Divers Find Wreck of WWII Steamship SS Cornwallis

The wreck of a Canadian steam merchant ship sunk by a German submarine during World War II has been discovered in the Gulf of Maine, nearly 82 years after the sinking killed 43 of the 48 people on board.

SS Cornwallis was an ordinary cargo ship going about her trade in 1944 when she crossed paths with a German submarine on a covert mission to the U.S.

According to historical accounts, the 400-foot, 5,458-ton ship left Barbados on November 20, 1944, loaded with bags of sugar and barrels of molasses for Saint John, New Brunswick. She carried 48 people, including seven armed guards, and was routed without an escort through the Cape Cod Canal and north along the New England coast.

On December 3, Cornwallis sailed into the path of the German submarine U-1230, which had landed two agents near Hancock, Maine, four days earlier. The agents had been sent to gather intelligence indd the U.S. and possibly carry out sabotage (they were later caught in New York and convicted on espionage charges).

This story was originally published by The Maritime Executive. Read the full story at The Maritime Executive →