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OLDEST ESSO TANKER
SS Glenpool
In world war II the Glenpool, delivered in March, 1913, and the oldest tanker in the Esso fleet, became a familiar sight along our east coast and in the Gulf and Caribbean. During the entire war she did not cross the Atlantic or voyage in the Pacific, like many other ships, but did her full share in the war effort. Her crew risked their lives and their vessel on many occasions in running the gantlet of submarine perils.
When the war broke out in Europe in September of 1939 the Glenpool was en route from Solomons Island to Caripito. Before she returned to the States she visited Aruba; Havana and Nuevitas, Cuba; Cartagena; Las Piedras; and Boqueron, Cuba. She arrived at Norfolk on January 9, 1940, after delivering, on these voyages, 547,848 barrels of crude and fuel oils.
In 1940 she was in service until July 3 and was then sent to the Patuxent River, remaining in the tied-up fleet until September 28, when she resumed her schedules in the coastwise trade. Her cargoes that year amounted to 1,332,949 barrels.
During 1941 the Glenpool made Gulf-east coast trips for eleven months. On November 28 she left New York for Aruba, arriving December 6. Thereafter she went to Havana and Vita, Cuba; Aruba, Havana again, and finally Texas City. Her 1941 car-goes totaled 995,258 barrels.
The Glenpool was time chartered to the War Shipping Administration on April 20, 1942 at Tampa, Florida. She continued her Atlantic coast and Caribbean voyages from then to March 14, 1944, when she was turned over to War Emergency Tankers, Inc.
Heard of Five Ships Torpedoed
In an interview for this history, Chief Engineer Raymond Shannon, who was on the Glenpool from October 1, 1940 to August 9, 1943, provided the following information:
"While en route from Aruba to Havana in March of 1942, we received a radio report that five ships had been torpedoed near Windward Passage. One was the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company's Texan, sunk March 12, and another was the Olga, of the Carter Coal Transportation Company, lost the same day. In Puerto Tanamo, Cuba, on March 17, the Glenpool was fitted with blackout equipment and given a coat of war gray.
"Our nearest encounter with a submarine was when one surfaced near us between Sabine Pass and Southwest Pass. We saw it about 2 a.m. For some reason it crash dived. We put on more speed and managed to get away. We also sighted a Uboat on the surface just outside of Corpus Christi, Texas. It did not bother us, but two ships were torpedoed there the next day as they were coming out of the harbor. At that time we were unarmed, traveling without escort, and carrying gasoline."
The Glenpool was armed in May of 1942, at Tam-pa, Florida, with a 4-inch stern gun, four 50-caliber machine guns, and two of 30-caliber; 27 U. S. Navy gunners were assigned to the vessel.
Again quoting Chief Engineer Shannon:
"One day in the spring of 1942, when Captain Carl Svenson was in command, a submarine was reported to be just ahead of us. Captain Svenson headed toward shore. A ship in the same vicinity, which continued on her course, was torpedoed."
On a subsequent voyage, the Glenpool left Bay-town on May 31, 1942 with 50,588 barrels of bunker fuel oil consigned to Miami. This trip took 10 days; as a result of submarine warnings. Navy orders were received to stop at two havens, Panama City and Key West.
In command of the Glenpool during the war years were Captains Hubert L. Hassel, Fred Marcus, Peder Nielsen, Charles M. Crowell, George Rasmussen, Carl Svenson, Alfred Christianson, Elmer L. Carty, C. Stuart Townshend, and Harold Griffiths.
Associated with them were Chief Engineers Ernest T. Troeger, Clyde P. Williams, Antonio Zouli, Peter V. Karls, Raymond Shannon, Ernest J. Palmer, James L. Gibbs, and Anton Hogelin.
While operated for War Emergency Tankers, Inc., the Glenpool was under the command of Captains Elmer L. Carty, Robert E. Evans, Carl G. Benson, and Bernard Roberts. In charge of her engineroom during this period were Chief Engineers Anton Hogelin, John D. Manser, Carl L. Sorensen, William A. Dundon, and James L. Gibbs.
The wartime transportation record of the Glenpool, from September 3, 1939 to March 14, 1944, was in summary as follows:
The SS Glenpool was built in 1913 at Kiel Gaarden, Germany, by the Fried. Krupp Germaniawerft A. G. A twin-screw vessel of 8,370 deadweight tons capacity on international summer draft of 26 feet, 414 inches, she has an overall length of 415 feet, a length between perpendiculars of 400 feet, a moulded breadth of 53 feet, and a depth moulded of 32 feet, 4 inches. With a cargo carrying capacity of 63,507 barrels, her assigned pumping rate is 5,000 barrels an hour.
Her triple expansion engines, supplied with steam by three Scotch boilers, develop 2,400 indicated horsepower and give her a classification certified speed of 9.6 knots.
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