S. S. Coamo
The Porto Rico Steamship Line was founded in 1890 to carry sugar from Porto Rico to Brooklyn New York. In 1896 it began passenger service between San Juan and Brooklyn. Later it moved to Pier 16 which adjoined the Wall St. Ferry dock at the foot of Wall Street. It shared this pier with the New York & Savanah Line. By 1909 the Porto Rico Line was advertising ‘Sailings every Saturday’ for the 4 to 5-day trip to San Juan.
The S. S. Coamo was built in Newport News, VA , completed December, 1925 and sailed her maiden voyage in January of 1926. The ship weighed 7,057 gross tons, was 429 feet long, and had 3 decks above the hull. The Coamo alternated on this route with a slightly younger, nearly identical, sister ship the S.S. Borinquen, built in 1930. They transported passengers along with perishable and other cargo between New York and San Juan. Their 1934 booklet states that,” Passengers are surrounded by sumptuous luxury. This note of Supreme refinement is found in the spacious lounges, the dining saloon, the library, tea room, writing room, smoking room, music room and other public spaces”. “ An excellent orchestra provides music for daily concerts and dancing every evening”. #1
A 1935 breakfast menu from the S. S. Coamo begins with a choice of fresh blueberries, Puerto Rico pineapple, grapefruit and oranges, or ripe Kadota figs in syrup or Puerto Rico preserved grape fruit. Then on to a choice of fried white perch, grilled mutton chops, ham, bacon, or minced chicken on toast. There were the usual eggs served six different ways, or five styles of omelets. Five choices of bread and rolls, along with milk, coffee chocolate, Ovaltine, and Lipton’s teas in five flavors. #2
All of this luxury came to an abrupt end in January of 1942 when the Coamo was chartered as a U. S. Army Transport ship and began service transporting troops and some supplies for the military. On January 19, 1942, shortly before the Coamo began military duty, German U-Boat 66 torpedoed the Canadian National Steamship, “Lady Hawkins”, sinking it off the coast of North Carolina. 350 people died when the ship went down. 76 survivors in the only remaining lifeboat floated in the Atlantic for five days until spotted, and 71 people were rescued by the S. S. Coamo. 5 had died during the ordeal. They were taken to San Juan. The Coamo’s first trip as a military troop carrier was to South America and then to Africa.
Captain Nels Helgesen, was born on January 2, 1888, in Haugesund , Norway. He emigrated to America in 1905. In 1912 he attended navigation school in New York City and received his first deck license. The same year he began his career with the Porto Rico Line. In 1918, at age 30, he was given command of his first ship. By 1942, at the age of 54 he was Captain of the then17 year old Coamo. #3
For some unknown reason the military records of Walter Compton Davis do not contain copies of any orders he received after his return to Brooklyn on September 5, 1942. For this reason it is not known when he was ordered to begin duty aboard the Coamo. Compton and the rest of his gun crew were aboard when the Coamo departed the Brooklyn Navy Yard on September 23, 1942* and arrived in Liverpool, probably early in November. The ship left Liverpool around the 8th and sailed to the Clyde where about 1,500 British troops boarded for transport to Algiers. MKF-3, a convoy of 17 ships left the Clyde on November 14, and arrived in Algiers on November 23. On November 25 the Coamo departed Algiers and went to Gibraltar. The following day they departed Gilbraltar as part of westbound Convoy MFK-3, headed toward Land’s End, England. At Land’s End they were detached from the convoy with orders to head for New York by way of the relatively safer Bermuda route. The following night the Coamo was torpedoed and sunk by German U-604 which had been tracking it while it was zigzagging in a storm.
Compton was part of a 37-man gun crew and these were the men that he spent his last days with. No information has turned up about how many guns were mounted aboard the Coamo. The standard installation was a 4” or 5”/38 dual purpose stern gun, a 3”/50AA gun, and eight 20mm machine guns. #5 At this early stage of WWII most of the guns were leftovers stored after WWI.This armament was to defend the ship from attack, or boarding by crews on enemy ships. They were used against airplanes when the ship was traveling near the coast. The standing orders for ships, such as the Coamo, in combat with a surface ship or surfaced submarine, were to turn away, putting the attacker on the stern and run. Therefore the heaviest armament was mounted on the stern. The idea being to discourage pursuit by the enemy. #6 The guns would have been totally useless against torpedoes heading for them at night.
