Looking for history of merchant marine ships SS Plaudit and SS Harry Luckenbach during WWII

I am looking for history on the use of merchant marine ships by the US Navy in the Atlantic during WWII. Two ships in particular. The SS Plaudit and SS Harry Luckenbach.

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  • Hi Tom,

    My great-grandfather, Ralph McKinnon, captained the SS Harry Luckenbach on its final voyage so I have a wealth of articles and info on it.

    I highly recommend reading Turning the Tide by Ed Offley, which describes the crew's final tragic moments, adding incredible color beyond the names and dates.

    Here is a good data source on the Harry: https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ship/2791.html

    The Luckenbach line was a merchant line that was used during WWII for war efforts. As I understand it, not everyone on the ship was military. I don't believe Ralph was at that time (he was for WWI, though). I tried writing to retrieve Ralph's naval records once and was told there was no record of him being in the Navy which was a bit of a head-scratcher. That's a dead end I need to revisit.

    They (the SS Harry Luckenbach) were delivering ammunition to the UK in part of a large fleet. The position they were in was described as "coffin corner" due to its exposure.

    Reportedly, the Luckenbach zig-zagged out of position to avoid torpedoes from the U-91, only to be ordered back in line and struck while in the dreaded coffin corner. It is unclear how many got in lifeboats, but Turning the Tide describes a tragic series of unfortunate events where no one could manage to rescue the lifeboats, leaving them to drift into the unknown.

    In his final letters home before the incident, Ralph wrote that his colleague had recently done the same route without issue so he was hoping for the same outcome. They were planning to arrive in the UK around the 27th, returning in early May.

    Here is what I have in our family collection from Grandpa Ralph: https://www.flickr.com/photos/33231347@N05/albums/72157651122866010

    His final letter, regarding the Harry: 

    p1 https://www.flickr.com/photos/33231347@N05/19497459740/in/album-72157651122866010/

    p2 https://www.flickr.com/photos/33231347@N05/19064533233/in/album-72157651122866010/ 

Reply
  • Hi Tom,

    My great-grandfather, Ralph McKinnon, captained the SS Harry Luckenbach on its final voyage so I have a wealth of articles and info on it.

    I highly recommend reading Turning the Tide by Ed Offley, which describes the crew's final tragic moments, adding incredible color beyond the names and dates.

    Here is a good data source on the Harry: https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ship/2791.html

    The Luckenbach line was a merchant line that was used during WWII for war efforts. As I understand it, not everyone on the ship was military. I don't believe Ralph was at that time (he was for WWI, though). I tried writing to retrieve Ralph's naval records once and was told there was no record of him being in the Navy which was a bit of a head-scratcher. That's a dead end I need to revisit.

    They (the SS Harry Luckenbach) were delivering ammunition to the UK in part of a large fleet. The position they were in was described as "coffin corner" due to its exposure.

    Reportedly, the Luckenbach zig-zagged out of position to avoid torpedoes from the U-91, only to be ordered back in line and struck while in the dreaded coffin corner. It is unclear how many got in lifeboats, but Turning the Tide describes a tragic series of unfortunate events where no one could manage to rescue the lifeboats, leaving them to drift into the unknown.

    In his final letters home before the incident, Ralph wrote that his colleague had recently done the same route without issue so he was hoping for the same outcome. They were planning to arrive in the UK around the 27th, returning in early May.

    Here is what I have in our family collection from Grandpa Ralph: https://www.flickr.com/photos/33231347@N05/albums/72157651122866010

    His final letter, regarding the Harry: 

    p1 https://www.flickr.com/photos/33231347@N05/19497459740/in/album-72157651122866010/

    p2 https://www.flickr.com/photos/33231347@N05/19064533233/in/album-72157651122866010/ 

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