1951 — Jan 14, Gloucester, MA, fishing trawler Gudrun lost off Argentia Newfoundland–17

— 17 Lowell Sun, MA. “Planes and Ships Search For Missing Schooner.” Jan 15, 1951, p. 1.
— 17 Sheedy, R. Out of Gloucester. “The Gudrun.”

Narrative Information

Sheedy, Out of Gloucester: “Monday, January 15, 1951. Fear Dragger Gudrun Lost With Crew of 17. No Word Since SOS Flash Early Sunday Morning. Craft Reported Herself Sinking South of Newfoundland. Rescue Boats and Planes Search Area in Vain.”

“Gloucester Men Aboard

Harry W. O’Connell, Jr. 28 years, married
Alphonse Sutherland, 51 years, married, nine children
Wilfred J. Mello, 36 years, married, two sons
August E. Hill, 45 years, married, one son
Daniel Williams, 40 years, married, two stepdaughters
James J. Cavanaugh, 45, married, five children

“Others believed to be Crew Members

Capt. Johan Axel Johannsson, 46, West Medford, owner-master, married two children
Matthew L. Whalen, 46 years, mate, Somerville, married, 11 children
Daniel Meagher, 42 years, first engineer, Saugus, married, two children
Albert Moulden, 63 years, second engineer, Sharon, married
Frank B. Nickerson, 49 years, Braintree, married, one child
John Johnson, 68 years, Boston
John Kozlowski, 62 years, Tolland, Conn.

“Three others believed aboard but whose identity could not be ascertained.

“Fears for the safety of the 17-man crew including seven Gloucester fishermen, aboard the 114-foot steel beam trawler Gudrun, missing on storm-swept Grand bank since early yesterday morning, were heightened hourly when up to this noon, an extensive air-sea rescue party had failed to contact the craft or any sign of it and the crew.

“Last contact made with the Gudrun was at 3.24 o’clock yesterday morning when her owner-skipper Capt. Johan Axel Johannsson, 46 years, of West Medford, sent out a frantic “SOS” to the effect that “We are sinking” and then gave his position as being some 200 miles south of Cape Race, N. F.

“All seven Gloucester members are married and have a total of 19 children. In the entire known crew, 12 are married and have a total of 35 children.

“Once the distress message was picked up by New York Coast Guard diversion headquarters and relayed to Boston Coast Guard division, one of the most elaborate searching parties was dispatched as fast as possible to the scene. This flotilla included three large planes, and seven surface craft led by the New York bound trans-Atlantic liner Mauretania. The flotilla searched through the night and continued today, with Nova Scotian fishing craft, sch. Isabel F. Spindler, Jean Francis, and the Blue Spray among them. Two Coast Guard cutters, the Casco and the Coos Bay, joined in the search this morning along with two PBY planes of the United States based at Argentia, N. F. Coast Guard at Boston this noon said no word had come from any of the rescue craft as having sighted the distressed craft or her crew.

“The Gudrun, formerly the Boston beam trawler Boston College and built at Bath, Me., in 1928, was renamed for Capt. Johannsson’s daughter. The craft was on a trip to Grand Bank for dabs [flounder] for Gorton-Pew Fisheries Co. Ltd. Of this city. It is surmised she was laden with dabs and was homeward bound at the time.

“The Gudrun with owner-skipper Capt. Johannsson in command, sailed from the State Fish pier, this city, on Wednesday, January 3, bound for Grand Bank, some 1,000 miles distant, on her second flounder trip. It was the Gudrun which on a 17-day trip arrived in Gloucester, Monday, November 20, 1950, with the phenomenal fare of some 240,000 dabs, which they had caught off Grand Bank in a spot they had discovered. They reported the spot was teeming with dabs, fathoms thick. Gorton-Pew Fisheries Co. bought the trip. The Gudrun afterward made a groundfish trip and was out over Christmas, arriving at Boston Fish pier on Thursday, December 28, 1950, with another large fare, including 236,000 pounds fresh fish among which were 1100,000 pounds dabs.

“The present voyage was her third trip to the dabs site. Three of her former crew remained ashore, and it is not known whether she went with a full complement of 17 men, a regular beam trawl crew or not. She at least had 15 men aboard including the seven Gloucester men. If there were 17, the three replacements came from around Greater Boston.

“It is believed that the Gudrun must have filled her hold with dabs, an estimated 300,000 pounds, and was on the way home, when she was stricken early yesterday morning. The coast Guard at Boston was apprised by Newfoundland authorities, that a severe snowstorm was brewing in the area and that ships in the vicinity had reported winds as high as 50 miles an hour by dawn, a fact that indicated the seas were abnormally high….

“The Gudrun was 241 gross tonnage, 114 feet long, 23 feet wide, and 11 feet deep, and is said to be powered with a total of 1200 horsepower, General Motors engines. She originally had 500 horsepower….” (Sheedy, R. “The Gudrun.” Out of Gloucester.)

Newspaper:

Jan 15: “Argentia, Nfld., Jan 15 (INS) – Rescue planes and surface craft today scoured the gale swept North Atlantic off Argentia in the hunt for some trace of a Gloucester fishing schooner and her crew of seventeen. Canadian and United States planes took off in the search and were joined by two Navy destroyers, two Coast Guard cutters and at least two fishing vessels which were in the area – 170 miles off Argentia…

“The search was organized following receipt of a frantic, brief SOS flashed by the owner-skipper of the schooner Gudrun, Captain Johann Axel Johannsen, 46, of Medford, Mass.

“Distraught relatives of the 17 men aboard the Gudrun, a 144-foot, steel-hulled trawler, feared the vessel had struck a floating mine left over possibly from World War II. Coast Guard officials minimized this possibility, but admitted, however, that a floating mine had been picked up as recently as six months ago in the North Atlantic.

“Early yesterday morning, Captain Johannsen broadcast vocally on the Coast Guard distress frequency: ‘We are sinking. Our position is about 170 miles south by west of Cape Race.’

“The captain, father of two, gave no details of what had happened. Coast Guard officials said that although the broadcast was heard on at least five frequencies, there was no record of a contact having been made in answer to the Gudrun’s call.

“Should none of the crew survive, at least 30 children would be left fatherless. Alphonse Sutherland of Gloucester is the father of nine, while Matthew A. Whalen of Somerville, mate on the trawler, has eleven children. His wife was in a state of collapse at their home awaiting word of the crew’s fate.

“Seven Royal Canadian Air Force planes took off at dawn from Greenwood, N. S., in the hunt, while U. S. Navy and Coast Guard planes winged out over the sea from Argentia. The Coast Guard cutters Casco, out of Boson, and Cops Bay, returning to Portland, Me., from her Arctic weather station, joined the search with the destroyers Power and Larson. Not a Trace.

“First ship in the area was the New York-bound liner Mauretania, which hunted for three hours before giving up the search at dusk. The liner’s radio-man reported: ‘There isn’t a single trace of the Gudrun. There is no trace of her lifeboats. The wind is blowing a full northerly gale and the sears are mountainous’.” (Lowell Sun, MA. “Planes and Ships Search For Missing Schooner.” Jan 15, 1951, p. 1.)

Sources

Lowell Sun, MA. “Planes and Ships Search For Missing Schooner [Gudrun].” Jan 15, 1951, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=55634408

Sheedy, R. “The Gudrun.” Out of Gloucester. Accessed 7-25-2011 at: http://www.downtosea.com/1951-1975/gudrun.htm