USNR WORLD WAR II
Seaman 1st Class Alfred A. Bucks MIA/KIA
Hometown: Pennsylvania
Official Date of death: 01-May-45
Service # 8173530
Awards: Purple Heart
Captain: Master Daniel A. Sperbeck
Mission: Transport Convoy RA-59
Ship: American Steam merchant William S. Thayer
Completed 1943 - Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards Inc, Baltimore MD
Loss Date: 30-Apr-44
Cargo: 950 tons of sand ballast
Location: 73° 46'N, 19° 10'E - Grid AB 6357
Fate: Sunk by U-307 (Friedrich-Georg Herrle)
Complement: 234 (43 dead and 191 survivors).
Notes on event
At 19.56 hours on 30 Apr, 1944, U-307 fired a spread of three FAT torpedoes at the convoy RA-59 about 50 miles south of Bear Island, heard three detonations and sinking noises and reported two ships sunk and one ship damaged. However, only William S. Thayer in station #33 was hit by two torpedoes on the starboard side between the #1 and #2 hatches and in the #4 hold. The explosions destroyed the shaft and the engines and broke the ship in three in the #1 and #4 hold. The forward part listed to starboard and sank in about 30 seconds, followed by the midships section after two minutes. The eight officers, 33 crewmen, 28 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in, one 3in and eight 20mm guns) and 165 passengers (Russian naval personnel) did not have time to launch the lifeboats and abandoned ship on six small square floats. The survivors were picked up by the American Liberty ship Robert Eden from station #35 of the convoy and landed them in Glasgow. Most of the Russian stayed on the stern section and were taken off by HMS Whitehall (D 94) (LtCdr P.J. Cowell, DSC, RN), which then scuttled the wreck by gunfire. Six officers, 17 crewmen, seven armed guards and 13 passengers were lost.
USN Crew
Max E. Biela
Alfred A Bucks
Russell E. Cannon
Dennis L. Capple
Anthony J. Carson
Carl R. Castle
Michael R. Como
Seaman 1st Class Alfred A. Bucks MIA/KIA
Hometown: Pennsylvania
Official Date of death: 01-May-45
Service # 8173530
Awards: Purple Heart
Captain: Master Daniel A. Sperbeck
Mission: Transport Convoy RA-59
Ship: American Steam merchant William S. Thayer
Completed 1943 - Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards Inc, Baltimore MD
Loss Date: 30-Apr-44
Cargo: 950 tons of sand ballast
Location: 73° 46'N, 19° 10'E - Grid AB 6357
Fate: Sunk by U-307 (Friedrich-Georg Herrle)
Complement: 234 (43 dead and 191 survivors).
Notes on event
At 19.56 hours on 30 Apr, 1944, U-307 fired a spread of three FAT torpedoes at the convoy RA-59 about 50 miles south of Bear Island, heard three detonations and sinking noises and reported two ships sunk and one ship damaged. However, only William S. Thayer in station #33 was hit by two torpedoes on the starboard side between the #1 and #2 hatches and in the #4 hold. The explosions destroyed the shaft and the engines and broke the ship in three in the #1 and #4 hold. The forward part listed to starboard and sank in about 30 seconds, followed by the midships section after two minutes. The eight officers, 33 crewmen, 28 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in, one 3in and eight 20mm guns) and 165 passengers (Russian naval personnel) did not have time to launch the lifeboats and abandoned ship on six small square floats. The survivors were picked up by the American Liberty ship Robert Eden from station #35 of the convoy and landed them in Glasgow. Most of the Russian stayed on the stern section and were taken off by HMS Whitehall (D 94) (LtCdr P.J. Cowell, DSC, RN), which then scuttled the wreck by gunfire. Six officers, 17 crewmen, seven armed guards and 13 passengers were lost.
