USN WORLD WAR II
Seaman 2nd Class James C. Ackroyd KIA
Hometown: Sanford Maine
Ship: Steam merchant Maiden Creek
Service #
Awards: American Campaign Medal
Captain: Master Oscar Pedersen
Mission: Supply Mission
Mission Date: 17 March 1944
Location: Mediterranean sea Off The coast of Algeria
Cause: torpedo attack U-371
Route: Naples - Oran
Cargo: Ballast
Complement: 8 dead and 70 survivors
At 09.38 hours on 17 March 1944, U-371 fired a Gnat at the convoy SNF-17 about 30 miles north-northeast of Bougie and observed a hit on a ship, which settled by the stern after the hit. At 09.42 hours, a spread of three torpedoes were fired and two hits were heard. After another Gnat at 09.48 hours, a further detonation on another ship was heard. The first torpedo struck the Maiden Creek in station #52 and the second the Dempo. The first ship was hit again at 13.50 hours by a coup de grâce.
The Maiden Creek (Master Oscar Pedersen) was hit by a torpedo forward of the #4 hatch. The explosion broke the shaft, the back of the ship and filled the #4 hold and the engine room with water. The eight officers, 40 crewmen, 29 armed guards (the ship was armed with two 3in and eight 20mm guns) and one passenger abandoned ship in two lifeboats and a raft as the ship slowly settled by the stern. The boats waited two hours near the vessel until an escort appeared and ordered the men back on the vessel to prepare her to be towed by a tug. They tied up the boats at the stern and reboarded the ship.
At 13.50 hours, the U-boat fired a coup de grâce which struck on the port side in the stern. The explosion lifted the ship out of the water, destroyed the lifeboats and killed one officer, two armed guards and five crewmen. The survivors jumped overboard and swam to a single raft near the ship. They were rescued after 30 minutes by motor launches from a British destroyer and brought to Bougie.
The badly damaged Maiden Creek was towed by a British escort vessel to Bougie on the morning of 18 March and beached, but broke in two forward of the #4 hold and was declared a total loss.
Maiden Creek Casualties and Survivors
Seaman 2nd/Cl. James C. Ackroyd KIA
Signalman 3rd /Cl. Albert T. Danley Survivor
Seaman 1st/Cl. Cecil V. Fleming KIA
Seaman 1st/Cl. Francis L. Hartley MIA/KIA
Seaman 1st/Cl. Arlie R. Lannom MIA/KIA
Ensign Melvin Schadewald Survived
Seaman 1st/Cl. Joseph Strzelesk Survived
Coxswain Harold H. Stukenberg KIA
Boatswain's Mate 2nd/Class R.W. Tarantino Survived
Pollard W. Cummings, Merchant Marine
Charles H. Holcombe, Merchant Marine
Kyle V. Johnson Merchant Marine
Alexander Kerr Merchant Navy
James C. Lott Merchant Marine
Oscar Pedersen Merchant Marine Master
John C. Preston Merchant Marine
Claude P. Pritchard Merchant Marine
Seaman 2nd Class James C. Ackroyd KIA
Hometown: Sanford Maine
Ship: Steam merchant Maiden Creek
Service #
Awards: American Campaign Medal
Captain: Master Oscar Pedersen
Mission: Supply Mission
Mission Date: 17 March 1944
Location: Mediterranean sea Off The coast of Algeria
Cause: torpedo attack U-371
Route: Naples - Oran
Cargo: Ballast
Complement: 8 dead and 70 survivors
At 09.38 hours on 17 March 1944, U-371 fired a Gnat at the convoy SNF-17 about 30 miles north-northeast of Bougie and observed a hit on a ship, which settled by the stern after the hit. At 09.42 hours, a spread of three torpedoes were fired and two hits were heard. After another Gnat at 09.48 hours, a further detonation on another ship was heard. The first torpedo struck the Maiden Creek in station #52 and the second the Dempo. The first ship was hit again at 13.50 hours by a coup de grâce.
