USNR WORLD WAR II
Seaman 1st Class Lester L. Bates MIA/KIA
Hometown: Wisconsin
Official Date of death: 30-Mar-44
Service #3055901
Awards: Purple Heart
Captain: (Master Meinhard Scherf) MIA/KIA
Mission: Transport Convoy HX-230 (straggler)
Ship: Steam merchant (Liberty) William Pierce Frye
Loss Date: 29-Mar-43
Cargo: 7500 tons of military stores, including 750 tons of explosives, wheat and five landing craft as deck cargo
Location: 56.57N, 24.15W - Grid AL 1996 North Atlantic
Fate: Sunk by U-610 (Walter Freiherr von Freyberg-Eisenberg-Allmendingen)
Complement: 64 (57 dead and 7 survivors)
Notes on event
At 23.36 hours on 29 Mar, 1943, the William Pierce Frye, a straggler from convoy HX-230 due to engine trouble since 28 March, was hit on the starboard side in #1 hold by one of three torpedoes from U-610, while steaming on a zigzag course at 12.5 knots. At 23.40 hours, a coup de grâce was fired that hit forward of amidships and caused the ship to sink by the bow within five minutes. Three of the lifeboats had previously been damaged by heavy weather and two more by the torpedo explosions, so only one boat was launched but it swamped in the rough seas and the four rafts and two floats were carried away before any of the eight officers, 32 crewmen and 24 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 3in and nine 20mm guns) could board them. The men had to jump overboard when the ship sank and only seven of them managed to swim to one of the landing craft that floated free. The two officers, three crewmen and two armed guards were picked up after five days by HMS Shikari (D 85) and landed in Londonderry.
USN CREW
Jerry E. Abrams
Hugh T. Blalock
Lester L. Bates
Earl W Boyer
Elmer E. Braundmeier
Elmer E. Braundmeier
Everett L. Brundrett
Robert J. Golden
Casimir M. Klinski
Jacob A. Mann
Colie J. Miller
Elliott R. Montoney
Luther B. Nichols
Frank J. Nightman
Frank J. Nightman
Robert J. Perrin
Robert J. Perrin
Elmer C. Perry
Orville D. Rhine
Carl W. Sermons
Carl W. Sermons
Warner J. Settles
Henry D. Sherman
John J. Smyth
Lewis E. Young
Seaman 1st Class Lester L. Bates MIA/KIA
Hometown: Wisconsin
Official Date of death: 30-Mar-44
Service #3055901
Awards: Purple Heart
Captain: (Master Meinhard Scherf) MIA/KIA
Mission: Transport Convoy HX-230 (straggler)
Ship: Steam merchant (Liberty) William Pierce Frye
Loss Date: 29-Mar-43
Cargo: 7500 tons of military stores, including 750 tons of explosives, wheat and five landing craft as deck cargo
Location: 56.57N, 24.15W - Grid AL 1996 North Atlantic
Fate: Sunk by U-610 (Walter Freiherr von Freyberg-Eisenberg-Allmendingen)
Complement: 64 (57 dead and 7 survivors)
Notes on event
At 23.36 hours on 29 Mar, 1943, the William Pierce Frye, a straggler from convoy HX-230 due to engine trouble since 28 March, was hit on the starboard side in #1 hold by one of three torpedoes from U-610, while steaming on a zigzag course at 12.5 knots. At 23.40 hours, a coup de grâce was fired that hit forward of amidships and caused the ship to sink by the bow within five minutes. Three of the lifeboats had previously been damaged by heavy weather and two more by the torpedo explosions, so only one boat was launched but it swamped in the rough seas and the four rafts and two floats were carried away before any of the eight officers, 32 crewmen and 24 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 3in and nine 20mm guns) could board them. The men had to jump overboard when the ship sank and only seven of them managed to swim to one of the landing craft that floated free. The two officers, three crewmen and two armed guards were picked up after five days by HMS Shikari (D 85) and landed in Londonderry.
