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Wednesday, May 26, 2004

*Federal government plans to give Coastal Georgia Historical Society  full ownership of the St. Simons Island Lighthouse
*The Georgia Historical Society
*St. Simons Island
-Brunswick News, 5-25-04

*Group wants plaque for torpedoed ship
-Florida Times Union, 5-26-04

*Whatever the decision on beach driving in Flagler County, it will be costly
-Daytona News Journal, 5-26-04

*Beach traffic: Worst is yet to come
-Pensacola News Journal, 5-26-04

Florida Times Union
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/052604/nep_15691298.shtml

Last modified Wed., May 26, 2004 - 01:49 AM
Originally created Wednesday, May 26, 2004

Group wants plaque for torpedoed ship

Vessel was hit in WWII off coast

By Christopher F. Aguilar
Shorelines staff writer

On the night of April 10, 1942, the tanker SS Gulfamerica was on its maiden voyage from Port Arthur, Texas, to New York carrying 90,000 barrels of fuel oil to be used in the war effort during World War II.

While traveling north, the tanker hugged the Jacksonville Beach coast just a few miles offshore from where the new pier is being built on Fourth Avenue North.

The boardwalk was busy with activity as locals and tourists enjoyed an evening out. The oceanfront lights lit up the night sky.

U-123 was part of Operation Drumbeat, a German plan that sent five U-boat submarines to the East Coast of the United States to attack merchant ships during 1942.

The sub captain marked his target in the lights and shot a torpedo at the tanker. Of the tanker's crew of 41 merchant seamen and seven naval armed guards, 17 merchant seamen and two guards died.

There are different stories about the number of torpedoes that hit the Gulfamerica. Some history books report two strikes, but John M. Lockhart, president of the Merchant Marine Veterans of World War II-St. Johns Chapter, said one torpedo hit the tanker, causing a secondary explosion in the boiler room.

People on Jacksonville Beach's boardwalk heard the explosions and saw the resulting fires. For the first time, they realized how close the war had come to them.

"From the local viewpoint, this was a big deal," said Gerald Krueger, vice president of the merchant marine veterans group. "This is as close as the war came to here. There are still people at the beach that recall this event."

But just as the generation who fought in World War II is passing, so is the memory of the Gulfamerica from the Beaches area. That is why the Merchant Marine veterans group is raising money for a memorial plaque to be placed at the foot of the new pier. The plaque will be a historical marker commemorating those who died in the Gulfamerica.

"What we are trying to do is create a memorial for the 19 people that were killed by the torpedo," Krueger said. "If we don't do this now, it'll never be done."

The veterans group has raised about half of the $1,600 needed for the marker, which will be cast by state officials. The veterans group is also lobbying officials in Jacksonville and Jacksonville Beach to allow them to place the marker at the new pier.

"We are hoping that we will get permission," Lockhart said. "It would benefit [the city] since it ties in with the history of Jacksonville Beach."

Krueger decided to pursue the marker idea because he said the efforts of World War II merchant marines are not being fully recognized. He also said the Gulfamerica events are not being taught in local classrooms.

Krueger had to do a lot of research to learn more about the Gulfamerica. There are no available photos of the ship, which sank six days after the attack. Krueger also traveled to the shipyard in Maryland where the Gulfamerica was built to get more information. He found someone who gave him some insight about the Gulfamerica and its seven sister ships.

The veterans group hopes the marker is the first step toward a granite memorial to recognize the Merchant Marines. The group is also looking for possible locations for the memorial.

"It's good to get the marker OK'd, but this thing can grow," Krueger said. "It just needs interest."

To donate money to the Gulfamerica historical marker, send to the Gulfamerica Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 6625, Jacksonville, FL 32236.

Staff writer Christopher F. Aguilar can be reached at (904) 249-4947, extension 19 or via e-mail at chris.aguilarjacksonville.com