1943 — May 4, US freighter Oneida springs leak/sinks, heavy seas ~100 miles off Norfolk, VA– 31

–33 Summary of statement taken from Major Harry Meere on sinking of the Oneida. Armed-Guard.
— Notes complement of 64 men including a Navy Gun Crew, and 31 survivors.
–31 Flygare, Capt. Carl E. “Statement Regarding the Sinking of S.S. Oneida.” ArmedGuard.com.
–31 Moore, Capt. Arthur. A Careless Word – A Needless Sinking. In Armed-guard.com.
–31 Pocock, Michael W. “Daily Event for May 4…” MaritimeQuest.com.
–29 American Merchant Marine at War. Chronological List of U.S. Ships Sunk or Damaged…
–23 crew
— 6 armed guard

Narrative Information

Armed-Guard.com:
After photocopying a page from Moore’s book A Careless Word, and transcribing a “Statement Regarding the Sinking of S.S. Oneida,” based on an interview of Captain Carl E. Flygare, which notes that 31 of a complement of 62 were saved, a “Supplemental Statement Regarding the Sinking of S.S. Oneida” is included which is a summary of a statement taken from Major Harry Meere, who, it is written, “knows all the details of the sinking of the S.S. Oneida.” Continues: “Claims it was sunk off Norfolk about 100 miles out to sea. Ships complement 64 men including Navy Gun Crew. 31 survivors.”

American Merchant Marine at War. Chronological List of U.S. Ships Sunk or Damaged…
“Date Ship Type Cause Result Location Deaths
“05/04/43 Oneida Freighter Foundered Sunk Eastcoast Crew 23; AG 6.”

Moore, Capt. Arthur. A Careless Word – A Needless Sinking. In Armed-guard.com:
“SS Oneida
“Company: Agwilines, Inc., New York, NY
“Master: Carl E. Flygare
“Built: 1918 at Wyandotte, MI
….
“Former Name: Lake Gilboa

“[Photograph caption]: The Freighter, SS Oneida, foundered and sank in heavy seas at 0230 EWT on May 4, 1943 about 70 miles northeast of Cape Charles, Virginia (37.24 North/72.20 West) while en route in Convoy NG-359 from New York to Australia via Guantanamo, Cuba with a cargo of steel, aviation gas, explosives, and foodstuffs. Her complement was 47 merchant crew members and 12 Navy…[armed guards].”

“Early in the morning of May 3rd, the Oneida encountered bad weather and struggled from the convoy. The increasing winds and heavy seas caused the ship to take on water. When the ship’s pumps failed to take care of the incoming water, the Master decided to run for the beach. By 2000 the water had reached to floor plates in the engine rom. By o230 the next morning, conditions were so bad that the Master ordered the ship abandoned. Shortly after being abandoned, the ship was seen going down by the stern.

“The ship was abandoned in the port lifeboat and 3 rafts. The 31 survivors were picked up at 1930 EWT on May 4 by the USS Andres (DE-45). They were landed at the Philadelphia Navy Yard the following day.

“It was thought that the ship might have been torpedoed but there is no record of any German sub sinking this ship.”

Pocock, Michael W. “Daily Event for May 4…” MaritimeQuest.com:
“The cargo ship Lake Gilboa was built in 1919 by Detroit Shipbuilding in Wyandotte, Michigan, she was launched on Apr. 24, 1919 and owned by the U.S. Government. In 1923 she was sold to William P. Clyde & Company of New York and renamed Oneida. During World War II she was taken up by the U.S. Army and used as a transport (USAT).

“….On May 2, 1943 she departed New York bound for Sydney, Australia in convoy NG-359, this convoy operated only as far as Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. She carried in her hold 800 tons of armor plating, 1,800 tons of aviation castor oil, 48 tons of TNT and 500 tons of foodstuffs, her crew numbered 62 men including a naval armed guard.

“On the morning of May the 3rd the convoy ran into heavy weather, throughout the day the seas and winds increased and by 1700 USAT Oneida lost sight of the convoy. She was straggling, fighting the sea and more importantly taking on water. Survivors reported that the pumps had failed and the intake of water could not be checked. The master at some point during the day decided to head for shore and run her aground, however he waited until after dark to change course and head for Norfolk.

“By 10 p.m. the engine room was flooded and it seemed clear that they were not going to make land. Thirty minutes later the General Alarm was sounded when an unknown vessel was sighted, she was described as being about the same size as Oneida with no mast and only 200′ away. The wheel was put hard over to avoid a collision, but it is not clear if there really was another ship. Shortly before the alarm the survivors reported that they had heard and felt two “dull explosions or thuds aft”, it was never determined what the noise was, but post war records do not indicate that the ship was attacked by a U-boat.

“By 2:30 a.m. May 4, 1943 the order to abandon ship was given, the men having been at their lifeboat stations since 10 p.m. were quite ready. A distress signal was sent and picked up by a Coast Guard station, the ship’s papers were thrown overboard and the men launched a lifeboat and three rafts. Apparently all sixty-one men got off the ship, which went down shortly thereafter. Some survivors later claimed that a light was seen off the port quarter about 200 to 1,000 yards away. The light was focused on the ship raking back and forth, but strangely not bobbing with the water. It was seen just above the water and remained on for less than 2 minutes, then disappeared. It was never determined what this phantom light was.

“USS Andres DE-45 arrived in the area late that evening, and at 7:13 p.m. they sighted signal rockets, thirty-one survivors were picked up by 7:50 p.m. and were landed at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on May 5. Thirty-one men were unaccounted for, but it is not clear to me if they were lost when the ship went down or were just not found in the water.”

Note: Pocock, at MatitimeQuest.com, has a list and information on 30 of the fatalities, noting 1 name is missing.

Sources

American Merchant Marine at War. Chronological List of Ships Sunk or Damaged during 1943. Accessed 5-21-2021 at: http://www.usmm.org/sunk43.html#anchor406099

Armed-Guard.com. “Information on SS Oneida – Courtesy of Captain Arthur Moore, ‘A Careless Word – A Needless Sinking.’” Accessed 5-24-2021 at: https://www.armed-guard.com/oneida.html

Armed-Guard.com. “Statement Regarding The Sinking of S.S. Oneida.” [Based on interview with Oneida Captain Carl E. Flygare at his home in Brooklyn NY conducted on June 14, 1943.] Accessed 5-24-2021 at: https://www.armed-guard.com/oneida.html

Armed-Guard.com. “Supplemental Statement Regarding The Sinking of S.S. Oneida.” [Summary of statement taken from Major Harry Meere on the sinking of Oneida.] Accessed 5-24-2021 at: https://www.armed-guard.com/oneida.html

Moore, Captain Arthur R. A Careless Word, A Needless Sinking: A History of the Staggering Losses Suffered By the U.S. Merchant Marine, Both in Ships and Personnel, During World War II. American Merchant Marine Museum 1983 (1st edition), 1990. Reproduced by Armed-Guard.com. Accessed 5-24-2021 at: https://www.armed-guard.com/oneida.html

Pocock, Michael W. “Daily Event for May 4, 2012.” MaritimeQuest.com. Accessed 5-24-2021 at: https://www.maritimequest.com/daily_event_archive/2012/05_may/04_usat_oneida.htm