Harry Martin Keat was born December 20, 1892, in Carroll County, one of nine children of Sarah E. Tate and R.S. Keat. He attended rural schools in Carroll County. Harry enlisted in the Navy in 1912, and served eight years.
Then he returned to Manning where he farmed for himself for several years. After retiring from the farm he was employed in government projects in California and Las Vegas, Nevada
Despite his advanced age, when war came he insisted on going back in the Navy. He was assigned to the naval armed guard aboard Gulfoil.
SS Gulfoil was a tanker built in 1912, owned by the Gulf Oil Corporation. On May 16, 1942 master Henry Rowe steered her out of Port Arthur, Texas en route to New York via Key West, loaded with 54, 000 barrels of oil. U-506, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Erich Würdemann intercepted the tanker about 75 miles southwest of the Mississippi River delta. The ship had maintained a zigzagging course up to 2200 that day. The mate on watch saw the first torpedo before it hit starboard and amidships. A second torpedo hit the starboard side at the engine room about 15 seconds later. the ship sunk by the stern with a starboard list in about two minutes. There was no time to launch the boats. Five officers and 14 men out of 8 officers, 28 men and four-man gun crew managed to leave the ship. These survivors swam to 2 rafts. Third Officer John Chalmers reported that "there were men calling for help all over the place. Somtimes we would hear them calling and we would row and row until finally we would lose them in the dark. Occasionally we heard whistles blowing...." Chalmers said that the suction of the sinking ship pulled men underwater; some went down about ten feet and were shot back up again, and others never reappeared. All those on the rafts were cut and bruised.... After about 35 hours in the rafts, at dawn on May 18, they were rescued by the SS Benjamin Brewster and taken to Galveston.
The survivors were "so thickly covered with oil that it took an entire barrel of kerosene to get it off." Gleichauf, Justin. Unsung Sailors :The Naval Armed Guard in Wolrd War II, page 256.
He leaves the following relatives; his father, R. S. Keat of Manning; four brothers and four sisters. They are John and Albert of Manning; Arthur of Audubon, George of Storm Lake; Mable, Mrs. Emma Mincey, both of Manning; Nell of Omaha. Nebr.. and Mrs. D. H. Garvin (Ethel) of Clear Lake. His mother passed away in 1940
Then he returned to Manning where he farmed for himself for several years. After retiring from the farm he was employed in government projects in California and Las Vegas, Nevada
Despite his advanced age, when war came he insisted on going back in the Navy. He was assigned to the naval armed guard aboard Gulfoil.
SS Gulfoil was a tanker built in 1912, owned by the Gulf Oil Corporation. On May 16, 1942 master Henry Rowe steered her out of Port Arthur, Texas en route to New York via Key West, loaded with 54, 000 barrels of oil. U-506, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Erich Würdemann intercepted the tanker about 75 miles southwest of the Mississippi River delta. The ship had maintained a zigzagging course up to 2200 that day. The mate on watch saw the first torpedo before it hit starboard and amidships. A second torpedo hit the starboard side at the engine room about 15 seconds later. the ship sunk by the stern with a starboard list in about two minutes. There was no time to launch the boats. Five officers and 14 men out of 8 officers, 28 men and four-man gun crew managed to leave the ship. These survivors swam to 2 rafts. Third Officer John Chalmers reported that "there were men calling for help all over the place. Somtimes we would hear them calling and we would row and row until finally we would lose them in the dark. Occasionally we heard whistles blowing...." Chalmers said that the suction of the sinking ship pulled men underwater; some went down about ten feet and were shot back up again, and others never reappeared. All those on the rafts were cut and bruised.... After about 35 hours in the rafts, at dawn on May 18, they were rescued by the SS Benjamin Brewster and taken to Galveston.
The survivors were "so thickly covered with oil that it took an entire barrel of kerosene to get it off." Gleichauf, Justin. Unsung Sailors :The Naval Armed Guard in Wolrd War II, page 256.
He leaves the following relatives; his father, R. S. Keat of Manning; four brothers and four sisters. They are John and Albert of Manning; Arthur of Audubon, George of Storm Lake; Mable, Mrs. Emma Mincey, both of Manning; Nell of Omaha. Nebr.. and Mrs. D. H. Garvin (Ethel) of Clear Lake. His mother passed away in 1940
Harry Martin Keat was born December 20, 1892, in Carroll County, one of nine children of Sarah E. Tate and R.S. Keat. He attended rural schools in Carroll County. Harry enlisted in the Navy in 1912, and served eight years.
