Three survivors, then in their 70s, returned to Southport, NC, in 1994, to commemorate the sinking of the tanker ship John D. Gill, torpedoed by a German U-boat during World War II off the North Carolina coast.
The ship was hit amidships and Texas crude came from the hole. Within a minute, an oil slick coated the sea and an instant later, it erupted in an inferno. Fifty-eight men scrambled for their lives. Only 26 made it. Eleven were brought to Southport to recuperate at Dosher Memorial Hospital.
Sixteen bodies were brought ashore and one, Catalino Tingzon, was buried at Northwood Cemetery where a monument was dedicated March 12, 1994, to him and the crew of the Gill.
This is just one story about the largely forgotten, but extremely dangerous war played out off the eastern coast of the the United States during World War II. Many merchant ships were sunk and sailors killed in the effort to keep our troops supplied with weapons and supplies.
Sadly, even to this day, those Merchant Marine sailors and officers who risked their lives are still having to fight for the recognition they so rightfully deserve.
From "SS John D. Gill: A Night to Remember."
It's Time to Give the Credit They Deserve. --Cooter
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