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A SHIP REBORN
SS Esso Nashville
Despite the devastating force of a torpedo which hurled the Esso Nashville, a vessel of 13,000 deadweight tons and fully loaded, nearly on her beamends, the night attack off the Atlantic coast on March 21, 1942 was accompanied by elements of unusual luck which saved the badly stricken ship - almost broken in two by the explosion - from immediate total loss.
The same good fortune enabled the entire crew to survive what came near being a terrible disaster. The fuel oil cargo did not catch fire and the Nashville, although shattered and nearly submerged amidships, held together for many hours before the forward section - nearly two-thirds of the ship - broke off and eventually sank after grounding with the bow above the surface.
When the crew, a few minutes after the attack, were carrying out the order to abandon the apparently hopeless wreck, with its back broken and the bow and stern rising and listing heavily to port, a gallant incident occurred which added to American sea traditions a classic example of a ship captain's self-sacrifice and courage. The heroism of the master of the Esso Nashville on that occasion was recognized by the first award of the American Legion Medal by the Robert L. Hague Post of the Legion to a member of the Merchant Marine.
As the record shows, the men in No. 2 lifeboat cannot be blamed for believing the captain was lost nor could they have done more than they did to save him. When they learned he had survived, it seemed amazing that he managed, with a fractured leg, to swim to the abandoned ship and get aboard. What he then accomplished until he was rescued is a story in itself related in his report with such terse simplicity that it is a masterpiece of understatement.
All this was only the beginning. The achievements that followed were important in the war of petroleum during the worst period of submarine attacks, when tanker losses for more than a year were so heavy that every tanker replacement was priceless.
Importalice of Salvage Job
When the forward part of the Esso Nashville broke away and was lost, the valuable after section, with the engineroom intact, remained afloat. It was soon salvaged by a Navy tug and towed to the nearest harbor under difficult conditions.
Finally, the reconstruction or extension of the less than half-ship by her original builders - necessarily accomplished in a dry dock - was a task which challenged to the full the traditional skill and ingenuity of the American shipbuilding industry. The challenge was met handsomely. In less than ten months the vessel was re-created. Probably listed by the enemy as destroyed, the Esso Nashville, thus triumphantly reborn, was rechristened by her original sponsor and again took her place as an important unit in the bridge of ships essential to victory.
Lest we forger or fail to appreciate just how important it was to salvage the after section of the Esso Nashville and to extend it into a complete ship, it should be recalled that in the same month of March, 1942. the Esso Bolivar was seriously damaged and the E. M. Clark, T. C. McCobb, Hanseat, and Penelope were lost. Moreover, from the outbreak of the war in Europe until the torpedoing of the Esso Nashville, fourteen Esso and Panama Transport Company tankers had been destroyed. By the time the Esso Nashville was rebuilt and returned to service in March, 1943. the enemy had sunk thirty-seven Esso and Panama Transport tankers and had damaged eight, a total of forty-five ships lost or damaged during the critical phase of the Battle of the Atlantic.
From September 3, 1939 to March 21, 1942, not including the cargo she was carrying when torpedoed, the original Esso Nashville completed 38 coastwise voyages.
The rebuilt Esso Nashville, time chartered to the War Shipping Administration, returned to service on March 16, 1943 and made two coastwise voyages out of seven between then and the end of the year. Of the five foreign voyages, four were to the United Kingdom and one to North Africa, where the tanker arrived at Algiers on December 4 - two days after the close of the Big Three Conference at Teheran.
"Shuttled Oil to Fighting Front in Italy"
From her arrival at Casablanca, Morocco, on July 10, 1944, after delivering one cargo each to North Africa and Italy, until her departure from Algiers on September 10, the Esso Nashville, in the words of Captain Ole A. Faran, "shuttled oil from the rear area in North Africa to the fighting front in Italy." After discharging 96,609 barrels of U. S. motor fuel at Naples, the Esso Nashville put in at Augusta, Sicily, took on 102,930 barrels of Navy Diesel oil, returned to Pozzuoli, discharged part of the cargo ashore at the terminal there and the rest into American and British invasion craft in Naples Bay. These same craft shortly afterward participated in the invasion of Southern France on August 15. Among them were fourteen LCIs, one LCT, one LST, one small seaplane tender (AVP 11), and one destroyer escort, the U"SS Frederick C. Davis, which later was announced as a war loss.
