Humboldt Bay California Steamer G W Elder Towing San Pedro Real Photo Postcard

The SS *City of Athens*, an ocean liner built in 1907 for the Union-Castle Line, became the focus of a significant salvage operation following a wartime incident. On August 10, 1917, while en route from London to South Africa, the vessel struck a mine laid by a German U-boat off Dassen Island, near Cape Town. Despite sustaining heavy damage and taking on water, the ship remained afloat, necessitating a complex and perilous effort to save it and its cargo.