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DEFYING ALL HAZARDS
SS Paul H. Harwood
The wartime story of the Paul H. Harwood, above and beyond her outstanding transportation record, includes an attempt by an enemy submarine to destroy her, and a voyage over the dangerous Murmansk convoy route.
The Esso tanker was proceeding in ballast from New York to Port Arthur, Texas, when, on July 7, 1942, she was hit and damaged by an enemy torpedo in the Gulf of Mexico. At the time of the attack she was about two days out of Key West, Florida. The ship was not abandoned, and proceeded to Pilot-town, Louisiana, under her own power. Later she sailed for Galvcston, Texas, arriving July 16. There were no casualties and the Paul H. Harwood reentered service on September 28 to continue carrying oil products essential to the successful operation of the war against the Axis.
The story of the voyage to Murmansk, related in detail elsewhere in this chapter, tells of extremely cold weather conditions, with ice threatening to break up the ships on the perilous run from Murmansk to Molotovsk; attacks from un-der water by enemy submarines and from the air by German bombers; and the lone dash by the Paul H. Harwood to catch up with the convoy which had departed before she discharged her cargo. Many interesting experiences were recounted by her officers and men.
Despite damage and danger, the Paul H. Harwood remained a strong link in the endless chain of oil carriers that supplied all the fighting fronts during World War II.
The SS Paul H. Harwood was built in 1918 by the Union Iron Works Company at San Francisco, California. Her sistership was the C. J. Barkdull, lost in December, 1942.
A single-screw vessel of 10,840 deadweight tons capacity on international summer draft of 27 feet, 1 inch, she has an overall length of 453 feet, a length between perpendiculars of 435 feet, a moulded breadth of 56 feet, and a depth moulded of 33 feet, 6 inches. With a cargo carrying capacity of 78,285 barrels, she has an assigned pumping rate of 6,000 barrels an hour.
Her turbine engine, supplied with steam by three Scotch boilers, develops 3,140 shaft horsepower and gives her a classification certified speed of 11.2 knots.
Under the command of Captain Harry Stremmel and with Chief Engineer Horace L. Wilson in charge of her engineroom, the Paul H. Harwood left New York on September 1, 1939, two days before Great Britain and France declared war on Germany. The vessel was en route to Caripito; she arrived September 8 and loaded a cargo of 66,102 barrels of crude oil. Her next run was a short one to Aruba, where she delivered the crude and lifted 60,896 barrels of V-78 fuel for New York. The rest of the year was spent on similar voyages with four loadings at Caripito, two at Aruba, and one at Las Piedras. Discharge of each cargo was made at New York.
Busy Schedule
On the first day of January, 1940, the Paul H. Harwood dropped anchor at New York with 61,455 barrels of fuel oil. On January 3 she sailed for Caripito and on the 13th she left there with 56,000 barrels of crude for Aruba. Sailing from Aruba on January 16 with 62,761 barrels of V-135 fuel, the tanker arrived at New York on January 23. This schedule was repeated seven times and on her last July trip she traveled only to Aruba and back to New York, with 63,158 barrels of Colombian crude. On August 1, she was tied up in the Patuxent River, after transporting 47,376,042 gallons of cargo in seven months - a remarkable record.
When the Paul H. Harwood left the Patuxent in June of 1941 she was under the command of Captain August Bosch, and Chief Engineer Joseph F. Lafo was in charge of her engineroom. She sailed from New York on June 6 for Houston, Texas, where 75,743 barrels of Pool gas oil were taken aboard. The vessel continued on east coast schedules until October of 1942, when she made her first Atlantic crossing.
The Paul H. Harwood was time chartered to the War Shipping Administration on April 20, 1942. After her torpe-doing in the Gulf on July 7 and a repair period, she loaded 67,680 barrels of Pool vaporizing gas at Galveston and was routed via New York to Liverpool. Her last voyage in 1942 was from New York to Bristol, England, via St. John's, Newfoundland.