USN Crew
Max E. Biela
Alfred A Bucks
Russell E. Cannon
Dennis L. Capple
Anthony J. Carson
Carl R. Castle
Michael R. Como
USNR WORLD WAR II
Seaman 1st Class Alfred A. Bucks MIA/KIA
Hometown: Pennsylvania
Official Date of death: 01-May-45
Service # 8173530
Awards: Purple Heart
Captain: Master Daniel A. Sperbeck
Mission: Transport Convoy RA-59
Ship: American Steam merchant William S. Thayer
Completed 1943 - Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards Inc, Baltimore MD
Loss Date: 30-Apr-44
Cargo: 950 tons of sand ballast
Location: 73° 46'N, 19° 10'E - Grid AB 6357
Fate: Sunk by U-307 (Friedrich-Georg Herrle)
Complement: 234 (43 dead and 191 survivors).
Notes on event
At 19.56 hours on 30 Apr, 1944, U-307 fired a spread of three FAT torpedoes at the convoy RA-59 about 50 miles south of Bear Island, heard three detonations and sinking noises and reported two ships sunk and one ship damaged. However, only William S. Thayer in station #33 was hit by two torpedoes on the starboard side between the #1 and #2 hatches and in the #4 hold. The explosions destroyed the shaft and the engines and broke the ship in three in the #1 and #4 hold. The forward part listed to starboard and sank in about 30 seconds, followed by the midships section after two minutes. The eight officers, 33 crewmen, 28 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in, one 3in and eight 20mm guns) and 165 passengers (Russian naval personnel) did not have time to launch the lifeboats and abandoned ship on six small square floats. The survivors were picked up by the American Liberty ship Robert Eden from station #35 of the convoy and landed them in Glasgow. Most of the Russian stayed on the stern section and were taken off by HMS Whitehall (D 94) (LtCdr P.J. Cowell, DSC, RN), which then scuttled the wreck by gunfire. Six officers, 17 crewmen, seven armed guards and 13 passengers were lost.
USN Crew
Max E. Biela
Alfred A Bucks
Russell E. Cannon
Dennis L. Capple
Anthony J. Carson
Carl R. Castle
Michael R. Como
Seaman 1st Class Alfred A. Bucks MIA/KIA
Hometown: Pennsylvania
Official Date of death: 01-May-45
Service # 8173530
Awards: Purple Heart
Captain: Master Daniel A. Sperbeck
Mission: Transport Convoy RA-59
Ship: American Steam merchant William S. Thayer
Completed 1943 - Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards Inc, Baltimore MD
Loss Date: 30-Apr-44
Cargo: 950 tons of sand ballast
Location: 73° 46'N, 19° 10'E - Grid AB 6357
Fate: Sunk by U-307 (Friedrich-Georg Herrle)
Complement: 234 (43 dead and 191 survivors).
Notes on event
At 19.56 hours on 30 Apr, 1944, U-307 fired a spread of three FAT torpedoes at the convoy RA-59 about 50 miles south of Bear Island, heard three detonations and sinking noises and reported two ships sunk and one ship damaged. However, only William S. Thayer in station #33 was hit by two torpedoes on the starboard side between the #1 and #2 hatches and in the #4 hold. The explosions destroyed the shaft and the engines and broke the ship in three in the #1 and #4 hold. The forward part listed to starboard and sank in about 30 seconds, followed by the midships section after two minutes. The eight officers, 33 crewmen, 28 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in, one 3in and eight 20mm guns) and 165 passengers (Russian naval personnel) did not have time to launch the lifeboats and abandoned ship on six small square floats. The survivors were picked up by the American Liberty ship Robert Eden from station #35 of the convoy and landed them in Glasgow. Most of the Russian stayed on the stern section and were taken off by HMS Whitehall (D 94) (LtCdr P.J. Cowell, DSC, RN), which then scuttled the wreck by gunfire. Six officers, 17 crewmen, seven armed guards and 13 passengers were lost.
USN Crew
Max E. Biela
Alfred A Bucks
Russell E. Cannon
Dennis L. Capple
Anthony J. Carson
Carl R. Castle
Michael R. Como
Gravesite Details
Entered the service from Pennsylvania.
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