The SS Aztec was a cargo steamship constructed in England in 1894 by the Edwards Shipbuilding Company at Howdon on the River Tyne. Originally launched as Canterbury, she measured approximately 349.2 feet in length, with a beam of 43.0 feet and a depth of 26.6 feet. Her initial tonnage was 3,508 GRT and 2,303 NRT. She was powered by a three-cylinder triple-expansion steam engine built by Blair and Company, driving a single screw propeller, and rated at 299 NHP. Initially a coal burner, she was converted to oil fuel by 1914. In 1895, she was purchased by Albert Smith of London, who renamed her Aztec and registered her in London. She later changed ownership to the Pacific Mail Steamship Company in 1897, and was registered in Honolulu, Hawaii, before eventually being registered in New York by 1902. Throughout her career, Aztec was equipped with wireless telegraphy by 1914, with the call sign WWQ. During World War I, despite the United States’ initial neutrality, Aztec was marked with neutrality markings and U.S. flags on her hull. She was notably the first U.S. merchant ship to be armed, fitted with two 5-inch guns and crewed by Navy personnel from USS Dolphin in March 1917, in response to German U-boat threats. On her final voyage, she departed New York on 18 March 1917 bound for Le Havre with a cargo of copper, steel, lumber, machinery, and chemicals. On 1 April 1917, Aztec was torpedoed without warning by the German submarine SM U-46 near Brittany, France. The attack caused her to heel over and settle by the bow, leading to the crew’s abandonment. Despite efforts to launch lifeboats, only two survived out of her crew of about 29, including 11 Americans, five native Hawaiians, and others. The sinking resulted in the loss of 28 men, including some of the first native Hawaiians killed in WWI by German forces. The sinking of Aztec had significant political repercussions, influencing U.S. decision-making to enter WWI. Her loss marked a pivotal moment in maritime history as the first U.S. merchant ship to be defensively armed and subsequently sunk in wartime, highlighting the dangers faced by civilian vessels amidst naval warfare.

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