In 1943 the Paul H. Harwood was under the command of Captain Harold I. Cook; Chief Engineer Arthur R. Fintel was in charge of her engine department. She first took on 70,364 barrels of Pool gasoline at Curacao on January 31 and after a stopover in New York sailed in convoy on March 6 for Liverpool, England. She returned to Liverpool on her following two voyages with the same grade of oil and from then on visited Bristol, Methil in Scotland, Swansea, and, with the year's end, Bizerte, where she discharged 71,300 barrels of 100 octane gasoline.
From Bizerte, early in 1944, the Paul H. Harwood proceeded to Port Said and loaded 74,908 barrels of 80 octane gasoline for Bari, Italy. Returning to New York on March 8, the tanker was again sent to Bizerte with 71,633 barrels of high octane gas. Later she put in at Casablanca, Taranto, Augusta, and Algiers.
In December, 1944, the Paul H. Harwood was ordered to load an unusual cargo - 58,329 barrels of industrial alcohol for delivery to Molotovsk - an eventful voyage hereafter described. Other ports where she delivered cargoes before V-J Day were Naples, Swansea, and Bremerhaven.
The wartime transportation record of the Paul H. Harwood was in summary as follows:
It was on July 7, 1942, that the Paul H. Harwood was struck by a torpedo and badly damaged. As reported by Captain George Rasmussen:
"We left Norfolk on June 29, 1942, and were being escorted by a naval craft to Key West. In accordance with routing instructions we followed prescribed courses toward Port Arthur and were on this leg of the voyage when our ship was torpedoed.
Early in the Morning
"About 2 o'clock in the morning of Sunday, July 5, we sailed from Key West. The Paul H. Harwood was all blacked out at night. At about 3:20 a.m., July 7, 1942, the tanker was struck by a torpedo. I was on top of the bridge, asleep on a cot, when I was awakened by the explosion. I saw a black curtain of smoke, water, and debris rising from the after deck around the mainmast."
To quote the statement of Chief Engineer Arthur R. Fintel:
"When the torpedo struck I was asleep in my room. I pulled my clothes on over my pajamas, grabbed a life preserver and flashlight, and managed to get below in less than a minute. First Assistant Engineer Thomas F. Smith was just ahead of me going down the ladder. On reaching the engineroom I asked Second Assistant Engineer Harmon K. Edge if he had communicated with the bridge. He told me he had tried twice and I instructed him to make another attempt. He rang the telegraph to 'Full ahead' and repeated the signal, but there was no response. I then rang it to 'Stop'. Again there was no answer.
"In the meantime, First Assistant Engineer Smith was trying to reach the bridge on the telephone, but was unable to do so. I ordered the engine stopped and all hands on deck. When I arrived on the boat deck. Second Mate Valmond Loud and Third Mate Lester O. Pratt were standing by the starboard lifeboat. I asked the second mate if the Navy escort was still with us and he replied that it was - thus lessening the danger of a second torpedo. I sent Third Assistant Engineer Dale O. Peckham amidships to report to the captain that the engine was undamaged and at the same time told Second Assistant Engineer Edge that we would go back to the engineroom. Immediately after we arrived below, the telegraph rang 'Full speed ahead' and we responded."
 The 20 x 30 foot hole ripped in the side of the "Paul H. Harwood" by torpedo.
Without Confusion
As stated by Captain Rasmussen:
"Chief Engineer Fintel and I had previously had an understanding that if the Paid H. Harwood were hit by a torpedo the engine would be stopped. It seems probable that those in the engineroom attempted to communicate with the bridge when I was on the boat deck and that the sounding of the general alarm made it impossible for me to hear the telephone.
"Second Mate Loud was on watch at the time and he threw in the general alarm immediately after the explosion. The crew proceeded to their lifeboat stations without confusion. The tanks had been gas-freed and there was no explosion or fire.
"When I looked around the ship I saw men assembled at their lifeboats amidships on the starboard side. Some of the crew aft were apparently at the boat falls, making ready to launch the lifeboats if necessary. My first command was not to lower the boats, as the Paul H. Harwood was all right. Knowing the tanker, I felt there was no immediate danger. The torpedo had struck aft at No. 6 tank and I believed there was enough buoyancy, in the tanks forward to keep the vessel afloat, at least for a considerable time. I ordered the pumpman to open up the forward tanks so as to transfer ballast into them in an attempt to stabilize the ship.
