Home Port: Panama, Republic of Panama
Company: Alcoa Steamship Co.
Master: Martin Strandley (Lost), U.S. citizen
Built: Sunderland, England, 1922
Gross Tons: 4536
Dimensions: 377′ x 53′ x 24′
Former Names: (a) STAKESBY (b) STARCK (c) MARISA THORDEN

The coal-burning freighter SS BUSHRANGER was seized by the U.S. while
under the Finnish flag on June 6, 1941, under the Acquisition of Domestic
or Foreign Merchant Vessels Act.

BUSHRANGER had left New York on April 6, 1942, with a full load of general
cargo for South American ports. She departed St. Thomas on May 26.

BUSHRANGER was torpedoed by the German U-107 (Harald Gelhaus) in position
18-15 N/81-25 W at 0354 on June 1, 1942, while en route from Dutch Guiana
to Key West via St. Thomas, with a full cargo of bauxite. The periscope
of the sub was first sighted at 1400 on May 31 but it disappeared. At
2055 the tracks of two torpedoes were seen crossing the starboard bow
close to the ship. At this time the master commenced zigzagging and sent
out three SSS warnings but received no answer. The ship was unescorted
although there was a U.S. Naval Armed Guard unit aboard.

On board was a complement of 43 men, 37 merchant crew and 6 U.S. Navy
Armed Guard sailors. Seventeen (17) merchant crew were lost, 11 of whom
were U.S. citizens. No Navy men were lost.

No boats were launched due to the rapid sinking of the ship but four rafts
were cut loose. Crew members jumped overboard and got aboard the four
rafts. Six of them clung to a floating vegetable bin which had floated
free. These six eventually climbed on a raft on which was the chief mate.
The four rafts stayed together for three days but on the fourth day, the
raft in charge of the chief mate disappeared. This raft was picked up on
June 7 by a U.S. Navy Catalina aircraft and the survivors taken to Kingston,
Jamaica.

The other three rafts containing 19 survivors were picked up by USCG NIKE
on June 12 in position 21-00 N/83-30 W and taken to Key West.

Survivors on these three rafts reported that on June 5 at 0200 EWT during
good visibility, a large plane circled three times, dropped a flare and
then disappeared to the west.

U-107 (Fritz) was sunk on August 18, 1944, by depth charges from a British
Sunderland aircraft (RAF Squadron 201/W), west of La Rochelle, France, at
position 46-46 N/03-49 W. There were no survivors.