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

Wilmington, NC in World War II

The Wilmington, NC, Star News reports that on Tuesday, Feb. 19th, author Wilbur D. Jones, Jr., will give a talk on the impact of WWII on southeastern North Carolina at 7 pm at the Southport Community Building.

Every branch of the armed forces had bases in the Wilmington area:

Army Air Force-- Wilmington Airport (Bluethenthal Field)
Army-- Camp Davis, Fort Fisher
Navy-- Fort Caswell
Coast Guard-- Fort Caswell and Wrightsville Beach
Marine Corps-- Camp Legeune

Also, the Wilmington area housed German POWs.

The Wilmington Shipyard launched 234 cargo ships  (N.C. Shipbuilding Co.)
The Port of Wilmington shipped and received large amounts of war materials.
The population of Wilmington doubled with the influx of military personnel, war workers, and their families.

Wilber D. Jones, Jr, has written 16 books.

Looks like am interesting talk. Wilmington also has a tour you can take of WWII sites.

Too Often, US WWII Sites are Overlooked. --Cooter