 The
MS Rhein was a 439-foot long freighter, built in
Hamburg, Germany, by the Hamburg-America Line in 1926.
The latter half of 1940 found the freighter in the
neutral port of Tampico, Mexico, separated from the
safety of German waters by the expanse of the Gulf of
Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, both filled with prowling
Allied warships. November 29, 1940, also found a U.S.
Neutrality Patrol consisting of the destroyers USS
Simpson (DD-221), USS Broome (DD-210), and USS McCormick
(DD-223) on station off Tampico. At 8:35 a.m., the Rhein
and Idarwald, another German merchant ship, were
observed leaving port and steaming south, staying within
Mexican territorial waters. The USS Broome pulled anchor
and slowly shadowed the German freighters. On December
7, 1940, the USS McCormick was ordered to relieve the
Broome and keep the Rhein under surveillance as she
steamed east towards the Florida Straits and the open
Atlantic. As the Rhein steadily approached Florida, the
USS MacLeish (DD-220) was given emergency orders and
hastily sailed from Key West at 2:05 p.m. to rendezvous
with the McCormick in the Gulf of Mexico. At 3:50 p.m.,
the Dutch man-of-war Van Kinsbergen, sailing under the
British flag, was sighted by the MacLeish and informed
of the approaching German freighter. The two warships
sped westward to rendezvous with the McCormick and
intercept the Rhein. Nearing the Dry Tortugas, the 6,050
ton Rhein was finally intercepted by the Van Kinsbergen
on the morning of December 11. As the U.S. warships
moved off, the Van Kinsbergen turned on her spotlights
and fired a warning shot across the bow of the Rhein.
With no escape possible, the crew of the Rhein attempted
to scuttle their vessel and set fire to the ship. A
boarding party from the Van Kinsbergen attempted to
salvage the freighter but abandoned efforts due to the
fire that raged out of control, as well as armed
resistance from the German crew. After the skirmish, the
MacLeish reported observing an empty lifeboat riddled
with bullet holes and stained with blood. That
afternoon, the HMS Caradoc arrived to receive the German
prisoners from the Van Kinsbergen. The Caradoc then
proceeded to fire 22 six-inch projectiles at the
still-burning freighter, eventually sending her to the
bottom at 3:56 p.m.
 The
kingposts, forward of the wheelhouse, are leaning toward
the stern slightly, but still standing, despite several
hurricanes rolling through the area. The stern section
is the most visibly damaged area of the wreck. It’s
still possible to get into the mid and forward sections
of the wreck, as well as the cargo holds in several
places. Extensive cracking and shattering in the glass
of the port holes still show the effects of being dunked
in sea water as the still burning ship sank. The life
and growth on the wreck is simply amazing. From the
smallest to the largest, it’s all there to see.
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Position
Lat: N
Long: W
Depth of wreck
250 feet to bottom
200 feet to upper deck
Size of wreck
439 feet long
58 foot beam
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