"Shortly afterward I went to the bridge, stopped the general alarm, and tried out the telephone from the wheelhouse to the engineroom. I rang several times but received no answer. I was not surprised; the connection might well have been broken as a result of the explosion. I then called Chief Mate Carl G. Benson and sent him down to see which compartments were flooded and which were tight and he later reported that all but tanks 5, 6, and 7 appeared to be undamaged.
"Full Speed Ahead"
"While I was talking with him. Third Assistant Engineer Peckham arrived. He had been sent by the chief engineer to let us know that everything was in order below. The minute I found that out I ran up to the bridge, rang the engineroom telegraph again, and received an answer. The wheel was tried and found in working order, but the magnetic compass bowls had been knocked out of their gimbals. However, the gyro-compass was still in good condition. It was about 10 minutes after the torpedo struck when I rang 'Full speed ahead'. The wheelsman was instructed to bring the Paul H. Harwood back on the course we were steering before we were hit. A little later I decided to go to Southwest Pass, my intention being to anchor at Pilottown.
"At the time of the torpedoing there was very little moon, as it was in its last quarter. There were quite a few clouds and practically no starlight.
"Of the U. S. Navy gun crew, which consisted of 15 men and a lieutenant, 8 gunners were on watch. The merchant crew deck watch consisted of Lewis B. Lickliter, A.B., at the wheel, Ross F. Terrell, A.B., on lookout, and David C. Weakley, O.S., lookout on the top of the bridge.
"The Paul H. Harwood was not abandoned and the lifeboats were not lowered. We reached Pilottown under our own power. As far as I know, none of the ship's complement reported injuries and all hands remained on board until July 18."
The Damage
On July 9, 1942, a survey of damage was submitted by the American Bureau of Shipping; it included the following statement:
"Vessel's shell plating between the light and deep load line in way of No. 6 main cargo tank punctured. Internal structure in way of No. 6 port tank completely destroyed. Center line in way of No. 6 tank and internal structure and starboard No. 6 tank completely destroyed. Due to Nos. 5, 6, and 7 tanks, port and starboard side, being flooded up to approximately 16 feet, no examination could be made of bulkheads and internal structure in way of same."
From Pilottown the Paul H. Harwood went to New Orleans and thence to Galveston, where she arrived July 16 to undergo repairs. On September 28 she reentered service.
 Mute evidence of the devastating effect of the torpedo explosion intended to wreck the "Harwood" - but didn't.
Another eventful and exciting voyage of the Paul H. Harwood was made in early 1945 while she was under the command of Captain Aksel Selvik and Chief Engineer Harry R. Peck was in charge of her engineroom. The vessel left Philadelphia on December 7, 1944, and the port of discharge was Molotovsk, after stops at Loch Ewe, Scotland, and Murmansk. At that time the German U-boats and bombers were very active.
Ice and Snow
In interviews for this history the captain and the chief engineer told their stories of the dangerous run through enemy infested waters and the ice and snow encountered in sub-zero weather.
In the words of Chief Engineer Peck:
"We sailed from New York in the latter part of November, 1944, after taking on a deck cargo of seventeen Ducks and one PT boat, and headed for Philadelphia, where we loaded 58,329 barrels of industrial alcohol at the Public Alcohol Works. We were told that the alcohol was to be used by the Russians mainly for the manufacture of ammunition, but they also needed it in their hospitals.
"Returning to New York we received bunkers and left in a convoy of about 86 ships. We were well protected, having about ten escort vessels - English and American destroyers, destroyer escorts, and a carrier.
We passed through St. George's Channel, between Ireland and England, and some of the ships turned toward Liverpool. The Paul H. Harwood went to Greenock, Scotland, and after receiving orders from British naval authorities proceeded to Loch Ewe to await the formation of another convoy.
