The Pittsburgh Press (October 24, 1941)
U.S. seamen describe ‘terror’ in Red Sea
Honolulu, Oct. 24 (UP) –
Fierce and deliberate attacks of German and Italian bombers on United States flag ships have made Suez and the Red Sea “an ungodly terror” for American seamen, crew members of a returning freighter said today.
While their ship was docked at Suez two months ago, they said, three other American ships were hit by aerial bombs and a third struck a mine. One was sunk and the others were damaged so severely they were forced to drydock but there were no casualties.
The sunken vessel was the Steel Seafarer and the mine victim was the Steel Seafarer, they said.
Maritime regulations forbade naming the returning freighter. The State Department announced Sept. 7 the Steel Seafarer sinking.
John Stowe, of Brooklyn, NY, quartermaster of the freighter, said that the only reason there were fewer sinkings of the clearly identified American ships was the poor marksmanship of the Nazi bombardiers.
He said:
On the night of our arrival at Suez, we anchored to await dock space and soon, German planes started dive-bombing the ship. We weren’t hit but we sought a quieter port to await dock space.
We returned to Suez three days later. That night, 300 German planes, plus Italians, bombed the harbor continuously for more than six hours.
The decks were littered with steel bomb splinters but there were no direct hits and no casualties. Our ship was lifted almost clear of the water but their near-misses only loosened some hull plates.
In this raid, he said, 48 persons were killed ashore at Suez. The poor German marksmanship was matched by that of the British anti-aircraft batteries which were ineffective in either hitting or driving off the planes, he said.
Mr. Stowe said that one night the Axis bombers staged a three-hour raid while the American freighter was tied next to a barge loaded with bombs and percussion cape.
American ships have been calling at Suez with war supplies for British Middle Eastern forces since President Roosevelt five months ago declared the Red Sea was not a combat zone. Early in July, State Department sources said that American shipments were arriving at Suez at the rate of a vessel a day.