Suloide

Ship Stats

Location: 34°32'41.24"N, 76°53'41.96"W (34.54479, -76.89499)

Depth: 65 feet

Vessel Type: Freighter

Length: 338.1 feet Breadth: 48.2 feet

Gross Tonnage: 3,235 Cargo: Manganese Ore

Built: 1920, Neptun Werft A.G., Rostock, Germany

Hull Number: 357 Port of Registry: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Owner: Lloyd Brasileiro (Companhia De Navegacão), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Lloyd's Register Details: Steel hull, two decks, triple expansion three cylinder engine, one screw

Former Names: Maceio (Hamburg-Sudanmerikanische Steamboat Co., 1937-1941); Amassia Hamburg-America Line, 1921-1937)

Date Lost: March 26, 1943

Sunk By: Collision Survivors: No loss reported

Data Collected on Site: Side scan and multibeam sonar

Significance: Casualty of World War II's Battle of the Atlantic

Wreck Site

The Suloide shipwreck is located in about 65 feet of water and visibility and site conditions vary frequently. Sinking upright, Suloide was considered a navigational hazard; therefore, in 1944, it was blasted with dynamite and wire-dragged. Although Suloide was leveled, a distinctive outline of the wreck site remains. Two large boilers appear to be located amidships of the wreck and stand out as the highest relief within a large debris field.

sonar image of Suloide
Multibeam survey of the Suloide wreck site. Click here for a larger image. Image: NOAA
sonar image of Suloide
Multibeam survey of the Suloide wreck site (NOAA Ship Nancy Foster, 2016). Click here for a larger image. Image: NOAA

Historical Background

Suloide
Suloide, date and location unknown. Click here for a larger image. Photo: Courtesy of Discovery Diving

Suloide was a Brazilian cargo ship built in 1920 and originally named Amassia. The vessel operated under German control through the 1920s and 1930s, until it was sold in 1937. As war broke out, the vessel was sold to Lloyd Brasileiro of Brazil and renamed Suloide, carrying freight along the United States' East Coast.

On March 26, 1943, Suloide was loaded with a cargo of manganese ore from Trinidad and was headed to New York, New York. As Suloide made its way along the coast alone and unarmed, it struck the wreck of Ario causing a large gash in its hull. The hold quickly filled with water and the vessel began to sink, drifting about a mile before it finally slipped beneath the water.

Suloide was considered a navigational hazard, and to make sure that another accident did not happen, the USCGC Vigilant (WPC-15) blasted the remains of Suloide and Ario, dropping over 20 tons of dynamite over the sites. By May 24, 1944, demolition was completed having knocked the hull and superstructure down to a level safe for navigation. The Suloide was also wire-dragged in 1944.