"This convoy proved to be made up of Norwegian, British, and American vessels, the majority being American. There were many Liberty ships in the formation, and two other tankers."
Concerning the latter. Captain Selvik said:
"They were British flag tankers - the British Promise and the Nacella; both of them, like the Paul H. Harwood, were loaded with alcohol.
"We were traveling in a convoy of about 22 ships with a heavy escort, including two aircraft carriers, a cruiser, destroyers, and destroyer escorts - mostly British. The weather was not extremely cold until we hit Murmansk. We were armed with a 3-inch 50-caliber gun forward, a 4-inch 50-caliber aft, two 20-mm. on the wings of the bridge, two 30caliber machine guns on the deck aft of the wheelhouse, two 20-mm. on the after boat deck, and two 20-mm. on the forward deck.
"There was a lay-over of nine days at Murmansk while we awaited a small Russian convoy. On the voyage to Molotovsk, we saw our first sign of trouble - shooting at night. We later learned that it was a battle with enemy submarines and that one or two Russian destroyers were torpedoed. Our group of eight ships was heavily guarded by 10 Russian destroyers and sub chasers."
 Arctic ice pack as seen from Coast Guard Cutter "Northland" while on her Greenland patrol.
(Official U.S. Coast Guard Photo)
To continue Chief Engineer Peck's account:
"The ice became very thick going through the Neck - in the Gulf of Mezen. Two Russian ice breakers joined us - one was the former U. S. Coast Guard cutter Northwind.
"The Paul H. Harwood lay at anchor in the ice at Molotovsk for 26 days. During this time it was necessary for ice breakers to go around the ships in the harbor; the temperature was about 34° below zero, but there was no wind. We kept the engine going during the whole time we were in the ice, to keep the propeller free. If a vessel stopped her engine, the ice would bend her propeller when it turned over again.
"It was not until the day the convoy was scheduled to sail on the return voyage that we were able to get a berth. The question arose as to the disposition of the Paid H. Harwood, and a decision was reached to unload and then try to catch up with the convoy. We discharged all cargo and on February 12 left Molotovsk with a large ice breaker and finally joined the rest of the convoy, which had sailed on February 10."
Assisted by Former C. G. Cutter
As Captain Selvik said:
"The ice breaker Northwind towed us out of the harbor of Molotovsk; after casting off, we followed her. We ran through ice all day and that night. The next afternoon, about 4 o'clock, we saw ships coming in - another convoy from Murmansk. Soon after that we sighted another formation - it was our convoy, which had left Molotovsk on February 10. They traveled much more slowly than we did, because of their number. We joined them at 5 p.m.
"About 2 p.m., February 14, we formed a single column and proceeded to Kola Inlet. About an hour later, when we were 7 or 8 miles from our arrival point - Turos Island - we were the last ship in the line. The Nortfjil, a Norwegian vessel which was the third in line ahead of us, was torpedoed. She was struck in the engineroom and did not catch fire or explode. About three minutes later the freighter following her, the Liberty ship Horace Gray, was also hit. We swung right, as did the vessel in front of us, to try to get away as soon as possible. While this was going on, destroyers were present and planes overhead, but they failed to sight the submarine. The Nortfjil was towed into port and the Horace Gray was beached.
"We remained three days at Murmansk; it was clear of ice and the weather was considerably warmer, due to the Gulf Stream. Early in the morning of February 17 we were ordered to leave and were out of the harbor about 10 a.m. The convoy was forming outside Kola Strait and it was foggy. Escorts consisted of two aircraft carriers, a cruiser, and many destroyers - all British. The destroyers started dropping depth charges and it was claimed that a submarine was sunk.
"About 11:50 a.m., the Thomas T. Scott, a Liberty ship, was torpedoed amidships. We did not see her sink. (The Thomas T. Scott was lost on February 17, 1945.) "
Witnessed Grim Disaster
Chief Engineer Peck related another incident that occurred at this time:
"About 3 p.m., February 17, we heard an explosion astern. One of the destroyers following us was hit, apparently in her magazine. She was only a few cable lengths away from us. A steam cloud rose about 300 feet in the air and when it gradually settled down there was nothing left of the vessel. Other destroyers headed for the vicinity of the attack. It was rumored that one man was saved. After this grim disaster the convoy assumed close formation and headed north until the time came to turn west."
