WWII Sacrifice At Sea: Feb. 3, 1943, The 4 Chaplains, Sinking of the S.S. Dorchester

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Last edited Thu Feb 4, 2021, 11:20 PM - Edit history (1)

- Four U.S. chaplains died, linking arms, to save the lives of Americans evacuating the troop carrier ship S.S. Dorchester after it was torpedoed by a German U-Boat submarine in the North Atlantic. The Dorchester sank on Feb. 3, 1943.

The Four Chaplains, also referred to as the "Immortal Chaplains" or the "Dorchester Chaplains", were four World War II chaplains who died rescuing civilian and military personnel as the troop ship SS Dorchester sank on February 3, 1943. The Dorchester was a civilian liner converted for military service in World War II as a War Shipping Administration troop transport. She was able to carry slightly more than 900 military passengers and crew.

The ship left New York on January 23, 1943, en route to Greenland, carrying approximately 900 others, as part of a convoy of three ships escorted by Coast Guard Cutters Tampa, Escanaba, and Comanche. During the early morning hours of February 3 the vessel was torpedoed by the German submarine U-223 off Newfoundland in the North Atlantic. The chaplains helped the other soldiers board lifeboats & gave up their own life jackets when the supply ran out. The chaplains joined arms, said prayers, & sang hymns as they went down with the ship.



- Dorchester.

Dorchester left New York on January 23, 1943, en route to Greenland, carrying the 4 chaplains & approximately 900 others, as part of a convoy of three ships (SG-19 convoy). Most of the military personnel were not told the ship's ultimate destination. The convoy was escorted by Coast Guard Cutters Tampa, Escanaba, & Comanche. The ship's captain, Hans J. Danielsen, had been alerted that Coast Guard sonar had detected a submarine. Because German U-boats were monitoring sea lanes & had attacked & sunk ships earlier during the war, Captain Danielsen had the ship's crew on a state of high alert even before he received that information, ordering the men to sleep in their clothing & keep their life jackets on. "Many soldiers sleeping deep in the ship's hold disregarded the order because of the engine's heat. Others ignored it because the life jackets were uncomfortable."

.. During the early morning hours of February 3, 1943, at 12:55 am, the vessel was torpedoed by the German submarine U-223 off Newfoundland in the North Atlantic. The torpedo knocked out the Dorchester's electrical system, leaving the ship dark. Panic set in among the men on board, many of them trapped below decks. The chaplains sought to calm the men & organize an orderly evacuation of the ship, & helped guide wounded men to safety. As life jackets were passed out to the men, the supply ran out before each man had one. The chaplains removed their own life jackets & gave them to others. They helped as many men as they could into lifeboats, & then linked arms &, saying prayers & singing hymns, went down with the ship...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Chaplains




- George L. Fox.



- Alexander D. Goode.



- Clark V. Poling.



- John P. Washington.

Link to tweet

~ Thanks to mahatmakanejeeves for posting this story & historian Michael Beschloss' tweet in Gen. Disc.

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1. The Chapel of the Four Chaplains is located in Philly

http://fourchaplains.org/
Since the late 1940’s the Chapel of the Four Chaplains has been telling the story of the Four Chaplains and encouraging selfless sacrifice and interfaith cooperation. On February 15, 2001, the Chapel of the Four Chaplains moved to 1201 Constitution Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19112 the site of a 1942 World War II Navy Chapel.

http://fourchaplains.org/four-chaplains/
One witness, Private William B. Bednar, found himself floating in oil-smeared water surrounded by dead bodies and debris. “I could hear men crying, pleading, praying,” Bednar recalls. “I could also hear the chaplains preaching courage. Their voices were the only thing that keptme going.”

Another sailor, Petty Officer John J. Mahoney, tried to reenter his cabin but Rabbi Goode stopped him. Mahoney, concerned about the cold Arctic air, explained he had forgotten his gloves.

“Never mind,” Goode responded. “I have two pairs.” The rabbi then gave the petty officer his own gloves. In retrospect, Mahoney realized that Rabbi Goode was not conveniently carrying two pairs of gloves, and that the rabbi had decided not to leave the Dorchester.

[appalachiablue]

2. Thank you, what courage & sacrifice. Glad to learn this story

which I never knew about.