Ahoy - Mac's Web Log

Hello Mac,

My name is Lars Hübinette and I live in Umeå, Sweden. I'm an amateur family historian and I have created a website where I've published all the information I've found about my family, the bulk of which emigrated to the US in the late 19th and early 20th century. The website address is
www.hubinet.com/familyweb.

The reason I'm writing to you is that a first cousin of my father's, Edward Hubenet, died when the tanker Jacksonville was torpedoed in 1944. I've been trying to find some additional information about the Jacksonville, but so far I've not been very successful (the info I've found can been viewed on the website under "2nd generation of emigrants" / "Fritz Hubenet").

Do you know where I might find some more information?

Lars Hübinette

Hello Lars, 

I can add a little to your story about the SS Jacksonville.

She was a Turbine Tanker, built in 1944 to carry a cargo of 14,300 tons of Petroleum. 

As part of Convoy CU-36, she was torpedoed by U-482, in position 55 degrees 30 minutes North, 07 degrees 30 minutes West, on the 30th. of August in 1944.

The U-Boat fired a spread of two torpedoes and obtained two hits, the first 3 minutes 32 seconds after firing, the second 4 minutes 5 seconds after firing. The first torpedo exploded the cargo of petrol, giving the crew little chance of abandoning the blazing ship. The second torpedo caused a huge explosion, breaking the tanker in two. 

USS Poole, rescued a fireman, and an Armed Guard, the only survivors.

U-482 had been launched on the 25th. of September 1943, to commission on the 1st. of December the same year. 

You already have the details of her loss in December 1944, possibly to a mine, and her 48 crew all perished. 

Lars, I note on your web site you report the loss of Edward as the 30th. of August 1945, it should read the 30th. of August 1944, in the main section about him, the date is right.

I will look for a photo of USS Poole. 

USS Poole

You already have a photo of Jacksonville. 

Lars, I hope these few extra notes help if only in a small way. 

Regards,
Mac.

Hello Mac,

Thank you so much for the update and for pointing out the date error on the website. Edward's brother, Richard Hubenet, will be thrilled to have all this new info. Do you know if there is a site where I might find the names of the survivors?

Best regards
Lars Hübinette

Fran,

On the 30th. of August 1944 the US Tanker Jacksonville, as part of Convoy CU36 was torpedoed by U-482.

USS Poole rescued only two survivors, one an Armed Guard, and the other a Fireman. Would any of your sources have the name of either the Armed Guard or the Fireman please?

I have an enquiry from Sweden who lost a relative in the Tanker.

All the best,
Mac.

Hello Mac,

I’m amazed! You have a very impressive network.

Thanks a lot!
Lars

The only survivors from the US Tanker Jacksonville were:-

The Fireman, Frank B Hodges, and the story of his survival is printed in this message.

The Armed Guard was Robert GEO Hodges.

I am indebted to some contacts in the US.

Mac.

Story of Frank B. Hodges, the only crew member to survive the
torpedoing of the SS JACKSONVILLE.

    Courtesy of Capt. James B. Wallace.

"When the explosion blasted the ship I ran out of the mess room and
found our vessel enveloped in flames and smoke. I tried to reach the
boat deck to get my life jacket but flames and smoke soon engulfed me.
However, I managed to reach the rail over the stern and jumped. By
this time I was in a dazed condition but when I sank beneath the
flames I revived somewhat. When I came to the surface I found flames
enveloped me so I swam under the water again. I had to keep under
water intermittently until I found a break on the surface where there
were no flames. Somehow I managed to reach the windward side of the
ship. The flames were shooting high above it and covered the water in
all directions.

    As I cleared the flames, I saw many of the crew floating on the
water but I could not recognize their faces because they were all
charred, i recall attempting to hold one man up but it was impos-
sible to do so. As I floated near the ship I saw quite a few life
jackets in seaman's hands. They had not had time to put them on. At
the time we were hit, there were about a dozen of us in the mess room.
I never saw any of them after the explosion. I was told that I was
picked up by a United States Destroyer Escort about an hour and a half
later in a delirious condition."

    Hodges and a Navy gunner were the only two who survived this
sinking. They were taken to Londonderry, Northern Ireland and
treated in the U.S. Army Hospital in Belfast and in British hospitals.
Hodges was repatriated by airplane and continued to receive treatment
for burns and injuries he suffered before being rescued.

Hi Mac,

I am so in gratitude to you and my cousin in Sweden's son Lars Hubinette for the information on the survivors of the SS Jacksonville. My brother Edward Hubenet was always an unsolved vague mystery to me because of War Time Secrecy and that I only knew that he was on the SS Jacksonville which did not return and that my brother was considered dead. I always wondered if somehow he had survived and lost his identy or other circumstances. Now I know for sure he never survived the torpeded ship.

Thanks again to Lars and to you Mac for your website. I shall always be grateful.

Yours sincerely,
Richard Hubenet
San Jacinto, California USA

Hi there,

My name is Susan Hubenet and my Uncle Eddie Hubenet was on the U.S.S. Jacksonville which was sunk by a torpedo in August of 1944. My cousin Lars Hubinette is doing some research and forwarded a message to me which had your email in it. I am not sure if you are the right person for me to be contacting or not, so please forgive the intrusion. What I am trying to find out is whether or not the only surivivors of this ship are still alive? This is very important to me as I am sure it is to my father. Would you have any way of knowing this or could you point me in the right direction? Thank you very much.

Susan Hubenet

To Mr. Lars Hubinette:  (read more here)

I saw your message about the loss of your relative posted on the Australian Navy Historical Site operated by Commander Mac Gregory.  U-boat 482, which torpedoed the Jacksonville on August 30, 1944, also torpedoed the British ship Empire Heritage on September 8, 1944, in Convoy HX-305.  My ship, the SS Martin Van Buren, was sailing alongside the Heritage when it was torpedoed.  I changed ships in England and returned to the United State about the middle of October 1944 on the SS Exchequer, and one of the passengers who returned with me was one of the survivors of the Jacksonville.  His name was Marcellus Wegs, a US Navy gunner, and an expert swimmer, who was able to save himself and another person. All other persons on the Jacksonville perished.  Mac Gregory gave you the name of the person Marcellus saved, but Mac incorrectly listed Marcellus as being somebody else.  Marcellus passed away a few years ago, according to a letter I received from his widow.

Marcellus related to me that he was a very good swimmer, being a former lifeguard, and that he threw his life preserver over the side into the flaming water, dived in near it, and came up swirling his arms to get air and grabbed the lifejacket, and swam under water towing it until he had got away from the flames.  He then saw another person swimming in the edge of the flames, swam over and towed him to safety, and they both were picked up later by a naval vessel.  Marcellus sustained some injuries from the flames, but the only thing unusual I noticed about him was an unusually ruddy complexion in the face area, which may have been his natural complexion for that matter. The Merchant Seaman he saved was more badly burned apparently and returned to the US later. He became delirious and remembers very little about the incident according to a report about him on the US Maritime Internet site.  The Merchant Seaman was prevented by the flames from securing his life preserver and so had to dive in without it.  This saved his life!

You will find Marcellus listed as a casualty on the following Internet site  http://www.usmm.org/ag/w.html listed in the blue area as you go down the page.

Rush Webb

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