Convoy UGS 36
Convoy UGS 36
Table of Contents:
UGS 36
Commanding Officers
Ships Sailing with Convoy UGS 36
Report prepared
on April 5, 1944 by the UGS 36 Convoy Commodore
Timeline of Important Incidences
Material,
Weight, and Cubeage Loaded Aboard LST's at Norfolk, Va March 1944
April 1, 1944 - "Baptism by
Fire"
| UGS 36 Commanding Officers |
Convoy Commander: Frederick T. Stevenson, CMDR. USN - Aboard Edwin
L. Godkin
Convoy Vice Commander: B.B. Brandt, CMDR. USN - Aboard Enoree
| Ships Sailing with Convoy UGS 36 |
26 Ships plus 4 escort vessels sailing from NY 3-10-44, joining
79 Ships at Cape Henry - Sailing 3-14-44
105 Total ships plus 12 escort vessels plus 3 additional escort vessels joining convoy at
Gibraltar
| LST's USS LST 27 USS LST 28 USS LST 32 USS LST 74 USS LST 140 USS LST 141 USS LST 173 USS LST 174 USS LST 177 USS LST 178 USS LST 210 USS LST 262 USS LST 265 USS LST 266 USS LST 519 USS LST 525 USS LST 526 USS LST 538 USS LST 539* USS LST 540* ESCORT VESSELS (joined convoy at Gibraltar) |
US CARGO Edwin L. Godkin Frederick C. Rowe Edward Burleson Nathan B. Forrest Robert R. Randal Samuel Woody James Rumbsy James McHenry Witham Witon A.J. Cermak B.F. Shaw Charles Crocker E. Kirby Smith Elisha Mitchell George Bancroft Tarleton Brown Thomas Donaldson George M. Bibb George H. Pendleton Marry Lane Henry Bardwin Henry W. Longfellow Hoke Smith Howell E. Jackson Thomas Reyward Walter Raleigh William Wilson Ignance Paderewski Jared Ingersoll (1) John Catron John Sedwick John Trumbull Jubal A. Early E.I. Lugkenbach Theodoric Bland Willard Mosley William F. Cody Kemp Battle Lawrence D. Tyson Leo J. Doster Lincoln Steffens Louis Hennepin Luctetta Mott Marion McKinley Bovaru William L. Yancey Woodrow Wilson* Nathan Clifford |
Oliver Hazard Perry Patrick C. Boyle Peter Cartwright Silas Weir Mitchell Stephen C. Foster Sun-Yat-Sen USS Polaris (AF-11) USS Enoree (TF-64) US TANKERS BRITISH CARGO BRITISH TANKERS OTHER CARGO |
| * Reported as returned to port -
did not sail with UGS 36 (1) Reported as bombed, on fire and abandoned - crew returned - ship towed to Algiers (2) Reported as sunk by submarine or mine |
||
| Report prepared on April 5, 1944 by the UGS 36 Convoy Commodore |
1. GENERAL REPORT ON STATION KEEPING OF CONVOY:
Good - better than average
2. GENERAL REPORT ON VISUAL AND W/TSIGNALING:
Good
3. NAME OF ANY VESSEL UNABLE TO MAINTAIN SPEED:
None
4. REMARKS ON CONVOY ESCORTS:
a. Escorts from Norfolk to Bizerte with
additional escorts from Gibraltar to Bizerte.
b. Continuous air cover by carrier
transatlantic augmented by local patrols, Bermuda, Azores, and Africa.
5. BRIEF NARRATIVE OF VOYAGE - NOTE ANY
IMPORTANT INCIDENCES:
Collision between Steven C. Foster and Frithjob
night of 26 March.
Air attack at 0400 1 April 44 between Oran and Algiers, American Jared Ingersall set on fire during air attack, position 36-46 North, 01-44 East. Arrived in Algiers in tow. Fire was extinguished. No casualties, all confidential documents overside in weighted box. 200 bags US Mail recovered.
