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SURVIVING ENEMY ACTION
SS S. B. Hunt
The Esso tanker S. B. Hunt, while in convoy on a voyage from Recife, Brazil, to Trinidad, in ballast, was torpedoed on the night of July 6-7, 1943, about 75 miles off the Brazilian coast. However, she did not drop out of formation and was able to continue on to Trinidad, where she underwent emergency repairs.
As a result of the enemy action, damage was done to the S. B. Hunt's hull and pumproom, but there were no casualties among her merchant crew of 37 officers and men and the 1 1 members of her U. S. Navy armed guard.
Later the vessel reached Galveston, Texas, after steaming for twenty-four days in a badly damaged condition. She was fully repaired and returned to service.
When the S. B. Hunt was torpedoed, she was commanded by Captain Henry S. Westmoreland and her engineroom was in charge of Chief Engineer William C. Wells.
The submarine attack and the events which followed were described in Captain Westmoreland's report:
"The convoy, comprising five columns of three ships and one column of four, left Recife, Brazil, on July 5, 1943 bound for Trinidad, B. W. I. We were occupying the lead position in the fifth column and were maintaining our station. The vessel was in ballast.
"The S. B. Hunt was hit at about 3:28 a.m. on July 7 in the position of Latitude 3°51' South and Longitude 36°22' West; this was estimated from the distance run since star observations made the evening before. The weather at the time was clear, with stars shining, no moon, and a moderate easterly wind between Force 2 and 3. There was a moderate sea. The visibility was good. We were on a convoy course of 290° true and our speed was about eight or eight and a half knots."
Third Mate William E. Hazard's report gave the names of the men on watch:
"At the time of the attack, Second Mate Charles Muller was in charge of the watch, with Folke Ostlund, A.B., at the wheel; Vance K. Golden, A.B., as foc'sle head lookout; and Billy H. Willits, A.B., calling the watch. Second Assistant Engineer Adam W. Schuman was on watch in the engineroom with Oiler Leslie S. Wise, Jr., and Fireman Buford W. Graves. I had just retired when the torpedo, as I learned later, struck in way of the bulkhead between No. 4 tank and the pumproom, port side."
Resumed Her Convoy Position
Returning to Captain Westmoreland's story:
"The shock of the torpedo shook the S. B. Hunt from stem to stern and all hands knew what had happened. The torpedo struck on the port side, approximately amidships in way of the pumproom, between Nos. 4 and 5 main tanks. The violent explosion caused the vessel to sheer about 20° to starboard of the course. There was a ship immediately behind us when the torpedo struck and another vessel about 1,000 yards astern. After the explosion, Second Mate Muller switched on the red masthead light as a warning to the other ships and allowed it to remain on for four or five minutes.
"I rushed to the bridge from the chart room, where I had been lying down. The steering gear of the S. B. Hunt was found in order and the vessel resumed her position and proceeded at convoy speed. There was a slight list to starboard, but the ballast was promptly rearranged and the ship put on an even keel.
"At daylight, Chief Engineer Wells, Chief Mate Andrew Kadek, and I made an examination of the S. B. Hunt to ascertain her condition and the nature of her damage. The engineroom was found to be in order. Mr. Kadek reported that the torpedo had done considerable damage to the hull in way of Nos. 4 and 5 tanks and the pumproom."
When the S. B. Hunt arrived at Trinidad, she was surveyed by two representatives of Lloyd's Registry of Shipping. The nature of the damage was determined and temporary repairs were made before the vessel proceeded to Galveston for permanent repairs.
The S. B. Hunt re-entered service on November 4, 1943.
The SS S. B. Hunt was built in 1919 by the Sun Shipbuilding Company at Chester, Penna. Her sisterships were the Geo. H. Jones (lost June 11, 1942), Dean Emery, Elisha Walker, I. C. White (lost September 27, 1941), and Joseph Seep (lost May 25, 1940).
A single-screw vessel of 11,205 deadweight tons capacity on international summer draft of 26 feet, 814 inches, she has an overall length of 445 feet, a length between perpendiculars of 430 feet, a moulded breadth of 59 feet, and a depth moulded of 33 feet, 3 inches. With a cargo carrying capacity of 81,070 barrels, she has an assigned pumping rate of 4,000 barrels an hour.