After this important operation, the Esso Nashville loaded one more shuttle cargo of Diesel oil, this time at Bizerte, in Tunisia, and discharged at Pozzuoli, before returning, via Augusta and Algiers, to New York, where she arrived on September 28. From then until the close of 1944 the Esso Nashville delivered five cargoes to Balboa, Trinidad, and east coast of South America ports.
Of the six cargoes transported by the Esso Nashville in 1945 before V-J Day, the most interesting was one for Odessa, the Russian Black Sea port - 7,178 barrels of butyl alcohol and 95,224 barrels of alkylate blending agent. On April 10, 1944, Moscow had announced the liberation of Odessa by the Red Army.
The wartime transportation record of the Esso Nashville was in summary as follows:
* Out of service from March 21, 1942 to March 16, 1943
The wartime masters of the Esso Nashville were Captains Edward V. Peters, Elden M. MacCabe, Frans G. M. Anderson, Chester C. Ballard, Alexander J. Zafiros, Ole A. Faran, and Ivar Boklund.
Associated with them were Chief Engineers Leon H. Fessier, Ernest G. Bornheimer, Robert E. Anderson, Robert W. Gunn, Jackson B. Springs, Aloysius J. Kist, Laughton D. Angel, Fred F. Newton, Earl Williams, John Schuldes, William Schwindt, Charles L. Stonebridge, George B. Calundann, Sigurd Steffen-sen, and Thor 0. Sandin.
The SS Esso Nashville was built in 1940 by the Bethlehem Steel Company, Shipbuilding Division, at Sparrows Point, Md. She is a sistership of the R. W. Gallagher (lost July 13, 1942), Esso Baltimore, Esso Baton Rouge (lost February 23, 1943), and Esso Charleston.
A single-screw vessel of 13,000 deadweight tons capacity on international summer draft of 28 feet, 6 1/4 inches, the Esso Nashville has an overall length of 463 feet, 1 1/4 inches, a length between perpendiculars of 442 feet, a moulded breadth of 64 feet, and a depth moulded of 34 feet, 10 inches. With a cargo carrying capacity of 106,718 barrels, she has an assigned pumping rate of 6,000 barrels an hour.
Her turbine engine, supplied with steam by two water-tube boilers, develops 4,000 shaft horsepower and gives her a classification certified speed of 13 knots.
On the morning of March 5, 1942, the Esso Nashville, commanded by Captain Edward V. Peters and with Chief Engineer Aloysius J. Kist in charge of her engineroom, sailed from New York for Port Arthur, Texas. It should be noted at this point that on March 4, at Bayway, N. J., a supply of lifesaving suits was put aboard for all hands - 38 officers and men. The value of this equipment, first issued to the crew of the Esso Baton Rouge on February 1, 1942, was successfully demonstrated when the Esso Nashville was torpedoed 16 days after leaving New York.
Bound For New Haven
To quote the report of Captain Peters: "We left Port Arthur, Texas, on March 16 loaded with a full cargo of about 78,000 bar-rels of fuel oil destined for New Haven, Connecticut. The vessel was unarmed. Proceeding without escort we followed the routing instructions received from the Navy authorties at Port Arthur, Texas. The vessel was all blacked out at night."
On March 20, the Esso Nashville reached Frying Pan lighted buoy without incident, passing about a mile off the buoy at 10:56 p.m.
There being no moon, the night was dark and a drizzle of cold rain hid the stars. Running up the coast in a moderate sea, stirred by a southwesterly wind. Force 4, the Esso Nashville was steering a course approximately northeast and making about 12.4 knots.
At midnight. Second Mate Johannes Boje took over his watch on the bridge. Theodore Niedzwiecki, A.B., was at the wheel and Harvard M. Brown, O.S., was .stationed on top of the wheelhouse. Lookout duty on the foc'sle head was assigned to John A. Littlefield, A.B.
