The Fisherman saga of Changri-la

Abstract

During Second World War, the Brazilian fishing boats were supposed to help the naval forces, watching the territorial waters. This was the Changri-lá’s case, sunk during the night of June 22, 1943, by the German submarine U-199, when going from Rio de Janeiro to Cabo Frio coast. In 1944, the Brazilian Maritime Tribunal couldn’t determinate the cause of her disappearance. In 1999, reopening this process, the Maritime Tribunal, with new evidences, altered his previous conclusions. The U-199 was sunk by a Brazilian Air Force airplane, a PBY-5 Catalina, in July 6, 1943, south of Rio de Janeiro. The Changri-lá crew names were included in the Brazilian Memorial for the Second World War deaths, called Panteão dos Heróis de Guerra. The ceremony was held in 6 of June, 2004.