NORTH ATLANTIC

NAVAL COASTAL FRONTIER

WAR DIARY

JANUARY 1942

Chapter I.

S. S. VENORE

"There was understandable panic" The Oiler.

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then back to 354, over to 009 then back to 354. About noon a vessel was sighted dead astern. All through the rest of the day the overtaking ship drew closer to the VENORE, until it was possible to recognize her as the British Tanker EMPIRE GEM. At twilight she was only a mile or two off the starboard quarter. It was just about this time that the radio operator informed the captain that a submarine had been reported sixty miles east of Wimble Shoals. The crew were not told of this.

        At 1925, January 24, the VENORE was approximately five miles southeast of Diamond Shoals Light. When the Third Mate came on deck at this time he found that it was quite dark though the moon, then in its first quarter, cast a "little hazy light" against the cloudy sky. A moderate sea was running, built up through the day by a southeast wind of force four. With only her dimmed sidelights showing the VENORE was proceeding through the darkness at 10 knots. On the bridge were both the Captain and the Chief Mate. There was a man forward and a man aloft.

    The Third Mate was waiting to relieve the watch when he was suddenly startled by the sound of a "terrific explosion" on the starboard quarter .Turning, he saw, about a mile away, the burning hull of the EMPIRE GEM silhouetted against the darkness by a fire that climbed five-hundred feet into the night air. As he watched, the black hull of a submarine came round the stern of the sinking ship and moved into the circle of light. The Third Mate went immediately to the bridge.

        On the bridge he found the Captain, who had already altered course for the shore, calling the engine room for more speed. Looking aft, it was possible to watch the U-boat as she left the EMPIRE GEM and proceeded in

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the direction of the VENORE. For five minutes the submarine closed the gap that separated the two vessels before she disappeared into the outer darkness.

        On deck there was much confusion. All of the crew that was off watch had come up from below at the first sound of the explosion on the EMPIRE GEM. Though no orders had been given, the men rushed to the boats and began hasty preparations for lowering. In the midst of this confused activity "a slight concussion was felt at the stern." It was then 1950. What followed was a brief moment of panic. One man, "he was a Lithuanian or a foreigner of some kind, and was from the engine room crew" ran to the stern of the vessel and jumped overboard. The Captain gave orders to the Chief Mate on the bridge to get the boats ready, but the Bosun and various members of the crew were already trying frantically to get the boats clear. Their efforts finally proving successful, three boats were dropped while the ship was still making ten knots. As soon as they hit the water two of them were torn to pieces, but one boat got away with two men in it.

        When the slight shock at the stern of the VENORE was first felt the Captain had again called the engine room for more speed. Immediately afterward the Chief Engineer came up on deck to look for the 8 to 12 watch that was due below to relieve at 1950. He saw the men at the davits, the boats being lowered and the off watch running about the deck. After picking up some life belts, he again went below to look after his engines. Six minutes later, however, he started back up again to find the Second, who was overdue on his watch. As he left, he told the men to cut the engines if anything happened in his absence. Half way up the ladder he was shaken by a tremendous explosion that ran through the whole ship. Turning round he saw the oiler

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pull the throttle; then the whole watch came up the ladder behind him.

        All during this time the Third Mate remained on the bridge with the Captain. They heard and saw and felt the total effect of the torpedo as it plunged into the Number 9 ballast tank on the port side. Water was hurled high in the air; the ship listed sharply to port; the deck went under before the VENORE slowly righted herself. Recovering rapidly from the shock of the explosion, the Captain ran to a nearby life raft and threw it overboard. Then he ordered the Third Mate to go to the one remaining life boat. On his way the Mate called the Radio Operator and the two went along together. They found, upon their arrival at the davits, that the boat, filled with all the remaining crew members, had already been lowered under the direction of the Chief Mate, who, after the first confusion, had quickly reestablished order and discipline.

        The lifeboat was now floating alongside beneath the davits. Both men stood for a moment in indecision before deciding to abandon the ship by sliding down the falls. The Radio Operator had only one arm. The Third Mate started first, got tangled in the lines, swung free of the ship for a moment or two, cleared himself and tumbled headlong into the boat waiting below. Before he could recover from the shock of his fall and straighten himself out in the confusion of arms and legs into which he had fallen, some minutes had passed. When he righted himself, and looked around, he saw that the boat had drifted some little way from the VENORE. Then he realized that the Radio Operator was nowhere to be seen. The Captain, too, was missing, so the Chief Mate, in command of the boat, turned back to the ship now listing heavily to port. But in the heavy sea no progress could be made. After several unsuccessful efforts to reach the VENORE, the attempt was given up.

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They turned to the west, toward land, and left the ship well down on her side in a sinking condition, at position Lat. 35-01N and Long. 75-06W.

        All that night the men rowed but when day broke a sail was raised to take advantage of the strong wind that was blowing. Early on the morning of the 24th. a plane passed close by but failed to see them, and about ten o'clock they saw the lifeboat that had been lowered with two of the crew, the night before. It was almost awash, but the two men were still in the boat. The Chief Mate ordered the sail taken in before an attempt was made to row the lifeboat. As on the night before, however, the effort failed and the wind and sea swept the two men beyond reach. About 1045 "we had left them astern."

        Throughout the 24th., the men rowed and sailed to the west. That evening they were put on rations - a little sea biscuit and a little water - by the Chief Mate. During the night most of the twenty-one survivors slept, while the Third Mate took the tiller. In the early morning he saw a smudge on the horizon which before long grew into the hull of a ship. At about 1030 Sunday the 25th., the tanker TENNESSEE altered course and came toward the lifeboat. By 1100 the survivors had been lifted aboard.

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