SS Balto (1916)

Balto was built at the Russell & Co. Ltd. shipyard in Greenock, Scotland, United Kingdom in 1902. Where she was launched and completed that same year. The ship was 103.4 metres (339 ft 3 in) long, had a beam of 14 metres (45 ft 11 in) and had a depth of 7.9 metres (25 ft 11 in). She was assessed at 3,538 GRT and had 1 x 3 cyl. triple expansion engine driving a screw propeller. The ship could generate 298 n.h.p.[2]

Balto was travelling from Bilbao, Spain to Cadiz, Spain with a stopover at Lisbon, Portugal while carrying general cargo when on 6 November 1916 they were stopped by the German Submarine SM U-49 in the Gulf of Biscay and was forced to follow U-49 as a depot ship. She would soon proof her usefulness when the U-49 stopped the American cargo ship SS Columbian on 8 November 1916 and forced all 109 crew to board Balto before sinking Columbian with explosive charges 50 nautical miles (93 km) north west of Cape Ortegal, Spain. Soon Balto would meet the same fate as at 8 am on 9 November her crew as well as the 109 prisoners from Columbian were ordered to abandon the ship and instead board the Swedish cargo ship SS Väring which had also been assigned the same role as Balto before her.[3]

At 13.00 pm Balto was scuttled in the same manner as Columbian 70 nautical miles (130 km) north east of Cape Villano, Spain. The survivors of Balto and Columbian were joined later that evening with the crew of the Norwegian cargo ship SS Fordalen which had also been scuttled by U-49 50 nautical miles (93 km) north west of Cape Villano, Spain. The captured survivors were ultimately all brought to shore at A Coruña, Spain on 14 November 1916 as the food supplies onboard Väring were dwindling and released.[3]

The wreck of Balto lies at (43°00′N 9°00′W), but the current condition of the wreck is unknown.[1]