 SS John W. Brown, a ship of the same class | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Alexander Macomb |
| Namesake | Alexander Macomb |
| Owner | War Shipping Administration (WSA) |
| Operator | A. H. Bull Steamship Company |
| Ordered | as type (EC2-S-C1) hull,MCE hull 36 |
| Awarded | 14 March 1941 |
| Builder | Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard,Baltimore, Maryland[1] |
| Cost | $1,077,145[2] |
| Yard number | 2023 |
| Way number | 8 |
| Laid down | 18 February 1942 |
| Launched | 6 May 1942 |
| Completed | 2 June 1942 |
| Fate | Sunk 3 July 1942 |
| General characteristics[3] | |
| Class & type |
|
| Tonnage | |
| Displacement | |
| Length | |
| Beam | 57 feet (17 m) |
| Draft | 27 ft 9.25 in (8.4646 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 11.5knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph) |
| Capacity |
|
| Complement | |
| Armament |
|
SSAlexander Macomb was aLiberty ship built in theUnited States duringWorld War II. She was named afterAlexander Macomb, theCommanding General of the United States Army from May 29, 1828, until his death on June 25, 1841. Macomb was the field commander at theBattle of Plattsburgh, during theWar of 1812, and after the decisive victory, was lauded with praise and styled "The Hero of Plattsburgh" by some of the American press. He was promoted toMajor General for his conduct, receiving both theThanks of Congress and aCongressional Gold Medal.
Alexander Macomb was laid down on 18 February 1942, under aMaritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 36, by theBethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard,Baltimore, Maryland, and was launched on 6 May 1942.[1][2]
She was allocated toA. H. Bull Steamship Company, on 2 June 1942.[4]
TheAlexander Macomb sailed fromNew York City, where she loaded her cargo of 9,000 LT (9,100 t) of tanks, aircraft, and explosives destined for theSoviet Union, to joinConvoy BX 27 forHalifax, on her maiden voyage. The convoy was set to departed from the northern end of theCape Cod Canal on 2 July 1942, but with the grounding of the cargo shipStephen R. Jones on 28 June 1942, it was forced to sail aroundCape Cod.[5]
On the evening of 3 July 1942, sailing in heavy fog and with the fear of colliding with other ships in the convoy,Alexander Macomb fell behind. With hope of catching up with the convoy in daylight, her captain only maintained an intermittentzigzag course. At 12:30, on 4 July, with the rear of the convoy and her escorts in sight,Alexander Macomb was struck between the #4 and #5 holds by a torpedo fromGerman submarine U-215, at41°48′N66°35′W / 41.800°N 66.583°W /41.800; -66.583, causing her cargo of explosives to ignite and burst into flames. The crew of eight officers, 33 crewmen, and 25Armed guard were able to abandon the ship in three lifeboats and a raft. Because the ship had not been secured and still had forward movement, one of the lifeboats capsized.Alexander Macomb sank at 13:00, 175 mi (282 km) east of Cape Cod. TheBritish trawlerHMS Le Tiger picked up 23 crewmen and 8 Armed guards, while theCanadian corvetteHMCS Regina picked up another 14 crewmen and 11 Armed guards. Six Armed guards and four crewmen died in the attack.[5]
Le Tiger andHMS Veteran pursuedU-215 and succeeded in sinking her withdepth charges, with a loss of all hands.
The wreck ofAlexander Macomb was discovered in October 1964, by theRisdon Beazley companysalvage shipDroxford at position41°48′N66°35′W / 41.800°N 66.583°W /41.800; -66.583. The bulk of the metal cargo was removed by theDroxford in 1965. She is considered to be "dangerous to dive".[6]
The wreck ofU-215 was discovered by Canadian divers and marine archaeologists in July 2004.[7]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in July 1942 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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