Dec 1, 1941 - Mon.
Atlantic
German submarine U-575 encounters and tracks unarmed U.S. tanker Astral, the latter en route from Aruba, N.W.I., to Lisbon, Portugal, with a cargo of 78,200 barrels of gasoline and kerosene. After seeing that Astral is unarmed and bears prominent neutrality markings, however, the U-boat's commanding officer, Kapitanleutnant Gunther Heydemann, allows the American ship to pass unmolested. Subsequently, another submarine in the vicinity, U-43, encounters Astral and attacks her, but her torpedoes miss their mark (see 2 December).
Dec 2, 1941 - Tue.
Atlantic
German submarine U-43 again attacks unarmed U.S. tanker Astral and this time torpedoes and sinks her at 35°40'N, 24°00'W. There are no survivors from the 37-man merchant crew.
Info found on website - hyperwar.com
∼Parents: Georgie Wilma (Greear) and William Everett Fritts (married 9/12/1915 at Johnson Co., TN)
Siblings: Gilbert Lee, David Hilton, William E. Jr, Jewel Evangeline, Jean, Samuel Greear (died in infancy), and Earl Greear
- According to the 1940 Census, Pinellas Florida, Mr. Fritts was 23 years old, single and a Seaman in the Maritime Service.
- His WWII Draft Card, dated 10/16, 1940, reveals the following physical description: 5'10" tall, weighed 136 lbs, White with hazel eyes, dark brown hair and and dark complexion. No mention of scars or tattoos.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
U.S. Merchant Marine
Service No: Z 123136
Award: Mariner's Medal
Address of Record: Newark, New Jersey
Philip Lon Fritts signed on the SS Astral as Third Mate in November 1941. He was 24 years old and had been a seaman for about seven years.
The SS Astral, a steam-powered tanker, was launched and commissioned in 1916 in San Francisco, California. In 1941, she was owned and operated by Sacony-Vacuum Oil Co. of New York, NY. A feature of the ship was her three masts, which set her apart from other tankers in the fleet.
In November 1941, the Astral was directed to Aruba where she took on 78,200 barrels of gasoline and kerosene. She left Aruba on the morning of November 20th, bound for Lisbon, Portugal where she was scheduled to deliver her cargo on December 4th. The Astral did not arrive at her destination. The ship and her crew of 37 men had seemingly disappeared without a trace.
At this point, Pearl Harbor had NOT been attacked and the U.S. was still a neutral country. To ensure identification as such, the Astral had a U.S. flag painted on both sides, beneath her navigating bridge. In spite of being neutral, however, a number of American ships had been attacked and damaged and some, including the USS Reuben James, had been sunk. In time, this was assumed to have been the fate of the Astral, even though no proof had ever been found. It would be 20 years before this was confirmed through entries in captured German submarine (U-boat) war diaries.
On Dec 1, 1941, with Third Mate Philip Lon Fritts on board, the Astral was in the vicinity of the Azores on its way to Portugal. It was mid-afternoon, about 60 miles south of the Azores, when Lieutenant Commander Guenther Heydemann, in U-575, first spotted the Astral. After stalking the ship for several hours, Heydemann submerged and prepared to fire a torpedo. The sun was beginning to set when he was 1000 meters from the ship, but he was able to clearly identify her as a U.S. ship. He accurately described her in his diary and finished the entry for that day with, "Thus, we have to let her go with a heavy heart."
There was another U-boat in the same vicinity at the same time, also stalking the Astral. It appears the two submarines were unaware of each other at the time. Lieutenant Commander Wolfgang Leuth, of U-43, had been stalking the Astral most of the day, also, and at sunset, 34 minutes after Hydemann had gone, Leuth prepared to close in. Due to a problem with the engine, he was not able to complete the maneuver as planned. An hour later, however, he did fire off a torpedo but it missed its mark. Leuth continued to follow the Astral through the night.
From Lt. Commander Leuth's diary entrance for Dec. 2, 1941: "... The moon is setting. Double shot from the stern tube with 2G7e. Distance 1000 m. ... Double hit-after 72 seconds, 1080 m, amid ship and astern in the engine. The tanker burns and sinks in a few minutes. For another hour the surface of the water is still a sea of flames. The black cloud of heavy smoke covered 6/10 of the sky."
There were 37 Merchant Mariners on board; none survived.
Astral was one of four US merchant ships that were sunk before America entered the war.
