Hurricane Maria Resurrects Ghosts of Wars Past

Although news reports about the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria, which recently made its closest approach to Hampton Roads, frequently center upon the destructive winds and tidal flooding that such a storm can bring, this week it has come to light that there were other less-recognizable threats unleashed by the storm as it made its approach to North Carolina's Outer Banks.  On Monday, beachgoers found a barnacle-encrusted sea mine near the town of Avon on Cape Hatteras National Seashore, and another one was discovered nearly 80 miles north in Corolla, just south of the Virginia state line.

An object (above) presumed to be a sea mine was found near Avon on Cape Hatteras National Seashore on the morning of September 25, 2017, and another one was found near the town of Corolla about 80 miles north on the Outer Banks of North Carolina that same morning. They were subsequently turned over to military explosive ordnance disposal technicians.  Thankfully, the Corolla mine turned out to be a training target.  (National Park Service)

During the last century, mines have posed some of the gravest enemy threats to shipping in our home waters.  During both World Wars I and II, German submarines deployed mines along the Mid-Atlantic.  It was an effective, albeit unpredictable tactic.  The Naval History and Heritage Command is currently helping lead an effort to survey USS San Diego, which ran afoul of a suspected mine off the eastern end of Long Island on July 18, 1918. We are also approaching the 99th anniversary of the second such incident that took place during the First World War, not far off the eastern seaboard. On September 29, 1918, the battleship Minnesota (BB 22) ran into a mine only 20 miles off the coast of Delaware.

Photographed in 1911 by O.W. Waterman of Hampton, Virginia, the battleship Minnesota (BB 22) appears somewhere in Hampton Roads, flying the flag of Rear Admiral (Upper Half) Aaron Ward, Commander, Battleship Division 3, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. (Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph)

Built at Newport News Shipbuilding and commissioned on March 9, 1907, just in time for the Jamestown Tercentennial Exhibition and the epic circumnavigation of the globe with the Great White Fleet that followed, the veteran of the 1914 Vera Cruz expedition was assigned to Battleship Division 4, mainly to provide practical gunnery and engineering training for the tens of thousands of new recruits the Navy was taking in during World War I.  She was sailing off the Delaware Breakwater when she struck a mine that had been deployed earlier by U-117. 

Miraculously, only three days after striking a mine off Fenwick Island on the Maryland/ Delaware border on September 29, 1918, USS Minnesota (BB 22) was safely ensconced in a dry dock at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, where the serious damage that had been inflicted by a to her bow by a German mine could be ascertained.  She would remain there for five months. (Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph) 

Despite sustaining heavy flooding to her bow, there were no casualties and the battleship was able to make it to Philadelphia under her own power.  She would remain at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for five months, during which time the war ended.  In January 1919, Navy Secretary Josephus Daniels visited the battleship and personally commended 27 crew members for their "courage and efficiency." After leaving Philadelphia, Minnesota would do her part bringing thousands of American soldiers home from Europe. 

Several thousand troops from Brig. Gen. Douglas MacArthur's celebrated "Rainbow Division" (42nd Infantry Division, U.S. Army National Guard), crowd the decks of USS Minnesota (BB 22) upon their return to New York from France in 1919. (Donation of Dr. Mark Kulikowski, Naval History and Heritage Command photograph)

The Minnesota incident of 99 years ago ended happily, but it stands out as the exception and not the rule in the long, violent history of what was originally called the "torpedo" by its inventors during the American Civil War. Although enemy mines did the worst damage to American vessels during both Twentieth Century wars, not to mention in the Middle East during the latter part of the century, it should not be forgotten that American-made mines were also deployed in large numbers along our coasts, particularly during the Second World War.  Although intended to protect American merchant vessels and warships from the enemy submarine threat, they too caused damage to American shipping when merchant vessels strayed off course or their captains and pilots did not possess the latest information.  

While waiting for a harbor pilot to arrive on the "dark and stormy night" of February 16, 1942, the one-year-old, 554 foot-long tanker SS E.H. Blum of the Atlantic Refining Company, described as "one of the largest and finest tankers in the world" in the War Record of the Fifth Naval District, was ripped in two after drifting into a Navy minefield only 950 yards off the Cape Henry lighthouse.  On June 11, the SS F.W. Abrams of the Standard Oil Company "through a combination of unfortunate circumstances which included bad weather, a misconception of escort duties, and lack of proper navigational information, strayed into the Hatteras Mine Field and was eventually lost."  

