The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1953-01-16

| neaQ ClCy 1Or ports on the NOfJn
Sea, there were many prognosti-
Gators who opined that it would be
only matter of time until the
metal made into bullets would be
coming back at us, which no doubt
was the case as Hitler tried to
take over in the early 40's, doing
a good job of it for awhile. The
Tzenny Chandris disaster made big
handlines in the newspapers, but
the Kassandra Louloudis got hard
ly a mention because of wartime
censorship.
More Tankers Hit
The E. M. Clark, another Stand
ard tanker, was sent to the bot
tom off Ocracoke on March 10 not
far from the location of the Pa
poose and w. E. Hutton sinkings
on the same date in the general
area of Cape Lookout. On the 10th
the sulphur laden Lykes Brothers
Liberator was hit near Diamond
Shoals, a total loss for ship and
cargo but most of her crew were
rescued and landed first at Ocra-
coke and then in Morehead City
for briefing.
Only half of the Standard tank
er ESQ Nashville went to the bot
tom when decapitated by a torpe-
do between Cape Fear and Cape
Lookout. Her afterhalf with cargo
still intact was towed into More
head City. Later, the stern, reliev-
ed of its cargo was taken to a
northern port, welded to another
half ship and was hauling wartime
cargoes before it was all over.
The Naeco, Dixie Arrow and Ii
ger were three more tankers sent
to the bottom before the end of
March, and a tug boat with three
barges inflow got it between Cape
Henry and Cape May during the
same month.
Off Mays Head during late
March of 1912 the Panamanian
freighter Equipoise was attacked
and sunk in less than 300 feet of
water. Her cargo of manganese ore
may in time be salvaged according
to stories from Washington some
time ago.
April Warfare
1t was not until April of 1912
that our offensive forces made a
score. On the 18th, the USS Roper,
destroyer sailing south off Mays
Head contacted and killed the u
IS, between Oregon Inlet and VIM
BILE Shoals. That brought slight
turn in events, despite the fact
that during April along the mid
Atlantic Capes, the following ships
were lost:
David D. Atwater, Ortho, Byron
Benson, British Splendour. Ian
sing, Atlas, Malchase, Tamaulip-
as, San Define, Ulysses, Empire
Thrush, Rio Blanco, Alcoa Guide,
Desert Light, Empire Drum and
Chemango. More millions in ships
and cargoes, and more heavy loss
of lives.
Only a few ships were sunk dur
ing May. The Lady Drake was
sunk on May off Oregon Inlet.
The Senateur Duhamel, a British
armed trawler was a casualty dur
ing the month, but not as result
of enemy submarine. 1t was ram
med by one of our destroyers and
sunk off Cape Lookout.
May 9th was a lucky day off
Cape Lookout. On that day the
CG Icarus sank the German SUBJ
marine U-352.
Mystery sinking of the month in
volved the Inns Bedfordshire. On
convoy duty between Morehead
City and the net enclosed anchor
age at Cape Lookout, and the Vir-
ginia Capes, the Bedfordshire was
returning to the Carteret coast
during mid-May when last heard
from. The vessels name plate
washed ashore on Core Banks sew
eral days later. No one survived,
but bodies found floating at sea or
washing ashore along the Outer
Banks and as far inland as Swan
Quarter Bay were definitely iden-
titled by Naval Intelligence as
members of this little British war
ships crew. Among the bodies was
that of Sub-Lieutenant Thomas
Cunningham who with some of his
shipmates are buried on Ocracoke
Island.
Largest ship sunk during June
of '42 was the William Rockefel-
Ter, a Standard tanker, shortly
after she had left the Hatteras-
Ocracoke minefeld anchorage. 9th
er ships lost during the month of
June included the Santore, Ljub-
lea Matkovic, Nordal, Manuela and
the Moldanger. After midsummer
less than a score of ships were
sunk off North Carolina until the
War ended in 1945-that was be-
cauSe orr offensive forces Sl1rface