate position
- Malmok, Aruba
Position rounded to the general Malmok wreck site.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (78/100)
The size of her crew and any loss of life at the scuttling are not established in the sources reviewed.
Aruba shipwreck history research (Willem Submerged)
Build details, ownership, and scuttling circumstances.
