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TWELVE HALIFAX DELIVERIES
MS Esso Philadelphia
Among the new vessels added to the Esso fleet during World War II were five large, modern, Diesel-powered tankers - part
of the response of America's shipyards to the urgent demand for more ships. The Esso Philadelphia was the fourth of this
group to be completed.
Delivered on December 28, 1942 and time chartered to the War Shipping Administration the same day, the vessel sailed
from Chester, Pennsylvania, New Year's Day, 1943, on her maiden voyage and proceeded to Baytown to load her first
cargo, 128,342 barrels of burner oil for New York. Captain Frank H. Spun' was her master and Chief Engineer Daniel Kelly
was in charge of her engineroom.
After shaking down on two coastwise voyages, the Esso Philadelphia loaded at New York 100,412 barrels of fuel oil and
gas oil and left on February 8 for Gibraltar. This was the first of five transatlantic trips
made by the motor tanker in 1943, in addition to several coastwise voyages. Besides two visits to Gibraltar she carried
special Navy fuel oil to Dakar and Freetown, Africa, and to Glasgow, Scotland.
Early in 1944 the Esso Philadelphia traveled to Algiers on a voyage which was described by Radio Operator Earle J. Schlarb
in an interview for this history: "With Captain John B. Petterson in command we sailed from New York on January 4 for
Aruba. On deck we carried two P-38 (Lightning) planes. We were supposed to have twelve of these airplanes, but sleet
and snow had prevented taking aboard our full quota.
"At Aruba we loaded 106,801 barrels of special Navy fuel oil and took departure on January 14, 1944 for Gibraltar. Orders
were received en route changing our destination to Algiers. We were in a convoy of ten tankers guarded by four destroyer
escorts. The commodore ship was the Esso tanker Dartmouth, under the command of Captain William Mello.
"On January 20 the Esso Philadelphia fueled the four escorts at sea. We arrived off Dakar on January 24 and here three
ships dropped out of the convoy. The next day, January 25, we again fueled the destroyer escorts.
"Off Casablanca on January 28 another tanker left the formation and on the 29th two vessels headed for Gibraltar and two
for Oran. The Esso Philadelphia and the Dartmouth, now the only ships remaining in the convoy, arrived at Algiers on
January 30 to discharge."
Valuable Cargo
The Esso Philadelphia's cargo of Navy fuel was part of the large supply needed at that time for Allied naval operations in
support of the campaign in Italy. On the morning of January 22, 1944, the United States VI Army Corps landed on beaches
near Anzio to disrupt communications in the rear of German forces in the Cassino area. After the Anzio landing, American
and British naval forces still had important missions to carry out - supply, reinforcement, and bombardment in support of
the ground troops.
To continue Mr. Schlarb's account: "At Algiers the Axis was still active. A great deal of trouble had been caused by 'human
torpedoes'. These saboteurs, apparently brought by submarines, either swam under water or, equipped with diving gear,
walked along the bottom, and attached bombs to the keels of Allied ships or to their propellers. When the ship or the pro-
peller moved, the bomb went off.
"So much damage was done by this method that special measures were used to guard against it. British soldiers were
stationed on the ends of the two jetties which flank the entrance to the harbor of Algiers. Every few minutes, twenty-four
hours a day, they dropped 5-pound depth charges. Lookouts with rifles and hand grenades were also stationed on the
ships and on the docks. A fine harvest of fish, killed by the explosions of the depth charges, was gathered by the citizens
of Algiers, who put out in boats.
"On the return voyage we set out for Aruba on February 7, 1944. At first, the four destroyer escorts were guarding only
three ships, but we picked up two more off Oran and two off Casablanca. Three ships that were delayed were left behind.
The Dartmouth was again the commodore ship.
"The Esso Philadelphia fueled the escorts on February 13, and the same day orders were received diverting our ship to
Caripito. We left the convoy on the 18th. The voyage ended with our arrival at Caripito February 19."
The Esso Philadelphia carried four more cargoes across the Atlantic before the end of the war. In
April, 1944, she delivered at Dakar special Navy fuel oil from Trinidad; in November and December she made two trips to
Freetown; and in June, 1945 she transported fuel oil from Trinidad to Glasgow. The rest of the time she was assigned to
coastwise and Caribbean runs.
On Halifax Run
The tanker made an unusual number of visits to Halifax. Between May, 1944 and May, 1945 she delivered twelve cargoes
there - mostly fuel for the hundreds of ships that left Halifax in convoy for the hazardous North Atlantic crossing.
The wartime transportation record of the Esso Philadelphia was in summary as follows:
Year
|
Voyages (Cargoes)
|
Barrels
|
1943
|
13
|
1,517,498
|
1943
|
15
|
1,686,888
|
1945
|
12
|
1,358,211
|
Total
|
40
|
4,562,597
|
The MS Esso Philadelphia was built in 1942 by the Sun Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company at Chester, Penna. Her
sisterships were the Esso Augusta, Esso Little Rock, Esso Pittsburgh, and Esso Williamsburg. (The latter was lost in
September, 1942.)
A single-screw vessel of 17,955 deadweight tons capacity on international summer draft of 30 feet, 41/2 inches, the Esso
Philadelphia has an overall length of 547 feet, 2 3/4 inches, a length between perpendiculars of 521 feet, a moulded breadth
of 70 feet, and a depth moulded of 40 feet. With a cargo carrying capacity of 153,704 barrels, she has an assigned
pumping rate of 8,000 barrels an hour.
Her Diesel engine develops 8,250 brake horsepower and gives her a classification certified speed of 15.2 knots.
When the Esso Philadelphia was launched, on November 20, 1942, the sponsor and the matron of honor were Mrs. Walter
M. Christiansen and Mrs. Einar A. Nilsson, whose husbands. Chief Engineer Christiansen and Chief Mate Nilsson, lost their
lives when the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey tanker W. L. Steed was sunk by enemy action on February 2, 1942.
The masters of the Esso Philadelphia in the war years were Captains Frank H. Spurr, Gustave A. Ekiund, Andrew B.
Jakobsen, John B. Petterson, August Randall, Frank E. Wirtanen, Herbert A. Nelson, and Maurice W. Carter.
In charge of her engineroom during the same period were Chief Engineers Daniel Kelly, Laurence T. Moore, Frederick J.
Hiniker, Harold A. Morris, and Ervin C. Haatvedt.