History
Background
The SS Madrid was built as SS Sierra Nevada for the Northdeutscher Lloyd, Bremen. In 1934 the ship was chartered (and then in 1937 bought) by the Hamburg Südamerikanische Dampfschiffart Gesellschaft and renamed SS Madrid. When the Second World War broke out she was near the Canary Islands. Captain Brand decided to go to neutral Las Palmas to avoid capture by the allied forces.
A year later the Madrid was ordered to go to Europe, first to Saint Nazaire, the German submarine base in France, where she arrived at 28 December 1940. She was used as a targeting/practice ship for the German U-boat flottilla. After repairs and adjustments at the Wilton Feijenoord yard in Rotterdam she was sent to Hamburg in February 1941.
The convoy of eight ships she formed part of was attacked by the RAF 25 kilometers southwest of the Dutch port of Den Helder. The Madrid was hit by four bombs and drifted towards the shore. She ran aground on a sandbank called the Keizersbult. Several ships tried to get near the burning ship but all failed. Twelve people died. In 1942 the ship sunk.
Public domain
Hit by the RAF (picture: RAF).
Description
Yard: Vulcan Ag. in Hamburg and Stettin, Germany.
Original name: SS Sierra Nevada changed in SS Madrid in 1937.
Propulsion: 2 triple expansion engines.
Crew: 83.
Public domain
SS Madrid.
| Master | Brand |
|---|---|
| Power | 4400 hp |
| Speed | 13 knots ~ 15 mph (24 km/h) |
| Length | 439.6 feet (134 m) |
| Width | 55.8 feet (17 m) |
| Draft | 37.7 feet (11.5 m) |
| Tonnage | 8000 ton |
Status
Partly preserved. The ship was researched by the Dutch amateur dive team North Sea Divers.
North Sea Divers/Coen Onstwedder
Multibeam image of the SS Madrid created by Coen Onstwedder.
North Sea Divers
Photo of the steering system of the SS Madrid.