SS Saganaga
Bulk Ore Carrier · Canada · Lost 1942 · Newfoundland
An iron ore carrier sunk at anchor off Bell Island by U-513 in September 1942, one of four ore carriers lost in the only direct German attacks on North American soil.
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The Vessel and Her Loss
Saganaga was a chartered ore carrier loading iron ore at the Wabana anchorage off Bell Island, Newfoundland, when the German submarine U-513 slipped into the anchorage overnight on September 4, 1942. The next morning U-513 torpedoed both Saganaga and Lord Strathcona in quick succession under the guns of the Bell Island shore battery. All 29 men killed in the attack were aboard Saganaga. The sinking was one of only a handful of direct German attacks on North American soil during the war.
Vessel
- Not established
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- Steel
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- Steam
- Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation (chartered)
Loss
- September 5, 1942
- Enemy action
- Wabana anchorage, Bell Island, Conception Bay, Newfoundland
- Conception Bay
- Bell Island (Wabana), Newfoundland → Sydney, Nova Scotia
- Iron ore
- Not established
- 29
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- Not established
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Position
- Not established
- Approximate position
- Bell Island, Conception Bay, Newfoundland
General location is the Wabana anchorage south of Bell Island; a precise verified position was not available in the sources reviewed.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (70/100)
Vessel dimensions, tonnage, and year built are not established in the sources reviewed.
Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador
Narrative of the September 1942 attack, casualty count, and rescue details.
Department of National Defence, Government of Canada
Confirmation of wreck grouping, depths, and ongoing UXO retrieval work.