Just three days later, on June 15, two American ships and one British vessel ran into a German minefield within sight of Virginia Beach that had been set by U-701, killing 17 on the British vessel, HMT Kingston Ceylonite, and one on SS Robert C. Tuttle.   

The heavily damaged Esso tanker SS Robert C. Tuttle appears in dry dock at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in July 1942.  After preliminary repairs, she was towed to Newport News for completion. (Naval History and Heritage Command photograph)

Despite a concerted effort to sweep the area for German mines, SS Santore encountered another of U-701's mines while assembling to leave Hampton Roads in Convoy KS-511 on June 17, listed to port, and quickly sank, taking three crew members with her.  

Before the month was over, the 7,256-ton Norwegian passenger-cargo vessel MV Tamesis became the second ship sunk by the "friendly Hatteras Mine Field."  The American tug Keshena became its third victim on July 19 while attending to the Panamanian-flagged J.A. Mowinckel, that had itself been damaged by torpedoes and mines.  Three were killed in the tug's engine room.

Whether the mines that emerged from the depths off North Carolina this week present a renewed threat from a past war has yet to be ascertained, but one thing is for certain: the story of mines off the East Coast is far from over.  

USS Maryland (Armored Cruiser 8) Ship Model

By Elijah Palmer
Hampton Roads Naval Museum Educator

(Photo by HRNM Educator Diana Gordon)

Shown here is a model of USS Maryland (ACR-8). Although not currently displayed in the main museum gallery, visitors can view it as part of the museum's 1907 exhibit on the third floor of Nauticus. The Maryland model was built by master ship model maker Greg McKay. For nearly forty years, McKay was a celebrated name among model shipwrights. His handiwork was not only appreciated by the Navy, but also by commercial shipyards and museums. The Hampton Roads Naval Museum is fortunate to have several of his models in the collection, including USS Roanoke and CSS Florida. 

The original USS Maryland was built at Newport News Shipbuilding and was commissioned in 1905. After serving with the Atlantic Fleet, she was sent to the Pacific where she stayed until the American entry into World War I. By that time, Maryland had been renamed Frederick so that a new battleship being built at Newport News (BB-46) could take the name USS Maryland. All the cruisers in this class were similarly renamed, including the famous USS San Diego,which was lost to a German mine. During the war, the cruiser patrolled and escorted convoys. After the Armistice, Frederick made several trips to bring doughboys back to the United States from Europe. Her postwar career was brief, however, as she was decommissioned in 1922, likely due to both her obsolescence and postwar budget cuts.

(Photo by HRNM Educator Diana Gordon)

 While the Maryland/Frederick might have been obsolete by the time she was retired, she was also a casualty of the times. During this era, naval technology was rapidly developing and changing. The US Navy experimented with many different designs, and naval building only increased after the Spanish-American War popularized the Navy. Some aspects of the armored cruiser's armament, such as the 6-inch broadside casemate guns, were a carryover from some of the earlier Steel Navy ships such as USS Chicago or USS Nashville. Yet her 8-inch turrets and streamlined appearance also evoke later designs, showcasing the cruiser's place in early 20th century naval evolution.

(Photo by HRNM Educator Diana Gordon)

Representing the Navy through a medium like photography can be a difficult task, as most images show either the whole ship from afar, or closer views of her embarked Sailors. Models like this one help us to visualize ships in a sort of happy medium, giving a sense of their scale and an appreciation of design features and details. Our museum is very grateful that our collection includes a great number of ship models to share with visitors, enriching their knowledge of the Navy's history.

1918 Artist's Study for "The Return of the Mayflower" by Bernard Gribble

Artist’s Study of The Return of the Mayflower by Gribble

By Diana Gordon

Hampton Roads Naval Museum Educator

Recently, our collection gained a preliminary study of The Return of the Mayflower by Bernard F. Gribble. This famous painting illustrates Norfolk-based Destroyer Squadron 8 heading into Queenstown, Ireland, in May of 1917—only a month after the United States declared war on Germany. Gribble created several different studies of The Return of the Mayflower before he finished the final piece. In art, studies are often done in preparation for the final product and are used to understand problems of the different elements of a piece, such as light, form, and composition.

