1942 — May 16, US tanker William C. McTarnahan torpedoed SW of Port Fourchon, LA– 18

–18 American Merchant Marine at War. U.S. Ships Sunk or Damaged on Eastcoast of U.S…
–18 Chen, Peter. World War II Database. “16 May 1942.”
–18 Clancey/HyperWar: The Official Chronology of the US Navy in [WW] II, Chapter IV 1942.
–18 Helgason, G. Ships hit by U-boats. “William C. McTarnahan – American Motor tanker.”

Narrative Information

American Merchant Marine at War:
“Date Ship Type Cause Result Location Deaths
“05/16/42 William C. McTarnahan Tanker Torpedo Damaged GulfMexico Crew 18.”

Chen/World War II Database. 16 May 1942: “….German submarine U-506 damaged US tankers Sun and William C. McTarnahan (killing 18 of 38 aboard) and sank US tanker Gulfoil (killing 21 of 40 aboard) 50 kilometers south of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. ww2dbase

Clancey/HyperWar: The Official Chronology of the US Navy in [WW] II, Chapter IV 1942.
“1942….May 16, Sat. ….Gulf of Mexico…. U-506 torpedoes and shells U.S. tanker William C. McTarnahan approximately 35 miles east of Ship Shoal Light, Louisiana, 28°52’N, 90°20’W, but retires without finishing off her quarry; 18 of the 38-man merchant crew perish in the attack.”

Helgason/uboat.net:
“Name William C. McTarnahan
“Type Motor tanker
“Tonnage 7,306 tons
“Completed 1941 – Alabama Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Co., Mobile AL
“Owner National Bulk Carriers Inc., New York
“Homeport Wilmington
“Date of attack 16 May 1942
“Nationality American
“Fate Damaged by U-506 (Erick Würdemann)
“Position 28° 52’N, 90° 20’W – Grid DA 9521
“Complement 45 (18 dead and 27 survivors).
“Route New York (2 Man) – Charleston (10 May) – Port Isabel, Texas
“Cargo Water ballast
“History ….
“Notes on event At 11.01 hours on 16 May 1942 the unescorted William C. McTarnahan
(Master John G. Leech) was hit on the starboard side by two torpedoes from U-506 while steaming on a non-evasive course at 11.1 knots about 35 miles east of the Ship Shoal Light, Louisiana. The torpedoes were spotted shortly before they struck at the #2 tank and the engine room, flooding the compartments, damaging the after peak tank, the steering room and the stern gun, stopping the engine and destroying the antennas. A fire broke out that soon ignited the fuel bunkers and killed everyone in the after part of the vessel. The U-boat began shelling the ship from the starboard bow after 15 minutes and scored three hits before the survivors among the nine officers, 29 crewmen and seven armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in gun) abandoned ship in two lifeboats and three rafts. The Germans closed to 400 yards and fired 12 to 15 shells in half-minute intervals and then left the tanker in a sinking condition. A Hall PH-2 flying boat (V-170, USCG) located the survivors and directed several fishing vessels to them. They were picked up after four hours by the shrimp trawlers Defender, Pioneer and Viscali and taken to Houma, Louisiana where four of them died of burns in a hospital. Three officers and 15 crewmen were lost.

The badly damaged William C. McTarnahan was towed to the entrance of Southwest Pass by the US Coast Guard tug USS Tuckahoe (WYT 89) and the American tug Baranca. She arrived in Mobile for repairs on 23 June and returned to service as St. James for US War Shipping Administration in 1943. In August 1943 transferred on bareboat charter to the Soviet Union as Donbass, returned one year later and renamed St. James.”

Note: uboat.net contains information on eighteen of those onboard at:
https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship1659.html

Sources

American Merchant Marine at War. U.S. Ships Sunk or Damaged on Eastcoast of U.S, and Gulf of Mexico During World War II Eastcoast of U.S. (175 ships). Accessed 4-27-2021 at: http://www.usmm.org/eastgulf.html

Chen, Peter. “16 May 1942.” World War II Database. Accessed 4-27-2021 at: https://ww2db.com/event/today/05/16/1942

Clancey, Patrick (transcriber and formatter for HTML). HyperWar: The Official Chronology of the US Navy in World War II, Chapter IV: 1942. Accessed 4-27-2021 at: https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/USN-Chron/USN-Chron-1942.html

Helgason, Gudmundur. Ships hit by U-boats. “William C. McTarnahan – American Motor tanker.” Accessed 4-27-2021 at: https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ship/1659.html