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MANY NARROW ESCAPES
MS Vistula
THE Esso tanker Vistula was nineteen years old when war was declared in Europe on September 3, 1939. She was in the port of New York at the time and on September 10 sailed for Baytown, where she arrived on the 22nd to load her first war-time cargo, 107,325 barrels of kerosene and heating oil. The vessel was commanded by Captain Andrew L. Mellgard and her engineroom was in charge of Chief Engineer Daniel Kelly.
Her voyages during the early days of the war were coastwise, but in the latter part of 1942 and early 1943 she made three round trips to England across the rough and dangerous waters of the North Atlantic.
It was on these runs, in convoys hard hit by Nazi sub- marines, that she so many times narrowly escaped the fate that befell hundreds of other Allied vessels.
A medium sized tanker of 13,725 deadweight tons capacity, the Vistula sailed from New York on August 26, 1942, with 102,351 barrels of Pool motor spirits and gas oil for England. Her master at that time was Captain Frank E. Wirtanen and her engineroom was in charge of Chief Engineer Woodrow A. Wilson.
After passing through Long Island Sound and the Cape Cod Canal she stopped at Boston and joined a forty-five ship convoy which arrived at Halifax on September 28. Two days were spent at this port of assembly and on the 30th a large convoy de-parted for the United Kingdom.
Convoy, Rough Weather - Submarines
In a report for this history, Radio Operator Earle J. Schlarb related the main incidents that occurred from the time the Vistula left Halifax in this convoy until she returned to New York.
"We sailed for England," he said, "on August 30, 1942 in a formation of sixty-two ships. It was on this same day that I receiv-ed a message reporting the torpedoing of the Jack Game's, a Sinclair Navigation Company tanker. On the following day the escorts began dropping depth charges. As we passed Newfoundland we were joined by four more ships. The sea was rough and the weather foggy most of the way across. On September 10 we sighted the Irish coast; flares and searchlights were seen and heavy gunfire heard. On the 12th we docked at Liverpool and learned that two of our stragglers had been sunk.
"After discharging our cargo at the Dingel Petroleum Wharf on September 18 we left in a small convoy on our return trip, with orders to join more vessels off Belfast. On the 19th, when the formation had grown to sixty-one ships, we headed for New York.
Early in the afternoon of this day one of the vessels reported a periscope and fired on it. Depth charges were dropped. Later we ran into very severe weather.
Engine Trouble
"On the 21st the weather was so rough that the convoy was forced to spread out. We became so far separated that it was not until the next day that the Vistula managed to find the formation again. On September 23 the American ship Pennmar, of the Calmar Steamship Corporation, reported a submarine attack.
Our escorts replied with numerous depth charges, but the Pennmar was sunk. Underwater explosions continued intermit-tently until the 26th.
"We ran into difficulty on the morning of September 27 when the Vistula developed engine trouble. We broke down for about eight hours, lost the convoy, and did not rejoin until the 29th. The following day several depth charges were felt. On October 4, when we arrived safely in New York, we learned that three stragglers were lost during this return trip." ,
Captain Wirtanen, in an interview for this history, referred to the engine trouble experienced by the Vistula on September 27, 1942:
"When our engines broke down we were in an exceedingly dangerous situation. I cannot praise too highly the work of Chief Engineer Wilson and his men. The engineroom staff, assisted by volunteers from the deck and steward's departments, pul-ed a piston in what I believe to be excellent time - seven hours. We stopped dead at 8 a.m. and got under way at 3 p.m."
On October 11, 1942, while under the command of Captain Harry E. Heffelfinger, with Chief Engineer Ogden E. Power in charge of the engineroom, the Vistula departed from New York for Curacao in a convoy of twenty-five ships, one of which was the Esso tanker John Worthington. The convoy stopped at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on the 18th and on the 21st arrived at Aruba and Curacao.
