SS Antoine Saugrain SS " Antoine Saugrain " was a Liberty ship of the United States that served in World War II . The ship was built at the Permanente Metals Corporation Yard No . 2 in Richmond , California under Maritime Commission Contract 1728 . Laid down on 26 July 1943 , the ship was launched on 15 August , and delivered on 28 August . She was torpedoed off Leyte on 5 December 1944 , and sank the next day . Sinking . " Antoine Saugrain " fought off 12 kamikaze torpedo planes on 5 December 1944 . Twelve gunners were wounded and merchant seamen took over the machine guns to fight off the attack . Two days later she was sunk by a torpedo plane while in tow in the Surigao Strait near Leyte Gulf . Some of the 450 survivors had to swim a long time before being rescued . The Coast Guard frigate ' s role of escorting convoys from the staging areas to the invasion sites likewise was crucial . In late November , the " Coronado " and " San Pedro " left $ 3 , New Guinea , to steam the 1 , 250 miles to escort a convoy of ships bringing supplies and men to Leyte . The voyage proceeded without incident until 5 December when enemy planes attacked the convoy . One Japanese torpedo plane attacked the SS " Antoine Saugrain " from the port beam . The torpedo struck the freighter at the stern , exploded , and carried away its rudder . Fifteen minutes later another torpedo bomber approached the " Saugrain " and despite heavy gunfire , put a torpedo in the ship at the number two hold . This torpedo fatally wounded the vessel . The " Saugrain " had on board nearly 450 crew and Army troops . The " Coronado " and " San Pedro " steamed to the assistance of the freighter and saved all hands . History . The entire campaign for Leyte was that made on a convoy that was north - east of Mindanao and just one day out of Leyte on December 5 . The Armed Guard voyage reports of 15 merchant ships tell the story of the action which resulted in the loss of one merchant ship , " Antoine Saugrain " , and damage to two other ships , " Marcus Daly " and " John Evans " . Japanese plane losses probably amounted to ten planes destroyed . The action opened with a bombing attack at about 0840 , which did no damage . At 1220 , " Antoine Saugrain " claimed hits on a torpedo plane that was strafing the convoy . A little later a torpedo hit the ship . At 1231 she claimed hits on another torpedo plane and almost immediately was hit by a second torpedo in her No . 2 hold . At 1247 the order was given to abandon ship . She finally went down while being towed to Leyte on December 6 . " John Evans " was more fortunate . She accounted for two planes during the afternoon of December 5 , but the second plane crashed into her . A bomb exploded as the plane crashed . The " Evans " was able to make Leyte on December 6 . Two Armed Guards and two members of her crew were wounded . The " Marcus Daly " , already a veteran of the worst attacks in the Leyte campaign in October , brought down two planes before a third hit her at about 1530 and made a hole “ large enough to drive a train through ” . The resulting fire was not brought under control until midnight . A torpedo missed the ship . Some 200 Army personnel were killed , missing , or wounded . One Armed Guard was killed and seven were wounded . Two members of the merchant crew were also killed . This proud ship made Leyte , and on December 10 assisted in shooting down a plane that managed to crash into her . The Armed Guard officer and seven other Armed Guards were wounded in this attack , but the " Daly " remained afloat . Other merchant ships in the convoy gave a good account of themselves both on December 5 and in later attacks at Leyte . " Cape Gaspe " destroyed one plane on December 5 and received credit for an assist on December 10 . Army personnel set up and manned additional machine guns . She reported 63 alerts between December 6 and 18 . " Lew Wallace " was credited with the destruction of one plane and assistance in destroying two others on December 5 . A bomb missed by only 40 yards . On December 10 she downed another plane and assisted in shooting down yet another . These planes were reported to have crashed into " William C . Ladd " and " Marcus Daly " . " Conrad Kohrs " was credited with one assist on December 5 . " H . H . Raymond " claimed a plane destroyed on December 5 and was credited with a plane on December 20 . The latter plane dropped a bomb and then apparently tried to crash into the ship . It fell into the water 200 yards from the " Raymond " . The " James H . Breasted " was credited with one plane downed , one assist , and one plane probably destroyed on December 5 . At 1450 a bomb barely missed her 3 ” / 50 gun tub . The plane that torpedoed " Saugrain " on December 5 also strafed " John Hart " . The " Hart " was credited with the destruction of one plane on December 6 . " Peter Lassen " was credited with the destruction of one plane on December 20 . " William S . Colley " was credited with the destruction of the plane that crashed into a ship on December 5 . " Richard Yates " received no credit for planes destroyed on December 5 but claimed hits on one plane . " James H . Lane " was credited with an assist on December 5 and destroyed another plane on December 25 . Her Armed Guard officer reported that a torpedo passed the stern of the ship and missed by only 50 feet . The " Lane " was in the Leyte - Samar area from December 6 to April 8 . Earlier , she had participated in the Morotai campaign and had assisted in destroying an enemy plane on October 31 , 1944 . " Morton M . McCarver " was in the December 5 attack but did not destroy any Japanese planes . The only other merchant ship to be sunk in the Leyte operation was " William S . Ladd " . Before she went down in Leyte Gulf she established the proud record of four planes destroyed . She accounted for one plane on the afternoon of December 5 and knocked down three on December 10 . One of these planes crashed into her and set 500 drums of gasoline afire . A number of explosions in No . 4 and No . 5 holds followed at 1830 and the ship began to settle by the stern . At 1750 the after guns had been secured and the men manning them were ordered to abandon ship . At 1840 guns No . 1 to 5 were ordered secured and the Armed Guards were ordered to abandon ship . Not until 1930 did the last Navy personnel and ship ’ s officers abandon the doomed vessel . Eight Armed Guards were wounded when the plane crashed into " Ladd " . " On 5 December 1944 , the was escorting a convoy from Hollandia , New Guinea , to Leyte when attacking Japanese aircraft sank SS " Antoine Saugrain " , a cargo ship laden with valuable radar material , and severely damaged SS " Marcus Daly " . She brought the rest of the convoy safely into Leyte the next day .