HISTORY
The SS
Ohio was an oil tanker built for the Texas Oil Company (now
Texaco). The ship was launched on 20 April 1940 at the Sun
Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. in Chester, Pennsylvania. She was
requisitioned by the Allied forces to re-supply the island
fortress of Malta during the Second World War.
The tanker played a fundamental role in Operation Pedestal,
which was one of the fiercest and most heavily contested of the
Malta convoys, in August 1942. Although Ohio reached Malta
successfully, she was so badly damaged that she had to be
effectively scuttled in order to offload her cargo, and never
sailed again. The tanker is fondly remembered in Malta, where to
this day she is considered to be the savior of the beleaguered
island.
Construction and launch
Hull 190, as Ohio was identified before her launch, was a
skilful compromise, promising broad cargo-carrying capacity to
the merchant and speed, balance, and stability to the mariner.
Above the waterline, the construction echoed the outward curve
of a schooner's bow, bearing the influence of the old American
clipper ship design. The design of Hull 190 was influenced also
by the menace of a rearming Germany and a Japanese Empire bent
on military expansion. The approach of war had influenced this
design, the unofficial conversations between military and oil
chiefs resulted in a ship of 9,264 gross register tons, 515 feet
in overall length, and capable of carrying 170,000 barrels
(27,000 m3) of fuel oil, bigger and with a larger capacity than
any other tanker previously built. The ship was completed in the
unusually short time of seven months and fifteen days.
The Westinghouse turbine engines developed 9,000 driveshaft
horsepower at ninety revolutions per minute, which allowed a
maximum sixteen knots, a speed never attained before by any
modern tanker of her era. Her method of construction was
controversial. For some years, the issue of welding versus
riveting had been raging on both sides of the Atlantic. Hull 190
was built using the new-fashioned welded method, with hopes it
would prove once and for all its reliability. The ship also had
a composite framing system with two longitudinally continuous
bulkheads, which divided the ship into twenty-one cargo tanks.
The ship was launched the day after that scheduled, prompting
superstitious fear in the welders, steel-cutters and other
craftsmen who had assembled to watch her launch. Hull 190 was
christened in a ceremony presided over by the mother of William
Starling Sullivant Rodgers, president of the Texas Oil Company,
Florence E. Rodgers, who, grasping the ceremonial bottle of
champagne in her hand, pronounced the words:
I name this good ship Ohio. May God go with her and all who sail
in her. Good luck…
The ship slid down No. 2 slipway, entering the waters of the
Delaware River. The existence of Ohio would, in her initial
years, be uneventful and ordinary, plying between Port Arthur
and various other American harbors. She set a speed record from
Bayonne to Port Arthur, covering 1,882 miles (3,029 km) in four
days and twelve hours, an average of more than seventeen knots
Malta, "Pedestal" planning and Ohio
In 1942, Britain was waging war in the Mediterranean against the
German Afrika Korps and Italian forces in North Africa. Crucial
to this theatre of operations was the island of Malta, sitting
in the middle of Axis supply lines and, if supplied with
sufficient munitions, aircraft and fuel, capable of causing
severe shortages to the German and Italian armies in North
Africa. Munitions and aircraft were available—during a brief
lull in the Axis attacks, for example, the island's defenses
were reinforced by thirty eight Spitfire Mk V aircraft flown in
from HMS Furious—but these, along with food and fuel, remained
in critically short supply. Successive attempts at resupplying
the island had mostly failed; the convoys "Harpoon" (from
Gibraltar) and "Vigorous" (from Alexandria, Egypt) saw most of
their merchantmen sunk and escort ships damaged. One of the
ships lost during "Harpoon" was Ohio's sister ship SS Kentucky,
crippled by a German air attack and then scuttled, having her
stern blown in by a depth charge dropped by HMS Rye.
