RMS Lady Hawkins, Canadian mail ship wreck site near Cape Hatteras, United States.
The RMS Lady Hawkins was a Canadian cargo and passenger ship about 440 feet (133 meters) long, built to carry refrigerated goods and travelers between Canada and Caribbean ports. The wreck now rests on the seabed in coastal waters off the eastern coast of North America.
On January 19, 1942, the German submarine U-66 torpedoed the ship, which sank in under 30 minutes. The vessel was traveling without an escort at the time, which was common for merchant ships early in World War II before convoy protections were fully in place.
The vessel was part of a group of five ships known as the Lady Boats, all named after women connected to Elizabethan maritime history. Travelers of the time associated these ships with reliable passenger and cargo service between Canada and the Caribbean.
The wreck is in coastal waters and can be reached by experienced divers, though conditions such as current and visibility change with the season. It is a good idea to check local diving reports and go with a guide familiar with the site before making the trip.
Of the 322 people on board, only 71 survived, and some of them drifted at sea for five days before being rescued. The ship's name traces back to Katherine Hawkins, wife of the 16th-century English admiral Sir John Hawkins.
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