My father's only brother, PVT. Martin Burns, was the only person killed when the SS William B.Travis was hit in the early morning hours, just after 1AM, 12 September 1943. My father showed me the War Department telegram the family received and I specifically remember 'torpedo or mine'. His body was not recovered until a year after the attack, as the ship was not able to get to a suitable dry dock that would allow entry into the hold under the Number 2 hatch that he was sleeping on when the ship was hit. He was an MP guarding prisoners at the time. The records I received stated that his remains were extraordinarly preserved by the fluids, oil, etc., even after a year in the hold. After an exhaustive investigation by the officer in charge of his file, his body was positively identified, and he rests in the American Military cemetary in Tunisia. I can't find any listings in the U Boat logs operating in the Mediterranean that survived past 12 September 1943. Though this website lists cause of ship damage as 'torpedo', I'm inclined to believe it was a mine. Also, it would have likely been apparent to the U Boat commander that there was a single explosion that did not sink the ship and I can't fathom that he would allow it to limp back into port without another attempt to sink it. I would be grateful, if any readers have any U-Boat records that document this attack, as I would like to know the fate of the sub that allegedly attacked my uncle's ship.
Re: SS William B. Travis
Posted by Bob O'Neill on September 16, 2016, 8:23 pm, in reply to "SS William B. Travis"
My Dad, Robert O'Neill, was wounded aboard the Travis on that date. He always maintained that he thought that it had been torpedoed.
Re: SS William B. Travis
Posted by Ron Carlson on April 8, 2015, 10:33 am, in reply to "SS William B. Travis" Edited by board administrator April 8, 2015, 10:51 am
Dear Joe,
Thank you for your inquiry and the opportunity for me to do some interesting research.
From what I have found, Germany sent 62 U-boats to the Mediterranean from the beginning of World War II through May 1944. Interestingly, none of the boats ever succeeded in leaving the Mediterranean, all being sunk in battle or by mine, destroyed by air attack while at their base in Toulon, France, or voluntarily scuttled by their crews. That is not to say, however, that there were no successful U-boat operations after September 12, 1943. I have found records of at least 26 Allied ships that were sunk, damaged or declared total losses (i.e., not sunk but damaged beyond repair) from U-boat attacks in the Mediterranean after September 12, 1943, and as late as May 19, 1944. None of the Allied vessels lost or damaged in the Mediterranean, however, include SS WILLIAM B. TRAVIS. See http://www.uboat.net/ops/mediterranean.htm, http://www.uboat.net/ops/med-1944.htm, and http://www.uboat.net/ops/med-ove.htm.
As you have found, various sources disagree on what happened to WILLIAM B. TRAVIS. The Armed Guard website (using as its source “Liberty Ships,” by John Gorley Bunker, 1972), claims a torpedo attack; see http://www.armed-guard.com/ag81.html and http://www.armed-guard.com/ag68.html. A page from the website American Merchant Marine at War, http://www.usmm.org/medit.html, listing ships sunk or damaged in World War II in the Mediterranean, also suggests a torpedo attack. (Sources for this information are listed at the bottom of http://usmm.org/shipsunkdamaged.html.) This page, http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/4emergencylarge/wwtwo/toddhouston.htm, identifies damage from a mine (scroll to hull number 27). And this page, http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/ports/index.html?search.php?vessel=WILLIAM%20B%20TRAVIS~armain, showing the wartime operations of the ship, is silent on what happened to her in September 1943, although there is a gap in her operation between September 1943 and October 1944, with the implication that she was in Bizerta, Tunisia, that entire time. I know of no independent source to settle the question definitively but especially given the absence of confirming information at www.uboat.net of a U-boat attack on the ship, it is difficult to dispute the probability that the damage to the ship was due to a mine rather than a torpedo.
That said, there are a number of reasons why a U-boat commander might not pursue a damaged ship to assure that it sank. For example, in no particular order: the U-boat had expended all of its torpedoes; the U-boat was damaged by defensive fire from its target; the commander believed the ship would eventually sink due to the damage inflicted; the U-boat came under attack by warship escorts or by aircraft and could not continue the attack; other targets presented themselves; weather or sea conditions precluded a pursuit of a damaged ship; although damaged a ship might be able to maintain enough speed to outrun a U-boat if the U-boat was out of position to pursue or was otherwise preoccupied; the U-boat commander deemed too dangerous the pursuit of a damaged ship while in close proximity to land or to an enemy port. There could be other reasons. The list referenced above of Allied merchant ships sunk, damaged or total losses in the Mediterranean shows a substantial number of ships that were only damaged rather than sunk from a U-boat attack, so apparently it was not unknown for a damaged ship to escape further attack for whatever reason; see http://www.uboat.net/ops/med-ove.htm.
While I cannot offer a certain answer to your questions, I hope the above is useful.
Ron Carlson, Webmaster Armed Guard / Merchant Marine website www.armed-guard.com
I may have some information that could help. I have the Armed Guard logs from one of my Dad's ships, the William D. Pender. Below is an excerpt on an incident that happened on Sept 12, 1943:
"The S.S. William D. Pender had no contact with the enemy. On several occasions the escort vessels dropped depth charges but no apparent result. However, at 0145 on September 12, 1943, while traveling in convoy from Palermo enroute to Bizerte the ship in position broad to the port bow of the S.S. William D. Pender received a torpedo in her #2 hold with resulting damage and personnel casualties. General Quarters was immediately sounded and held on the S.S. William D. Pender but the enemy was not located."
In other sources that I have found, the William Travis was reported to be torpedoed near Bizerte on that date.
I would like to contact Tim Olson in regards to his ship's logs of the William the Pender because my father also served on that ship. I would like to know as much as possible about the times and places involved, and whether there was a crew list ?
Les, Did not see your request until today. Here’s the National Archives web site. Contact them with the ships and dates you are interested in. Let me know if you have any questions.
Another interesting fact is that Woody Guthrie (Folk Singer, "This Land is Your Land" and father or Arlo) was a merchant marine aboard the William B. Travis at that time.
If you google Woody Guthrie and William b Travis you fill find lots of info including a reference to a book detailing his life on the seas.
According to one source of information: "His first ship William B. Travis hit a mine in the Mediterranean Sea killing one person aboard but made it to Bizerte, Tunisia under her own power."