SS Meriwether Lewis

The SS Meriwether Lewis (Hull Number 170) was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Meriwether Lewis, an American explorer who, along with William Clark, led the Corps of Discovery which explored the American West.

History
United States
Name	Meriwether Lewis
Namesake	Meriwether Lewis
Laid down	19 May 1941
Launched	19 October 1941
Fate	Torpedoed by U-634 3 March 1943
General characteristics
Type	Cargo ship
Tonnage	10,856 tonnes deadweight (DWT)[1]
Displacement	14,245 tons[1]
Length	135 m (441 ft 6 in)
Beam	17.3 m (56 ft 10.75 in)
Draft	8.5 m (27 ft 9.25 in)
Propulsion	Two oil-fired boilers, triple-expansion steam engine, single screw, 2,500 horsepower (1,864 kW)
Speed	11 to 11.5 knots (20 to 21 km/h)
Range	23,000 miles (37,000 km)
Complement	41 men
Armament	Stern-mounted 4-in (102 mm) deck gun for use against surfaced submarines, variety of anti-aircraft guns

The ship was laid down on 19 May 1941, then launched on 19 October 1941. She was operated by the American Mail Line under charter with the Maritime Commission and War Shipping Administration. On February 7, 1943, the ship left New York as part of convoy HX 227, "bound for the United Kingdom and then to Murmansk, Russia."^[2] According to the German Navy, in the early morning of March 2, she was identified as a straggler separated from her convoy; an initial attack by U-759 failed due to engine problems.^[2] U-759 then contacted U-634, leading it to SS Meriwether Lewis.^[2] One of four initial torpedoes stopped her; the second of two more torpedoes detonated the ship's ammunition cargo.^[2] She sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 3 March 1943, southwest of Iceland at position 62°10′N 28°25′W.

By the time USCGC Ingham arrived at the site of the attack, all that was found was a 30-mile line of floating tires.^[2] There were no survivors from her crew.