 SS El Estero with a full load of ammunition resting on the bottom of New York Harbor after being filled with water to put out a fire that threatened a major explosion. She is still flying the red signal flag B indicating dangerous cargo.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Panama | |
| Name | SS El Estero |
| Operator |
|
| Builder | Downey Shipbuilding |
| Yard number | 12 |
| Launched | September 16, 1920 |
| Completed | September 1920 |
| Out of service | April 24, 1943 |
| Fate | Scuttled due to onboard fire, expended as Naval Gunnery target. |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 4,219 GRT |
| Length | 102 m (335 ft) |
| Beam | 14.4 m (47 ft) |
| Installed power | 2,500 Horsepower |
| Propulsion | Triple expansion steam engine |
| Speed | 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
SS El Estero was a ship filled with ammunition that caught fire at dockside in New York Harbor in 1943, but was successfully moved away and sunk by the heroic efforts of tugboat and fireboat crews, averting a major disaster.