Having actually gone "Missing" on the above date, he was not officially declared by the military as being dead until November 4, 1944, 1 year and 1 day after he went missing as was the custom.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Paul served as a Radioman, Second Class, U.S. Coast Guard during World War II.

He resided in Burlington, Chittenden County, Vermont prior to the war.

Paul was a Passenger on the S.S. Dorchester.

Paul was declared "Missing In Action" " when the Dorchester was hit by a torpedo from German submarine U-223 and sunk in the North Atlantic during the war.

675 crew and passengers lost their lives in this sinking. The sinking of Dorchester was the worst single loss of American personnel of any American convoy during World War II.

He was awarded the Purple Heart.

Service # 617254

Paul was married, however his wife's name is currently unknown.

Bio by:
Russell S. "Russ" Pickett

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On February 3, 1943, about 100 miles from Narsarssuak Greenland on a cold, moonless, starless night... At 00:55 a torpedo hit Dorchester's starboard side, just forward of her beam. The power and lights went out immediately.

The Dorchester, listing to starboard, was able to get out six blasts on the fog horn, and had started another six blasts, when the steam ran out. Many of the troops, ordered to sleep with their lifebelts on, didn't do so because of the heat trapped within the ship's hull from her boilers. They came up to the deck to find stark contrast.

According to survivor accounts, commanding officer Captain Preston S. Krecker assisted his men in abandoning ship, and went down with the ship in so doing.

The Dorchester is best remembered today for the story of the Four Chaplains who went down with her.

The four chaplains found a deck box full of lifebelts and together started assisting the men who were without into the belts and overboard. Soon the box was empty.

The chaplains, one by one removed their own lifebelts and gave them to men who had none. The Chaplains locked arms, sang and prayed for the men as the Dorchester sank with them on board.

They included
1Lt. John Patrick Washington ( Father ~ Catholic ),
1Lt. Clark Vandersall Poling ( Reverend ~ Dutch Reformed ),
1Lt. Alexander David Goode ~ ( Rabbi ~ Jewish ) and,
1Lt. George Lansing Fox ( Reverend ~ Methodist ).

" All four perished with the ship ! "

In 1948 the US Postal Service issued a stamp to commemorate the sinking.

The S.S. Dorchester was one of three identical ships built in 1926 for the Merchants and Miners Transportation Company. In February 1942, the S.S. Dorchester entered the war effort as the United States Army Transport (U.S.A.T.) Dorchester.

The Dorchester's first master, Capt. L B Kendrick, continued on during the first five voyages to Greenland in 1942. After the fifth voyage he retired.

Master Hans Jorgen Danielsen, of New Jersey, then came aboard to be the Captain of the ship for his first and last voyage.

Report by:
Russell S. "Russ" Pickett

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Having actually gone "Missing" on the above date, he was not officially declared by the military as being dead until November 4, 1944, 1 year and 1 day after he went missing as was the custom.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Paul served as a Radioman, Second Class, U.S. Coast Guard during World War II.

He resided in Burlington, Chittenden County, Vermont prior to the war.

Paul was a Passenger on the S.S. Dorchester.

Paul was declared "Missing In Action" " when the Dorchester was hit by a torpedo from German submarine U-223 and sunk in the North Atlantic during the war.

675 crew and passengers lost their lives in this sinking. The sinking of Dorchester was the worst single loss of American personnel of any American convoy during World War II.

He was awarded the Purple Heart.

Service # 617254

Paul was married, however his wife's name is currently unknown.

Bio by:
Russell S. "Russ" Pickett

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On February 3, 1943, about 100 miles from Narsarssuak Greenland on a cold, moonless, starless night... At 00:55 a torpedo hit Dorchester's starboard side, just forward of her beam. The power and lights went out immediately.

The Dorchester, listing to starboard, was able to get out six blasts on the fog horn, and had started another six blasts, when the steam ran out. Many of the troops, ordered to sleep with their lifebelts on, didn't do so because of the heat trapped within the ship's hull from her boilers. They came up to the deck to find stark contrast.

According to survivor accounts, commanding officer Captain Preston S. Krecker assisted his men in abandoning ship, and went down with the ship in so doing.

The Dorchester is best remembered today for the story of the Four Chaplains who went down with her.

The four chaplains found a deck box full of lifebelts and together started assisting the men who were without into the belts and overboard. Soon the box was empty.

The chaplains, one by one removed their own lifebelts and gave them to men who had none. The Chaplains locked arms, sang and prayed for the men as the Dorchester sank with them on board.

They included
1Lt. John Patrick Washington ( Father ~ Catholic ),
1Lt. Clark Vandersall Poling ( Reverend ~ Dutch Reformed ),
1Lt. Alexander David Goode ~ ( Rabbi ~ Jewish ) and,
1Lt. George Lansing Fox ( Reverend ~ Methodist ).

" All four perished with the ship ! "

In 1948 the US Postal Service issued a stamp to commemorate the sinking.

The S.S. Dorchester was one of three identical ships built in 1926 for the Merchants and Miners Transportation Company. In February 1942, the S.S. Dorchester entered the war effort as the United States Army Transport (U.S.A.T.) Dorchester.

The Dorchester's first master, Capt. L B Kendrick, continued on during the first five voyages to Greenland in 1942. After the fifth voyage he retired.

Master Hans Jorgen Danielsen, of New Jersey, then came aboard to be the Captain of the ship for his first and last voyage.

Report by:
Russell S. "Russ" Pickett

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~