The Vistula loaded 106,217 barrels of Pool gasoline and Pool gas oil and on October 27, sailed in convoy, via New York, for the United Kingdom. The formation, composed of thirty-three ships, proceeded through the treacherous, submarine infested coastal waters. On November 1 the sound of depth charges was heard on several occasions. On November 7, the engines of the Vistula broke down just as depth charges were going off and the escorts reported that a submarine was off the ves-sel's stern. On the next day, charges were dropped on five occasions in the morning and there were more in the afternoon and at night. Unscathed, the tanker arrived at New York on November 8.
Sailing from New York on November 9, 1942, while again under the command of Captain Wirtanen and with Chief Engineer Wilson in charge of her engineroom, the lucky Vistula joined a convoy for the United Kingdom.
Again quoting Mr. Schlarb:
"On November 9, I received an SOS-SSSS from the Marcus Whitman (operated by the Matson Navigation Company). On November 12, when we picked up more ships off Halifax, the convoy reached a total of about forty-five vessels. 'Friday the 13th' proved to be an eventful day, with a ship firing rockets, a submarine scare, and a near collision. Finally, the Vistula lost contact with the convoy during a sleet and snow storm. The next day we managed to regain our position, but two other ves-sels were not so fortunate. They did not return.
Socony Tanker Sunk
"We were joined by three more ships from Newfoundland on the 15th. On the 17th we were warned by our escorts that we were being trailed by a sub- marine. Our fears proved well founded when, before dawn on November 18, the convoy was attacked east of Newfoundland. A torpedo crossed under our stern and hit the Socony-Vacuum tanker Brilliant. We learned later that the Brilliant, with a 40 foot hole in her starboard side, turned back to St. John's, where temporary repairs were ma-de; but as a result of her weakened condition she later sank in a rough sea while en route to New York.
More Difficulties for "Vistula"
"From November 19, 1942 until we reached Belfast on the 29th, we had trouble from the enemy and were very fortunate to reach our destination. On the 19th, at 4 a.m., the general alarm was sounded and all hands reported at their stations. Bright flares and snowflake rockets lit up all the ships and the surrounding sea. A few vessels broke down and were forced to drop out of the formation. On the 20th we ran into a dense fog and again lost the convoy; after breaking down for a short time, the Vistula rejoined the rest of the ships in about six hours.
"From the 21st to the 24th it was very rough. A plate near the bow was cracked and the ship took on a large quantity of water in the forehold and forepeak. By the 27th the situation began to look bad; the pump was going continuously, but the ship stay-ed down by the head. On November 28 we informed the commodore of our condition and told him we might have to jettison some of our cargo to stay afloat. Nevertheless, the Vistula was able to make Belfast on the 29th; on the 30th we pumped out the forepeak and forehold and were ordered to proceed to Bristol when able.
"We learned from shore authorities that the convoy just ahead of us had been decimated by enemy submarines; twenty-two ships were lost out of forty^"
On December 3 the Vistula sailed for Bristol in an eleven-ship convoy and discharged her cargo at No. 3 Oil Jetty and No. 9 Oil Berth at Avonmouth. On December 18, she again arrived at Belfast to join a formation of forty-nine ships which departed on the 19th. The Esso tanker E. G. Seubert was a member of this convoy.
While the Vistula was en route from Avonmouth to New York in the latter part of 1942, the Nazi underwater navy was espec-ially active. It was during this year that 318 American flag vessels were lost. The Germans had a grim word to say from time to time as whole Allied convoys were attacked by wolf packs and many ships sunk. According to the German communique of December 29, 1942:
"A convoy leaving Britain for the south was pursued for two days by German submarines and shattered in repeated attacks last night; 15 ships, totaling 85,000 tons, as well as one destroyer and one corvette of the convoy escort were sunk; three further ships were torpedoed. Four more of the ships were sunk later, plus 15 in other areas (79,000 tons)."
Torpedoes Stop Christmas Party
Captain Wirtanen told the story of the return trip that began when the Vistula sailed from Avonmouth on December 15:
"Trouble began on December 24. We were celebrating Christmas Eve when we felt concussions from ships being torpe-doed. The singing of Christmas carols stopped and our party in the messroom broke up when I went to the bridge to sound the general alarm. We were spotted by a German long-range reconnaissance plane. The guns of our escorts could not reach it and when it flew over the horizon we knew we could expect trouble.
