SS. Samuel J.Tilden, December 2nd, 1943

[Darius]

Maybe of interest:
https://www.armed-guard.com/ag89a.html


[...] The Samuel J. Tilden was not as fortunate as the Louis Hennepin. Captain Blair and his crew had done everything they could to save the bombed merchant ship, but it was not enough. The Samuel J. Tilden had been anchored approxi- mately two miles out in the harbor, since she had arrived from Taranto, Italy, carrying U.S. and British military passen- gers and loaded with supplies shortly before the German bombers struck. Fly, the technical sergeant assigned to the 376th Bomb Group personnel being transported to Bari by the Samuel J. Tilden, had been watching C-47s make their landing approaches directly over the ship ever since they had arrived in the harbor so it was quite a shock when the Ju-88s began dropping bombs. He had thought the roar of their engines indicated more C-47s heading for the Bari airport at the outskirts of the city. So did most of the personnel of the Twenty-six General Hospital who were aboard the ship. Lieutenant John H. Adamson, Jr., heard the engines and turned to Leo Kaczmarczyk.[...]

Regards

Darius