British Dahomain sunk (torpedoed or mined) 1 April in position 34-35 South, 18-19 East.
| Timeline of Important Incidences |
| 25 March 1944 at 1525Z: | Number 111 MKT Erodona (British) steering geer trouble - Returned to station at 0900Z |
| 26 March 1944 at 0330Z: | Number 133 Steven C. Foster (US) steering geer trouble in collision with Number 134, Frithjob (Norway) - Damage Slight |
| 27 March 1944 at 1030Z: | Number 123 MTK British Diligence steering geer trouble |
| 27 March 1944 at 2110Z: | Approximate position 34-10 North, 16-02 West - Escorts had contact port beam of convoy. Dropped 48 depth charges - Results negative |
| 28 March 1944 at 0555Z: | Escort had contact, dropped 5 depth charges, starboard bow of convoy. In follow-up contact, escort collided with Number 131, A.J. Sermack (US). Slight damage to both vessels |
| 28 March 1944 at 0445Z: | MTK Eronda (British) intercepted homming transmissions on HS/TF bearing 285°. |
| 31 March 1944 at 2115Z: | Approximate position 280°, 29 miles from Cape Tenes, escort had contact on port bow of convoy, dropped 36 depth charges. MTK Eronda (British) intercepted British escort code message reporting wreckage brought up. Convoy executed emergency starboard turn to make room for escort attack. |
| 1 April 1944 at 0255Z: | 360°, 15 miles from Cape Cherchel, enemy air attack (See
enclosure A) Moon set at 0140Z. From estimates of escorts, the attack consisted of
four planes dropping flares, 3 high level bombers and twelve torpedo planes. Ship
number 93, Robert E. Ingersoll (US) torpedoed, port bow, caught fire and dropped astern.
Convoy AA barrage, some of it at low angle, endangering other vessels. Number 111, MTK Erodona (British) expended 1600 rounds of 50 caliber, 450 rounds 20mm, 20 rounds 3", and 10 rounds 4.7" firing at flares and planes. MTK Erodona observed one plane dropping flares, one plane approached on reference course at masthead height, banked to starboard, close aboard. Another plane was seen on the starboard of Erodona moving port to starboard, estimated 1000 feet, 1000yards distance. Captain states he saw torpedo wake cross bow close aboard, port to starboard. HMS Columbo reports a torpedo fired at her, approaching from starboard quarter. Escort reported 20 underwater explosions, thought to be end of run torpedo detonations. All clear 0335Z. |
| 1 April 1944 at 0950Z: | Escort had contact and dropped 28 depth charges. Convoy executed emergency turn to starboard. |
| 1 April 1944 at 1000Z: | Body of German pilot floated by on port hand, picked up by rear escort. |
| 2 April 1944 at 0830Z: | Vice commodore and staff transferred from MTK Erondona to LST 210 / Duty change and destination change. |
| Material, Weight, and Cubeage Loaded Aboard LST's at Norfolk, Va March 1944 |
| LST 27 | Material: smoke screen generators, smoke mixture,
and 40MM ammunition Weight: 830,723, Cube: 38,928 |
| LST 28 | Material: 40MM ammunition Weight: 748,119, Cube: 37,526 |
| LST 32 | Material: acids, vehicle spare parts, water
heaters Weight: 755,878, Cube: 31,602 |
| LST 74 | Material: Naval Combat Demolition Units 52-59 Weight: 684,832, Cube: 20,204 |
| LST 140 | Material: vehicles, water trailers, and
compressors Weight: 275,489, Cube: 28,007 |
| LST 141 | Not Shown |
| LST 173 | Material: machine guns, wire rope, pontoon
jewelry, and 146 pontoons Weight: 423,642, Cube: 35,780 |
| LST 174 | Material: tank farm equipment, and tents Weight: 368,419, Cube: 12,316 |
| LST 177 | Material: fenders, 126 pontoons and jewelry,
anchors, and launching gear Weight: 688,525, Cube: 30,642 |
| LST 178 | Not Shown |
| LST 210 | Material: piping for tank farm Weight: 437,837, Cube: 19,769 |
| LST 262 | Material: material for Naval Combat Demolition
Units 48-51 and 60-62 Weight: 499,522, Cube: 30,238 |
| LST 265 | Material: one lot farm equipment Weight: 593,913, Cube: 17,090 |
| LST 266 | Material: 5" ammunition, rubber gloves,
boots, smoke mixture, generator parts Weight: 834,042, Cube: 38,686 |
| LST 519 | Material: landing planks, pontoon assembly,
tools, and air compressors Weight: 108,439, Cube: 34,600 |
| LST 525 | Material: truck crane, concrete mixer assemblies Weight: 346,347, Cube: 19,876 |
| LST 526 | Material: vehicles, gaaney gear, cigarettes,
beer, medical supplies Weight: 539,587, Cube: 21,418 |
| LST 538 | Material: medical supplies for G-8 component, 125
pontoons with assemblies Weight: 810,095, Cube: 33,422 |
| April 1, 1944 - "Baptism by Fire" |
LST Flotillas One and Four War Diary on air attack at 0400 1 April 44 between Oran and Algiers:
