SS West Lashaway

[ShipwreckHunter]

Researchers out there. I have a company that is interested in research on the SS West Lashaway which sank in August 1942, West Lashaway was torpedoed and sunk by U-66 in the Caribbean. They are looking for additional confirmation on the gold shipment from the South African port of Matadi, Congo. Confirmation can come from either of two sources, shipping manifest from the ship or German intelligence stating the nature of the cargo on SS West Lashaway.... An expedition is being assembled at this time to locate, and salvage, this ship... Please contact me directly at [email protected] if you have information on this ship... Thank you, Gene Birdsong... ShipwreckHunter ...

SS West Lashaway ..

U-66

 

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[SADS 669]

S..hunter,

What depth are we talking?

 

[seekerGH]

From uBoat: 10° 30'N, 55° 10'W - about 300 miles offshore
Route Matadi (3 Aug) – Lagos (10 Aug) – Accra (13 Aug) – Takoradi (15 Aug) – Port of Spain, Trin
Cargo 7670 tons of tin, copper, cocoa beans and palm oil
Only one officer, one Armed Guard, eleven seamen and five passengers survived.

Survivors included an armed guard, that is all that alludes to some value in cargo.

Looks deep on Google +/- 14,000'

 

[Darren in NC]

I have the complete research on her. No one has researched her as deeply as I have. I even visited the nursing home with one of the survivors who gave me what no archive could have given me.

Honestly, she is not worth going after if you're after what I believe you are. PM me for more information.

 

[seekerGH]

looks like they owe Darren some $$$

I have heard of a group that specializes in secret cargos, is it them?

EDIT: anything to do with the "Billion Dollar Wreck" project?

 

[ShipwreckHunter]

12-15,000 feet deep ...

 

[Mackaydon]

Right; 12,000 feet. The only 'strategic material' that I know that may have been on her was magnesium. You are asking for ADDITIONAL confirmation of the gold shipment. From what source did you find mention the vessel was carrying a gold shipment--if you don't mind me asking.
Don.......

 

[ShipwreckHunter]

looks like they owe Darren some $$$

I have heard of a group that specializes in secret cargos, is it them?

EDIT: anything to do with the "Billion Dollar Wreck" project?

No .. I am friends with Martin and Grant and may be on their summer 2017 expedition.... SH ...

 

[ShipwreckHunter]

Right; 12,000 feet. The only 'strategic material' that I know that may have been on her was magnesium. You are asking for ADDITIONAL confirmation of the gold shipment. From what source did you find mention the vessel was carrying a gold shipment--if you don't mind me asking.
Don.......

Several, which I am not at liberty to discuss ...

 

[FISHEYE]

2 tons of gold bars.

 

[seekerGH]

I have the complete research on her. No one has researched her as deeply as I have. I even visited the nursing home with one of the survivors who gave me what no archive could have given me.

Jason, I found the first hand account from a survivor, the 'armed guard' that I referenced in my post. This was a requirement of the day, and bore no correlation to any warrant of value. The account did not mention anything of value onboard, which a ships manifest would have detailed.

Several, which I am not at liberty to discuss ...

Oooo, a a secret cargo. Of course not, you ask for information, but will not provide even the basic information, not even the basic source data, such as German intelligence?

2 tons of gold bars.

Where, pray tell, is that expounded on?

All this tonnage of gold bars lost in the ocean, especially on WWII, I cant believe there is any left on land! Forget the amount that the Germans fed through the Swiss and Austrian banks....

 

[Mackaydon]

"The ship sank within minutes, throwing its crew, passengers and cargo of coconut oil and an unregistered $20 million in gold destined for the Free French government of Gen. Charles DeGaulle into the sea."
Source: Mysteries in the sea | TheCabin.net
\
But how reliable is this source One of several problems I have with this report is that DeGaulle's HQ during this time was in London; not a port of call for this vessel. Another problem I have with this report is: What weight in gold would be worth $20,000,000 in 1942 when gold was valued at $35.50 per ounce--if that is the inference within this article? The answer seems unrealistic.
Don.....
PS to Darren: How are you doing with the research on 'our' vessel?

