1942 – Feb 18, USS Truxtun and Pollux ground/break, storm, Lawn Pt. & Chambers Cove, NFLD–203-04

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 7-3-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–204  Stoodley. “79 years on, St. Lawrence and Lawn remember the 204 lost…” 2-14-2021.

–203  Maritime History Archive. Dead Reckoning: The Pollux-Truxtun Disaster. “Chapter 1.”

–203  Wikipedia. “USS Pollux (AKS-2).” 7-6-2023 edit.  Accessed 7-3-2024.

            —  93  USS Truxton

            –110  USS Pollux

Narrative Information

Maritime History Archive. Dead Reckoning: The Pollux-Truxtun Disaster. “Chapter 1:

“Introduction

“On February 18, 1942, the American naval vessels USS Truxtun, USS Pollux, and USS Wilkes were due to arrive at a large military base at Argentia, Newfoundland. Only the Wilkes made it. The other two ships went aground on the jagged rocks off Newfoundland’s south coast in a ferocious winter storm. Giant waves pounded the vessels and eventually broke them to pieces. The Truxtun was trapped in Chambers Cove and the Pollux about one and a half miles west at Lawn Point. The Truxtun was carrying 156 men and the Pollux 233.

“For hours, these men fought to survive in the driving sleet, howling wind, and bitter cold of the North Atlantic. With their ships breaking up beneath them, they first had to cross the raging ice-cold seas that separated them from land. Then they had to travel over miles of snowy wilderness to reach the nearest inhabited buildings. A great number of men spent all night outdoors, huddled wet and cold in caves or under clumps of trees. Many drowned or froze to death. Of the 389 officers and enlisted men on board the two vessels, 203 died.

“But 186 lived. They survived because of their own determination, resourcefulness, and courage – and also because of the tremendous heroism displayed by the residents of St. Lawrence and Lawn who travelled to the wreck sites through blowing snow and spent hours hauling men out of the ocean, pulling them over icy cliffs, bringing them to a nearby mine, and then into their own homes. The rescuers and their families bathed the numb and semi-conscious survivors in warm water, gave them what little clothing and food they had, and nursed them back to health….”

Stoodley. “79 years on, St. Lawrence and Lawn remember the 204 lost from  the wrecks…”

“This week the residents of St. Lawrence and Lawn, like they have done for decades, will pause in their daily routine and pay their respects to the 204 U.S. navy officers and men who lost their lives 79 years ago. They were the crews of the destroyer USS Truxtun and the supply ship USS Pollux, which rammed into the cliffs of the Burin Peninsula during a blinding snowstorm.

“The two ships were part of a convoy of vessels bringing men and supplies to the American base at Argentia. Their route was to sail along the southwest coast of Newfoundland then skirt the tip of the Burin Peninsula and head for Argentia.

“A blinding snowstorm was at its height during the early morning of Feb. 18, 1942, when the Truxtun and Pollux, along with another destroyer, the Wilkes, went astray from the other ships in the convoy. At 5 a.m. the Pollux struck Lawn Point and 30 minutes later the Truxtun rammed into the 400-feet high cliffs of Chamber Cove, 5½ kilometers from St. Lawrence. The captain of the Truxtun, thinking the cliffs were an iceberg, tried to maneuver the ship away from the pinnacle, only to have the destroyer catch on a reef about 200 feet from land…”

Sources

Maritime History Archive. Dead Reckoning: The Pollux-Truxtun Disaster. “Chapter 1.” Accessed 7-3-2024 at: https://mha.mun.ca/mha/polluxtruxtun/index.php

Stoodley, Allan (for CBC, N.L.). “79 years on, St. Lawrence and Lawn remember the 204 lost from the wrecks of the Truxtun and Pollux.” 2-14-2021. Accessed 7-3-2024 at: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/truxtun-pollux-anniversary-1.5898847

Wikipedia. “USS Pollux (AKS-2).” 7-6-2023 edit.  Accessed 7-3-2024 at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Pollux_(AKS-2)