Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-12-19
one FL VICTIM
A PHILADELPHIAN|
John P. A. Messang Lost
When American Subma-
rine Was Sunk
RAMMED BY SISTER BOAT

One Phlladelphian. John 7. A. Mes
sang OF 2253 North Hope street. and
Simon Greenberg formerly ~ of this city,
were among the nineteen members OF
the crew of the United states submarine
FL. which was rammed and sunk by
a sister submarine. f-S. on Monday
afternoon.
Messangs wife and mother are pros
trated with grief as n result of the
catastrophe. Mrs Messang received word
of her husbands tragic death in the
following telegram from Admiral l.. G.
Palmer, Chief of the Bureau of Navi-
cation:
"The L. S. s. FL was rammed by an
other submarine at y. m, Monday De-
cember II. during a fog. the FL sinking
Immediately, 1t is with deepest regret
that the bureau must convey TO you the
sad news that your husband, John p.
A. Messang chief machinists mate, was
lost in the sinking of the FL.
mo additional information is at hand
at this time. You have the sincere SYM
pathy of the bureau in the loss of your
husband"
Messang was fifty-one years old and
in addition to his widow and mother, Is
survived by n twelve-year-od son. He
had been in the navy thirteen years and
this was the first year of his fourth
enlistment.
Greenberg. who was an electrician.
formerly lived at 5ol2 Walnut street.
and enlisted IN the navy in this city six
years ago. His parents now live In New
York, but an aunt. Mrs. j. Hyman. still
resides at the Walnut street address.
The last time Greenberg was in Phila-
delphil was during a furlough two years
ago, when he visited his aunt
Lieutenant a. E. Montgomery. COM
manding officer of the FL was among
the five saved His mother, Mrs Julia
Montgomery Pratt. lives at Fort II. @.
Wright. n. Y.
Additional survivors are: j. NJ.
Schmssauter, machinist. Father, c..
Schmissauter, Hills City, Tenn.
Henry H. Brown, gunner's mate:
Father. II. p. Brown. Macon. Ga
Joseph ]. Burns, chief gurners mate.
Wife, San Pedro, Cal
John J. Stewart, ships cook. Mother
Mrs. Celia b. Campbell. Huron. s. d.
On october II. 1912. the FL broke
from her moorings in heavy sea at
Fort watsonvlle. Cal. The little sea
fighter CRASHED into a pier and then
drifted out to sea gradually filling with
water and drowning two sailors who had
been sleeping on board.
The greatest American submarine
tragedy came on March %, 1915. when
the F.4 failed to come TO the surface
during maneuvers off Honolulu. A lieu.
tenant and twenty-five sailors were
drowned and only few of the bodies
were. recovered.
The F.4 was one of the latest models
of American submarines, and cost $500.
600. She was a trife over 1i2 feet long.
sixteen feet ten inches deep and fifteen
feet three inches beam. She was designed
for cruising radius of 2i00 miles, and
had been tested submerged for twenty.
four hours.
On the morning of the day she dis.
appeared she left the harbor of Homo
lulu for submerged run. When at the
edge of the harbor and in about thirty
fathoms of water she submerged. II Is
believed that the escape of chlorine gas
from the batteries that furnished her
underwater power overcame the crew or
that the vessel was damaged by some
internal explosion.
At any rate, she never appeared on
the surface again. and it was not until
twenty-four hours later that grapplers
located her sunken hull. Such were the
condition of the harbor that it was over
four months before the submarine was
raised to the surface. BY that time the
submarine had broken open and some of
the bodies were lost.