USN CREW
Jerry E. Abrams
Hugh T. Blalock
Lester L. Bates
Earl W Boyer
Elmer E. Braundmeier
Elmer E. Braundmeier
Everett L. Brundrett
Robert J. Golden
Casimir M. Klinski
Jacob A. Mann
Colie J. Miller
Elliott R. Montoney
Luther B. Nichols
Frank J. Nightman
Frank J. Nightman
Robert J. Perrin
Robert J. Perrin
Elmer C. Perry
Orville D. Rhine
Carl W. Sermons
Carl W. Sermons
Warner J. Settles
Henry D. Sherman
John J. Smyth
Lewis E. Young
USNR WORLD WAR II
Seaman 1st Class Lester L. Bates MIA/KIA
Hometown: Wisconsin
Official Date of death: 30-Mar-44
Service #3055901
Awards: Purple Heart
Captain: (Master Meinhard Scherf) MIA/KIA
Mission: Transport Convoy HX-230 (straggler)
Ship: Steam merchant (Liberty) William Pierce Frye
Loss Date: 29-Mar-43
Cargo: 7500 tons of military stores, including 750 tons of explosives, wheat and five landing craft as deck cargo
Location: 56.57N, 24.15W - Grid AL 1996 North Atlantic
Fate: Sunk by U-610 (Walter Freiherr von Freyberg-Eisenberg-Allmendingen)
Complement: 64 (57 dead and 7 survivors)
Notes on event
At 23.36 hours on 29 Mar, 1943, the William Pierce Frye, a straggler from convoy HX-230 due to engine trouble since 28 March, was hit on the starboard side in #1 hold by one of three torpedoes from U-610, while steaming on a zigzag course at 12.5 knots. At 23.40 hours, a coup de grâce was fired that hit forward of amidships and caused the ship to sink by the bow within five minutes. Three of the lifeboats had previously been damaged by heavy weather and two more by the torpedo explosions, so only one boat was launched but it swamped in the rough seas and the four rafts and two floats were carried away before any of the eight officers, 32 crewmen and 24 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 3in and nine 20mm guns) could board them. The men had to jump overboard when the ship sank and only seven of them managed to swim to one of the landing craft that floated free. The two officers, three crewmen and two armed guards were picked up after five days by HMS Shikari (D 85) and landed in Londonderry.
USN CREW
Jerry E. Abrams
Hugh T. Blalock
Lester L. Bates
Earl W Boyer
Elmer E. Braundmeier
Elmer E. Braundmeier
Everett L. Brundrett
Robert J. Golden
Casimir M. Klinski
Jacob A. Mann
Colie J. Miller
Elliott R. Montoney
Luther B. Nichols
Frank J. Nightman
Frank J. Nightman
Robert J. Perrin
Robert J. Perrin
Elmer C. Perry
Orville D. Rhine
Carl W. Sermons
Carl W. Sermons
Warner J. Settles
Henry D. Sherman
John J. Smyth
Lewis E. Young
Seaman 1st Class Lester L. Bates MIA/KIA
Hometown: Wisconsin
Official Date of death: 30-Mar-44
Service #3055901
Awards: Purple Heart
Captain: (Master Meinhard Scherf) MIA/KIA
Mission: Transport Convoy HX-230 (straggler)
Ship: Steam merchant (Liberty) William Pierce Frye
Loss Date: 29-Mar-43
Cargo: 7500 tons of military stores, including 750 tons of explosives, wheat and five landing craft as deck cargo
Location: 56.57N, 24.15W - Grid AL 1996 North Atlantic
Fate: Sunk by U-610 (Walter Freiherr von Freyberg-Eisenberg-Allmendingen)
Complement: 64 (57 dead and 7 survivors)
Notes on event
At 23.36 hours on 29 Mar, 1943, the William Pierce Frye, a straggler from convoy HX-230 due to engine trouble since 28 March, was hit on the starboard side in #1 hold by one of three torpedoes from U-610, while steaming on a zigzag course at 12.5 knots. At 23.40 hours, a coup de grâce was fired that hit forward of amidships and caused the ship to sink by the bow within five minutes. Three of the lifeboats had previously been damaged by heavy weather and two more by the torpedo explosions, so only one boat was launched but it swamped in the rough seas and the four rafts and two floats were carried away before any of the eight officers, 32 crewmen and 24 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 3in and nine 20mm guns) could board them. The men had to jump overboard when the ship sank and only seven of them managed to swim to one of the landing craft that floated free. The two officers, three crewmen and two armed guards were picked up after five days by HMS Shikari (D 85) and landed in Londonderry.
USN CREW
Jerry E. Abrams
Hugh T. Blalock
Lester L. Bates
Earl W Boyer
Elmer E. Braundmeier
Elmer E. Braundmeier
Everett L. Brundrett
Robert J. Golden
Casimir M. Klinski
Jacob A. Mann
Colie J. Miller
Elliott R. Montoney
Luther B. Nichols
Frank J. Nightman
Frank J. Nightman
Robert J. Perrin
Robert J. Perrin
Elmer C. Perry
Orville D. Rhine
Carl W. Sermons
Carl W. Sermons
Warner J. Settles
Henry D. Sherman
John J. Smyth
Lewis E. Young
Gravesite Details
Entered the service from Wisconsin.
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
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