On February 18 the convoy ran into a heavy gale and was forced to spread out. To quote Captain Selvik:
"On the 19th the weather moderated and we found ourselves in a group of ships ahead of the convoy. We reversed our course and convoy lines were reformed at about 9 a.m. At 10 a.m. we received a message that bombers were on their way and almost immediately thereafter we saw vessels firing. There were about 20 torpedo bombers overhead, but not a ship in the convoy was hit. The first plane we spotted was about 300 yards ahead of the Paul H. Harwood and we saw a column of water rise off our starboard bow. It was still quite cloudy, but we could distinguish the bombers approaching on the port quarter and flying very low. All at once we noticed one plane off the starboard quarter and four approaching on the starboard beam. One came directly at us. As he neared, our anti-aircraft fire turned him away when he was within 2,000 yards. After dropping his torpedoes, he swung off. We veered to the left and made sharp turns in evasive action. This attack lasted about 4 or 5 minutes."
More Bad Weather
On February 22, the Paul H. Harwood ran into another heavy gale. Chief Engineer Peck gave the following account:
"The convoy was broken up by the bad weather and three American Liberty ships, the Charles Scrib-ner, Le Baron Russell Briggs, and Henry Bacon, hove to. On February 23 we got a message in the morning that about 25 torpedo bombers were on their way out. The Scribner, Briggs, and Bacon had not as yet caught up with the convoy and were 30 or 40 miles astern of us. They were attacked and the Henry Bacon was sunk. This proved to be the last of the enemy action."
The Paul H. Harwood dropped anchor in the Clyde and after awaiting a convoy left through St. George's Channel in a formation of about 96 ships - Norwegian, British, and American - arriving at New York on March 25, 1945.
Captain George Rasmussen joined the Company as an able seaman on May 20, 1922. He has had continuous service as a licensed officer since June 28, 1923 and as master since July 15, 1937.
Chief Engineer Arthur R. Fintel entered the Company's service as a third assistant engineer on January 7, 1922. He was promoted to chief engineer on January 11, 1929, and served in that capacity until his death on April 6, 1944.
The wartime masters of the Paul H. Harwood were Captains Harry Stremmel, Felix W. Kretchmer, John B. Petterson, August Bosch, John J. Cienciva, Chris-tain C. Quist, Karl S. Johansen, George Rasmussen, Harold I. Cook, Simpson W. Logan, Walter B. McCarthy, Aksel Selvik, and Walter F. Andrews.
In charge of her engineroom during the same period were Chief Engineers Horace L. Wilson, Edward A. Snyder, Reginald S. Patten, Paul H. Franzen, Joseph F. Lafo, Ernest G. Bornheimer, Arthur R. Fintel, Harry R. Peck, Charles E. Swedburg, and Fred Lewis.
Eight members of the crew of the Paul H. Harwood, when she was torpedoed on July 7, 1942, survived the sinking or war damage of other Esso tankers: Second Assistant Engineer Harmon K; Edge (pumpman, Esso Boston, April 12, 1942, and second assistant engineer, Esso Baton Rouge, February 23, 1943); Boatswain William A. Grossweiler (Esso Houston, May 12, 1942) ; Pumpman Michael Ekke (Esso Baton Rouge, April 8, 1942) ; Able Seaman Ross F. Terrell (Allan Jackson, January 18, 1942); Oiler Charles W. Holland (John Worthington, May 27, 1943) ; Fireman-Water-tender Jose Yglesias (oiler, Esso Boston, April 12, 1942) ; Wiper Alyn O. Waller (able seaman, Esso Baton Rouge, February 23, 1943) ; and Galleyman Lee Roy Osban (crew messman, Esso Nashville, March 21, 1942).
Merchant Crew Survivors of the "Paul H. Harwood" - July 7, 1942
U.S. Navy Armed Guard Survivors of the "Paul H. Harwood"
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