SS Cantabria (1919)

The sinking of SS Cantabria as seen from the Nationalist raider Nadir
History
Spanish
Name:	SS Cantabria
Owner:	A Zubizarreta
Operator:	On charter to the Mid-Atlantic Shipping Company of London
Ordered:	1919
Builder:	J. Coughlan & Sons
Launched:	1919
Maiden voyage:	1919
Homeport:	Santander
Fate:	Sunk by the Spanish Nationalist Auxiliary cruiser Nadir off the North Norfolk Coast
General characteristics
Tonnage:	5,649 tons
Length:	410 ft (120 m)
Beam:	54 ft (16 m)
Height:	27 ft (8.2 m)
Propulsion:	Triple-expansion engines, 532 nhp
Speed:	8–10 knots (15–19 km/h; 9.2–11.5 mph)
Crew:	33

SS Cantabria was a Spanish cargo ship which was sunk in a military action of the Spanish Civil War, off the coast of Norfolk 12 miles ENE of Cromer on 2 November 1938. The ship was shelled by the Spanish Nationalist auxiliary cruiser Nadir, which was part of General Franco's navy.

SS Cantabria (5649 tons) was built in 1919 as War Chief at the shipyards of J. Coughlan & Sons, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She was purchased by A.F. Pérez of Santander in 1919 and renamed Alfonso Pérez. She was used as a prison ship during the Asturian miners' strike of 1934. In 1937 she was requisitioned by the Departamento de Navegación of Santander for the Republican government and renamed Cantabria. She was registered at the Bay of Biscay port of Santander in northern Spain, where she was used again as a prison ship by Republican authorities.

On 26 August 1937, Cantabria ran aground at Lacanau, Gironde, France. All 500 passengers and crew were rescued.

Note: It seems that the ship which grounded in Lacanau was Cantabria 580 a dredger from Santander, not the ex-WAR CHIEF.

At the time of the 1938 incident, Cantabria was under charter to a British company called the Mid-Atlantic Shipping Company based in London. Cantabria was not engaged in Spanish trade at the time of her sinking. She was on passage in ballast between the River Thames and Immingham bound for Leningrad under Captain Manuel Argüelles. On board were 45 people made up of crew and passengers, of which five were children and three women. One of the children was only three years old. The passengers included Argüelles' wife Trinidad, their son Ramon, aged six and their daughter Begoña, aged eight.