The Maiden Creek (Master Oscar Pedersen) was hit by a torpedo forward of the #4 hatch. The explosion broke the shaft, the back of the ship and filled the #4 hold and the engine room with water. The eight officers, 40 crewmen, 29 armed guards (the ship was armed with two 3in and eight 20mm guns) and one passenger abandoned ship in two lifeboats and a raft as the ship slowly settled by the stern. The boats waited two hours near the vessel until an escort appeared and ordered the men back on the vessel to prepare her to be towed by a tug. They tied up the boats at the stern and reboarded the ship.
At 13.50 hours, the U-boat fired a coup de grâce which struck on the port side in the stern. The explosion lifted the ship out of the water, destroyed the lifeboats and killed one officer, two armed guards and five crewmen. The survivors jumped overboard and swam to a single raft near the ship. They were rescued after 30 minutes by motor launches from a British destroyer and brought to Bougie.
The badly damaged Maiden Creek was towed by a British escort vessel to Bougie on the morning of 18 March and beached, but broke in two forward of the #4 hold and was declared a total loss.
Maiden Creek Casualties and Survivors
Seaman 2nd/Cl. James C. Ackroyd KIA
Signalman 3rd /Cl. Albert T. Danley Survivor
Seaman 1st/Cl. Cecil V. Fleming KIA
Seaman 1st/Cl. Francis L. Hartley MIA/KIA
Seaman 1st/Cl. Arlie R. Lannom MIA/KIA
Ensign Melvin Schadewald Survived
Seaman 1st/Cl. Joseph Strzelesk Survived
Coxswain Harold H. Stukenberg KIA
Boatswain's Mate 2nd/Class R.W. Tarantino Survived
Pollard W. Cummings, Merchant Marine
Charles H. Holcombe, Merchant Marine
Kyle V. Johnson Merchant Marine
Alexander Kerr Merchant Navy
James C. Lott Merchant Marine
Oscar Pedersen Merchant Marine Master
John C. Preston Merchant Marine
Claude P. Pritchard Merchant Marine
USN WORLD WAR II
Seaman 2nd Class James C. Ackroyd KIA
Hometown: Sanford Maine
Ship: Steam merchant Maiden Creek
Service #
Awards: American Campaign Medal
Captain: Master Oscar Pedersen
Mission: Supply Mission
Mission Date: 17 March 1944
Location: Mediterranean sea Off The coast of Algeria
Cause: torpedo attack U-371
Route: Naples - Oran
Cargo: Ballast
Complement: 8 dead and 70 survivors
At 09.38 hours on 17 March 1944, U-371 fired a Gnat at the convoy SNF-17 about 30 miles north-northeast of Bougie and observed a hit on a ship, which settled by the stern after the hit. At 09.42 hours, a spread of three torpedoes were fired and two hits were heard. After another Gnat at 09.48 hours, a further detonation on another ship was heard. The first torpedo struck the Maiden Creek in station #52 and the second the Dempo. The first ship was hit again at 13.50 hours by a coup de grâce.
The Maiden Creek (Master Oscar Pedersen) was hit by a torpedo forward of the #4 hatch. The explosion broke the shaft, the back of the ship and filled the #4 hold and the engine room with water. The eight officers, 40 crewmen, 29 armed guards (the ship was armed with two 3in and eight 20mm guns) and one passenger abandoned ship in two lifeboats and a raft as the ship slowly settled by the stern. The boats waited two hours near the vessel until an escort appeared and ordered the men back on the vessel to prepare her to be towed by a tug. They tied up the boats at the stern and reboarded the ship.
At 13.50 hours, the U-boat fired a coup de grâce which struck on the port side in the stern. The explosion lifted the ship out of the water, destroyed the lifeboats and killed one officer, two armed guards and five crewmen. The survivors jumped overboard and swam to a single raft near the ship. They were rescued after 30 minutes by motor launches from a British destroyer and brought to Bougie.
The badly damaged Maiden Creek was towed by a British escort vessel to Bougie on the morning of 18 March and beached, but broke in two forward of the #4 hold and was declared a total loss.
