The SS Iberian was a British cargo steamship constructed in England in 1900 by Sir James Laing & Sons of Sunderland, specifically yard number 576. She was the second vessel named Iberian owned by Frederick Leyland & Co of Liverpool, with her predecessor having been built in 1867 for Bibby Line. Iberian measured a registered length of 437.0 feet (133.2 meters), with a beam of 48.8 feet (14.9 meters) and a depth of 29.9 feet (9.1 meters). Her gross tonnage was 5,223 GRT, and her net tonnage was 3,347 NRT. Propelled by a three-cylinder triple-expansion steam engine built by John Dickinson and Sons of Monkwearmouth, Iberian was rated at 470 NHP, allowing her to reach a speed of approximately 12 knots. Her hull was designed for cargo operations, and by 1914, she was equipped with wireless telegraphy, with her call sign being MHA, operated by the Marconi Company. Throughout her service, Iberian was operated by Leyland & Co, primarily engaged in transatlantic trade. In July 1915, she departed Manchester bound for Boston, loaded with general cargo. Her career was cut short when, on 30 July 1915, she was torpedoed by the German U-boat U-28 about 9 nautical miles southwest of Fastnet Rock, Ireland. The U-boat's commander, Kapitänleutnant Georg-Günther von Forstner, reported that the torpedo struck her stern, causing her to sink rapidly stern-first, with her bow remaining above the water. The sinking resulted in the loss of five crew members, with a total of seven fatalities including those who died in lifeboats. The explosion of her boilers occurred approximately 25 seconds after sinking, producing debris and a notable explosion that reportedly sent debris and a mysterious, large sea creature into the air. Her wreck lies at a depth of about 104 meters in Irish territorial waters and is protected under Irish law. Iberian's sinking marked her as a notable casualty of World War I maritime warfare, and her wreck remains a significant site for maritime history.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.