| 0300 | Radar reports unidentified object appearing 600 yards off our starboard bow just the otherside of LST 262. The object, which is believed to be an enemy submarine, shows up again at 0320. It appears as a bright spot on the screen lasting for about a minute in duration and then fades out as if it had submerged. Its heading on this second report is 80º relative at about a mile and four tenths. It appears again five minutes later and has dropped back to appear at a bearing of 88º relative at the same distance. Picked up very faintly this third time. |
| 0350 | Depth charges may be felt off our port quarter. They seem to be some distance away as the concussion is faint. |
| 0400 | Two white rockets appear almost simultaneously off our port
quarter not more than a thousand yards away. General quarters and Flotilla Four is under ATTACK. Two white flares burst upon the bleakness of the night and illuminated our section of the convoy off the starboard quarter. Suddenly the flagship is bathed in the luminescent half-glow of two flares descending slowly to sea off the port bow, followed by a third and then a fourth. The entire convoy comes to life at the same instant and opens fire on everything in every direction. The frenzied scatter of 20MM tracers makes a glowing Juliet's Cap of the four flares to port as they encircle them. A blast from one of the 40's in the bow extinguishes the first, as the silver tip of a plane wing appears momentarily and then is swallowed in the black. The fire is scattered now, ships shooting dangerously close to ships. The boom of the cruiser's battery breaks the sedentary night into slivers of scarlet and orange. It is so close that the concussion is clearly felt around one's pant legs. Suddenly, off to port, a ship puffs into flames as if hit by a bomb and fire shoots across the deck from stem to stern. The flames leap high into the night and may be seen clearly burning two hours later. Another ship takes it to the port beam and is afire. A third displays the tragic lone red light as mute testimony to her wounds. |
| 0450 | The ack-ack has secured save for a few stray shells that probably were lodged in the gun barrels after the order to cease fire. It is still dark and impossible to estimate the damage done. What might have been the sun had it been earlier is the dull glow of the ship that caught the first bomb, now way to the stern of the convoy, still aglow. |
| 0805 | A lone plane wings in off the starboard quarter of the convoy from the African coast. It drops two flares--white over red, the proper recognition signal for the hour, but three merchant ships open fire on it. Their shots are erratic. The plane drops its signal again, but the firing continues and it flys away. |
| 0810 | Six planes may be seen in the distance far off to port. |
| 1100 | The Commodore orders all ships who have barrage balloons to fly them and the convoy soon responds. |
| 1400 | The following two reports were received over TBY: "FROM GORILLA: SHIP WHICH WAS BOMBED AND CAUGHT FIRE DURING RAID WAS ABANDONED AND IS NOW UNDER CONTROL. CREW PLACED BACK ABOARD. ABOUT TWO HUNDRED BAGS OF MAIL RESCUED AND NOW ESCORTED BY SPIDER AND GORILLA." "THERE WERE DEFINITELY TWO PLANES DESTROYED LAST NIGHT." |
| 1445 | All flotilla ships were present and accounted for when dawn
broke this morning. LST 173 seems to have come closest during this baptism by
fire. She reported the following by blinker: "AT 0403 PLANE PASSED VERY LOW ACROSS MAIN DECK FROM PORT TO STARBOARD AND CRASHED ABOUT FIFTY FEET OFF STARBOARD BEAM. FOLLOWING CRASH A VERY PRONOUNCED UNDERWATER EXPLOSION OCCURRED THROWING A HUGH BALL OF WATER WHICH BROKE OVER MAIN DECK AND LCT. NUMEROUS PIECES OF PLANE WRECKAGE AND SHRAPNEL FOUND ABOUT UPPER DECKS. NO PERSONNEL DAMAGE SUFFERED. ENGINE ROOM REPORTS THE FOLLOWING OUT OF COMMISSION TWO BALLAST TANK GAUGES - NUMBER TWO FIRE AND BILGE PUMP PURIFIER NOW BACK IN COMMISSION." |
| 1700 | Commodore orders a smoke screen from all ships having equipment in the event we are attacked again this evening. |
| 1902 | The escort, having been ordered by TBY to begin laying a smoke screen, slowly obscures the setting sun. |
| 2000 | Position: 36 57 N, 05 53 E Total Sailing Time: 416 hours Total Distance: 3,659 miles |
[WebMaster Note: The information found within this report was graciously provided by Vincient Mongiello, MoMM3 who served on USS LST 177 during WWII]
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