In the engineroom on the 12 to 4 watch were Second Assistant Erich Blume, Oiler James A. Mit-chell, and Fireman-Water-tender Lonnie C. Skinner.
Explosion Nearly Capsized Ship
"At 12:20 a.m.," Captain Peters reported, "as I was resting in my room, I heard a thud against the ship's hull as if it had brushed against a buoy or some wreckage. I immediately got up and went to the bridge to inquire about the cause of this shock."
The impact heard by the captain was also described by Chief Mate Christian A. Hansen and Third Mate John Kerves. It was thought to have been caused by a torpedo which hit the ship without exploding. The -shock was felt on the starboard side, forward.
"As I reached the bridge," Captain Peters continued, ^'a terrific crash occurred on the starboard side abaft the midship house, raising the vessel up bodily and throwing her to starboard and then keeling her to port so violently that I feared she was going to turn over., The entire ship was flooded with oil which spouted as high as the foremast; dense smoke and sparks emanated from the explosion of the torpedo.
"All communications with the engineroom were disrupted at once, but in accordance with previous instructions the engine was stopped."
The force of the explosion and its effect on the ship may be judged by the fact that Radio Operator Thomas R. Rhiel was tossed out of bed when the tanker was hit.
Chief Mate Hansen, suddenly awakened by the sound of something hard striking the side of the ship, sat up and listened. "Within thirty seconds," he said, "the crash of an explosion occurred and I knew that a torpedo had struck the ship. The lights in my room went out and I felt the deck rising under my feet. My room filled with smoke and what seemed to me to be a gas which made me cough and drew tears to my eyes. At that time we were about 16 miles northeast of Frying Pan Shoals."
Saw Torpedo
Third Mate Kerves was descending from the bridge after finishing his watch when he felt the thud which preceded the explosion. He hurried to the starboard side to investigate. "I looked around for perhaps a minute," he reported, "and then I saw a streak in the water coming toward us rapidly. When I realized it was a torpedo I turned around and started to go inside, but it hit before I managed this. It struck within three seconds. Flames shot in the air and oil was thrown everywhere. Some of the hot oil was blown in my face."
Pumpman James Dix, in relating his experience, paid a tribute to Captain Peters for the strictness with which he trained the men at lifeboat drills. "The drills," Dix said, "were held frequently and with no warning. As a result, all the lifeboats were launched quickly and without mishap when the order was given to abandon ship."
Third Assistant Engineer Henry H. Garig, going off watch at midnight, went to the petty officers' mess-room with Oiler Thomas D. Hemphill and Fireman-Watertender Austin P. Wolfe for some night lunch. As Garig told his story: "It was approximately 12:20 a.m., when we heard the thud up forward that Captain Peters has described. It seemed worse than that to us. I turned and said 'Well, we got it!' and ran up to the chief engineer's room. Mr. Kist was coming out of the doorway and asked me what was the matter and I told him I thought the ship had been torpedoed. We decided to go to the engineroom in case we were needed to get up additional steam. When we got to the fireroom platform the; other torpedo hit in way of No. 6 and No. 7 tanks. The ship heaved over so quickly I was nearly thrown off the ladder. Second Assistant Blume turned off the turbine immediately and the chief and I ran out of the engineroom, followed by Blume, Hemphill, and Wolfe.
"All the lights on the ship were out, but fortunately I always carried a flashlight. On the way to my room I found many of the crew in the outside passageway, standing in water and oil up to their knees. I held my flashlight to assist them and they all followed me to my room and waited while I put on my rubber suit. Then they followed me to No. 4 lifeboat. They were very orderly and there was no panic. By Captain Peters' orders all the lifeboats were kept swung out. Electrician Christie and I got into the boat and I held the light so that the other men could slide down the falls. We cast the falls loose, but as we were on the windward side the waves were banging the boat against the side of the ship. With 21 of us in the lifeboat the men at the oars had too little space to row. I therefore called for the six other men wearing life suits to follow me into the water. They all responded and we hung on to the gunwales. We were then able to clear the ship."
