1942 — Feb 24, US freighter Norlavore founders in storm off Cape Hatteras, NC –all 28

–28 American Merchant Marine at War. Chronological List of U.S. Ships Sunk or Damaged…
–28 Moore. A Careless Word, A Needless Sinking. 1983. Table extracted by armed-guard.com.
–28 NOAA. Screening Level Risk Assessment Package: Norlavore. March 2013.
–28 United States Navy Memorial. “Norlavore.” Accessed 5-4-2021.

Narrative Information

American Merchant Marine at War. Chronological List of U.S. Ships Sunk or Damaged…
“Date Ship Type Cause Result Location Deaths
“02/24/42 Norlavore Freighter Torpedo Sunk NAtlantic Crew 28.”

Moore. A Careless Word, A Needless Sinking. 1983. Table extracted by armed-guard.com:
“S.S. Norlavore Torpedoed 2/24/42 Freighter Crew 28.” [Number Killed]

NOAA. Screening Level Risk Assessment Package: Norlavore. March 2013:
“Executive Summary: Norlavore
“The freighter Norlavore, lost in a storm off the coast of North Carolina in 1942, was identified as a potential pollution threat, thus a screening-level risk assessment was conducted. [p. 1]

“Vessel Particulars

Official Name: Norlavore
Official Number: 219122
Vessel Type: Freighter
Vessel Class: 2,600 gross ton class Cargo Ship
Former Names: Quantico; Lake Fitch
Year Built: 1919
Builder: Globe Shipbuilding Co., Superior, WI
Builder’s Hull Number: 121
Flag: American
Owner at Loss: Norlasco SS Company
….Operated By: Norlasco SS Company
Homeport: Baltimore, MD
Length: 253 feet Beam: 43 feet Depth: 26 feet
Gross Tonnage: 2,713
….

Casualty Information

Port Departed: Norfolk VA
Destination Port: Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela
Date Departed: Feb 24, 1942
Date Lost: Feb 24, 1942
….Cause of Sinking: Storm
Latitude (DD) 35.08351
Longitude (DD) -75.33292
Nautical Miles to Shore: 14.5
Nautical Miles to NMS: 6.7
….
Cargo Carries when Lost: 3,335 tons of general goods
…. [p. 3]

Casualty Narrative

“The ship was once thought to have been lost due to a submarine attack; however, recent research has indicated that there was no attack carried out by a submarine in the area Norlavore was sailing. It is now believed that the vessel was lost in a storm.” [p. 4]

United States Navy Memorial. “Norlavore.” Accessed 5-4-2021:
“Norlavore
“Tuesday, February 24, 1942
“U-Boat Attack en route to Venezuela
“The Freighter Norlavore was torpedoed by U-432 off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina while en route to Venezuela…The ship and crew were never heard from again.”

Note: The Navy Memorial “Lost At Sea Log” contains the names and positions of all 28 of the U.S. Merchant Marine men lost.

Sources

American Merchant Marine at War. Chronological List of Ships Sunk or Damaged January to June 1942. Accessed 5-4-2021 at: http://www.usmm.org/sunk42a.html#anchor331462

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. Table extracted by armed-guard.com. Accessed 5-4-2021 at: https://www.armed-guard.com/sunk.html

NOAA, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and Office of Response and Restoration. Screening Level Risk Assessment Package: Norlavore. March 2013. Accessed 5-4-2021 at: https://nmssanctuaries.blob.core.windows.net/sanctuaries-prod/media/archive/protect/ppw/pdfs/norlavore.pdf

United States Navy Memorial. “Norlavore.” Accessed 5-4-2021 at: http://navylog.navymemorial.org/norlavore