Francis J. Schwarz
Francis J. Schwarz was born in June 1928. He grew up in the Fairview section of Camden, N.J., attending the Fairview (Yorkship Square) Elementary School and Hatch Junior High School. He was a member of Fairview Village Methodist Church and the Boy Scouts.
Francis Schwarz enlisted in the Merchant Marine on his 16th birthday. He served as an oiler in the engine room of the S.S. St. Mihiel, a tanker. He died on April 13, 1945 when the St. Mihiel was rammed and set ablaze off the Atlantic coast. He is buried at sea and is remembered on the Pine Hill, N.J. War Memorial.
27 Lost in Holocaust Aboard Rammed Tanker
Camden Courier-Post — circa
Washington, D.C., July 5 (UP) — The American tanker St. Mihiel, rammed and set ablaze while in convoy off the east coast April 10, was saved by the heroic efforts of two destroyer escorts but 27 of her crew perished, the Navy disclosed today.
The tanker, laden with 8,002,000 gallons of high-octane aviation fuel, was rammed amidships by the tanker Nashbulk while traveling in convoy a few hundred miles off the Atlantic coast. Flames swept the vessel from bow to stern, driving her crew to the rail. Half of them died before reaching the safety of life boats and rafts while others, too badly burned and exhausted to swim, were kept alive only by life jackets that had been thrown over the side.
The Navy said four were dead and 23 missing. Next of kin have been notified.
Tanker is Saved.
The destroyer escort Stewart reached the scene after the St. Mihiel had been abandoned. It pumped water on the blazing vessel and soon had the flames under control.
The destroyer escort Edsall then put aboard a volunteer salvage party of three officers and 11 men.
They rigged hoselines to combat small fires that broke out at intervals throughout the ship, revived the fuel tanks and wet them down to prevent a new inferno being started by the intense heat.
The St. Mihiel reached safety in New York Harbor under its own power with the Edsall acting as flagship. The derelict tanker was steered by compass from an emergency station amidships. The two vessels were blanketed by a dense fog only 26 miles from port. The Nashbulk sustained a damaged bow and returned to New York. One of her crew was listed as missing.
Regarding the 10 April 1945 Collision Between the Tankers SS St. Mihiel and SS Nashbulk
Donald Esposito, EM3c, Was a Member of the Rescue Party That Boarded SS St. Mihiel
20 August 2000
As I recall DE238 was closest to the burning tanker. Although there is no record in the log the Flagship Edsall sent the Stewart to intercept the tanker. Lt. Day was dispatched in the whaleboat with inspection party and boarded the SS St. Mihiel. I do not know the content of the inspection team except Lt. Day. Lt. Day was the first to board the tanker. As soon as he boarded he turned and waved. Comdr. Wilson using a bullhorn greeted him as Capt. Day. When the inspection crew was done the Stewart pulled alongside and dispatched the fire fighters. I mean dispatched, we were helpfully tossed onto the tanker.
When the fires were cooled down most of the boarding party returned to the Stewart.
If my memory serves me correct one merchant crew member stayed aboard the tanker so as not to abandon the ship. I believe the captain was killed in the fire. Later that day a few key merchant crew came aboard and assisted our party in firing up the engines. This is after Fromm, Hicks and I got the electrical back working in the engine room. The rest of the ship was without power. We slept in the crew quarters without light. The refrigerators were full of good food.
22 August 2000
One slip and you would be crushed between both ships. As the log states the Stewart pulled alongside starboard to port of the tanker.
Things got a little sketchy here, we were taken off the Mihiel most likely when the pilot left. If that is true then a pilot boarded at Ambrose Lighthouse and took the Mihiel to its anchoring position near the Statue of Liberty. I remember the dense fog well.
Cmdr. Wilson was a good skipper. He ran a tight ship.
Speaking for myself, I do not remember anyone eating steaks on board the Mihiel. We grabbed what we could from the cooler, all uncooked.
It was not unusual to dine on sandwiches aboard the Stewart. During rough seas, and that was most often, the cooks found it impossible to prepare a meal for the crew.
22 August 2000
She was rammed midship possibly starboard side. Well, it had to be starboard since we boarded on her port side. The initial explosion was concentrated just forward and below the wheel house.
Later we got a chance to inspect the damage caused. The wheel house was completely burned out. It was said the captain was killed so I guess he was on duty.
Later all steering was done aft. There were portholes around the sides of the steering house or maybe they were on the hatches (doorways). The glass on the portholes melted then froze solid and appeared like large frozen tears hanging there. Perhaps a symbol of pain for the lost crew. The steel mast just forward of the wheel house looked like a twisted pretzel.
The hatches on the petroleum storage holds just forward and aft of the wheel house had blown their covers. The living quarters on the fantail were untouched. That’s where we operated from. Many of the merchant crew jumped from the deck behind the living quarters into the sea. Which was quite high. I was told of some in panic that jumped into lifeboats and were killed. Of course you know about the sharks getting them also.
I could not locate a photo of the St. Mihiel anchored in NY. One must exist. I also wrote the Navy Dept., inquiring if any recognition was given to the rescuers, no luck. I tried to find out the name of the tanker’s company, no luck there either.
After the incident I was transferred off the Stewart. When shipmate Post visited me in Tucson he said the fire fighting crew from the Stewart was given a complimentary “job-well-done” by the Stewart crew. Sadly I missed out.