Evening star., 1942-03-16
Stations Await Word
From Coast Guard
Ship Hit by Sub
Another SOS Received
In Havana Purportedly
From Large Tanker
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press. As
HAVANA, March 16.-Radio sta.
tions listened today for word from
United States Coast Guard vesse
given as the source Of distress sig
nal heard here yesterday, which sale
she had been attacked by SUBJ
marine prowling the Caribbean Sea
The SOS said a Coast Guarc
vessel was being abandoned after
being torpedoed, shelled and ma
chine-gunned near Guadeloupe
French island in the Lesser Antilles
chain at the eastern end of the
Caribbean.
Another sos, purportedly from
large United States tanker, also was
heard here. 1t said the ship was
torpedoed by an Axis submarine ir
the Atlantic. ..-.
Eleven survivors were known tc
have reached shore from the tor
,pedied sugar transport Colabee, a
5,000-ton freighter which was sunk
sby a submarine last Thursday night
with cargo said to have included
$1,000 sacks Of sugar.
Unable to Offer Help.
One of her crewmen, John Fred
Eckman of Brooklyn, first assistant
engineer and a veteran of % years
of seafaring, told narrowing story
of his night aboard the doomed ship
when he could hear cries for help
from his shipmates who had gone
overheard, but was powerless to re-
spond.
There was no word of 25 others
from the Colabee's crew OF SO.
Eckman said he spent a "long,
long night" on the slanting side Of
the doomed ship, unable to respond
to the cries for help and fearful
that the vessel would plunge to the
bottom any minute. All the other
SO crew members left the ship when
she was attacked.
Eckman said he was standing
with Capt. Lee Morgan Of Balti-
more and Stanley English, of San
Francisco, third assistant engineer.
after most members of the crew had
gone over the side. He said they
talked about leaving the ship, but
he decided to stay.
81 can't swim stroke anyhow" !"
he said.
Sub Did Not See Him.
About that time, the submarine
came up beside the ship and played
q searchlight over her
'I lay fiat on the deck and the
sub must not have seen me-" Eek
man related. THE submarine, a
great fellow which must have
measured 200 feet long, circled
around for a long time, as the ship
went lower and lower it
finally went away.
'T built o raft so ! would have
something in case she went down.
7 had provisions ready. could
hear calls for help coming from
time to time from various directions
nearby. I was helpless to do any
thing.
"The submarine got us about $50
at night.
About 4 o'clock, heard no more
calls. When daylight came after
the long, long night, saw nothing
except a few of the timbers we had
heaved overheard.
"a plane landed about 8 miles
away and, I Judge, picked up some
body, but couldn't see what 1t was
doing.
Went Aboard Lifeboat.
at got on clean clothes at day
break, and when the lifehoat came
along to pick me up went aboard
with what I had on. I didn't wait
for anything. I could have got my
personal stuff. but had only one
thought in mind, and that was to
get of. Officials sent my wife
telegram, but I'd like to be sure she
knows I'm all right, because the
missus might be worried"
Survivors of the merchant vessel
Texan sunk by a submarine off the
northeast Cuba coast reached
Havana last night. Nine Of the Al
men are unaccounted for. OF the
survivors, FIVE were slightly injured.
The T,oo5-ton ship is the property
of American-Hawaiian Steamship
Co. and was en- route South.