"On Christmas Day, eleven depth charges were dropped while we were at dinner and on the 26th the general alarm was again sounded aboard the Vistula.
Snowflake rockets were seen and depth charge explosions heard as the enemy tried to break through our escort barrier. Things were starting to happen.
On the 27th, charges were dropped all night. Two of our vessels were torpedoed and two more were missing. There was heavy gunfire astern."
To resume Mr. Schlarb's account:
"On December 28, the senior escort vessel destroyed a submarine at 1:45 a.m. The enemy wolf pack broke through our de-fense at night and cruised on the surface among the ships. They were successful in torpedoing seven vessels and possibly two or three more.
Most of the victims reported by radio-telegraph and radio-phone, but some were not able to report. A submarine surfaced off the starboard bow of the commodore ship, which was directly ahead of the Vistula, and let go two torpedoes. One torpedo struck the commodore vessel; the other crossed our bow and hit the ship on our port beam."
"All Hell Broke Loose"
"We fired at the submarine," Captain Wirtanen said. "It crash-dived and went under us. Streams of tracer bullets were pin-pointing subs throughout the convoy. All hell broke loose. We saw three or more ships going down and their men taking to the boats. Another U-boat crossed astern of the vessels in the rear of the convoy. It was like a Fourth of July display of fire-works as the ships fired their guns and set off rockets and flares. When the commotion had quieted down, the escorts re-ported submarine kills, it was believed that they got four or five.
"On December 29 our British escorts were joined by two American destroyers of the newest and largest type. They used the heaviest depth charges we had ever heard. Submarines attacked again that night, but were driven off."
To continue Mr. Schlarb's story:
"We figured that up to this time fourteen ships had been sunk. Enemy submarines returned to haunt us the next three days, but each time they were re- pulsed. On January 3, 1943 the weather turned rough with winds of gale force and the surviving vessels of the formation took a beating in heavy seas. The convoy was scattered. There were snow squalls and the convoy hove to for two days. When we arrived at New York on January 12, 1943, we 'heard that eighteen of our ships had been lost."
As the result of heavy weather, the Vistula was sent to the Bethlehem Dry Dock, Staten Island, where she remained until March 3 for extensive repairs to hull, cargo system, and main engines. On March 5, she sailed in convoy for Avonmouth with 91,412 barrels of Pool burning oil and vaporizing oil. Captain Wirtanen was still in command and Mr. Wilson was chief engi-neer.
More Convoy Attacks
From Radio Operator Schlarb's report:
"On March 13, 1943 I received a message that the American tanker Keystone (owned by the States Marine Corporation) had been torpedoed. Another report came through that three more vessels, in another convoy, had been sent to the bottom. During the next three days we ran through extremely rough weather, with a full gale blowing, and on March 16 our formation was attacked about midnight. Two of our ships were torpedoed. Meanwhile, we heard that still another convoy was under attack and that five vessels had been hit. The next day we again had depth charges with our dinner; one of our escorts had encountered a submarine about ten miles from the convoy. At 8 p.m. we underwent another attack and one more ship was torpedoed.
Saw Greek Freighter Sunk
"The submarines came back again at 10 p.m. on March 18, but were driven off. That day we received an air patrol, which made us feel a bit more secure. On the 19th, at about 5 a.m., the formation was again attacked and the ship next to us was hit."
Referring to this casualty, which was witnessed by officers on the bridge of the Vistula, Captain Wirta-nen said:
"The ship was a Greek freighter. She was heavily loaded with ore and sank immediately. Survivors jumped overboard and as they floated in the water we could see the small red lights on their life jackets."
In the words of Mr. Schlarb:
"The relentless enemy returned once more, but could not break through. It was believed that our escorts got one and pos-sibly two U-boats. We arrived at Avonmouth on the 25th and discharged our cargo.
"The return trip was made in a convoy of fifty-one ships. Before leaving Bristol, the Vistula was given a barrage balloon as a
protection against enemy bombers. It was removed at Belfast, where we joined our transatlantic convoy. The weather was rough and we lost the main body of the convoy three times. The first time, on April 5, was due to bad weather. On April 7 I received a report that the Bamako, a French ship, had been torpedoed. This vessel was not in our convoy.
