T he SS Broad Arrow was a 7,718 ton steam tanker that was completed in 1918 at theNew York Shipbuilding Corp. Camden NJ, for Socony-Vacuum Oil Co. Inc. New York (Mobil OilCorp), but she was acquired by the U.S. Navy as a cargo transport for the Naval Overseas Transportation Service. In February of 1919 she was returned to her owner and was home ported out of New York, NY. The Broad Arrow departed Port-of-Spain Trinidad with a cargo of 85,111 bbls. of Navy diesel and fuel oil, on January 5th, 1943....en route to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with convoy TB-1, which consisted of 12 ships, three ships in each of four columns. Broad Arrow’s position was #31. Late on the evening of January 8th...approximately 2340, local time, the German Submarine, U-124, commanded by Johann Mohr, was laying in the shoal waters off of Paramaribo, Surinam of South Africa. Mohr had his sights set on several vessels in this particular convoy.... He fired off two torpedoes and hit the Broad Arrow, which consisted of Master: Percy Louis Mounter as well as 39 Merchant seaman and 8 U.S. Navy Armed Guard....and immediately let go with a third that hit and sank the SS Birmingham City....[ which was part of the convoy TB-1 as well ] Actually the U-124 made attacks on the SS Collingsworth and SS Minotaur..as well as the above Birmingham City ....both sank four minutes after being hit. The first of the two torpedo’s that was fired at the Broad Arrow....struck the ship on the port side at the aft magazine. The explosion from this first hit opened up the entire after end of the vessel and she flooded rapidly and settled by the stern. Moments later the second torpedo struck forward of amidships and set the cargo on fire. The tanker then began to settle more evenly but did not sink immediately. It is believed that seven of the 8 U.S. Armed Guards died during these explosions from the two torpedoes. The crew, trying to escape during all of the above explosions and damage abandoned ship within five minutes after the explosions....without orders to do so. Some of the crew of eight officers and 31 crewman left the vessel in two lifeboats and two rafts. As near as anyone can determine there was one man in #3 boat and 5 men in #4 boat, with the remainder of the survivors on rafts. Most of the men abandoned the ship so hastily that a number remained stranded on the ship and in the water. All hands, including the Captain, standing the 8 to 12 watch on the bridge and in the engine room were killed by the explosions. Most of the survivors were those who lived in the forecastle forward. The same rescue vessel that was involved in gathering up the survivors from the SS Birmingham City rescued the survivors of the Broad Arrow....it was USS PC-577. The PC picked up one armed guard, three officers and twentytwo men about 10 hours after the attack and landed them at Paramaribo, Surinam. The second mate died on the PC-577...and the Pumpman died from burns on the afternoon of the 10th at the hospital in Paramaribo....they both were buried in that city as well. The ship finally plunged stern first ....later the next day. Merchant Seaman Lost ; Juan Balado (Cook) Alfred E. Distelhurst (4th Mate) John Elwis (Chief Mate) Eldor K. Ernstsen (2nd Mate) Manuel Furtado (AB) Percy L. Mounter (Master) Clifford L. Newman (AB) Rudolph Plath (Chief Engr.) Spiro Raftopolos (Pumpman) Florencio Riquelme (Cook) John P. Rose Jr. (3rd Mate) Joseph A. Salgado (Wiper) John J. Scully (3rd Engr.) William M. Swain (Steward) Walter M. Taylor (Radio Oper.) Clifton M. Wing (Oiler). U.S. Armed Guard Lost ; Raymond R. Grandowicz (S1c) Charles P. Greathouse (S1c) Gerald J. Harvey (S1c) James J. Lambeit (Cox) Robert C. Pendleton (S1c) Daniel J. Theisen (S1c) Eugene G. Zack (S1c). The U-124 was Commissioned on June 11th, 1940, and met her fate on April 2nd of 1943 by depth charges from the British corvette HMS Stonecrop and the British sloop HMS Black Swan....all hands were lost. During her sub life....she had hit 52 ships.