June 28, 1942 the Liberty ship Sam Houston, while on her maiden voyage, was torpedoed and sunk by the
U-203 in the Caribbean Sea north of the Virgin Islands. A single torpedo brought the ship to a stop flooding
the engine room and killing three men, but the ship remained afloat. The ship took a list, but soon righted herself,
however the captain, Robert Perry ordered her abandoned when the deck was little more than two feet above
water. Three boats were lowered and forty-three men, including five who were badly burned, took to the open
water.

Twenty minuets after the torpedo struck the U-203 surfaced and used her deck gun to finish off the ship.
Kapitänleutnant Rolf Mützelburg, the commander, ordered Perry to board the U-boat and was questioned and
released. Perry later reported that Mützelburg knew not only his name, but the name of the ship and its
destination, clear evidence that a spy was at work because Perry had replaced the ship's master only hours
before sailing.

It was two days before the USS Courier AMC-72 found the lifeboats and by then four men had died from their
burns. They were taken to St. Thomas where a fifth man died in hospital. A second Liberty ship named for
Sam Houston was launched on June 30, 1943, one year and two days later.

Like many U-boats the U-203 also ended up on the ocean floor on April 25, 1943, courtesy of Swordfish aircraft
of 811 Squadron from HMS Biter D-97 and a few depth charges from HMS Pathfinder G-10. Rolf Mützelburg
however was no longer in command. On Sept. 11, 1942 he dove off the conning tower for a relaxing swim, at
the same time the boat rose from a swell which caused him to hit his head on the casing, he died from the
accident and was buried at sea the next day.