The Buarque was a 390' long Brazilian freighter headed for New York with a cargo that included coffee, rubber, and oil amongst a sundry of other items. On 15 February 1942, a torpedo from U-432 slammed into the port side of the ship. The U.S. Navy destroyer Jacob Jones helped to rescue the survivors after drifting for 2 days; 11 days later, the Jacob Jones herself was torpedoed and sunk by the U-578.

A wreck commonly called the Buarque has been visited only a few times by divers that usually venture out of Virginia Beach. The wreck lies in 250' of water far offshore and has yet to yield many artifacts. While there are descriptions of her sitting upright, a 1996 trip found (at least portions) of the wreckage inverted.