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HEROISM AND SEAMANSHIP
SS I. C. White
At approximately 12:15 a.m. on September 27, 1941, the Panamanian flag tanker I.C. White was torpedoed about 500 miles off Recife. The ship was manned by a complement of 37 officers and men. She was hit near No. 7 tank on the starboard side and the resulting explosion broke the vessel's back and set her afire. Three members of the crew were lost.
Secretary of State Cordell HuIl authorized direct quotation of the following statement referring to the sinking of the I.C. White:
"That seems to be another act of lawlessness, piracy, and attempted frightfulness in connection with the general movement to drive people off the Atlantic as a part of the world movement of conquest." Mr. HuIl called upon the United States to invoke the right of self-defense against Nazi piracy.
The SS I.C. White, built in 1920 by the Sun Shipbuilding Company at Chester, Penna., was a sistership of the S.B. Hunt (damaged by enemy action July 7, 1943), Ceo. H. Jones (lost on June 11, 1942), Dean Emery, Elisha Walker) and Joseph Seep (lost May 25, 1940).
A single-screw vessel of 11,365 deadweight tons capacity on international summer draft of 26 feet, 10 inches, she had 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 78,220 barrels, she had an assigned pumping rate of 3,500 barrels an hour. Her triple expansion engine, supplied with steam by three Scotch boilers, developed 3,000 indicated horsepower and gave her a speed of 10.3 knots.
On August 31, 1939 the I.C. White left Baltimore and was on her way to Cartagena when war broke out in Europe. She traveled between New York and the Caribbean until November 24, when she was sold to the Panama Transport Company. Most of her cargoes during the rest of 1939 were crude oil, aside from two loadings of fuel oil, and from September 7 to the end of the year she carried a total of 795,466 barrels.
In 1940 she discharged at a variety of ports, Le Havre, Southampton, Montreal, and Teneriffe, while loading at Cartagena, Puerto La Cruz, and Las Piedras. Safe haven stops were made at Bermuda and New York.
An excellent record was made by the I.C. White in 1941 before she was sunk. From the first of the year until September 27, she transported 938,086 barrels of cargo. She started the year by loading 77,757 barrels of Jusepin crude for delivery to Aruba, where she took on 66,159 barrels of fuel oil and on January 14 departed for Providence, R.I., and then went to Fall River. The rest of the year she loaded at Caripito four times, at Aruba five times, once each at Puerto La Cruz and Las Piedras, and finally Curacao-her last loading port. She delivered the cargoes to Halifax, Miami, Fall River, Teneriffe, Aruba, New Haven, Charleston, and Newport News. On her last voyage she was bound for Cape Town.
The transportation record of the I.C. White from September 7, 1939 to August 17, 1941, when she discharged at Halifax,
Nova Scotia, was in summary as follows:
The wartime American masters of the J. C. White were Captains George Rasmussen, Hans Andreasen, and William Mello.
Associated with them in charge of the engineroom we re Chief Engineers Frank J. Burchalewski, Harry R. Peck, Robert S. Brod, William H. Ahrens, and Jens C. Christiansen.
The Torpedoing.
The facts concerning the torpedoing of the I.C. White bring to light a story of heroism and expert seamanship.
Under the command of Captain William Mello, with Chief Engineer Jens C. Christiansen in charge of her engine department, the tanker was plowing the waters of the central Atlantic when suddenly there was a blast that shook and shivered the vessel, followed by a fire which swept over her decks.
As reported by Captain Mello:
"Shortly after the I.C. White was hit by a torpedo, three lifeboats were launched and aIl members of the crew safely left the ship, except Bos'n Joseph A. Yevic, Able Seaman Frank Dobrosielski, and Oiler William C. Rankin.
Tribute to Lost Men.
"Joseph A. Yevic and Frank Dobrosielski had helped to lower one of these lifeboats and after it was in the water they slid down the falls but, as they did so, the boat was carried away from the vessel by a wave. The two men dropped into the water and were not seen again." Captain MeIlo paid these men a high tribute. He stated that if it had not been for their efforts, more of the crew would have been lost.
The I.C. White left Curacao, N. W. 1., at 3:05 p.m. on September 14, 1941 with a fuIl cargo of 62,390 barrels of Maroil consigned to Cape Town, South Africa.
In the words of Captain MeIlo:
"At about 12: 15 a.m. on September 27, 1941, my command was torpedoed, without warning of any kind, in Latitude 10°26' South, Longitude 27°30' West. Our course at the time was 127° true, speed 10.2 knots, wind southeast by east, Force 4 to 5, and weather clear. The second mate, WiIliam C. Hewitt, was in charge of the bridge, with Henry G. PhiIlips, A.B., at the wheel, and Joseph S. Otreba, O.S., on lookout.
"On watch in the engineroom were Theodore J. Wallace, second assistant engineer, Manuel Lago, oiler, and Pett M. Ackerman, fireman."
