Call To Order
In Memorial - The Loss of the SS WILLIAM C. GORGAS – by a survivor
About 2330 hours, the SS WILLIAM C. GORGAS was struck by a torpedo in the engine room killing the watch on duty and completely disabling the ship. The weather was very rough and getting the lifeboats away was very difficult. One of the boats was smashed, spilling all of the men in it into the sea. T
he boat I was in was picked up about 0500 on March 11th by HMS HARVESTER.
he boat I was in was picked up about 0500 on March 11th by HMS HARVESTER.Upon going aboard the destroyer, we found most of the crew as well as members of the Armed Guard already on board. Twelve men were missing including the Chief Mate, 2nd Mate, 3rd Engineer, and the Radio Operator. The Captain and most of the crew had been rescued.
During the attack on the convoy, the HARVESTER had rammed the U-444 and in doing so rode up on the sub and broke a propeller shaft and destroyed the submarine detection system which was located on the bottom of her hull. Due to this she had been assigned the task of picking up survivors. At 0800 on March 11 the other shaft broke thus leaving the destroyer helpless. At 1100 hours, while lying dead in the water, the HARVESTER was struck by a torpedo on her port side, the lee side.
Some of the men had been below attempting to sleep. I had found it so cold that I could not sleep so when the ship was hit, the Chief Engineer and I were on deck. Captain Ellis had been below and now came on deck and he appeared to be in a dazed condition. He was without his shirt and life jacket. One of our men offered him his life jacket but the Captain told him, "That belongs to you, son." Someone gave him a life ring and he put it on. Some of the men had started going overboard by now and the Captain also started to go. I said to him, "Captain, don't go now, we have plenty of time!" He looked at me and then jumped into the sea. He was caught by a large wave and when the sea cleared, the life ring was floating but the Captain was not in sight. Captain Ellis was a good and brave man.
British warships did not carry lifeboats in wartime and as far as I could see the only life saving gear on board was the life belts. The crew and others were busy throwing everything that would float overboard. The Chief and I went to the stern and began to think about how and when to abandon ship. I had some unhappy experiences in the Barents Sea when the SS BELLINGHAM was sunk and I did not want to leave a dry deck until the last possible moment. The Chief decided to go off the stern but I decided to go off the starboard side about 4 feet from the stern. There were two British officers standing on the bridge and one of them shouted through a horn, "Yanks, don't wait too long!" The Chief and I wished each other luck and we stepped off into the sea. While I was sinking in the water another torpedo hit the HARVESTER breaking her in two. The after section of the ship came back with such force that I was struck behind my ear and for a little while I was not in control of my senses. When my vision had cleared, I could see what had happened. The after section of the ship had run over the Chief and now stood in a vertical position on her stern. The forward section was in a vertical position also with her bow in the air. My head at this time was immovable, probably due to the blow and the icy cold water.
The sub now surfa
ced and waited. It did not molest anyone. In about an hour, the French Corvette ACONIT came upon the scene and attacked the sub. The fight lasted for about an hour. Finally, the ACONIT got the sub to the surface and landed six direct hits causing the Germans to run up the white flag. Thirty-one men were removed from the disabled sub. The Captain of the sub refused to leave when thrown a line and went below. He went down with the sub (U-432). His First Officer told us his Captain was only 21 years old.
ced and waited. It did not molest anyone. In about an hour, the French Corvette ACONIT came upon the scene and attacked the sub. The fight lasted for about an hour. Finally, the ACONIT got the sub to the surface and landed six direct hits causing the Germans to run up the white flag. Thirty-one men were removed from the disabled sub. The Captain of the sub refused to leave when thrown a line and went below. He went down with the sub (U-432). His First Officer told us his Captain was only 21 years old.The ACONIT now began to pick up the survivors of the HARVESTER and as the weather had scattered the men over a large area of the water, it was slow going. I was picked up just before dark and the last thing I remember while in the water was an officer shouting at me in French. I woke up in a bunk none the worse for wear. I was told that I passed out and seaman was sent down to tie a rope on me, then I was pulled aboard.
The ACONIT rescued 61 survivors from the HARVESTER including 52 English, 8 Americans, and a German who had been taken off the U-444, the sub she had rammed the night before. We were taken to Gourock, Scotland, without any more trouble.
Yancey N. Hall Ex. First Assistant Engineer
From The Armed Guard and Merchant Marine website
This image is a work of a sailor or employee of the U.S. Navy, taken or made duri
ng the course of the person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain. 89 Days Under Water
When Tony joined the Navy about 30 years ago, he thought that becoming a submariner might be the thing for him. He began submarine school and found out that not everyone that started submarine school made it through. Military doctors poked him and prodded him trying to determine if he would be able to handle life on a submarine.
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One exercise in which he participated in was taking out a perfectly good boat and sinking it, while they were on board. Then they prayed that it would come up again.
While deployed, there was constant drilling all day long. When “dive, dive” was heard, everyone went into action. Since it was peacetime, the crew of the Seahorse spent a lot of time “playing” with the Russians.
The USS Seahorse was the 5th submarine to navigate around the world. During that time, Tony and his crewmates spent 89 days underwater. Their only contact with the outside world were the occasional “family grams” that they received. These for short three-line messages that their families could send them. The family grams were all screened before they were delivered to the men. No bad news was allowed to get through. The men could only contact their families when they were in port, which was rare.
The morale of the crew was kept high by feeding them well. Tony said that he has never eaten so much lobster in his life.
In case of any illness or injury, the boat had a chief corpman on board. In emergencies, the corpman would keep the ill or injured man comfortable until the submarine could surface.
How deep a submarine can actually go is “classified”. One thing they did was draw a string tight from one bulkhead to another, then watch it sag as they submerged. The more it sagged, the deeper they were. That showed how pressure can compress a thick steel hull.
Tony now works as a counselor in the Veterans Service Office. He also works with Honor Flight which provides free flights for World War II veterans to Washington to see the World War II Memorial.
Thank you for sharing your submarine stories with us, Tony!
Honor Flight – The Honor Flight Network is a non-profit organization
whose purpose is to honor our nation's veteran's for their service and sacrifice. The veterans are flown to Washington D.C. to visit their monuments and to reflect on their memories. Priority is given to senior veterans from WWII and those veterans that are terminally ill. If you would like more information about the Honor Flight Network, click here. If you are a south Florida veteran and would like to submit an application for an Honor Flight originating in south Florida, please click here to download the application.
The Pointer - The U.S.N. Armed Guard World War II Veterans Association adopted The Pointer as the name of its publication. The name itself had its origin in the World War II Armed Guard. If you, or someone you know, is interested in viewing The Pointer, issues are available on this website from 2000 onward. There is no cost to receive The Pointer. It is supported solely by donations. If you are interested in donating to The Pointer, please click here.
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