SS Oranjestad
Oil Tanker · United Kingdom · Lost 1942 · The Lesser Antilles
A lake tanker sunk at anchor by a German U-boat off Aruba in 1942, one of the first Caribbean casualties of World War II.
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The Vessel and Her Loss
Oranjestad was a small tanker ferrying crude oil from Venezuela to Aruba's Lago refinery. On 16 February 1942, German submarine U-156 attacked shipping at San Nicolas as part of Operation Neuland, torpedoing Oranjestad, which caught fire and sank with the loss of fifteen crew. She was the first tanker sunk by Germany in the western hemisphere.
Vessel
- 1927
- Harland & Wolff
- Belfast, Ireland
- Steel
- 306 ft
- 50 ft
- 2396
- Steam, twin screw
- Lago Shipping Company (Esso)
Loss
- February 16, 1942
- Enemy action
- San Nicolas Harbor, Aruba
- Caribbean Sea
- Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela → San Nicolas, Aruba
- Crude oil
- 25
- 15
- Herbert Morgan
The Wreck Today
- 226 ft
- Deep wreck, located by survey in 2008
- Not established
- 2008
- Not established
Position
- 12.42° N 69.92° W
- Reported, unconfirmed
- San Nicolas, Aruba
Position from uboat.net attack log; deep wreck site located by 2008 survey near Colony, Aruba.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (78/100)
Present wreck condition and full extent of deterioration are not established in the sources reviewed.
Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (Maritime and Underwater Heritage database)
Attack narrative, casualties, and rediscovery.
Attack details and casualty count.
