Looking for anyone who was on board the SS Touche on her maiden voyage Dec.1943,in the Carribean. She was torpedoed by a German sub Dec. 3rd, 1943. Any info about this would be appreciated.
Re: SS Touche
Posted by Christa Cornelius on January 23, 2017, 12:31 pm, in reply to "SS Touche"
My grandfather, John Cornelius, was an AB seaman on this ship. He is 91 to and in frail condition but able minded. He may recall some information regarding this disaster.
Re: SS Touche
Posted by Roy Dikkers on August 1, 2009, 10:30 am, in reply to "SS Touche"
Thanks for your response.I was aboard this ship,and as I remember it was a beautiful ship,brand new,with all the goodies a crewman could expect.I was on several ships those years but none like the "TOUCHET". I signed on as AB seaman at Mobile Ala. I don't remember for sure which ship I was picked up by,did not know that more than one was involved. I guess some of the details have escaped my mind,but not that night of Dec.3rd,1943. Very interesting websight.This info is very informative and I enjoyed it very much...Thanks again Roy Dikkers
Re: SS Touche
Posted by Karen Rhodus on January 15, 2012, 9:20 pm, in reply to "Re: SS Touche"
I have a photo and lots of information on the SS Touche. I started researching this ship for Mel Gethers a survivor that was on the lifeboat and pick. Please contact me so we may talk. Karen
Re: SS Touche
Posted by Ron Carlson on July 30, 2009, 11:14 pm, in reply to "SS Touche"
From many sources, the name of the ship appears to be TOUCHET rather than TOUCHE.
TOUCHET was a class T2 tanker built by the Alabama Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Company, Mobile, AL, 10,172 tons, delivered 26 Nov 1943. Bound from Baytown, Texas, to New York with 16,500 tons of heating oil, she was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-193 (Korvkpt. Hans Pauckstadt) on 3 December 1943. Casualties were 10 Armed Guard sailors; there were 70 survivors.
(U-193 was sunk by British aircraft in the Bay of Biscay on 28 April 1944 with the loss of all hands. TOUCHET was the only ship U-193 sank during its wartime career.)
Seaman 1c Robert C. Evans, South Carolina Seaman 1c Harold J. Farni, Illinois Seaman 1c Leo J. Felgenauer, Michigan Seaman 1c James P. Fisher, Ohio Seaman 1c Joseph A. Fowler, Kentucky Seaman 1c Carmelo J. Giallanza, New York Seaman 1c William E. Gilson, Jr., Kentucky Seaman 1c Ronell H. Goins, North Carolina Seaman 1c Carl J. Gridelli, Illinois Seaman 1c Manuel J. Gutierrez, Michigan
At 07.47 hours on 3 Dec 1943, the unescorted TOUCHET (Master Jesse Field Bird) was hit on the port side by a torpedo from U-193 in the Gulf of Mexico while steaming at 16.5 knots. The torpedo struck the bow ten feet aft of the stem and opened a 20 feet long hole. The tanker was equipped with a torpedo indicator that warned the crew but the turn to port was too late, after the hit the engine was first secured while turning to the opposite direction and then ordered full ahead in an attempt to escape. Due to the flooding the bow settled and forced the ship to stop, when another torpedo warning sounded but this was apparently a dud hitting the port side amidships. The most of the ten officers, 40 crewmen and 30 Armed Guards (the ship was armed with one 5in, one 3in and eight 20mm guns) abandoned ship in six lifeboats, only the armed guard officer and ten of his men remained behind and manned the 5in stern gun. At 08.22 hours, a coup de grāce hit the engine room on the starboard side and caused the ship to sink stern first at 11.00 hours. The men still on board had to jump overboard and swam to a raft but the suction of the sinking ship was so strong that ten Armed Guard drowned.
On 5 December, 43 survivors in four boats were picked up by the Norwegian steam merchant LILLEMOR (Master Bernt Belland) and landed the next day at Pensacola, Florida. The same day, USS FALGOUT (DE 324) picked up eleven survivors from another boat and on 6 December, the remaining 16 survivors in the last boat were picked up by USS RAVEN (AM 55) and landed in Galveston on 8 December.
TOUCHET was the last ship sunk by U-boat in the Gulf of Mexico.
Ron Carlson, Webmaster Armed Guard website www.armed-guard.com