Her triple expansion engine, supplied with steam by three Scotch boilers, develops 3,000 indicated horsepower and gives her a classification certified speed of 10.3 knots.
The S. B. Hunt was en route from Baton Rouge to Boston with 09,620 barrels of fuel oil, when, on September 3, 1939, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany.
While under the command of Captain Albert J. Thomas, with Chief Engineer Anton Hogelin in charge of her engineroom, she took departure from Boston on September 8 for Baytown, where she loaded a mixed cargo of fuel oil and cracking coil tar for delivery to Charleston. The rest of the year she loaded four times at Baton Rouge and once each at Atreco, Texas City, and Baytown. Discharges were made at Baltimore, Havana, Panama City, Jacksonville, Chelsea, Port Everglades, and New York.
During 1940 the S. B. Hunt visited ports in South America, the Caribbean, Cuba, the Canal Zone, and on our east coast until July 19, when she joined the tied-up fleet in the Patuxent River. She returned to service October 23 and carried four cargoes before
the end of the year. These were delivered at Savannah, New York, Jacksonville, and Baltimore.
 The terrific force of the torpedo is indicated by the folded-in steel plates in the side of the "S.B. Hunt", pictured here in drydock.
 Ragged ends of steel shown in close-up of enemy damage to the "S.B. Hunt". Although open to the sea, the tanker remained in her convoy position, making port without further incident.
Survived Submarine Blitz of 1942
Loading at Gulf, Caribbean, and South American ports, the tanker established her record war year in 1941 by transporting 1,380,335 barrels, or 57,974,070 gallons, of crude and fuel oils.
In the dark days of 1942, a year when the toll of American war losses at sea was 318 ships, or a total of 1,829,260 deadweight tons, the S. B. Hunt came through without a scratch while delivering 1,090,546 barrels of petroleum products. On April 26, at Guiria,
the tanker was time chartered to the War Shipping Administration.
In 1943, despite lour months of inactivity for war damage repair, the vessel carried 606,184 barrels of fuel, crude, and special Navy fuel oils.
The S. B. Hunt left Corpus Christi on January 4, 1944. with 79.645 barrels of crude oil for Texas City. After another loading at Corpus Christi for New York, she transported two cargoes of fuel oil from Aruba to New York. She was delivered to War Emergency Tankers, Inc., on March 21, 1944.
On January 8. 1945, the S. B. Hunt was turned over to the United States Navy and renamed the USS Flambeau.
The wartime transportation record of the S. B. Hunt, from September 3, 1939 to March 21, 1944, was in summarv as follows:
The masters of the S. B. Hunt during World War II were Captains Albert J. Thomas, Carden Dwyer, Olaf Andersen, Patrick ), Reidy, Elmer L. Cam, Ole A. Faran, Henry S. Westmoreland, and Harold I. Cook.
In charge of her engineroom during the war were Chief Engineers Paul Christ, Anton Hogelin, Adolf Anderson, William Schwindt, George A. Proctor, William C. Wells, Harry R. Peck, James A. Johnston, William O. Wilkinson, and John B. Smallwood.
While the S. B. Hunt was operated for War Emergency Tankers, Inc., she was under the command of Captains Andrew Weiler and Johann P. Nagel; her engineroom was in charge of Chief Engineer John B. Smallwood.
Captain Henry S. Westmoreland joined the Company as a third mate on August 9, 1923. He had continuous service as master from September 5, 1937 until his resignation on September 9, 1943. He was assigned to the S. B. Hunt on January 7, 1943.
Chief Engineer William C. Wells entered the Company's service as a third assistant engineer on March 15, 1940 and was promoted to chief engineer on January 3, 1942. He was assigned to the S. B. Hunt on November 20, 1942.
Three members of the crew of the S. B. Hunt on July 7, 1943 had survived the torpedoing of other Esso tankers: Chief Mate Andrew Kadek (E. M. Clark, March 18. 1942, and M. F. Elliott, June 3, 1942) ; Second Mate Charles Muller (third mate, E.M. Clark, March 18, 1942) ; and Pumpman Jose Garcia (fireman-watertender, Esso Baton Rouge, April 8, 1942) .
Merchant Crew Survivors July 7, of the "S. B. Hunt"-1943 :
U. S. Navy Armed Guard Sunnvors of the "S. B. Hunt" :
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