NOTE: A memorial marker for Mr. Fritts has been placed in the Fritts family plot at Laurel Grove Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia
Atlantic
German submarine U-575 encounters and tracks unarmed U.S. tanker Astral, the latter en route from Aruba, N.W.I., to Lisbon, Portugal, with a cargo of 78,200 barrels of gasoline and kerosene. After seeing that Astral is unarmed and bears prominent neutrality markings, however, the U-boat's commanding officer, Kapitanleutnant Gunther Heydemann, allows the American ship to pass unmolested. Subsequently, another submarine in the vicinity, U-43, encounters Astral and attacks her, but her torpedoes miss their mark (see 2 December).
Dec 2, 1941 - Tue.
Atlantic
German submarine U-43 again attacks unarmed U.S. tanker Astral and this time torpedoes and sinks her at 35°40'N, 24°00'W. There are no survivors from the 37-man merchant crew.
Info found on website - hyperwar.com
∼Parents: Georgie Wilma (Greear) and William Everett Fritts (married 9/12/1915 at Johnson Co., TN)
Siblings: Gilbert Lee, David Hilton, William E. Jr, Jewel Evangeline, Jean, Samuel Greear (died in infancy), and Earl Greear
- According to the 1940 Census, Pinellas Florida, Mr. Fritts was 23 years old, single and a Seaman in the Maritime Service.
- His WWII Draft Card, dated 10/16, 1940, reveals the following physical description: 5'10" tall, weighed 136 lbs, White with hazel eyes, dark brown hair and and dark complexion. No mention of scars or tattoos.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
U.S. Merchant Marine
Service No: Z 123136
Award: Mariner's Medal
Address of Record: Newark, New Jersey
Philip Lon Fritts signed on the SS Astral as Third Mate in November 1941. He was 24 years old and had been a seaman for about seven years.
The SS Astral, a steam-powered tanker, was launched and commissioned in 1916 in San Francisco, California. In 1941, she was owned and operated by Sacony-Vacuum Oil Co. of New York, NY. A feature of the ship was her three masts, which set her apart from other tankers in the fleet.
In November 1941, the Astral was directed to Aruba where she took on 78,200 barrels of gasoline and kerosene. She left Aruba on the morning of November 20th, bound for Lisbon, Portugal where she was scheduled to deliver her cargo on December 4th. The Astral did not arrive at her destination. The ship and her crew of 37 men had seemingly disappeared without a trace.
At this point, Pearl Harbor had NOT been attacked and the U.S. was still a neutral country. To ensure identification as such, the Astral had a U.S. flag painted on both sides, beneath her navigating bridge. In spite of being neutral, however, a number of American ships had been attacked and damaged and some, including the USS Reuben James, had been sunk. In time, this was assumed to have been the fate of the Astral, even though no proof had ever been found. It would be 20 years before this was confirmed through entries in captured German submarine (U-boat) war diaries.
On Dec 1, 1941, with Third Mate Philip Lon Fritts on board, the Astral was in the vicinity of the Azores on its way to Portugal. It was mid-afternoon, about 60 miles south of the Azores, when Lieutenant Commander Guenther Heydemann, in U-575, first spotted the Astral. After stalking the ship for several hours, Heydemann submerged and prepared to fire a torpedo. The sun was beginning to set when he was 1000 meters from the ship, but he was able to clearly identify her as a U.S. ship. He accurately described her in his diary and finished the entry for that day with, "Thus, we have to let her go with a heavy heart."
There was another U-boat in the same vicinity at the same time, also stalking the Astral. It appears the two submarines were unaware of each other at the time. Lieutenant Commander Wolfgang Leuth, of U-43, had been stalking the Astral most of the day, also, and at sunset, 34 minutes after Hydemann had gone, Leuth prepared to close in. Due to a problem with the engine, he was not able to complete the maneuver as planned. An hour later, however, he did fire off a torpedo but it missed its mark. Leuth continued to follow the Astral through the night.
From Lt. Commander Leuth's diary entrance for Dec. 2, 1941: "... The moon is setting. Double shot from the stern tube with 2G7e. Distance 1000 m. ... Double hit-after 72 seconds, 1080 m, amid ship and astern in the engine. The tanker burns and sinks in a few minutes. For another hour the surface of the water is still a sea of flames. The black cloud of heavy smoke covered 6/10 of the sky."
There were 37 Merchant Mariners on board; none survived.
Astral was one of four US merchant ships that were sunk before America entered the war.
NOTE: A memorial marker for Mr. Fritts has been placed in the Fritts family plot at Laurel Grove Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia
Dec 1, 1941 - Mon.
