MINORCA

The Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula was widely used by Allied merchant ships during World War 1 as a transit route given the Spanish neutrality during the war. Therefore, the commanders of the German submarines included it as one of the main hunting points. Specifically, in the waters near the Alicante coastal city of Villajoyosa, the German submarine U64 attacked and sank 6 merchantmen. The cargo steamer "Minorca" was sunk on December 11, 1917 by the U64 about 2 or 3 miles from Cabo de las Huertas in ballast, en route Genoa-Cartagena. She was manned with artillery at the time of her sinking. She was the smallest merchant ship sunk by the U64 in the waters of Villajoyosa.

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