On 14 March 1972, the 5000-ton Brazilian cargo ship M/V <i>Barão de Mauá</i> caught fire after an explosion off the coast of Aruba in the Caribbean, whilst on passage from San Juan to Santa Martha with general cargo. She was subsequently scuttled. The U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS <i>Cook</i> (DE-1083), on her way around Central and South America to join Destroyer Squadron 13 in Long Beach, California (USA), departed from her schedule upon hearing distress signals from M/V <i>Barão de Mauá</i>. Also answering her call for help were a U.S. Coast Guard seaplane and a Swedish container ship, M/V <i>Antonia Johnson</i>. The Swedish ship, first to arrive, asked for members of USS <i>Cook</i> to provide medical assistance for the Brazilian crew, which had abandoned the ship. Six of <i>Barão de Mauá</i>’s crew had been killed during the explosion and subsequent fire, and two died while abandoning ship. Four were badly burned, and others of the 26 survivors suffered cuts and bruises. One man was missing. <i>Barão de Mauá</i> was subsequently scuttled.
U.S. Navy
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.navy.mil/ah_online/department_arch.html">U.S. Navy All Hands magazine</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.navy.mil/ah_online/archpdf/ah197206.pdf">June 1972</a>, p. 44.