Oiler an Unsung Hero
At this point Garig told the story of an unsung hero. Oiler Leonard E. Mills. "A man 56 years of age," he said, "Mills was in the Navy in the first World War and had since then served many years in the Fire Department of Akron, Ohio, until retired on a pension. Feeling it was a patriotic duty regardless of his age to go to sea in time of war, he signed as an oiler on the Esso Nashville March 4, 1942, the day before we sailed from New York on this voyage.
"When the men were getting into No. 4 boat. Mills appeared in a life jacket but on that cold night with the drenching rain he was clad only in his trunks. When one of the younger men standing nearby yelled for a life preserver; Mills took his off and gave it to him. I at once told Mills to take his life jacket back, but he told me he could swim better than the younger man. Later, when I asked the men wearing rubber suits to get into the water. Mills jumped in before we did and he stayed with us, hanging on in the cold water for 3 or 4 hours. When we got back into the boat he was suffering from the cold and I offered him my rubber suit. Refusing it, he wrapped himself in a blanket and took one of the oars."
Oiler Leonard E. Mills lost his life on the R. W. Gallagher, July 13, 1942.
"The night was very dark," Garig continued, "and by that time it was raining hard. The weather was getting colder. We first intended to row to shore but decided to wait until morning. At daybreak we could see the Esso Nashville about half a mile away. She was so low in the water amidships and her bow and stern so high that her two masts had almost come together. As the skies brightened we saw that the ship's flag had been raised astern upside down and we knew that someone was still aboard.
"Soon after daylight, when we were picked up by the Coast Guard cutter Tallapoosa, I told her commander that there was someone still aboard the ship. He then signaled another Coast Guard cutter, the Agassiz, which lowered a boat and picked up Captain Peters."
To return to Captain Peters' report: "Second Mate Boje sounded the general alarm, all hands rushed to their station, and the lifeboats were made ready for launching. Both the ship's bow and stern were raised high out of the water and as she was settling amidships where the torpedo struck, I gave the order to abandon ship. As the four lifeboats were being lowered I tried to go to my room to fetch the ship's secret documents and papers, but I was unable to reach my room because of the smoke and gas.
"I went to boat No. 2, which was then lowered in the water, but as I stepped down the pilot's ladder I fell into the water be-tween the ship's side and the lifeboat. By that time the ship had changed position to windward and the crew members in No. 2 were experiencing great difficulties in handling their boat and keeping it away from the ship's side. Seeing this. and fearing trouble for them in case the ship sank, I shouted to them to get away and pick me up later if they could."
Chief Mate Hansen explained the circumstances:
"When the boat was lowered we all proceeded into it but Captain Peters, who fell into the sea. Second Mate Boje and Ste-ward Frank Series grabbed him and tried to assist him into the boat, but the sea threw the lifeboat against the side of the ship and they lost their grips. The captain called to us and we hollered back to him that we were coming as soon as we could get clear from the ship rail and the rigging into which the lifeboat had been thrown. After about four or five minutes we had the boat clear and we yelled for Captain Peters, but there was no response.
"When able to man the oars of our lifeboat, we rowed to a point off the stern of the vessel. We kept rowing all night until we were about three or four miles from the ship."
Master's Unique Experience
Captain Peters started to swim away from the ship as fast as he could but it was impossible to make any headway because of the oil spilled over the sea and also because of the pain in his fractured leg. "After three-quarters of an hour of hopeless efforts," he said, "I decided to swim back to the ship, which was. still afloat and where it seemed I would stand a better chance of being rescued.
"I boarded her quite easily forward of the mainmast, where her deck was awash, and after considerable effort I got aft to the engineers' quarters. After resting in the second assistant's room and bandaging my leg which had badly swollen, I fastened a white sheet to the rail on the windward side and ran up the ship's ensign upside down on the flag pole on the poop deck. I also tried to put on one of the lifesav-ing suits, but could not manage to fasten it around my neck and gave it up."
"At daybreak," Captain Peters continued, "I sighted three U.S. Navy vessels (the destroyer McKean and the Coast Guard cutters Agassiz and Tallapoosa) about three miles off the bow, which were apparently picking up the crew from the lifeboats. One of them came off the stern of the Esso Nashville as I tried to swim to it and then launched a lifeboat from which a line was thrown to me and I was rescued. I was later pleased to learn that the entire crew had been rescued."