Then he returned to Manning where he farmed for himself for several years. After retiring from the farm he was employed in government projects in California and Las Vegas, Nevada
Despite his advanced age, when war came he insisted on going back in the Navy. He was assigned to the naval armed guard aboard Gulfoil.
SS Gulfoil was a tanker built in 1912, owned by the Gulf Oil Corporation. On May 16, 1942 master Henry Rowe steered her out of Port Arthur, Texas en route to New York via Key West, loaded with 54, 000 barrels of oil. U-506, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Erich Würdemann intercepted the tanker about 75 miles southwest of the Mississippi River delta. The ship had maintained a zigzagging course up to 2200 that day. The mate on watch saw the first torpedo before it hit starboard and amidships. A second torpedo hit the starboard side at the engine room about 15 seconds later. the ship sunk by the stern with a starboard list in about two minutes. There was no time to launch the boats. Five officers and 14 men out of 8 officers, 28 men and four-man gun crew managed to leave the ship. These survivors swam to 2 rafts. Third Officer John Chalmers reported that "there were men calling for help all over the place. Somtimes we would hear them calling and we would row and row until finally we would lose them in the dark. Occasionally we heard whistles blowing...." Chalmers said that the suction of the sinking ship pulled men underwater; some went down about ten feet and were shot back up again, and others never reappeared. All those on the rafts were cut and bruised.... After about 35 hours in the rafts, at dawn on May 18, they were rescued by the SS Benjamin Brewster and taken to Galveston.
The survivors were "so thickly covered with oil that it took an entire barrel of kerosene to get it off." Gleichauf, Justin. Unsung Sailors :The Naval Armed Guard in Wolrd War II, page 256.
He leaves the following relatives; his father, R. S. Keat of Manning; four brothers and four sisters. They are John and Albert of Manning; Arthur of Audubon, George of Storm Lake; Mable, Mrs. Emma Mincey, both of Manning; Nell of Omaha. Nebr.. and Mrs. D. H. Garvin (Ethel) of Clear Lake. His mother passed away in 1940
Then he returned to Manning where he farmed for himself for several years. After retiring from the farm he was employed in government projects in California and Las Vegas, Nevada
Despite his advanced age, when war came he insisted on going back in the Navy. He was assigned to the naval armed guard aboard Gulfoil.
SS Gulfoil was a tanker built in 1912, owned by the Gulf Oil Corporation. On May 16, 1942 master Henry Rowe steered her out of Port Arthur, Texas en route to New York via Key West, loaded with 54, 000 barrels of oil. U-506, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Erich Würdemann intercepted the tanker about 75 miles southwest of the Mississippi River delta. The ship had maintained a zigzagging course up to 2200 that day. The mate on watch saw the first torpedo before it hit starboard and amidships. A second torpedo hit the starboard side at the engine room about 15 seconds later. the ship sunk by the stern with a starboard list in about two minutes. There was no time to launch the boats. Five officers and 14 men out of 8 officers, 28 men and four-man gun crew managed to leave the ship. These survivors swam to 2 rafts. Third Officer John Chalmers reported that "there were men calling for help all over the place. Somtimes we would hear them calling and we would row and row until finally we would lose them in the dark. Occasionally we heard whistles blowing...." Chalmers said that the suction of the sinking ship pulled men underwater; some went down about ten feet and were shot back up again, and others never reappeared. All those on the rafts were cut and bruised.... After about 35 hours in the rafts, at dawn on May 18, they were rescued by the SS Benjamin Brewster and taken to Galveston.
The survivors were "so thickly covered with oil that it took an entire barrel of kerosene to get it off." Gleichauf, Justin. Unsung Sailors :The Naval Armed Guard in Wolrd War II, page 256.
He leaves the following relatives; his father, R. S. Keat of Manning; four brothers and four sisters. They are John and Albert of Manning; Arthur of Audubon, George of Storm Lake; Mable, Mrs. Emma Mincey, both of Manning; Nell of Omaha. Nebr.. and Mrs. D. H. Garvin (Ethel) of Clear Lake. His mother passed away in 1940
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