1944 — Oct 18-19, Hurricane, all of Peninsula of FL (Bradenton area Army tugboat/9)– 14

— 14 Blanchard tally of U.S. fatalities from locality breakouts below.
–9 Bradenton area. Drownings; hurricane-capsized Army tug boat S. T. 731
–2 Miami area. Miami Daily News. “Two Dead in Miami as Result of Storm.” 10-19-1944, p.1.
–1 Electrocution. Ronnie Tobias Maugans, 61, electric wire fell on him.
–1 Miami Naval Air Station, Opa Locka. Enlisted man; motorcycle crash LeJeune rd.
–1 Orlando. Electrocution. Bobby Malcom, 18, stepped on downed wire at Mutual Mill Plant.
–2 St. Augustine. Drownings. Lane. “1944: A dangerous year.” staugustine.com. 11-1-2010.
–1 James Wilson, FL Naval Academy student; “ventured into rough waters at the causeway.”
–1 Will Brown; drowned trying to save James Wilson. Both bodies recovered.

Blanchard note: We have looked through numerous newspapers of the time and cannot find support for 18 fatalities. We are firmly of the opinion that all the reports of 18 US lives lost can be traced to regurgitation of the October 1944 Monthly Weather Review, which, while noting 18 deaths, provides no detail as to locale or cause of death. Either the Monthly Weather Review report is in error, or we have missed information on the other four deaths.

–318 Wikipedia. “1944 Cuba-Florida hurricane.” 6-15-2022 edit. Notes most were in Cuba.
–>300 Cuba
— 18 Florida; “half from the loss of a ship in Tampa Bay.”
— 37 Cuba and FL. AP. “Storm Moves To Carolinas.” Thomasville Times Enterprise, GA. 10-20-1944, 1.
–24 Cuba
–11 Bradenton, FL, area. Soldiers in crash boat dingy drown. [Officially 9 deaths.]
— 2 Miami
— 35 AP. “Hurricane Sweeps into Central North Carolina…” Florence Morning News, SC. 10-21-1944, 1.
–24 Cuba
— 9 Bradenton, FL, area. Crewmen from small tug.
— 2 Miami
–>26 AP. “Tropical Storm Loses Force in Northward Route.” Panama City News Herald, FL. 10-20-1944, p. 1.
— 2 Florida
–24 Cuba
— 18 Barnes, Jay. Florida’s Hurricane History. Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 1998, p. 166.
— 18 Burt and Stroud. Extreme Weather: A Guide & Record Book. 2004, p. 205.
— 18 Dunn, Gordon E. and Banner I. Miller. Atlantic Hurricanes (Revised). 1964, p. 318.
— 18 Norcross. Hurricane Almanac, 2007, p. 55.
— 18 Souder. “Severe Local Storms, October 1944.” Monthly Weather Review, Oct 1944, p.215.
— 14 Blanchard tally of U.S. fatalities from locality breakouts below:
— 11 Bradenton area. Drownings; crash boat off Bradenton.
— 9 Bradenton area. Drownings; hurricane-capsized Army tug boat S. T. 731.
— 9 Locale not noted. Tug ST-731, foundered, 19 October 1944 with a loss of 9 crew.
— 2 Miami. AP. “Storm Moves to Carolinas.” Thomasville Times Enterprise, GA. 10-20-1944, p.1.
— 2 Miami area. Miami Daily News. “Two Dead in Miami as Result of Storm.” 10-19-1944, p. 1.
–1 Electrocution. Ronnie Tobias Maugans, 61, electric wire fell on him; was walking home.
–1 Miami Naval Air Station, Opa Locka. Enlisted man; crashed motorcycle on LeJeune rd.
— 1 Orlando. Electrocution. Bobby Malcom, 18, stepped on downed wire at Mutual Mill Plant.
— 2 St. Augustine. Drownings. Lane. “1944: A dangerous year.” staugustine.com. 11-1-2010.
–1 James Wilson, FL Naval Academy student; “ventured into rough waters at the causeway.”
–1 Will Brown; drowned trying to save James Wilson. Both bodies recovered.
— 24 Cuba. AP. “Storm Moves to Carolinas.” Thomasville Times Enterprise, GA. 10-20-1944, p.1
— 7 Havana. AP. “Storm Moving Rapidly North…” Thomasville Times Enterprise, GA. 10-19-1944, 1.
— 6 Havana, Cuba. AP. “Key West Prepares For Storm…” Thomasville Times Enterprise, GA. 10-18-1944, 1.

