A Night to Remember: The Sinking of the John D. Gill-- Part 5

The submarine that sank the Gill, the U-158, was sunk itself west of Bermuda on January 30, 1942 with no survivors.

The hospital staff at Southport worked 20 straight hours. "We didn't think that even half of them hardly could live," said Josephine Laughlin, 80, a volunteer Red Cross nurse, as the 11 survivors were being treated.

Sixteen bodies were brought in. "They were burned so bad their flesh would come off in your hands," said Joseph Laughlin, then 15 and whose father was hospital manager.

Tingzon was among the dead. Efforts were made to find his family in the Philippines, but they failed, and he was buried in Southport's cemetery.

And, some believe that the US Merchant Marine doesn't deserve credit for their service in World War I. How could they not?

The John D. Gill is loacted in 70-90 feet of water about 25 miles off the Cape fear River's mouth.

Let's Honor These Brave Men as Well. --Cooter