C O N F I D E N T I A L
Cadet File No: 43-7843
USNR File No: 250093
From: Cadet-Midshipman James G. Fuqua, Fourth Class, (D-2), USMMCC
To: Supervisor, U.S. Merchant Marine Cadet Corps
Via: District Cadet Supervisor, New York
Subject: SS BLOODY MARSH – loss of
1. The subject vessel left Houston, Texas at 1530, June 27, 1943 with a full cargo of special Navy fuel oil. She traveled alone and without escort through the Gulf of Mexico into the Atlantic and northward to New York where we were due to arrive on July 3rd. The weather conditions for the trip were normal. During the day of July 1st, a Navy blimp escorted us, but the blimp left us again at about 1930 the same night.
2. At 2308, the night of July 1st, our ship was hit by a torpedo while in position 32 45 N-Lat., 79 45 W Long., about 100 miles off the coast of Georgia. At the time of the attack the writer was in his quarters, but upon hearing the explosion immediately went to his station to attend the falls, when the abandon ship signal was sounded. The writer’s lifeboat was the second boat to get away from the ship. All hands did his work quietly and efficiently and everything went off smoothly. In all, four boats got away from the ship, one having jammed and the other being smashed by the explosion of the torpedo.
3. When all the boats were a safe distance from the ship the submarine surfaced and fired another torpedo into the ship. This one hit amidships and the tanker sank immediately, time, about 2330. The sky was overcast and very dark, without moonlight and consequently we were unable to see the submarine very clearly. However, it appeared to the writer to be about 350 feet in length, and after firing the second torpedo at our ship it disappeared from sight, traveling in a northwesterly direction.
4. During the night, a complete black-out was observed on the boats, and at about 0600 a Navy blimp was sighted. He flew over our position and found us at once. He signaled to us that we would be picked up about 0900. A Navy sub-chaser hove into view at about that time and picked up all the survivors in the boats. Seventy-five men were rescued and only two were lost. These were on duty in the engine room at the time the torpedo hit.
5. All the survivors were taken to Charleston, S.C. for questioning and after Naval Intelligence was through with us, we entrained for New York. All the Cadet-Midshipman aboard were rescued, and all returned to New York together, reporting to the District Cadet Supervision on July 6th.
Signed (James G. Fuqua)
Cadet-Midshipman James G. FUQUA, Fourth Class, (D-2), USMMCC