Merchant ships were assigned a Navy Armed Guard contingent of one officer and about twenty men to operate and maintain the guns. Merchant Marine members of the crew were trained to assist the Navy Gun Crew.
These are the Armed Gun men Compton served with, along with the little information that is recorded about them.
John Richard Barry, Seaman Second Class, from Louisville, Ky.
Harry Wilford Benner, Seaman Second Class, age 27. Wheelwright, KY. Wife, Dorliss Ruth Benner
Fred Joseph Birzer, Seaman Second Class, from Dodge City, KS.
Sidney Alcide Bleau, Seaman Second Class. 92 E. Florence St. Highland Park, Detroit, MI. Wife, Margaret Elane Bleau.
Mike Bokulich, Seaman Second Class.
John Alexander Bratton, Seaman Second Class, 458 S. 4th St. Danville, KY.
Leo Frank Brewer, Seaman Second Class. Fryatt, AK
Edmond Lewis Broyles, Seaman Second Class. 109 N. Johnson St. Louisville, KY.
Nickolas Bukvic, Seaman Second Class.
Melvin Thomas Burns, Seaman Second Class, 408 S. Illinois St., Belleville, IL.
Edwin George Corpin, Seaman Second Class, from Kincaid, Il.
Louis Frank Craven, Seaman Second Class,1384 N. 23rd St. East St. Louis, Il.
George Edward Crowder, Seaman Second Class,1424 Wappington St. Danville, Il, who was the brother of,
Harold Eugene Crowder, Seaman Second Class,1424 Wappington St. Danville, Il.
Philip C. Crowley, Seaman Second Class.
Joyce E. Curtis, Seaman Second Class.
Walter Casmier Drvall, Seaman Second Class, Albert, WV.
James C. Ette, Seaman First Class.
Paul M. Fischer, Seaman First Class.
Robert S. Foitag, Seaman First Class.
Lawrence A. Glowczewski, Signalman Third Class, 1918 E. Tioga St., Philadselphia, PA.
Byron R. Hess, Gunner’s Mate Third Class.
Charles F. Jones, Seaman Second Class.
Robert E. McCann, Seaman Second Class.
Raymond J. Mulligan, Signalman Third Class.
Gene A. Robertson, Radioman Third Class.
George Campbell Thisby, Signalman Third Class, from Sacramento, CA.
These were all listed as U. S. Naval Reserve. (USNR)
Their two Officers were also USNR and six other Seaman were regular U.S. Navy personnel.
William A. Arens, Seaman First Class -USN.
Andrew Corrao, Seaman Second Class - USN.
Eugene J. Dettlaff, Lieutenant (junior grade), USNR. 1563 S. 60th St., West Allis, Milwaukee, WI.
Roger J. Gabler, Seaman Second Class, USN. 3227 A Barret St. St. Louis, MO.
William Elwood Gardner, Seaman Second Class, USN. 217 Franklin Ave. River Forest, Oak Park, IL.
David J. Hughes, Lieutenant (junior grade) USNR.
Richard E. Mabie, Boatswin’s Mate Second Clas, USN.
Robert Vivian Russ, Seaman First Class. USN.
Donald M. Sprague, Seaman Second Class, USN. #4
A couple others that Compton may have befriended are;
18 year old Joseph Giovinco who was a U.S. Merchant Marine Cadet, working as a Deck Hand.
Robert Sheridan Clough, Jr, a Merchant Marine Utilityman, who was from nearby Wilmington, DE. He had served three months, so may have come aboard the same time Compton did.
Granville Aden Catlett , a Merchant Marine Wiper, from Baltimore.
Henry A. Levett, Merchant Marine Deck Cadet. Summit, NJ.
Reference sources.
#1 www.timetableimages.com. 1934 Porto Rico Line booklet, collection of Bjorn Larsson.
#2 Menu collection Hunter College, CUNY.
#3 niahistoryonline@yahoo.com. The Norwegian Immigration Association, Inc. - “My Father Captain Nels Helgesen of the National Maritime Hall of Fame”, by Captain Henry N. Helgesen, US Coast Guard Retired. March 16, 2000.
#4 uboat.net. Crew lists from ships hit by U-boats -Coamo.
#5 www.usmm.org.
#6 www.navweaps.com.
* One source lists October as sailing date. Deck Cadet Harry A. Levett signed on the SS Coamo on October 2, 1942. - Kings Pointers in World War II website.
