Torpedoed in the Caribbean
The United States Army Transport Merrimack, had been recently acquired from a SS Co., Merchants & Miners Transportation Co. The Merrimack loaded a cargo for Army bases in the Panama Canal Zone. She was sent out all alone, and when she was in the Yucatan Channel, East of Cozumel Island, she was torpedoed. The engineers were killed, the ship, in the little time available, kept steaming ahead, with the bow going under the sea, and she developed a heavy starboard list, making it hard to launch lifeboats. Out of a total crew of 55, (46 Army, and 9 U.S.Naval Armed Guard Gunners) only ten lived through it.