SS ''Faja de Oro'' ("Strip of Gold", which is a petroleum rich area in Mexico) was an

oil tanker An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a ship designed for the bulk transport of oil or its products. There are two basic types of oil tankers: crude tankers and product tankers. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined ...

built in 1914. She sailed for a number of companies, and survived service in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, only to be torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

while sailing under the Mexican flag in the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...

. Her sinking contributed to Mexico's decision to enter the war on the side of the Allies. ''Faja de Oro'' was originally built by R. W. Hawthorn Leslie & Company,

Hebburn-on-Tyne Hebburn is a town in the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, England. It governed under the borough of South Tyneside; formerly governed under the county of Durham until 1974 with its own urban district from 1894 until 1974. It is on the sou ...

as the ''Barneson'', for service with Bank Line Ltd (Andrew Weir & Co), of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

. She was taken over by Andrew Weir & Co in 1915 and renamed ''Oyleric''. She was sold in 1937 to the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

company Ditta G.M. Barbagelata, of

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

, and was renamed ''Genoano''. She was seized by the

Mexican government The Federal government of Mexico (alternately known as the Government of the Republic or ' or ') is the national government of the United Mexican States, the central government established by its constitution to share sovereignty over the republ ...

while docked at

Tampico Tampico is a city and port in the southeastern part of the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. It is located on the north bank of the Pánuco River, about inland from the Gulf of Mexico, and directly north of the state of Veracruz. Tampico is the fifth ...

Tamaulipas Tamaulipas (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas), is a state in the northeast region of Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal Entiti ...

, on 8 December 1941 and renamed ''Faja de Oro''. She was operated by Petróleos Mexicanos (

Pemex Pemex (a portmanteau of Petróleos Mexicanos, which translates to ''Mexican Petroleum'' in English; ) is the Mexican state-owned petroleum company managed and operated by the Mexican government. It was formed in 1938 by nationalization and expr ...

), and was homeported in Tampico. ''Faja de Oro'' was sailing unescorted from

Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania Marcus Hook is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The population was 2,397 at the 2010 census. The current mayor is Gene Taylor. The borough calls itself "The Cornerstone of Pennsylvania". The 2005 film ''One Last Thing''... was set an ...

, back to Tampico in May 1942 under he command of dec. Alm Gustavo Martinez Trejo. She was not carrying any cargo, and was sailing in

ballast Ballast is material that is used to provide stability to a vehicle or structure. Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often a ship or the gondola of a balloon or airship, to provide stability. A compartment within a boat, ship ...

. She was sighted by the , under Kapitänleutnant Hermann Rasch, and was torpedoed at 04.21 hours on 21 May 1942, while off

Key West Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it cons ...

. The attack was made despite Mexican neutrality, presumably because the ship's nationality had been indiscernible in the dark. ''Faja de Oro'' was hit in the foreship by one of two torpedoes. ''U-106'' then fired a coup de grâce at 04.33 hours, which missed. A second was fired 20 minutes later, hitting her amidships and setting her on fire. She sank shortly afterwards with the loss of 10 of her crew. 27 survivors were later rescued. The attack had been observed by another German submarine, , which had also chased ''Faja de Oro'', but on noticing ''U-106'', had not attempted an attack. The sinking of ''Faja de Oro'', coming as it did a week after the sinking of the Mexican tanker on 14 May by Reinhard Suhren's contributed to Mexico's declaration of war on Germany on 1 June 1942.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Faja de Oro 1942 in Mexico Military history of Mexico during World War II Ships of Mexico Shipwrecks in the Gulf of Mexico Ships sunk by German submarines in World War II World War II shipwrecks in the Caribbean Sea Maritime incidents in May 1942 Ships built on the River Tyne Oil tankers World War I merchant ships of the United Kingdom Tankers of the United Kingdom World War II merchant ships of Italy 1913 ships