Lost at Sea ~ In Loving Memory
My Dad was declared lost at sea with the entire crew of the SS Marine Sulphur Queen as it journeyed through the area known as the Bermuda Triangle. Because of the circumstances of his loss, over the years I have been gathering as much information as I can about him and the disappearance of the Marine Sulphur Queen and its crew. Aside from all of the history and factual information, I looked up to and respected my Dad, loved him very much, and miss him forever.My Dad was born in Naval, Leyte, Philippines. He became a U.S. citizen. After I graduated from college, I visited his birth place. It helped me to understand more about him and why he left. I also visited some historical sites there, including the spot where U.S. General Douglas MacArthur landed. The Battling Bastards of Bataan site has information about MacArthur's role in the Philippines.
Below on the left is a copy of the first page of my father's diary. Dad visited many ports. Much of my interest in seeing the rest of the world is my desire to try to see places through his eyes. To the right of the diary page is a copy of my father's U.S. Merchant Mariner's ID.
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Dad joined the U.S. Merchant Marine on 14 Nov. 1944. About half of his life was spent at sea. I compiled names of the ships on which he sailed, and the corresponding dates of his voyages as follows:
SS JOHN M CLAYTON: 14 Nov. 1944 - 13 June 1945
SS SACAJAWEA: 14 June 1945 - 19 July 1945
SS MICHAEL MORAN: 13 Aug. 1945 - 20 Dec. 1945
MV CAPE PEMBROKE: 8 Feb. 1946 - 24 Apr. 1946
SS WESTMINSTER VICTORY: 7 Aug. 1946 - 16 Oct. 1946; 2 Nov. 1946 - 11 Dec. 1946
After my years of efforts, Dad was finally awarded an Honorable Discharge from the United States Coast Guard for his service in the American Merchant Marine. Another merchant mariner, Matty Loughran, assisted in expediting my request. Dad's certificate shown above and his DD Form 214 were sent to me with a cover letter dated 5 Nov. 1999. Now I will work on obtaining an appropriate memorial and site.SS SAN JOSE: 6 July 1948 - 20 July 1948
SS FRANCIS DRAKE: 15 Oct. 1948 - 25 July 1949
SS LIPARI: 12 Mar. 1951 - 30 May 1951
SS GULF SHIPPER: 14 June 1951 - 15 Aug. 1951
SS ESPARTA: 7 Sept. 1951 - 13 Sept. 1951
SS BLUE ISLAND VICTORY: 18 Sept. 1951 - 19 Oct. 1951
SS QUIRIGUA: 7 Nov. 1951 - 22 Nov. 1951; 5 Dec. 1951 - 18 Dec. 1951
SS CHIRIQUI: 26 Dec. 1951 - 18 Feb. 1952
SS SOUTH BEND VICTORY: 3 Mar. 1952 - 11 May 1952; 24 May 1952 - 14 July 1952
SS MARSHFILED VICTORY: 7 Aug. 1952 - 15 Aug. 1952
SS SETON HALL VICTORY: 18 Sept. 1952 - 11 Nov. 1952
SS BALTIMORE TRADER: 25 Oct. 1954 - 26 Dec. 1954
SS CHIRIQUI: 15 Mar. 1955 - 28 Mar. 1955
SS GREEN VALLEY: 16 Apr. 1955 - 6 Nov. 1955
SS ALMERIA: 6 Dec. 1955 - 11 Feb. 1956
SS HOWELL LYKES: 24 Feb. 1956 - 12 July 1956; 6 Aug. 1956 - 4 Dec. 1956; 13 Dec. 1956 - 21 Dec. 1956
SS JAMAICA: 1 Jan. 1957 - 27 May 1957
USNS POTOMAC: 4 June 1957 - 16 Aug. 1957; 24 Aug. 1957 - 31 Mar. 1958
SS GULF MERCHANT: 23 June 1958 - 10 Aug. 1958
SS WASHINGTON: 25 Aug. 1958 - 7 Sept. 1958
USNS MISSION SANTA CRUZ: 15 Sept. 1958 - 6 Oct. 1958
SS GULFSERVICE: 18 Nov. 1958 - 11 Jan. 1959
SS LIMON: 3 Oct. 1960 - 10 Nov. 1960
SS ROCK LANDING: 19 Nov. 1960 - 26 Jan. 1961
SS MARINE SULPHUR QUEEN: 14 Feb. 1961 - 8 June 1961; 11 June 1961 - 17 June 1961; 5 July 1961 - 19 Dec. 1961; 9 Jan. 1962 - 10 Aug. 1962; 22 Oct. 1962 - 2 Feb. 1963?Liberty Ships The SS Michael Moran and SS Sacajawea were liberty ships. Click here for a good site about the history of liberty ships.
Victory Ships The SS Westminster Victory, and the other ships above with the word "victory" in them were victory ships.
T2 Tankers The USNS Mission Santa Cruz, SS Rock Landing, & SS Marine Sulphur Queen were T2 tankers.
There is a Navy and Marine Memorial dedicated to Americans lost at sea in Virginia, near Washington, DC, in Lady Bird Johnson Park. This monument, sculpted in aluminum, consists of seven sea gulls in flight above the crest of a wave. It stands on a green granite base and was erected in honor of men of the United States who gave their lives or are still offering their lives in the performance of heroic deeds upon the waters of the world. Dedicated on October 18, 1934. (Sculptor - Ernesto Begni del Piatta)