Atlantic
German submarine U-575 encounters and tracks unarmed U.S. tanker Astral, the latter en route from Aruba, N.W.I., to Lisbon, Portugal, with a cargo of 78,200 barrels of gasoline and kerosene. After seeing that Astral is unarmed and bears prominent neutrality markings, however, the U-boat's commanding officer, Kapitanleutnant Gunther Heydemann, allows the American ship to pass unmolested. Subsequently, another submarine in the vicinity, U-43, encounters Astral and attacks her, but her torpedoes miss their mark (see 2 December).
Dec 2, 1941 - Tue.
Atlantic
German submarine U-43 again attacks unarmed U.S. tanker Astral and this time torpedoes and sinks her at 35°40'N, 24°00'W. There are no survivors from the 37-man merchant crew.
Info found on website - hyperwar.com
∼Parents: Georgie Wilma (Greear) and William Everett Fritts (married 9/12/1915 at Johnson Co., TN)
Siblings: Gilbert Lee, David Hilton, William E. Jr, Jewel Evangeline, Jean, Samuel Greear (died in infancy), and Earl Greear
- According to the 1940 Census, Pinellas Florida, Mr. Fritts was 23 years old, single and a Seaman in the Maritime Service.
- His WWII Draft Card, dated 10/16, 1940, reveals the following physical description: 5'10" tall, weighed 136 lbs, White with hazel eyes, dark brown hair and and dark complexion. No mention of scars or tattoos.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
U.S. Merchant Marine
Service No: Z 123136
Award: Mariner's Medal
Address of Record: Newark, New Jersey
Philip Lon Fritts signed on the SS Astral as Third Mate in November 1941. He was 24 years old and had been a seaman for about seven years.
The SS Astral, a steam-powered tanker, was launched and commissioned in 1916 in San Francisco, California. In 1941, she was owned and operated by Sacony-Vacuum Oil Co. of New York, NY. A feature of the ship was her three masts, which set her apart from other tankers in the fleet.
In November 1941, the Astral was directed to Aruba where she took on 78,200 barrels of gasoline and kerosene. She left Aruba on the morning of November 20th, bound for Lisbon, Portugal where she was scheduled to deliver her cargo on December 4th. The Astral did not arrive at her destination. The ship and her crew of 37 men had seemingly disappeared without a trace.
At this point, Pearl Harbor had NOT been attacked and the U.S. was still a neutral country. To ensure identification as such, the Astral had a U.S. flag painted on both sides, beneath her navigating bridge. In spite of being neutral, however, a number of American ships had been attacked and damaged and some, including the USS Reuben James, had been sunk. In time, this was assumed to have been the fate of the Astral, even though no proof had ever been found. It would be 20 years before this was confirmed through entries in captured German submarine (U-boat) war diaries.
On Dec 1, 1941, with Third Mate Philip Lon Fritts on board, the Astral was in the vicinity of the Azores on its way to Portugal. It was mid-afternoon, about 60 miles south of the Azores, when Lieutenant Commander Guenther Heydemann, in U-575, first spotted the Astral. After stalking the ship for several hours, Heydemann submerged and prepared to fire a torpedo. The sun was beginning to set when he was 1000 meters from the ship, but he was able to clearly identify her as a U.S. ship. He accurately described her in his diary and finished the entry for that day with, "Thus, we have to let her go with a heavy heart."
There was another U-boat in the same vicinity at the same time, also stalking the Astral. It appears the two submarines were unaware of each other at the time. Lieutenant Commander Wolfgang Leuth, of U-43, had been stalking the Astral most of the day, also, and at sunset, 34 minutes after Hydemann had gone, Leuth prepared to close in. Due to a problem with the engine, he was not able to complete the maneuver as planned. An hour later, however, he did fire off a torpedo but it missed its mark. Leuth continued to follow the Astral through the night.
From Lt. Commander Leuth's diary entrance for Dec. 2, 1941: "... The moon is setting. Double shot from the stern tube with 2G7e. Distance 1000 m. ... Double hit-after 72 seconds, 1080 m, amid ship and astern in the engine. The tanker burns and sinks in a few minutes. For another hour the surface of the water is still a sea of flames. The black cloud of heavy smoke covered 6/10 of the sky."
There were 37 Merchant Mariners on board; none survived.
Astral was one of four US merchant ships that were sunk before America entered the war.