In comparison to the final rendition of The Return of the Mayflower, the study offers a different perspective, one of less urgency and hope. The composition of this work is the exact opposite of the finalized piece. For instance, the British fisherman’s boat is located on the right hand side of the canvas instead of the left-as found in The Return of the Mayflower. Having the fisherman’s boat located on the right shifts the viewer’s eye to that corner and away from the United States destroyer steaming straight ahead, moving away from these signs of hope. In addition, the local fishermen waving to the Navy ships seem less urgent in their desire to see these signs of hope. The fishermen, each outlined and defined, seem to be casually waving to the ships as they approach. Gribble even added a dog to the fisherman’s boat, which removes some of the serious tones of the piece. In the final masterpiece, Gribble shows the fisherman less defined and more chaotic in their movements, as though they would do anything to see a glimmer of hope and salvation in their world of despair.

Final rendition of The Return of the Mayflower, by Gribble

 As many artists often do, Gribble created different studies of his final work with slightly different compositions. A master in oils and watercolors, Gribble stayed true to his skill and continued with darker color tones and dramatic atmospheres in his study of The Return of the Mayflower, but the piece lacked the strong sense of urgency and hope displayed in his final rendition.

This piece is a valuable new addition to our collection. Come by and see it today!

USS Fanning and the Sinking of U-58

By Joseph Miechle

Hampton Roads Naval Museum Educator 

USS Fanning at Queenstown, Ireland. Note the "Dazzle" camouflage.

In November 1917, USS Fanning (DD-37) became the first U.S. Navy ship to sink a submarine in combat. The ship was named after Lieutenant Nathaniel Fanning, who sailed with John Paul Jones aboard the Bonhomme Richard in the famous battle against the Serapis. Commissioned in 1912 at Newport News, USS Fanning was based in Norfolk for the majority of time prior to the onset of intensified hostilities in World War I. When two German Auxiliary cruisers visited Norfolk in 1915, Fanning acted as their escort while they sailed in United States territorial waters.

When the United States entered the war on April 6, 1917, the war in the Atlantic was already in full swing. German U-boats had been engaging Allied ships in the Atlantic since September of 1914 when U-21 sank HMS Pathfinder. German submarines had exacted a toll on the Allies by sinking over five million tons of supplies worldwide by the time the United States formally entered the war. As part of the U.S. Navy’s expanding operations against the U-boat threat, USS Fanning’s base was transferred from Norfolk, VA, to Queenstown, Ireland, to serve as a convoy escort.

While the ship was escorting an allied convoy with USS Nicholson on November 17, Coxswain Daniel David Loomis spotted the periscope of U-58. Fanning quickly maneuvered into position to attack the U-boat and launched three depth charges into the water. Nicholson also engaged U-58 by firing an additional charge into the water. The bombardment forced the submarine to the surface and both ships fired on it with their 3” deck guns, Nicholson landing at least one hit. The German boat attempted to return fire unsuccessfully and surrendered after about thirty minutes. U-58’s diving planes had been disabled by the gunfire and it could no longer be controlled.

The crew of U-58 emerges from the damaged sub to surrender to USS Fanning on November 17, 1917. 

Prisoners being taken aboard USS Fanning.

Fanning quickly captured the German crew as they scuttled and abandoned their stricken boat. Thirty eight of the forty crew members were captured, including four officers. Two members of the German crew had been killed during the battle. Fanning and Nicholson suffered no casualties during the engagement. Coxswain Daniel Loomis and Lieutenant Walter Owen Henry, both from Fanning, each received the Navy Cross for their contributions during the battle. Fanning continued to serve effectively as a convoy escort and rescue ship throughout the war. Decommissioned on November 24, 1919, Fanning was transferred to the Coast Guard for service until being sold for scrap in 1934.


Editor's Note: Thanks to Mr. Dave Henry of Williamsburg, Virginia, for correcting Lt. Henry's name.