Christiern Posted January 21, 2004 Report Posted January 21, 2004 (edited) When I was ten, I came to the U.S. from Iceland, and stayed close to 3 years. The convoy I was in (HX-156) was attacked by U-Boats, and I will never forget the experience (although I survived a worse attack on the journey back, in June of 1944. Anyway, since I am working on a memoir, I recall that there was a lot of press in connection with this trip, because it marked the first sinking of a U.S. Navy vessel in WWII, the Reuben James. I have spent hours at the NY Public Library, going over microfilm, but I didn't know the exact date of my arrival, so it was a frustrating, slow search. Today, however, I found an online database that took me right to it: November 8, 1941. This only has the NY Times, Washington Post, and LA Times, but now I know the date, so I can zero right in on it in the many newspapers that NY had at the time--I remember, for example, that there were pictures of of us kids looking through a lifesaver. BTW, 100 lives were lost when U-552 sank the Reuben James,and Woody Guthrie wrote a song about it ("The Sinking of the Reuben James"). Sorry, I know this is probably too small to read, but I just had to share... Edited January 21, 2004 by Christiern Quote
chris olivarez Posted January 21, 2004 Report Posted January 21, 2004 Just curious but when you were heading back in 1944 where were you heading back to? Quote
Christiern Posted January 21, 2004 Author Report Posted January 21, 2004 New York to Reykjavík, Iceland. It took 25 days, because we lost the convoy during the attack, and had to head for Loch Ewe, Scotland, to wait for another convoy. I was on the same ship, and it was sunk by U-boat U-300 five months later. Quote
chris olivarez Posted January 21, 2004 Report Posted January 21, 2004 Thanks Chris. That had to be a total exercise in fear. Quote
brownie Posted January 21, 2004 Report Posted January 21, 2004 Chris, glad you survived the experience. These newsstories from the past have an endless fascination, especially those related to WWII. Bad experience from this side. Quote
tonym Posted January 21, 2004 Report Posted January 21, 2004 It always make me realise just how effin' privileged people of my generation are over here in this neck of the woods. Sure we have our own traumas and fears on a 'micro' scale, if you like. But it's been a long time since UK civilians have had to endure anything like that, or indeed anything of the nature of WWII. A guy who served in the Mediterranean in that conflict was drafted when he was 18. He told me about how he crouched in doorways while his company perished all around him. He survived with heavy shrapnell injuries. For children and their parents experience that just totally freaks me out. I've had my fair share of traumatic events and there haas always been light around the corner but when every bugger is in the same boat -- how do you cope with that? Thanks for sharing it with us. Quote
White Lightning Posted January 21, 2004 Report Posted January 21, 2004 Thank you for sharing that fascinating story, Chris. Quote
catesta Posted January 21, 2004 Report Posted January 21, 2004 Thank you for sharing that fascinating story, Chris. Ditto. Quote
couw Posted January 21, 2004 Report Posted January 21, 2004 please post if you find more. I'd like to see the pictures of the kids. Were you among those shown? Quote
Christiern Posted February 12, 2004 Author Report Posted February 12, 2004 (edited) Found this NY Daily News 11/8/41 piece at the Fifth Ave. Library this morning. That's a photo of the ship I was on--in fact, I'm still aboard as this was taken. Edited February 12, 2004 by Christiern Quote
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