On 18 June, following the failures of "Harpoon" and "Vigorous",
the Commander in Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet cabled the
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to express his doubts
about attempting another convoy. Three days later, Ohio steamed
into the mouth of the Clyde, under the command of Sverre
Petersen, a former Master in Sail from Oslo, in Norway. In early
May 1942, a radio message had reached Captain Petersen which
diverted the ship to Galveston in Texas, and then ordered the
tanker to proceed to Britain. Before leaving, Ohio was fitted
with one 5-inch (130 mm) gun on her stern, and a 3-inch (76 mm)
AA gun in the bows. She then moved to Sinclair Terminal, Houston
in Texas, where the ship loaded a full cargo of 103,576 barrels
(16,467.3 m3) of petrol (gasoline), finally sailing on 25 May.
Ohio discharged her cargo at Bowling-on-the-Clyde, then steamed
out into the tideway and anchored, awaiting orders.
Here, the captain received a letter from Lord Leathers, the head
of the British Ministry of War Transport, bidding the master a
personal welcome and "...your safe arrival in the Clyde with the
first cargo of oil carried in a United States tanker." However,
the euphoria that such a message brought to the crew soon turned
into resentment and anger. A telegram was received the same day
by the head office of Texaco, from the War Shipping
Administration, announcing simply that Ohio was being
requisitioned "pursuant to the law". The immediate reaction was
a cabled message from Mr. T. E. Buchanan, General Manager of
Texaco's Marine Department to the firm's London agent, that on
no account was Ohio to leave her discharging port of
Bowling-on-the-Clyde. A period of indecision, meetings and
debates between the highest American authorities and their
British counterparts soon ensued. The master was told that
further orders would arrive soon afterwards. The decision was
finally taken two weeks later, when a launch sped out to the
ship anchored in the Clyde and Texaco's London agent,
accompanied by an official of the British Ministry of War
Shipping came over the side. They met the Captain, who was
informed that the ship was to be confiscated and handed over to
a British crew. The American crew and the captain were
exasperated by the seemingly outrageous order, but had no other
option but to give in, and started to pack their kit whilst
British seamen began to take the ship over.
On 10 July, Captain Petersen handed over the ship. There was no
formal ceremony, and little goodwill. The American flag was
taken down, and Ohio henceforward sailed under the "Red Duster".
Overnight, she was transferred from American to British
registry. For convenience in management, the tanker was handed
over on 25 July to the Eagle Oil and Shipping Company, which was
warned of the importance of the impending convoy and that
"...much might depend on the quality and courage of the crew."
As the British crew started to assemble, it became clear that a
large convoy was being planned. Command of the ship passed to
Captain Dudley W. Mason, who at thirty nine had already held
other commands, while James Wyld was to be Chief Engineer. Forty
eight hours after Ohio had been transferred to British registry,
her crew was completed. The ship's company numbered seventy
seven, including no fewer than twenty four naval ratings and
soldiers to serve the guns. The ship was then moved to King
George V Dock in Glasgow, for the fitting of Oerlikon and Bofors
anti-aircraft guns.
Departure
After the disastrous failure of the mid-June convoys, it was
wondered if Malta could hold out on the meagre supplies rescued
from "Harpoon" and "Vigorous" until another convoy could be
organised. Escorting merchant ships in the brilliance of a
Mediterranean moonlit period was courting inevitable disaster.
This situation limited operations in the immediate future to the
moonless period in July or August between the 10th and 16th of
those months. July passed as the Ohio could not be fitted-out in
time. Once the due planning had been carried out it was decided
to begin the operation in August. Ohio steamed down to Dunglass
on the Clyde and loaded 11,500 tons of kerosene and diesel fuel
oils. She was the only ship carrying these supplies which were
so vital to Malta's survival. Before she sailed special
strengthening was given to the tanker to protect her against the
shock of bombs exploding near her. In the previous convoy, the
tanker Kentucky had been sunk with only a few hours' repair work
needed on a steam pipe, which had been broken by the force of
such explosions. The Ministry was determined that this should
not happen again, and so Ohio's engines were mounted on rubber
bearings, to reduce shock, and all steam pipes were supported
with steel springs and baulks of timber. While the merchant
ships were gathering in the Clyde Estuary, the naval forces had
already reached Scapa Flow. Admiral Syfret joined HMS Nelson
there on 27 July and held a convoy conference on 2 August; the
same day, all leave had been stopped. At eight o'clock that
evening, two hours before dusk, the convoy sailed. The fourteen
ships, led by HMS Nigeria formed up, it was dark by the time
they reached the open sea.