At this point, the report of Second Mate Hewitt takes up the story: "I was on watch on the bridge and had just bid the skipper good evening and walked out on the port wing when there was an explosion. As it occurred I was looking aft and saw that at approximatelyNo. 7 or No. 8 main tank, starboard side, one or two tanks had blown up, throwing flaming oil up over the boat deck aft. At the same time the topmast feIl on deck. The ship sagged deeply, so that the water was across the deck amidships. I ran in and put the engineroom telegraph on 'Finished with engines' and ordered the wheel hard left."
Tanker Shivered and Rocked.
As stated by Second Assistant Engineer WaIlace:
"The tanker began to shake, shiver, and rock around before it settled a bit. Then it vibrated at intervals. My fireman ca me out and asked me what had happened; I said we had been torpedoed and told him to get topside immediately. I also sent my oiler on deck and took charge of the engineroom myself. The sea was pouring into the fireroom. As I was unable to reach the valvesin the fireroom, I started shutting down the engine. The throttle jammed when partly shut. The vessel was ablaze as I reached the top deck on the port side and ran toward the emergency shut-off valves. Because the ship had buckled amidships, the deck had a sharp slant forward and was covered with oil."
Able Seaman Phillips, who was at the wheel, related his experience: "The first thing I knew there was a sudden jar; then bright flames flared up and their reflection was visible in the wheelhouse. I later learned that the flying bridge was destroyed."
Lights Bright, Flags Flying Returning to Captain MeIlo's report:
"The I.C. White was steaming fully lighted. The Panama flag was flying, with two spotlights on it. The ship's sides were painted with Panamanian flag colors and the funnel bore Panama Transport Company markings.
"I had just left the bridge and was on the way to my cabin when the vessel was hit. I rushed back to the bridge and sounded the general alarm. The second mate, Mr. Hewitt, told me that the telegraph was placed on 'Stop' and 'Finished with engines'.
"The ship was hit at about No. 7 or No. 8 main tank on the starboard side. An explosion took place which at once set the tank
afire and also the afterhouse, making it impossible for anyone to go aft from amidships or to get amidships from aft. l ordered Radio Operator George R. Dickens, Able Seaman Henry G. PhiIlips, Steward Benjamin M. Olsen, and Third Mate Avon O. Helms into No. 2 boat. The second mate and I lowered the boat down to the water.
Seamanship.
"The four lifeboats had extra painters which had been run out and made fast with toggles at the beginning of the voyage. I told the third mate to keep his boat alongside if possible and wait for me. Some of the crew aft were on the poop deck and I sang out to them to take to the after boats.
"Chief Mate Isaac H. Vincent reported to me that he had tried to get aft to his boat station but found it impossible, and that he
would try to launch No. 1 lifeboat."
Captain MeIlo praised Chief Mate Vincent and Ordinary Seaman Otreba for the splendid skill and seamanship they displayed in lowering No. 1 boat without any assistance. "Moreover," he said, "they were able to hold the lifeboat alongside until Second Mate Hewitt and I left the vessel and joined them."
Ordinary Seaman Otreba, who was on lookout duty when the torpedo struck, said in his statement:
"I ran to the port side and helped let go the gripes on No. 2 lifeboat. The chief mate told me to come to starboard and assist in
launching that boat. My own lifeboat station was aft, but I knew I could not get there; we lowered No. 1 boat. It was damaged
against the side in the launching. I was first in the lifeboat; then the chief mate, second mate, and captain followed me, in that order.
"After passing the stern of the I.C. White we saw no boats or floating objects. Between 30 and 45 minutes after the tanker
was hit we sighted two bright lights; they were not very far off the water, one directly over the other, and about half a mile away.
They disappeared all of a sudden while I was looking the other way.
Saw Ship Go Down.
"About four hours after the torpedo struck, several great clouds of steam burst out in succession above the burning vessel, and I saw her sink. I heard no explosion.
"At dawn we picked up Third Assistant Engineer Edgar N. Keal and Wiper George H. Davis from a life raft."
Resuming Captain Mello's account:
"We stayed in the vicinity all night. When we met No. 3 lifeboat, with 24 men in it, I told Able Seaman Joseph T. Proctor to take charge of that boat and stand by until daylight, when we would take some men out of his boat.
"The next morning, after picking up Keal and Davis, we sighted the other two boats and learned that Mr. Helms, the third mate, in No. 2, had transferred some of the men from No. 3 to his boat. With three of my men, I changed to boat No. 2; the chief mate and second mate went into No. 3 lifeboat. That made 17 men in each of the two boats.
"\We decided to steer about west northwest magnetic course to the coast of Brazil and estimated about five or six days' sailingtime. About 9: 30 a. m. we set sail and were in sight of each other until after dark.
"My boat was picked up on October 3, 1941, at about 11:48 p.m. by the steamship Dell Norte) of the Mississippi Shipping
Company, Inc., in Latitude 10°16' South, Longitude 35°23' West-about 40 miles off Porto de Maceio, Brazil. We had sailed
approximately 470 miles. The lights of the Del Norte were sighted by our lookout and in a few minutes I fired the signal pistol.
Captain Hoehn of the Del Norte said that the Hare was seen about 8 miles away.