Two More Ships Missing
"While we were passing through 'Torpedo Junction', between Iceland and Newfoundland, we lost the convoy a second time, but we were fortunate in spotting the other ships at dusk on the next day, April 10. While we were trying to catch up with them, they were under attack; we could see the flares as reports came in of • contacts with submarines all around. It is our belief that two ships were hit, be- cause on April 11, when we rejoined the convoy at dawn, two of the vessels in our column were missing.
The escorts congratulated us on still being around, but notified us that we were being trailed. At one point we almost opened fire on a corvette that darted out of the fog and came charging at us - she raced around the Vistula, dropping depth charges. On April 12 we lost the convoy for a third time. We heard depth charges in the distance and on the 13th again rejoined the other vessels, but later left them and proceeded to St. John's, Newfoundland, alone, arriving on April 14."
Captain Wirtanen paid a tribute to Chief Engineer Wilson and the other officers and men of the engine department:
"When we arrived at St. John's on April 14, 1943, our engines were in need of repairs and the work was done entirely by the ship's force. I have never seen a better rep'air job done aboard ship, with the exception of the other I have mentioned that was done by our men in mid-Atlantic."
To continue Radio Operator Schlarb's narrative:
"We repaired our engines by April 19 and departed for Halifax in a seven-ship convoy. Submarines were reported daily, but on the 22nd we pulled into Hali- fax without mishap. The Vistula sailed on April 24 for New York with fourteen other vessels. Going by way of the Cape Cod Canal and Long Island Sound to avoid submarines, we arrived at New York on the .27th.
Fueled Her Convoy Escorts
"On May 7 the Vistula sailed as vice-commodore in a convoy of about seventeen ships, bound for the Caribbean. We reached Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, on May 21. Our next voyage was along the coast of South America to Rio de Janeiro. While en route, the Vistula fueled all the escorts - both American and Brazilian naval vessels. Among the former were the USS PC 495 and the USS PC 610. (The PC 495, on November 3, 1942, had picked up the survivors of the Panama Transport Company tanker Leda.) The general alarm was rung on May 31 and again on June 1, but nothing happened. On June 7 our American escorts were relieved by Brazilian warships.
"On June 8, the Vistula left the convoy off Salvador and we arrived at Rio de Janeiro June 13 to discharge part of our cargo of gas oil and Diesel. Later we went to Santos to finish discharging. On June 18 we sailed for Salvador to unload Navy supplies and some Army and Navy deck cargo that we had picked up at Trinidad. On June 27, while en route from Salvador to Trinidad, we received a report that a ship had been attacked between Rio de Janeiro and Santos, but we continued on our course and arrived at Port-of-Spain July 5, 1943.
"We made another trip to Rio de Janeiro, leaving Trinidad on July 14, and ending our sea passage on August 5. On July 20 I received a report that a submarine had been sighted on the surface about 20 miles ahead of us. We took evasive action and could observe the escorts and planes doing extensive hunting and depth charging about 10 p.m.
"As we continued on along the coast of South America we developed engine trouble and straggled several times. It was a sort of progressive convoy that dropped off a few ships here and picked up a few there. One of the vessels that left us on August 2 was a Brazilian passenger ship. She was later torpedoed with the loss of more than forty lives,
"Discharge was made at Rio de Janeiro and Santos and we returned to Trinidad. The Vistula sailed from Rio on August 20 in a thirteen-ship convoy, the escort including a Brazilian submarine which stayed with us until we were off Recife August 26; we reached Trinidad September 5."
During the rest of the year 1943 the Vistula carried four full cargoes and one part load of 28,776 barrels of benzol, loaded at New York and delivered to Port Arthur, Texas. Two of the four full cargoes were taken on at Aruba, one at Baton Rouge, and one at Port Arthur; two were pumped ashore at New York, one at Cristobal, and one at Boston.
