Photo by Carly
Morris, storyteller from Kingsdown, Kent
With
the upcoming 250th anniversary of the founding of Harrodsburg fast
approaching in 2024, history has been a major topic of conversation in town.
Everyone is excited about the upcoming celebration, but did you know
Harrodsburg recently, by six degrees of separation, had a 75th
anniversary celebration?
The
SS James Harrod was a Liberty cargo ship named for the founder of
Harrodsburg and was built in 1943. This war craft was constructed of steel and was
a steam-powered vessel. The Harrod was operated by Sudden and
Christenson, Inc., a West Coast shipping firm. Its call sign was KKRQ.
Liberty
ships carried a crew of about 44 and 12 to 25 Naval Armed Guards. The SS
James Harrod was 441 feet long and 56 feet wide. She had a three-cylinder,
reciprocating steam engine, fed by two oil-burning boilers produced 2,500 hp
and a speed of 11 knots. She had five holds and could carry over 9,000 tons of
cargo, plus airplanes, tanks, and locomotives lashed to its deck. A Liberty
ship could carry 2,840 jeeps, 440 tanks, or 230 million rounds of rifle ammunition.
A Liberty ship cost just under $2 million and was built in four and a half days
using parts prefabricated throughout the country in 250-ton sections.
The
Harrod was launched March 2, 1943 at Portland, Oregon by the Oregon
Shipbuilding Company, its 144th Liberty Ship completed during World
War II. At the launching program, a telegram was read from Mayor pro-tem Tom
Squifflet, acting while Mayor Maurice Watts was serving in the Navy. The
telegram carried the appreciation of the citizens of Harrodsburg for the ship’s
name and expressed good wishes for the crew and the hope of a useful future for
the gallant ship.
Photo by Carly Morris, storyteller from Kingsdown, Kent
Returning
from its maiden voyage, the commander of the ship; wrote that the “James
Harrod” had made a splendid record, and the entire crew was proud of the
ship’s action. No further news of the ship was received until Harrodsburg
Herald Editor D. M. Hutton received a business letter from Adolph A.
Hoehling, head of an aviation news service in Washington, D. C., and author of The
Fighting Liberty Ships:
“Incidentally, you may be interested
in the fate of the SS James Harrod, named after the founder of
Harrodsburg. I was in command of the gun crew on the ships last voyage. We
collided and burned in the North Sea, January 16, 1945.
We lost four men.”
The
naval liberty ship, SS James Harrod, had collided with the SS Raymond
B. Stevens on January 16, 1945 and burned in the North Sea. The Harrod
exploded, burnt, and grounded near Deal Castle, after colliding with the Stevens.
Upon collision, the Harrod was beached off Kingsdown by tugs. After the
crew were removed, she blew off northward until she stranded on Malm Rocks and
broke in two.
The
SS James Harrod was carrying a cargo of 80-octane gasoline in GI tins
– five gallons each – for a total of 9,200 tons. Much of her cargo was salvaged despite the fire. Some of the
damaged ship can still be found on site. Her stern lies at 51 12.59N, 01
24.38E. Her fore section was abandoned on Blythe Sands and was later refloated
and laid up in the River Blackwater. In 1946 the bow was removed and scuttled
with German gas weapons on board.
Photo by Carly Morris, storyteller from Kingsdown, Kent
As Armed Guard Officer, Hoehling was assigned to lead the
gun crew on merchant ships. Beginning in December 1943 he began a series of
voyages that took him to India, Singapore, Mozambique, Italy, and Algeria, as
well as various ports of the United Kingdom and the United States. After a time
on this first ship, he was transferred to a T-2 tanker, in which he made
several voyages (including one through a powerful hurricane in which she nearly
foundered) before being transferred to the SS James Harrod. This was his
last ship before retirement.
Hoehling’s account of his adventures in his book, The
Fighting Liberty Ships, include the relationships between gun crews and
merchant crews (the former was usually viewed as hindrances by the latter), and
between himself as officer and the typical cross-section of American soldier
under his command. The chapters dealing with the destruction of the Harrod
are moving and at times disquieting. The personal narrative is well-framed by
frequent brief segments summarizing events in the land and sea conflicts and
supported by an impressive bibliography.
“About 0100 on 16 January the vessel passed Dover and
proceeded into the Downs toward the Southern Anchorage, Ransgate. Weather had
cleared then and visibility was 3 miles or better. Wind was negligible. A
strong current of about 4 knots, was setting from the Southwest”
Suddenly at 0125 the Harrod collided with an
anchored vessel. The bow of the second Liberty ship scraped half the length of the
Harrod’s starboard, shearing off all life rafts and boats, finally
crunching into an after-cargo hold. Why the current had not pushed the Harrod
away from the other ship would remain a mystery - yet one more mystery surrounding
James Harrod.
“Flames … quickly towered to a great height, accompanied
by explosions as the tins of gasoline went up individually. Some of the cans
popped out into the water on the starboard side … causing a pool of flame on
the water.”
Photo from 75th anniversary memorial
Some of the shattered Harrod’s cargo (from forward
holds) would be salvaged for service in the war’s final days. As a matter of
fact, at the writing of this article, there is a sterling silver box from the
wreckage for sell on eBay. It is engraved with the words, “Mrs. Erven F.
Murphy, Sponsor of SS James Harrod, on March 3, 1943, built by Oregon
Shipbuilding Corporation for the United States Maritime Commission.” This
appears to have been a gift to Mrs. Murphy for being a sponsor during the
building of the ship. Asking price, $895.
I am lucky enough to have a Facebook friend, Carly
Morris, who lives near Deal Kent, UK. She contacted me and then the James
Harrod Trust about the 75th anniversary memorial that was held on January
16, 2020. She also sent along some photographs. The information at the memorial
states:
“It was in the early hours of the 16th of January
1935, that the SS James Harrod anchored up for an overnight stop in the
waters of the English Channel. There was a very strong tide and the anchor
could not hold the bottom, setting it on a collision course with the Liberty
ship SS Raymond B. Stevens. Both were carrying dangerous cargo for the
war effort. The Harrod was carrying thousands of containers of fuel
which ignited on impact killing four navy armed guards. The ship burned for a
few days before it ran aground off Deal in Kent.”
The deaths are recorded at Cambridge American cemetery in
the UK are as follows:
·
Graydon Edward Taylor, Gunners mate 3rd
class, age 22 from Everett, Boston – repatriated. At rest at Greenwood
Cemetery.
·
Walter T. Porter, from South Natick,
Massachusetts. He is buried in the Americans Cemetery, Cambridge, UK.
·
James F. Ricketts, First class from
Homer, Louisiana, son of Mary Lou. James was the third son of Mary to be lost
to war. James is recorded as Missing in Action.
·
Paul R. Thompson, Seaman first class.
From Greensboro, North Carolina. Recorded as Missing in Action.
Both Ricketts
and Thompson are remembered on memorial tablets in Cambridge.
Photo by Carly Morris, storyteller from Kingsdown, Kent
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