Narrative Information

Souder/Monthly Weather Review: “Florida…October 18-19…18 [loss of life]…Hurricane…

“This storm had its formation in the western Caribbean. Storm warnings were ordered for the Florida Keys on the morning of the 16th and hurricane warnings from Miami to Tampa on the morning of the 18th and later extended to Cedar Keys and Fernandina and thence up the Atlantic coast. The storm was preceded by several tornadoes on the afternoon of the 18th near Wauchula and Arcadia and in southeastern Polk county. The hurricane was very large with its central core or area of light, shifting winds from 40 to 60 miles in diameter, requiring from 2 to 4 hours to pass over towns directly in its path. Dangerous winds extended fully 200 miles to the right or east of the center, and about 100 miles to the left or west, thus affecting all Peninsular Florida. Winds of hurricane or near hurricane velocity surrounded the central core, with gusts up to 100 miles at Tampa and Orlando. Property damage in the State totaled probably 10 to 13 millions. The greatest loss was to truck and citrus. The Florida State Marketing Bureau estimated total crop losses of nearly $50,000,000. 24 persons injured sufficiently to receive hospitalization. Systematic evacuation of all dangerously exposed beaches doubtless saved many lives.”

Newspapers

Oct 20, Panama City News Herald [See Oct 22]: “Eleven soldiers from the New Orleans port of embarkation aboard a crash boat which put in at Panama City Tuesday were apparently drowned near Bradenton at the height of the hurricane which passed there, it was made known today by the public relations office of the Third Air Force Headquarters. The announcement said the boat apparently got into trouble during the storm and the men took to a dingy which capsized at the height of the hurricane yesterday morning. The only known survivor was the skipper of the boat, whose name was not disclosed. Search crews combed the waters of Anna Maria beach near Bradenton but found no trace of the missing men, the air force announcement said.” (Panama City News Herald, FL. “11 Soldiers in Crash Boat Are Drowned.” 10-20-1944, p. 1.)

Oct 22, Sarasota Herald Tribune, FL: “Three survivors from a hurricane-capsized army tug boat are in the Sarasota Army Air Base hospital after remaining in the gulf for over eight hours. The bodies to two members of the 12-man crew are in a local funeral home after washing up onto the beaches.

“Ravaged by hurricane winds, the army tug S.T. 731 capsized in the mouth of Tampa bay about 2:30 a.m. Thursday with 12 men aboard. At first army authorities announced that all 12 were listed as missing. Two of the survivors made their way to safety near Bradenton and a Bradenton Herald reporter said they told a story of how the hurricane overtook them and tossed the tug on its side as the craft was anchored in raging seas. The two who reached Bradenton identified themselves as Roy F. Looney, first mate, and Bryon J. Weibelt, able seaman. A press dispatch from New Orleans said the two were civilian employees aboard the tug.

“The tug’s skipper, Captain John A. Unzicker, of Mobile, floated ashore about noon yesterday at the northern end of Anna Maria key as he clung to a crate. He was taken to the base hospital for treatment.

“Army authorities in Tampa, New Orleans and Sarasota at first released dispatches about the disaster and listed the 12 missing men, but late this afternoon declined to give any further information about the men, the disaster or the survivors….

“Dr. M. H. Lewin of Longboat key and J. Lickton of Chicago yesterday found a large circular-type 16-passenger life raft from the sunken vessel on Longboat key near the Cheerio-Ho, fully equipped with emergency rations and first aid equipment. Lewin said he first sighted the raft about 11 o’clock Thursday morning and when he approached the raft noted three sets of footprints leading from the raft. Lewin and Lickton notified army authorities immediately, they said, who began an extensive search of the island. Army authorities declined to say whether any of the victims had been found on the key, either dead or alive.

