A ship that sank in the middle of World War II off the coast of an allied country after being hit by Nazi German forces. It sounds like something that happened in a foreign land or, perhaps, the synopsis of a Hollywood war movie. However, this shipwreck is closer than we think: it is the story of the Tutoya, a Brazilian cargo ship that lies off the coast of São Paulo.
Little is said today about Brazil’s participation in World War II. However , our armed forces played an important role in the Allied victory, and the country even suffered attacks by the Axis powers—composed of Germany, Italy, and Japan—on Brazilian territory.
The Tutoya sank in one of these attacks more than 80 years ago. Since then, its ruins have been hidden on the coast between Iguape and Peruíbe, 21 meters deep, leaving a trail of memory under the sea of São Paulo. Learn now about the unusual story of a Nazi attack on the coast of São Paulo, which leaves marks on the ocean floor to this day.
Photo of the ship Tutoya, artificially colored with the help of AI. Original in black and white reproduced from Shipwrecks of Brazil.
The tragic fate of the Tutoya ship
Brazil declared war on the Axis countries in 1942, sending troops to Europe and suffering retaliation from its enemies. Against this backdrop, the Tutoya emerged: a 67-meter-long steel freighter with the capacity to transport more than 1,000 tons of essential goods —such as coffee, meat, potatoes, and wood—between Brazilian ports.
On July 1, 1943, the freighter was traveling between Paranaguá (PR) and the Port of Santos when it appeared on the radar of the German submarine U-513, which was patrolling our coastline. It was around 1 a.m., and the Brazilian vessel was sailing in the dark. The Germans then sent Morse code light signals asking the Tutoya to slow down, turn on its lights, and identify itself. The Brazilians believed it to be an Allied patrol ship and innocently obeyed.
The mistake was fatal: the Germans fired a torpedo at the hull, causing the ship to sink in a matter of minutes . The tragic episode caused the death of seven crew members, including the captain. The survivors faced the challenge of reaching dry land in lifeboats.
Wreckage of the Tutoya today. Photo: Maurício Carvalho/Press Release
Expedition revealed the shipwreck on the coast of São Paulo
The exact whereabouts of the Tutoya remained unknown for decades, but came to light in late 2025. A group of researchers cross-referenced Navy documents with fishermen’s reports to locate the ship and finally detected metal structures on the ocean floor using sonar.
After comparing the measurements of the hull with the vessel’s technical records, it was confirmed that it was indeed the old Brazilian freighter. According to diver Tatiana Mello, who participated in the search, the structure has remained intact since the shipwreck, creating a kind of “submerged museum” about World War II.
In addition, the discovery has become a symbol of Brazilian losses during the conflict. Although little remembered today, the case of the Tutoya demonstrates that São Paulo was also affected by the war, whose front passed silently along our coastline.