In 1944, her last year of operation in the Esso fleet, the Vistula first took on a load of 106,969 barrels of Diesel oil and gasoline at Port Arthur; sailing with this cargo on February 3, she delivered it at Providence. Her second cargo, 107,605 barrels of Diesel oil and motor fuel, was lifted at Baytown on March 28 and transported to New York, where the vessel arrived on April 6.
On April 10, 1944, the Vistula, while in New York, was turned over to War Emergency Tankers, Inc.
Joined the Navy
On February 14, 1945, the Vistula was taken over by the Navy, at Brisbane, Australia, and commissioned as the oiler USS Belusan. Captain Harold Holmberg and Chief Engineer Gordon R. Bennett were requested to remain on board and instruct an inexperienced Navy crew. Their services were highly commended by the new Navy oiler's commanding officer in the following letter:
USS Belvsan
c/o Fleet Post Office
San Francisco, Calif.
At Anchor
The Philippines
May 14, 1945
Mr. B. B. Howard
Manager, Marine Department
Standard Oil Company of N. J.
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York City
My dear Mr. Howard:
This ship was formerly the MS Vistula and was one of your fleet of tankers. She was commissioned in the Naval Service in Australia on February 14, 1945, and a new and most inexperienced ship's company was aboard.
We requested that the former master. Captain Harold Holmberg and the former chief engineer, Mr. Gordon R. Bennett, re-main aboard during the conversion period and later under way until we reached our station, to instruct the officers and crew in the operation and maintenance of the ship.
Captain Holmberg and Mr. Bennett are two of the most capable officers, as well as the best shipmates, that the writer has had the pleasure of serving with. They have been of invaluable assistance and are largely responsible for this ship carrying out her mission to date. I know that they are needed for your service, and since they have given us the benefit of their super-vision during the overhaul period and six weeks under way, we have made arrangements for their transportation back to the United States.
Mr. Bennett suffered an injury while supervising work in the engineroom on April 13, 1945, and broke two ribs. A complete report was made of this accident to your Insurance Adjuster, Mr. H. W. Proom. Despite this painful injury Mr. Bennett remain-ed on duty and kept the engineering department functioning. Without him in the engineroom we should have been in a bad way.
We bid farewell to these two gentlemen regretfully and wish them the best of luck. They have won the respect andadmiration of the entire ship's company.
Sincerely yours, William G. Alien
Lieutenant Commander, USN (Retired) Commanding Officer
The transportation record of the Vistula from Sep-ember 3, 1939 until April 10, 1944 was in summary s follows:
The MS Vistula was built in 1920 by Howaldtswerke A.G. at Kiel-Neumuhlen, Germany. She is a sistership of the Phoebus and the Prometheus.
A twin-screw vessel of 13,725 deadweight tons capacity on international summer draft of 27 feet, 8 1/2 inches, the Vistula, now- the USS Belusan, has an overall length of 517 feet, 6 inches, and a length between perpendiculars of 500 feet. Her moulded breadth is 64 feet and her depth moulded is 32 feet. With a cargo carrying capacity of 102,991 barrels, she has an assigned pumping rate of 3,500 barrels an hour.
Her Krupp-Germaniawerft two-cycle Diesel engines develop 3,200 brake horsepower and give her a classification certified speed of 10.5 knots.
The masters of the Vistula during her Esso service in World War II were Captains Andrew L. Mellgard, James S. Poche, Peder A. Johnson, John Stegen, Thomas B. Christenson, Walter V. James, Frank E. Wirtanen, Harry E. Heffelfinger, William Mello, Simpson W. Logan, Harold I. Cook, and Harold Holmberg.
Associated with them, in charge of her engineroom, were Chief Engineers Daniel Kelly, Thomas J. Bov, Harold A. Morris, Weaker H. Berg, Charles E. dark, Ervin C. Haatvedt, Woodrow A. W^ilson, and Ogden E. Power.
During the period from April 12, 1944, when the Vistula was delivered to War Emergency Tankers, Inc., to February 14, 1945, when she was sold to the Navy to become the USS Belusan, she was under the command of Captain Harold Holmberg and her engineroom was in charge of Chief Engineer Gordon R. Bennett.
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