Slippery With Oil
To return to Kerves' story: "I then looked around for the lifeboats and No. 1 was still hanging on the davits. I asked Sparks (Radio Operator Rhiel) to help lower the lifeboat, as we could not see or hear anyone else on the bridge. Sparks said to wait a minute as he wanted to go below to his room for something. I told him to go ahead, that I would not leave without him. I started cutting the lashings holding the lifeboat to get it ready for lowering. All this time the bow of the ship was going up and it had a bad list. When I succeeded in cutting the boat free it was getting difficult to stand up because of the oily deck and plight of the vessel, and I slid toward the after davit. Sparks returned and I told him to stand by the forward fall. We started to lower the lifeboat away, but everything was so oily we couldn't properly lower the boat; the lines slipped through our hands and the boat fell into the sea. No damage was done to the boat. I looked around then to find Sparks but could not see him. I yelled, 'Where are you?' He answered that he was down in the lifeboat. (When the oily falls slipped through his hands the bight undoubtedly caught and pulled him over the side and he fell down into the boat). His only injury was blistered hands.
"The ship was listing to starboard quite heavily by this time and the man ropes were far out. I could only get hold of the fall. Holding onto that I swung out and went over the boat and into the sea. I managed to get my foot in the grab rail and pulled myself into the boat. Sparks' hands were so blistered he could hardly do anything so I got the boat clear and released the falls.
"I sculled the boat. Sparks was pulling the best he could. We got a little distance from the ship and remained there until morning. In the meanwhile I was trying to rig up the sail but everything was slippery with oil, and in the dark I couldn't manage this. We waited until daylight.
"About dawn we rigged the mast and sail and passed within approximately one-quarter of a mile of the Esso Nashville, but saw no one either in the water or on the ship, nor did we see any of the other lifeboats about. As we passed the ship we could see that the after end of the midship boat deck was level with the sea.
"A little later we saw flares at a point northeast about four or five miles, and directly ahead of the ship, southeast about three or four miles. There were also flares from a third direction, south-southeast, in the same vicinity." Pumpman Dix said that "No. 3 boat sent up flares about 6 or 7 a.m. About a mile off from the lifeboat we saw the conning tower of a submarine."
Lifeboat No. 1, launched by Third Mate Kerves and Radio Operator Rhiel, and lifeboat No. 2, with six men, including Chief Mate Hansen and Second Mate Boje, were picked up by the destroyer McKean, which landed these eight officers and men at Norfolk, Va., March 22.
Boat No. 3, with eight men, including Chief Engineer Aloysius J. Kist, Second Assistant Blume, Boatswain Charles A. Lamson, and Pumpman Dix, was picked up by the Coast Guard cutter Agassiz, which also rescued Captain Peters and then landed the nine men at Southport, N. C.
In No. 4 boat were 21 men, including First Assistant Claud J. Lawson and Third Assistant Garig. They were rescued by the Coast Guard cutter Tallapoosa, which continued patrol duty for three days and afterward landed them at Savannah, Ga.
The men landed at Southport were given kerosene baths to remove the oil and were then taken to Wil-mington and put up at a hotel by the Company agent, Mr. S. W. Walters. Captain Peters was taken to Bullock Hospital in Wilmington.
Ship Had Broken in Two
On March 23, 1942, the Navy tug USS Umpqua towed the after section of the Esso Nashville into Morehead City, N. C. This difficult task was accomplished without mishap and the success of the operation was largely due to William S. Lawson of the Umpqua, who had an intimate knowledge of the channel, and to Pilot Charles Piner, of Morehead City, on the salvage tug SS Relief, which assisted the Umpqua through the channel.
When the "half-ship" was towed to Morehead City it was listing about 40° to port; the starboard bilge keel at the forward end was above water and the port side of the main deck at the break of the poop was about 3 feet above water level. The hull was completely broken transversely in way of No. 5 cargo tanks and a large section of deck plating and fittings was hanging down vertically over the forward end of No. 6 tanks. All three No. 6 tanks were open to the sea.
