 In July 1933 , El Occidente had a fire in her No. 1 cargo hold while she was southbound 15 nautical miles ( 28 km ) out from Norfolk , Virginia . El Occidente 's initial radio message reported that her crew had the blaze under control , but when that proved not to be the case , she headed in , docked at the Norfolk grain elevator , and requested assistance from local firefighters . 
