T he SS Atlas was a steam tanker with a gross tonnage of 7,137 tons. She was completed in 1916 by Wm Cramp & Sons Ship & Engine Building Co, Philadelphia, PA. Her owner was Socony-Vacuum Oil Co. Inc, New York and so named “Sunoil.” She was renamed Atlas in 1927. On April 9th, 1942 the SS Atlas [master Hamilton Gray] was en-route, sailing a non-evasive course and being un-armed from Houston, Texas to Seawarren, New Jersey with 83,000 barrels of gasoline. Just a tad prior to 0250 EWT there was some evidence of hearing a diesel engine....so the they swung the stern to-ward the sound. What they actually heard was the German Submarine U-552 commanded by KrvKpt. Erich Topp, and with the moon rising the Atlas was in her cross-hairs. The U-552 shot off one torpedo from about 2,000 meters that did find its mark on the Atlas, striking her starboard side amidships at the #6 tank. Well for some odd reason the explosion from the torpedo threw up a cloud of smoke ... the ship was showered with gasoline...but there was no fire. The fumes from all this gas was extremely strong...so strong that the men had a hard time breathing. The master stopped the engines and the order was given to abandoned ship. The crew of eight officers and 26 crewmen climbed into three lifeboats, 23 survivors in two of these boats from the stern, then one from Midships with 11 men, and all started to move away from the ship. Just about the time the crew of the Atlas was over the side, and was in the life boats, the U-552 moved closer and fired a second torpedo ...and this 2nd torpedo created a fireball that immediately set the entire vessel aflame from stem to stern. Two of the lifeboats were able to maneuver out of the burning fuel that covered the immediate area of the Atlas....but one drifted right into the burning gasoline on the water. The master being in this particular boat he order the men overboard as the fire swept over them in hopes to swim under and out of the flames. All but two was able to accom-plish this. In the mean time the boat floated out of the flames, she was charred and smoking....but the men were able to climb aboard and row away from the flames. The third mate and an ordinary seaman drowned trying to escape the flames. The master was severely burned as well as other crew that was in this situation suffer various degrees of burns. At daybreak the three life boats were spotted by a plane, which then radioed to a Coast Guard Cutter to direct them to a rescue. The survivors were taken to Morehead City, NC, landing there about 0800 on April 9th. LOST CREW Richard D. Lyons (OS); Newell Sweeney (3rd Mate) The German Sub U-552 was commissioned in December 1940, and met her fate by being scuttled in May of 1945 at Wilhelmshaven. During her ‘sub life’ she had sunk 30 ships, 2 warships....and damaged 3 others.