"Immediately after we were rescued we were given coffee, hot soup, and warm clothing. Captain C.A. Hoehn and his crew gave us every consideration and nothing was spared for our comfort. "We were landed at Rio de Janeiro."
Psychic Seaman.
In an interview for this history Captain Mello related two incidents concerning Ordinary Seaman Joseph S. Otreba.
"I shall never forget," he said, "about the two occasions on which Otreba, who seemed to be 'psychic', told me of dreams whichturned out to be prophetic.
"A few minutes before midnight, September 27, or less than 20 minutes before the I.C. White was torpedoed, I was on the bridge when Joseph Otreba relieved the lookout. Having waited for the watch to be changed, I was ready to go to my cabin, but before leaving I said to Otreba, 'How is everything?' He replied, 'Not so good, captain. While I was asleep tonight I had a dream. Something is going to happen soon.' As I left the bridge I said to him casually, 'Don't let dreams bother you.' I had hardly reached my cabin, or so it seemed, when the ship was torpedoed.
"But that was not all. Otreba was one of the men who transferred, with me, to No. 2 lifeboat. I said I would give $10 to the man who first sighted land or a ship. Each morning, when I saw clouds low on the horizon, I tried to keep up the men's spirits by saying, 'That's land. Those are mountains in the background.' Whereupon Otreba always spoke up, 'No, captain, I haven't had a dream yet about any land. That's a cloud bank.'
"On the afternoon of the day we were rescued Otreba, who had been sleeping for an hour or so, said to me, 'Captain, I have had my dream. We are going to be picked up today.' That night he was on lookout. Suddenly, a little after 10 p.m., he saw the lights of the ship which later rescued us. Another of Otreba's dreams had come true. He got the $10."
Mr. Vincent, chief mate of the I.C. White who was in charge of No. 3 lifeboat, added more details in an interview for this history:
"The ship sank at about 3 a.m. There was a bright ure and then sudden darkness. Our boat was leaking so badly we had to bail all night.
"The next morning we looked again for other lifeboats. I saw something on the water. We rowed over and discovered that it was a life raft with two men on it. They were Third Assistant Engineer Keal and Wiper Davis. The third assistant saw us and started shouting. We searched again and found another raft, but it was empty. During the night we had used our sea anchor and decided that the other boats had drifted farther to leeward than we did. We put up the sail and began moving fast.
Shortly afterward we saw the two lifeboats.
"We knew our approximate position and headed on course true west northwest. That night we separated from the captain's boat.
All that day he appeared to be on a little more southerly course than ours. No. 3 sailed faster than No. 2 and we also thought there would be a greater chance of being pir:ked up if we separated.
"On our journey in the lifeboat we did not experience too much difficulty. We had sufficient water and biscuits. The wind and current were with us and the weather was warm. The sun was very hot, but it did not burn us because we were covered with oil.
"At that particular date and latitude the sun set at about the same time each day and we could teIl in general how many miles a day we were traveling. Our speed was very good; as a matter of fact, we made 90 miles in one day-and in 6 days we sailed nearly 500 miles.
"We were picked up on October 3 by the SS West Nilus (owned by Pope & Talbot Inc., McCormick Steamship Co. Division), a freighter out of San Francisco. Her master was Captain John Stern."
Speedy Repatriation.
The rescuing vessels Del N orte and West Nilus both arrived at Rio de Janeiro on October 7.
All had a good word to say for the Company representatives in Rio de Janeiro and a special word of thanks for Mr. E. F. Ritchie, Marine Department Manager of the Standard Oil Company of Brazil, for his splendid job in repatriating the men of the I.C . White.
Captain Mello reported that: "Within 24 hours Mr. Ritchie had all the survivors clothed, fully outfitted, supplied with papers necessary for departure, and aboard the palatial Moore & McCormack liner Brazil, which sailed October 8 and arrived in New York on Monday morning, October 20, 1941."
Captain William Mello joined the Company as a third mate on April 30, 1927. He became a chief mate on May 16, 1928 and has had continuous service as master since September 8, 1939. He was assigned to the I.C. White on April 12, 1941.
Chief Engineer ] ens C. Christiansen entered the Company's service as a chief engineer on October 13, 1939. He was assigned to the I.C. White on August 23, 1941 and retired on ]anuary 10, 1944.
Five members of the crew of the J. C. White were on vessels torpedoed later in the war:
Steward Benjamin M. Olsen was lost on the Allan Jackson, January 18, 1942; Chief Cook John B. Lowry lost his life on the C. J. Barkdull, in December, 1942; Third Mate Avon O. Helms, as second mate, survived the sinking of the Esso A ruba August 28, 1942; Able Seaman Henry G. Phillips was a survivor of the J. A. Mowinckel, damaged July 16, 1942; and Able Seaman Neo Robinson survived the torpedoing of the Esso Baton Rouge on April 8, 1942.
U.S. Merchant seaman lost of the SS I.C. White, Torpedoed on September 27, 1941,
Merchant Crew Survivors of the SS I.C. White, Torpedoed on September 27, 1941,
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