SS Robert E. Lee
Passenger Ship · United States · Lost 1942 · The Gulf of Mexico
A passenger steamer torpedoed off the Mississippi River delta while carrying survivors of other U-boat attacks toward New Orleans.
Charlie Noble
See Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Built in 1924 for Eastern Steamship Lines, Robert E. Lee served coastal passenger routes before wartime charter as a freight and passenger carrier. On July 30, 1942, she was torpedoed by U-166 roughly 50 miles southeast of the Mississippi River's mouth while carrying about 270 passengers, many rescued from earlier torpedoed ships. Twenty-five aboard were lost; the rest were rescued by a Navy escort that went on to sink the attacking submarine. The wreck lies near the remains of U-166 and both sites are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Vessel
- 1924
- Newport News Shipbuilding
- Newport News, Virginia
- Steel
- 373 ft
- 54 ft
- 5184
- Steam, single screw
- Eastern Steamship Lines
Loss
- July 30, 1942
- Enemy action
- Gulf of Mexico, about 50 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River
- Gulf of Mexico
- Port of Spain, Trinidad → Tampa, Florida (diverted to New Orleans, Louisiana)
- General cargo and personal effects
- 404
- 25
- William C. Heath
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Position
- 28.62° N 88.50° W
- Reported, unconfirmed
- Mouth of the Mississippi River, Louisiana
Position as reported at the time of the torpedo attack; deep-water wreck site coordinates are not independently confirmed in the sources reviewed.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)
The precise present-day wreck coordinates and condition are not established in the sources reviewed.
uboat.net Allied Ships Hit by U-boats
Attack details, casualty figures, rescue account, and position.
National Register of Historic Places listing, S.S. Robert E. Lee and U-166
Confirmation of listing and proximity to U-166 wreck site.
