October Legends and Americana Ending November 14th
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/15/2015
A superb archive of material, 8.5" x 12" to 8.5" x 13", New York, December 31, 1942 to June 11, 1943 consisting primarily of official depositions taken by survivors of the S.S. Caddo (sunk by a German U-Boat on November 22, 1942) and the S.S. William C. Gorgos (torpedoed on March 1, 1943.) The collection also includes a copy of a citation for the Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal to Capt. James F. Harrell, Master of the SS. Gulfstate, June 6, 1945. Expected folds, a couple of pages toned, else very good condition.
The largest component of the archive concerns the sinking of the U.S.S. Caddo which was transporting over 100,000 barrels of fuel oil, and 300 drums of gasoline from Baytown, Texas to Reykjavik, Iceland. Just south of the Grand Banks, U-518 torpedoed the Caddo. Although the resulting explosion destroyed the ship's deck and tore a hole in the ship's side, none of the crew or its armed guards were killed. They boarded three life boats, two of which were lost, while the third drifted across the Atlantic for fifteen days before being rescued by a Spanish merchant ship. Of the seventeen men in the lifeboat, only six survived the journey.
This lot has a Reserve Price that has not been met.