NOTE: A memorial marker for Mr. Fritts has been placed in the Fritts family plot at Laurel Grove Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia
Atlantic
German submarine U-575 encounters and tracks unarmed U.S. tanker Astral, the latter en route from Aruba, N.W.I., to Lisbon, Portugal, with a cargo of 78,200 barrels of gasoline and kerosene. After seeing that Astral is unarmed and bears prominent neutrality markings, however, the U-boat's commanding officer, Kapitanleutnant Gunther Heydemann, allows the American ship to pass unmolested. Subsequently, another submarine in the vicinity, U-43, encounters Astral and attacks her, but her torpedoes miss their mark (see 2 December).
Dec 2, 1941 - Tue.
Atlantic
German submarine U-43 again attacks unarmed U.S. tanker Astral and this time torpedoes and sinks her at 35°40'N, 24°00'W. There are no survivors from the 37-man merchant crew.
Info found on website - hyperwar.com
∼Parents: Georgie Wilma (Greear) and William Everett Fritts (married 9/12/1915 at Johnson Co., TN)
Siblings: Gilbert Lee, David Hilton, William E. Jr, Jewel Evangeline, Jean, Samuel Greear (died in infancy), and Earl Greear
- According to the 1940 Census, Pinellas Florida, Mr. Fritts was 23 years old, single and a Seaman in the Maritime Service.
- His WWII Draft Card, dated 10/16, 1940, reveals the following physical description: 5'10" tall, weighed 136 lbs, White with hazel eyes, dark brown hair and and dark complexion. No mention of scars or tattoos.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
U.S. Merchant Marine
Service No: Z 123136
Award: Mariner's Medal
Address of Record: Newark, New Jersey
Philip Lon Fritts signed on the SS Astral as Third Mate in November 1941. He was 24 years old and had been a seaman for about seven years.
The SS Astral, a steam-powered tanker, was launched and commissioned in 1916 in San Francisco, California. In 1941, she was owned and operated by Sacony-Vacuum Oil Co. of New York, NY. A feature of the ship was her three masts, which set her apart from other tankers in the fleet.
In November 1941, the Astral was directed to Aruba where she took on 78,200 barrels of gasoline and kerosene. She left Aruba on the morning of November 20th, bound for Lisbon, Portugal where she was scheduled to deliver her cargo on December 4th. The Astral did not arrive at her destination. The ship and her crew of 37 men had seemingly disappeared without a trace.
At this point, Pearl Harbor had NOT been attacked and the U.S. was still a neutral country. To ensure identification as such, the Astral had a U.S. flag painted on both sides, beneath her navigating bridge. In spite of being neutral, however, a number of American ships had been attacked and damaged and some, including the USS Reuben James, had been sunk. In time, this was assumed to have been the fate of the Astral, even though no proof had ever been found. It would be 20 years before this was confirmed through entries in captured German submarine (U-boat) war diaries.
On Dec 1, 1941, with Third Mate Philip Lon Fritts on board, the Astral was in the vicinity of the Azores on its way to Portugal. It was mid-afternoon, about 60 miles south of the Azores, when Lieutenant Commander Guenther Heydemann, in U-575, first spotted the Astral. After stalking the ship for several hours, Heydemann submerged and prepared to fire a torpedo. The sun was beginning to set when he was 1000 meters from the ship, but he was able to clearly identify her as a U.S. ship. He accurately described her in his diary and finished the entry for that day with, "Thus, we have to let her go with a heavy heart."
There was another U-boat in the same vicinity at the same time, also stalking the Astral. It appears the two submarines were unaware of each other at the time. Lieutenant Commander Wolfgang Leuth, of U-43, had been stalking the Astral most of the day, also, and at sunset, 34 minutes after Hydemann had gone, Leuth prepared to close in. Due to a problem with the engine, he was not able to complete the maneuver as planned. An hour later, however, he did fire off a torpedo but it missed its mark. Leuth continued to follow the Astral through the night.
From Lt. Commander Leuth's diary entrance for Dec. 2, 1941: "... The moon is setting. Double shot from the stern tube with 2G7e. Distance 1000 m. ... Double hit-after 72 seconds, 1080 m, amid ship and astern in the engine. The tanker burns and sinks in a few minutes. For another hour the surface of the water is still a sea of flames. The black cloud of heavy smoke covered 6/10 of the sky."
There were 37 Merchant Mariners on board; none survived.
Astral was one of four US merchant ships that were sunk before America entered the war.
NOTE: A memorial marker for Mr. Fritts has been placed in the Fritts family plot at Laurel Grove Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia
Inscription
3rd Mate U.S.S. Astral - Lost at Sea
Gravesite Details
Near Marker 1257.
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