The Dorchester Tragedy: Heroism and Self-Sacrifice in the North Atlantic

By Will Armstrong, History Associates

The US Army Transport Dorchester was in grave peril.  On the frigid night of February 2-3, 1943, in the North Atlantic between Labrador and Greenland, the ship, carrying American soldiers to their duty stations, was being tracked by a German U-boat.  The Dorchester’s lonely 6-ship convoy, including three Coast Guard cutter escorts, had been pounded by harsh Arctic weather and weighed down by thick accumulations of ice, and struggled to keep up speed as it zig-zagged toward its destination.  The 904 men aboard the dark, crowded troopship, mostly Army soldiers, a few civilians and contractors, and a crew of merchant marine sailors and Naval Armed Guards, knew all too well of the dangers lurking in the wartime North Atlantic.

A radio direction finder alerted the Americans to a nearby U-boat on the afternoon of February 2, and the vigilant convoy escorts, Coast Guard Cutters Escanaba, Comanche, and Tampa, took up defensive positions.  The convoy extinguished all lights, and under the cloak of a moonless sky headed toward icy waters where they hoped a U-boat would not follow. The precautions were not enough. 

U-223, commanded by Karl-Jürg Wächter, closed in on the Dorchester and let loose three torpedoes early on the morning of February 3.  With a muffled roar the Dorchester’s hull exploded as one of the torpedoes found its mark, fatally penetrating the ships midsection. The explosion was not even heard by the escorting vessels, but the Coast Guardsmen quickly realized that the Dorchester was in peril.  As the disabled and powerless Dorchester veered out of control and slowed to a halt, already listing severely, the cutters Escanaba and Comanche swung into action to provide assistance, while Tampa remained with the convoy.  Aboard the Dorchester the order was given to abandon ship, and survivors began a struggle for survival in water cold enough to kill.

Among the men helping to get survivors off of the Dorchester were four US Army Chaplains:  Lt. George Fox, a Methodist minster and decorated veteran of World War I; Lt. Alexander Goode, a Jewish Rabbi; Lt. John Washington, a Roman Catholic Priest; and Lt. Clark Poling, a pastor of the Reformed Church in America.  Together, they became a symbol of the unity and heroism that characterized America’s war effort.  Survivors recalled their tireless efforts to save and comfort others, without regard to their own safety. 

Survivor Private William B. Bednar recalled, “I could hear men crying, pleading, praying…I could also hear the chaplains preaching courage. Their voices were the only thing that kept me going.” The chaplains began to hand out life jackets, until they ran out, and then they each handed their own life jackets to others in need. “It was the finest thing I have seen or hope to see this side of heaven,” recalled PFC John Ladd.  Later the four men were seen in prayer together, going down with the ship.  For their selfless and heroic acts, they were each posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

Army Chaplains, Lieutenants Alexander Goode, George Fox, Clark Poling, and John Washington.

Officers of the USCGC Escanaba: L to R: Ens. Jesse Treadwell, Ens. James Sullivan, Ens. Henry E. Ringling, Lt. (j.g.) Gordon P. Phillip, Lt. Robert H. Prause, Lt. Cmdr. Carl U. Peterson, Ens. William P. Thoman, Ens. John D. Cameron, Jr., and Ens. Richard A. Arrighi, circa-late 1942. All except Ens. Ringling and Lt. Philip were aboard the Escanaba on June 13, 1943, and were lost with the ship.