On March 26, Mr. Guy L. Bennett, Port Engineer, arrived at Morehead City with Chief Engineer Kist and Second Assistant Blume. Arrangements were made to bring the after section of the Esso Nashville ta an upright position by pumping out water from the engineroom and whatever cargo remained aboard, by running water into No. 8 starboard tank, and otherwise making it safe to be towed to a shipyard. The Hatteras Oil Company ran a steam line from their plant on the dock nearby to connect with the vessel's steam line so that the engineroom could be pumped dry.
A contract was entered into with the Bethlehem Steel Company, Baltimore, Md., the builders of the ship, whereby they undertook to fabricate the material for the forward section and assemble the sections. The Moran Towing Company dispatched two tugs to Morehead City, where they arrived May 26. On , May 28, the tugs took the after section of the Esso Nashville in tow and delivered it safely at Baltimore on June 1.
First Job of its Type at Baltimore
An examination made by divers showed that a mass of torn and. twisted steel, extending below the base line of the salvaged section, would hinder dry-docking. These obstacles were removed by underwater cutting apparatus. As stated in The Ships' Bulletin for May-June, 1944: "The problem of trimming the after section was solved by ingenuity, sharpened by wartime ne-cessity. The No. 7 main and wing cargo tanks were repaired and then large weights were placed in them to help trim the section to a suitable draft for entry into the graving dock.
"Sights were taken with transits to align the salvaged section on the keel track. The dry docking operation had to be carried out with the greatest care, since no other job of this type had ever been attempted before in the Baltimore area.
"In order to prevent disturbing the vessel as it rested on the keel blocks, water was pumped out of the graving dock very slowly. Since such a small portion of the relatively flat part of the vessel's bottom rested on the blocking, side spur shoring was set up to keep the section plumb.
Rehabilitation Begins
"After the graving dock had been pumped dry,. transit readings were again taken to determine if the hull was in proper position. This was done to determine a fixed point at the head of the dock to which the center line could be carried forward. A new base line of the keel track had to be established at this fixed point, from the base line of the section dry docked. When this base line had been determined, the keel blocks had to be altered to suit. Cradle bars were then installed from the keel blocks outward to the bilge line. The necessary dead rise of the vessel was obtained from drawings of the original Esso Nashville.
"All material from the stem back to the after end of No. 6 tanks, approximately two-thirds of the length of the original vessel, had to be prefabricated from the original drawings made in 1940 when the ship was built at Bethlehem's Sparrows Point Yard. Bulkheads and transverses were assembled and welded at Sparrows Point, in sections weighing 6 to 12 tons. These were placed on lighters and brought to the repair yard for erection. Prior to the erection of the bulkheads and transverses, the shell plating was placed on the cradle bars to form the bottom of the vessel.
"Allowances were made for tonnage shifting and settling for every square foot of area on the entire bottom of the vessel and dry dock, by special construction of cribbing and shoring. Transit readings were taken daily to keep the new section in alignment with the old. While construction was proceeding on the forward part of the hull, permanent repairs were also made on the salvaged section. Nos. 7 and 8 main and wing cargo tanks, all parts of this section, were repaired or renewed, and heating coils, hatches, ladders, etc., were overhauled or replaced. The main engine, all auxiliary equipment, and the pumping facilities were repaired and put into working condition.
"Adding the forward section, having a length of 300 feet, a beam of 64 feet, and a depth of 34 feet, was practically like building a new ship. The construction included a midship house, with quarters and the necessary furniture, bridge deck, boat deck, and navigating bridge. New navigation equipment, engine telegraph, and alarm systems were installed.
"In the construction of the hull, the internal sections were welded. All shell plating seams were riveted, while the shell plating butts were welded. Approximately 2,100 tons of steel were used in the reconstruction.
"When the hull was ready for refloating, a second launching ceremony was carried out, with the sponsor of the original Esso Nashville, Mrs. H. S. Atchison, wife of the Manager of Esso's Baltimore Marine Office, officiating. Towing the reborn vessel to the outfitting dock marked the end of a three-month stay in the graving dock and the completion of a job rarely seen in a repair yard on the eastern coast.
