US MARINES WORLD WAR II
Passenger PVT Roscoe Harrison Albaugh MIA/KIA
Hometown: Ohio
Official Date of death 8-Feb-44
Service # 487405
Awards: Purple Heart, American Campaign Medal
Master: Captain Horace Rudolph Weaver

Ship: Troop transport Henry R. Mallory
Mission: Transfer Mission Convoy SC-118
Cargo: Trucks, tanks, clothing, food, cigarettes and 610 bags of mail
Attack Date: 7-Feb-43
Location: 55.18N, 26.29W - Grid AL 4441
Cause: Sunk by U-402 (Siegfried Freiherr von Forstner)
Complement: 494 (272 dead and 222 survivors).

History
Completed in October 1916 as passenger ship for Mallory SS Co Inc, New York. On 24 May, 1917, acquired by the US Army and converted to the troop transport USAT Henry R. Mallory. On 13 Apr, 1918, transferred to the US Navy, commissioned as USS Henry R. Mallory (ID # 1280) and used to carry troops to Europe. On 30 Aug, 1919, returned to owner and reconverted to a passenger ship. In July 1942, the Henry R. Mallory was again requisitioned by the US Army and converted to a troop transport.

Notes on event
At 06.59 hours on 7 Feb, 1943, the Henry R. Mallory in station #33 of convoy SC-118 was torpedoed by U-402 about 600 miles south-southwest of Iceland. One torpedo struck on the starboard side at the #3 hold. The explosion damaged the main steam line, destroyed the oil pump and engine room gauges and blew off the #4 hatch covers. The stern settled quickly and gradually began to list to port until it sank 30 minutes after the hit. The ship had ten lifeboats for the nine officers, 68 crewmen, 34 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, two 3in and eight 20mm guns) and 383 passengers (136 US Army, 72 US Marine Corps, 173 US Navy and 2 civilians). Two of them were destroyed by the explosion, a third could not be launched and two more on either side capsized in the rough seas. Only three boats with 175 men cleared the ship, many others jumped into the water and tried to reach the rafts.

None of the other ships in the convoy knew that the troop transport had been hit. USS Schenck (DD 159) searched for survivors from the Toward and saw lights in the distance. The skipper requested permission to investigate the lights, but it was denied. The survivors were found four hours after the sinking by USCGC Bibb (WPG 31), it was only then that it was discovered the Henry R. Mallory had been hit. The cutter rescued 205 survivors of which three later died and USCGC Ingham (WPG 35) picked up 22 additional survivors, but two of them died later. The master, 48 crew members, 15 armed guards and 208 passengers were lost.

Private Albaugh appears Tablets of the Missing Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial Coton Cambridgeshire, England. His memorial Memphis National Cemetery Shelby County Tennessee, is a cenotaph his body was never recovered.

USN Crew and passengers of Henry R. Mallory
Joseph Ahart
Roscoe H. Albaugh
Roscoe H. Albaugh
Norman E. Anderson
Gamaliel T. Arason
Lorein D. Austin
Elven S. Ayer
Elven S. Ayer
Alfonso P. Ballerino
Ernest M. Barrows
Norman M. Benge
Arthur L. Bennett
Arthur A. Bennett
Floyd B. Beresford
Robert J. Bigwood
Wayne W. Bills
Wayne W. Bills
Joseph A. Buono
Jack A. Cairns
Domenic Campagnone
Michael Caustic