 

[seekerGH]

Why would $20m in gold for FF be sent to S America or the US?

Reference point for $20 million, 1942, or? Is that almost 600,000 ounces?!?!

Another $Billion dollar wreck out there?

 

[FISHEYE]

The final count of survivors of the original 56 souls on board the SS West Lashaway were only 13 of the original 38 man crew survived, none of the original 9 Armed Guards, and 5 of the original 9 passengers. Fourteen people went down with the ship and twenty four were lost from the rafts before rescue came to the remaining eighteen survivors.

The SS West Lashaway was blasted with two strong white explosions, presumed by the U-boat to be caused by a cargo of phosphates. Actually, the second torpedo had hit the fuel bunkers and boilers as well as the cargo holds filled with the latex liquid rubber, the various oils, plus the possible magnesium cargo. Some of the bulkheads collapsed which allowed the contents to mix together. The West Lashaway went down only 14 minutes after the first torpedo was fired, only 2 minutes after the first explosion. She sank at 2:45 pm, and immediately took 14 victims with her including the dedicated radio operator who was desperately trying to get out a distress call. He was not successful. The bridge and the ship’s starboard side were blasted off along with all the sea going life boats on that side. The port side life boats were uselessly sitting on top of the heavily listing wreckage and were unable to be launched. The ship quickly rolled over to her watery grave. The remaining 42 survivors were thrown or jumped into the sea to swim for their lives as the West Lashaway’s sinking vortex tried to suck them down with their ship on her final voyage to the bottom, 12,000 feet below.

 

[Darren in NC]

Jason, I found the first hand account from a survivor, the 'armed guard' that I referenced in my post. This was a requirement of the day, and bore no correlation to any warrant of value. The account did not mention anything of value onboard, which a ships manifest would have detailed.

I don't know who Jason is, but I'll reply since it was my quote. Rest assured, no ship's manifest will detail precious metal shipments from central banks. There was separate paperwork for security reasons. On occasion, a small commercial cargo of metals will be listed, and even alluded to by Lloyd's such as in the case of the City of Cairo and others. But most of the time, it was kept very quiet. That separate documentation has long been destroyed since the war.

Oooo, a secret cargo.

Actually, this ship did have a secret cargo. A few officers knew about it. The armed guard report would never mention such a cargo, as they had no knowledge of it. I got my info from two survivors, and secondary sources. The Germans had spies all over the docks during the war. They were very successful at figuring out these secret cargoes. That is why so many of these secret cargoes were targeted and sunk. It is also why it was kept quiet, and so little is known today. But why should I, Gene or anyone else divulge the details on a public forum? It took us decades to put together our databases. So before you ridicule secret cargoes due to lack of documentation, do your homework.

 

[SADS 669]

Everyone says you're a nice bloke Darren, go on tell us......ha ha

 

[seekerGH]

600,000 ounces?!?!

If one asks for information, they should be able to provide something?

 

[ivan salis]

south America was rife with Nazi spies often planted years many earlier --from the Nazi german tourist boats that visited various south American ports of call --like say the S/ S Mount Olivia in 1935 for exsample

 

[allen_idaho]

Aside from the salvage value of the tin and copper that was onboard the West Lashaway, it is extremely unlikely that there was any gold onboard. At the time, there were operating gold mines in the Congo that belonged to Belgium. And that gold was used to support the war effort. So it would have made sense for such gold to be loaded in Matadi.

But if there were a gold shipment, it would have likely been deposited in Canada. Which is not where the West Lashaway was heading.

 

[ShipwreckHunter]

That was an earlier shipment to Trinidad .. It was then carried by another ship to New York ... I have a copy of that manifest ...