SS Malay was an American oil tanker. She was attacked by the German submarine U-123 on March 19, 1942. She escaped and was repaired, serving throughout the remainder of World War II.
The tanker had six cargo hatches for "the cargo that she carried in the 'tween deck over the tank tops and in a forward hold and nine cargo tanks and five summer tanks for her oil cargo."[1]
Service history
Swiftsure was originally owned by the Swiftsure Oil Transport Company.[6] As of 1942, she was owned by the Marine Transport Line and operated by C. D. Mallory & Company.[7] Sometime between 1921 and 1942, she was renamed Malay.
Torpedoing
A gaping hole in the starboard side of Malay, between the #7 and #8 tanks.
On January 18, 1942, Malay departed Philadelphia in water ballast, en route for Port Arthur, Texas. The tanker was captained by John M. Dodge.[8] She traveled with only her navigational lights showing,[7] in the lead position[9] of an unarmed convoy consisting of five ships.[7]
About 10 miles (16km) from the Wimble Shoals Lighted Whistle Buoy, at 0930 hours on January 19, the German submarine U-123 spotted the convoy.[9] The submarine advanced on Malay while surfaced, and its gun crew began firing at the tanker's bridge. The submarine fired a total of 10 rounds and struck the ship five times from a distance of roughly 700 yards (640m). The second shell to hit destroyed a lifeboat,[7] and one of the last three killed the cook who was in his in sleeping quarters.[3] The submarine did not use any torpedoes, not realizing the tanker's size.[8]
U-123 assumed that the tanker was fatally wounded and left to search for other vessels.[7] A passing Swedish[3] freighter, Scania, came to assist Malay and passed firefighting equipment to the tanker. The fire was extinguished and the tanker was able to get underway again[7] after reporting the attack.[9] This message was intercepted by U-123, which crew was shocked at the size of Malay and recognized its value. The U-boat torpedoed the merchant ship Ciltvaira before returning.[8]
U-123 returned and fired its last torpedo at 1244 hours,[10] which struck the #7 starboard side tank, just aft of admiships. Three lifeboats were launched from Malay. The first boat capsized and drowned the four men aboard, and the other two circled the tanker for about an hour before returning to her. Shortly after daylight, a US Coast Guard boat from the Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station removed the dead and badly injured.[7]Malay returned to Norfolk, Virginia, on January 19.[9][11]
Post-torpedoing service
On April 9, 1942, Malay was acquired from the Marine Transport Line by the War Shipping Administration (WSA). That same day, the WSA chartered the tanker to the Grosvenor-Dale Company.[12] On November 28, 1945, she was sold to the Compania Maritima Ador S.A. and was renamed Loidesta.[4]
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