"After outfitting, regular tests and trials, the Esso Nashville was again ready to join the large fleet of tankers engaged in the transportation of vital cargoes. to the fighting forces of the United Nations."
On June 7, 1944, the War Shipping Administration, in a release to the press, stated that the rebuilding of the Esso Nashville had enabled the tanker "to make repeated successful voyages delivering war supplies, for the invasions, to the British Isles and the Mediterranean. After surviving seemingly mortal damage, the reconstructed ship was sturdy enough, her master says, to withstand the buffeting of some of the worst weather he had encountered in 32 years at sea."
This press release quoted Captain Alexander J. Zafiros, then master of the ship, as saying that "The punishment the Esso Nashville took was really cruel and yet the welding and riveting throughout the vessel is as sound as a dollar. It is noteworthy that all the machinery, and particularly that in the engine-room, gave no trouble at any time. We never had to stop at sea. I think this is the most remarkable tanker I have ever been aboard. It is difficult to believe that a recommissioned ship could be as sound as this one. She is almost animate in her performance. Her seaworthiness is A-l and her construction materials and all her equipment are excellent."
Awarded Legion Medal
The American Legion Medal for outstanding heroism was presented to Captain Peters by the Robert L. Hague Post of the Legion at ceremonies held at noon, May 3, 1943, on the floor of the Maritime Exchange, 80 Broad Street. The presentation was made by Rear Admiral Stanley V. Parker, United States Coast Guard, Captain of the Port of New York. The citation accompanying the medal was read by Commander (now Captain) Malcolm L. Worrell, USNR, commander of the post. Mr. E. J. Barber, President of the Maritime Exchange, opened the ceremonies.
The citation was as follows:
"Captain Edward Vincent Peters, master of the tank steamer Esso Nashville, for outstanding heroism in line of his profession when his vessel was torpedoed and broken in two by an enemy submarine off the U. S. Atlantic coast on March 21, 1942. After giving the order to abandon ship and ascertaining that all men were in lifeboats, Captain Peters, in attempting to embark in the last boat, slipped on the oil-covered deck and fell into the sea, sustaining chest injuries and a fractured leg. Observing that the boat was about to be crushed against the side of the ship, he ordered it to get away and pick him up later, if possible. Realizing that his painful injuries rendered him incapable of swimming to the boat, he floated himself over the awash midship section of the tanker, made his way aft to the engineers' quarters' and bandaged his broken leg. After a short rest he hoisted a distress signal and later was rescued by a Navy vessel. Without regard to his personal safety. Captain Peters, in ordering away the boat, undoubtedly prevented the loss of the lives of many of his shipmates.
His act of courage and bravery above and beyond the call of duty will be an inspiration to the men of the U. S. Merchant Marine."
Captain Edward V. Peters entered the Company's service as a third mate September 18, 1919, and has had continuous service as a master since July 28, 1930. He was in the Coast Guard during the first World War and has been a lieutenant commander in the Merchant Marine Naval Reserve since March 15, 1935. When Captain Peters recovered from the injuries he received at the time the Esso Nashville was torpedoed, he returned to sea as master of another Esso tanker.
Chief Engineer Aloysius J. Kist first joined the Company on October 6, 1922 and has had continuous service as a licensed officer since August 3, 1931. He first served as chief engineer on the Esso Nashville, January 30, 1942. Since December 31, 1942, he has been an inspector in the Construction Department.
Five survivors of the Esso Nashville were on other tankers subsequently lost or damaged by enemy action. Ordinary Sea-man Albert B. Byrd was a survivor of the Benjamin Brewster, July 9, 1942; Oiler Leonard E. Mills, as previously mentioned, was lost on the R. W. Gallagher, July 13, 1942; Oiler James A. Mitchell survived the sinking of the Esso Harrisburg July 6, 1944; Messman Eddie Borges was a survivor of the Esso Houston, May 12, 1942; and Messman Lee R. Osban survived the torpedoing of the Paul H. Harwood on July 7, 1942.
Survivors of the "Esso Nashville" - March 21, 1942 :
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