Maiden Creek Casualties and Survivors
Seaman 2nd/Cl. James C. Ackroyd KIA
Signalman 3rd /Cl. Albert T. Danley Survivor
Seaman 1st/Cl. Cecil V. Fleming KIA
Seaman 1st/Cl. Francis L. Hartley MIA/KIA
Seaman 1st/Cl. Arlie R. Lannom MIA/KIA
Ensign Melvin Schadewald Survived
Seaman 1st/Cl. Joseph Strzelesk Survived
Coxswain Harold H. Stukenberg KIA
Boatswain's Mate 2nd/Class R.W. Tarantino Survived
Pollard W. Cummings, Merchant Marine
Charles H. Holcombe, Merchant Marine
Kyle V. Johnson Merchant Marine
Alexander Kerr Merchant Navy
James C. Lott Merchant Marine
Oscar Pedersen Merchant Marine Master
John C. Preston Merchant Marine
Claude P. Pritchard Merchant Marine
Seaman 2nd Class James C. Ackroyd KIA
Hometown: Sanford Maine
Ship: Steam merchant Maiden Creek
Service #
Awards: American Campaign Medal
Captain: Master Oscar Pedersen
Mission: Supply Mission
Mission Date: 17 March 1944
Location: Mediterranean sea Off The coast of Algeria
Cause: torpedo attack U-371
Route: Naples - Oran
Cargo: Ballast
Complement: 8 dead and 70 survivors
At 09.38 hours on 17 March 1944, U-371 fired a Gnat at the convoy SNF-17 about 30 miles north-northeast of Bougie and observed a hit on a ship, which settled by the stern after the hit. At 09.42 hours, a spread of three torpedoes were fired and two hits were heard. After another Gnat at 09.48 hours, a further detonation on another ship was heard. The first torpedo struck the Maiden Creek in station #52 and the second the Dempo. The first ship was hit again at 13.50 hours by a coup de grâce.
The Maiden Creek (Master Oscar Pedersen) was hit by a torpedo forward of the #4 hatch. The explosion broke the shaft, the back of the ship and filled the #4 hold and the engine room with water. The eight officers, 40 crewmen, 29 armed guards (the ship was armed with two 3in and eight 20mm guns) and one passenger abandoned ship in two lifeboats and a raft as the ship slowly settled by the stern. The boats waited two hours near the vessel until an escort appeared and ordered the men back on the vessel to prepare her to be towed by a tug. They tied up the boats at the stern and reboarded the ship.
At 13.50 hours, the U-boat fired a coup de grâce which struck on the port side in the stern. The explosion lifted the ship out of the water, destroyed the lifeboats and killed one officer, two armed guards and five crewmen. The survivors jumped overboard and swam to a single raft near the ship. They were rescued after 30 minutes by motor launches from a British destroyer and brought to Bougie.
The badly damaged Maiden Creek was towed by a British escort vessel to Bougie on the morning of 18 March and beached, but broke in two forward of the #4 hold and was declared a total loss.
Maiden Creek Casualties and Survivors
Seaman 2nd/Cl. James C. Ackroyd KIA
Signalman 3rd /Cl. Albert T. Danley Survivor
Seaman 1st/Cl. Cecil V. Fleming KIA
Seaman 1st/Cl. Francis L. Hartley MIA/KIA
Seaman 1st/Cl. Arlie R. Lannom MIA/KIA
Ensign Melvin Schadewald Survived
Seaman 1st/Cl. Joseph Strzelesk Survived
Coxswain Harold H. Stukenberg KIA
Boatswain's Mate 2nd/Class R.W. Tarantino Survived
Pollard W. Cummings, Merchant Marine
Charles H. Holcombe, Merchant Marine
Kyle V. Johnson Merchant Marine
Alexander Kerr Merchant Navy
James C. Lott Merchant Marine
Oscar Pedersen Merchant Marine Master
John C. Preston Merchant Marine
Claude P. Pritchard Merchant Marine
Inscription
S1 USNR WW2
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