“Looney, one of the survivors now at the base hospital, identified the sunken craft as the -T-7-31. He said the 85-foot tugboat left New Orleans Saturday afternoon, and kept advised by a newspaper they obtained at Panama City Tuesday about the impending storm. He told Bradenton newsmen that the captain and a seaman left on a raft. Looney was wearing a life belt and Weibelt grabbed a floating buoy. They managed to get close enough to tie themselves together and finally drifted ashore. Looney refused to hazard a guess as to what happened to the other men. With three known to be alive, and two known to be dead, there are still seven missing.” (Sarasota Herald-Tribune, FL: “Three Survivors Of Sunken Boat Treated At SAAB.” 10-22-1944, 1.)

Sources

Associated Press. “Hurricane Sweeps Into Central North Carolina, After Spending Fury.” Florence Morning News, SC. 10-21-1944, p. 1. Accessed 9-10-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/florence-morning-news-oct-21-1944-p-1/

Associated Press. “Key West Prepares For Storm Winds; 6 Killed in Havana.” Thomasville Times Enterprise, GA. 10-18-1944, p. 1. Accessed 9-10-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/thomasville-times-enterprise-oct-18-1944-p-1/

Associated Press. “Storm Moves To Carolinas.” Thomasville Times Enterprise, GA. 10-20-1944, p. 1. Accessed 9-10-2022: https://newspaperarchive.com/thomasville-times-enterprise-oct-20-1944-p-1/

Associated Press. “Storm Moving Rapidly North Northeastward at Noon and High Winds at Jacksonville.” Thomasville Times Enterprise, GA. 10-19-1944, p. 1. Accessed 9-10-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/thomasville-times-enterprise-oct-19-1944-p-1/

Associated Press. “Tropical Storm Loses Force in Northward Route.” Panama City News Herald, FL. 10-20-1944, p. 1. Accessed 9-10-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/panama-city-news-herald-oct-20-1944-p-1/

Barnes, Jay. Florida’s Hurricane History. Chapel Hill and London: UNC Press, 1998.

Burt, Christopher C. and Mark Stroud. Extreme Weather: A Guide & Record Book. W. W. Norton & Co., 2004, 304 pages. Google preview accessed 1-1-2014 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=NuP7ATq9nWgC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Dunn, Gordon E. and Banner I. Miller. Atlantic Hurricanes (Revised Edition). Baton Rouge LA: Louisiana State University Press, 1964, 377 pages.

Miami Daily News. “Two Dead in Miami as Result of Storm.” 10-19-1944, p. 1. Accessed 9-10-2022 at: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33160662/the-miami-news/

NavSource Online: Army Ship Photo Archive. “ST-731 (I).” 9-11-2020 update. Accessed 9-10-2022 at: http://www.navsource.org/archives/30/15/150731a.htm

Norcross, Bryan. Hurricane Almanac: The Essential Guide to Storms Past, Present, and Future. NY: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2007.

Orlando Evening Star, FL. “Boy Killed By Charged Wire.” 10-20-1944, p. 1. Accessed 9-10-2022 at: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33209712/orlando-evening-star/

Panama City News Herald, FL. “11 Soldiers in Crash Boat Are Drowned.” 10-20-1944, p. 1. Accessed 9-10-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/panama-city-news-herald-oct-20-1944-p-1/

Sarasota Herald-Tribune, FL: “Three Survivors Of Sunken Boat Treated At SAAB.” 10-22-1944, 1. Accessed 9-10-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/sarasota-herald-tribune-oct-22-1944-p-1/

Souder, Mary O. “Severe Local Storms, October 1944.” Monthly Weather Review, Oct 1944, p. 215. Accessed 9-10-2022 at: file:///C:/Users/Wayne/Downloads/[15200493%20-%20Monthly%20Weather%20Review]%20SEVERE%20LOCAL%20STORMS,%20OCTOBER%201944.pdf

Lane, Marcia. “1944: A dangerous year.” staugustine.com. 11-1-2010. Accessed 9-10-2022 at: https://www.staugustine.com/story/news/local/2010/11/01/1944-dangerous-year/16219491007/

Wikipedia. “1944 Cuba-Florida hurricane.” 6-15-2022 edit. Accessed 9-10-2022 at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1944_Cuba%E2%80%93Florida_hurricane