USS Vandalia ( IX - 191 ) USS " Vandalia " ( IX - 191 ) , a twin - screw , steel - hulled tanker , was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for Vandalia , the name of three cities in the United States that is also used poetically for various regions . As " Walter Jennings " , her construction was completed in 1921 by the Federal Shipbuilding Company of Newark , New Jersey , for the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey and she served under the aegis of Standard Oil through the 1920s and 1930s . Allocated to the Navy by the Maritime Commission ' s War Shipping Administration in late 1944 , the ship was renamed " Vandalia " on 18 October 1944 , being designated as unclassified miscellaneous vessel IX - 191 . She was accordingly taken over from the War Shipping Administration on 23 December 1944 and was commissioned on the same day , Lieutenant R . P . Morrison , USNR , in command , at Pearl Harbor , Hawaii . " Vandalia " departed Pearl Harbor on 27 February 1945 for Eniwetok in the Marshall Islands and made port on 11 March . Routed to Saipan with a Mariana Islands - bound convoy , " Vandalia " developed an engine casualty and was forced to reverse course and turn back to Eniwetok for repairs . The vessel got underway on 18 March but was rerouted on 23 March to Ulithi in the Carolina Islands . Entering the harbor at her destination two days later , she proceeded to her assigned berth , remaining there into the summer as station tanker at Ulithi . She subsequently shifted to Buckner Bay , Okinawa , to serve as storage tanker there in September . On 9 October , a particularly heavy and violent typhoon swept over Okinawa . " Vandalia " ran aground at 1518 coming to rest about from Miyegusuku Lighthouse on Naha Island and sinking rapidly . The winds lashed the ship , and heavy seas pounded the old tanker unmercifully . One engine failed , and the ship went out of control , carried along with the fury of the typhoon , as the ship ' s force determinedly tried to pump out the engine room , fire room , and after compartments . She came to rest listing to starboard , and the danger immediately confronting the commanding officer , Lieutenant John F . Auge , USNR , was that of the ship capsizing . Accordingly , Auge gave the order to abandon ship , which was done by 0740 on 10 October . There were no casualties . Seaman Kermit S . Heistad of White Lake , Wisconsin , served as a gunner aboard the Vandalia in the months before the ship ran aground and nearly capsized in Buckner Bay . Heistad and two other unidentified shipmates were largely responsible for saving the lives of the crew and officers . On 12 October 1945 , Seaman Heistad wrote an eye - witness account of the successful rescue in a letter to his sister , Rachel Heistad , also of Wisconsin . [ 1 ] " We hit the rocks Monday at 3 : 30 pm , " Seaman Heistad wrote . " The wind was blowing at 144 miles per hour . We landed by two smaller ships which had 47 men on them and we took them on our ship by lines . Many of us were washed over board . Sometimes the waves would wash us back on and some times others would throw us a line and save us . Everyone was there two ( sic ) save the other fellow , forgetting about themselves . I ' ve never heard of greater Heroism . There was not one man lost from our ship or the other two . Our crew as a whole was recommended for a citation . " Almost 5 : 30 pm our ship drifted off the rocks and began to sink . At 7 : 30 the water was getting to high to stay on the stern . So we all went forward to the bridge carrying the wounded in strechers ( sic ) . We stayed in the bridge until 6 : 00 am Wednesday morning . We knew that the ship couldn ' t last my ( sic ) longer . Most of the ship was under water and it was turning over . We had the small boat that I and 2 other fellows used to run and so we asked the captain if we could try and get some of the men ashore . He said it was useless , but we could try . So we lowered the boat and got the wounded men in first and started for shore . The captain said if we got ashore we would never get back to get the rest of the men . I prayed every inch of the way back . " There was black oil all over the water and I was covered with it , " Seaman Heistad wrote . " It got in my eyes so I could hardly see and in my mouth and choked me . But we made it back to the ship . God did it all . We went back and forth 7 times to save the crew . We knew we wouldn ' t make it back every time , but we did . God has all the glory . The officers and captain waited until the last trip and the ship had nearly disappeared when we got ashore . All the men just about tore us apart they were so happy . Everyone was crying . I was covered with oil all over and they wiped me off with their handkerchiefs . Several of them came with their billfolds and tried to give them to us . All I could say was thank God . " All during the night on the ship there were many things going on , " Seaman Heistad wrote in his letter . " Many of them will never be mentioned . All the men were praying . None of us thought we would get threw ( sic ) alive . The strain was too much for some . They wanted to jump over the side . We had all we could do to keep the men together . We used a table for cleaning and sewing up wounds . Some of the men were awfully badly wounded . One had an awful tear and bruise on his leg . Another had his nose torn all loose and he was cut all over . There were 5 or 6 that were hurt very badly . I can never forget the cries of pain as they were treated and the cries of men as they were washed over the side . I just can ' t write what is in my heart . It can ' t be put into words . When we think every man was saved from drownding ( sic ) surely it was God ' s mercy . Oh , how I thank him . The captain said he was recommending the 3 of us on the boat for a silver star . But the medals are small . If I do get it , it will be God ' s medal and not mine . " Heistad , nor the two other unidentified seamen who aided in the rescue , did not receive official Naval recognition for their actions . However , Heistad has received hometown accolades for his part in saving the crew of the Vandalia [ 2 , 3 ] . A memorial display featuring a copy of Heistad ' s original letter , photos of the Vandalia pre - and post - typhoon , an account of the Allied military gathering in Buckner Bay , and the imact of the storm was presented 11 November 2010 , by Heistad ' s son , Torrey S . Heistad , to the White Lake , Wisconsin , Historical Society . The display now hangs in the White Lake community museum . Kermit Heistad was also featured in an article in the Antigo ( Wisconsin ) Daily Journal on 13 November 2010 , and on television station WAOW in Wausau , Wisconsin on 26 December 2010 . Immediately after the typhoon , the Vandalia commander observed that the ship appeared to be damaged beyond economical repair but nonetheless stationed a guard on board to prevent pilferage . A guard was retained on board until 20 November when , after stripping her of whatever remained of value , " Vandalia " was decommissioned and abandoned . Struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 5 December 1945 , the tanker was eventually purchased by the China Merchants and Engineers , Inc . , for scrap , on 31 December . See also . See USS " Vandalia " for other ships of the same name . References . 1 . Eye - witness account of Vandalia 191 rescue , written in a letter from Seaman Kermit S . Heistad to his sister , Rachel Heistad , dated 12 October 1945 . The letter was published in " Faith and Fellowship " and " Power " magazines , circa 1946 . The original letter remains in the possession of Heistad ' s daughter , Ellen Heistad - Hosafros . 2 . White Lake Hero Finally Recognized for Service , WAOW TV , Wausau , 26 December 2010 , http : / / www . waow . com / Global / story . asp ? S = 13741363 3 . Hidden Places : Sailor ’ s Quiet World War II Heroism Recalled , Antigo Daily Journal , 12 November 2010 , http : / / www . antigodailyjournal . com / full . php ? id = 11710