Axis attacks and damage
The convoy entered Gibraltar
in heavy fog on 10 August. A day later, four torpedoes from the
German submarine U-73 sank the aircraft-carrier HMS Eagle,
killing 260 men, and losing all but four planes. On this day,
German bombers attacked the convoy. On 12 August twenty Junkers
88s attacked the convoy, while a further combined strike by 100
German and Italian Regia Aeronautica planes attacked the
merchantmen. It was during the ensuing mayhem that the tanker
was torpedoed by the Italian submarine Axum and caught fire. The
Ohio was hit amidships, where a huge pillar of flame leapt high
into the air. Ohio seemed to be out of control. Captain Mason
ordered the engines to be shut down, with all deckhands
available fighting the fire with the deck waterlines. Lighted
kerosene bubbled up from the fractured tanks, while little gouts
of flame spattered the deck to a distance of thirty yards from
the blaze. Fortunately, the flames were put out and the tanker
managed thirteen knots after being repaired. The blast destroyed
the ship's gyrocompass and knocked the magnetic compass off its
bearings, while the steering gear was put out of action, forcing
the crew to steer with the emergency gear from aft.
A hole, 24 feet by 27 feet, had been torn in the port side of
the midships pump-room. The explosion had also blown another
hole in the starboard side, flooding the compartment. There were
jagged tears in the bulkheads and kerosene was spurting up from
adjoining tanks, seeping in a film up through the holes in the
hull. The deck had been broken open, so that one could look down
into the ship. From beam to beam the deck was buckled, but the
ship held together. Another sixty Junkers 87 Stuka dive bombers
attacked the convoy, focusing on Ohio. A series of near misses
ensued as the tanker approached the island of Pantelleria. Bombs
threw spray over the decks of the tanker, while aircraft used
their machine guns. One near-miss buckled the ship's plates and
the forward tank filled with water. The 3-inch (76 mm) gun at
the bows was twisted in its mountings and put out of action. A
formation of five Junkers 88s was broken up by the tanker's anti
aircraft guns, with the bombs falling harmlessly into the sea.
Another plane, this time a Junkers 87, was shot down by an Ohio
gunner; however, the aircraft crashed into Ohio's starboard
side, forward of the upper bridge, and exploded. Half a wing hit
the upper work of the bridge and a rain of debris showered the
tanker from stem to stern. The plane's bomb fortunately failed
to detonate. Captain Mason was telephoned from aft by the chief
officer, who told Mason that the Junkers 87 had crashed into the
sea and then bounced onto the ship. Mason 'rather curtly'
replied: "Oh that's nothing. We've had a Junkers 88 on the
foredeck for nearly half an hour.
As the ship turned slowly to comb torpedoes, two sticks of bombs
fell on either side of the tanker. The vessel lifted, and went
on lifting until she was clean out of the water. Cascades of
spray and bomb splinters lashed the deck, she fell back with a
crash. Ohio had differential gearing which slowed the propeller
automatically; on other ships, the same effect would have shaken
the engines out of their rooms. Continuously bombed, the tanker
kept on steaming until another explosion to starboard sent her
reeling to port. The engine-room lights went out, plunging her
into darkness. The master switches had been thrown off by the
force of the explosion, but they were quickly switched on again
by an electrician. This time, the ship had not escaped damage.
The boiler fires were blown out, and it was a race against time
to restore them before the steam pressure dropped too low to
work the fuel pumps. The engineers lit the fire starter torches
to restart the furnaces.
The complicated routine of restarting went forward smoothly and
within twenty minutes Ohio was steaming at sixteen knots again.
Then another salvo of bombs hit the ship, shaking every plate,
and once more the engines slowed and stopped. The electric fuel
pumps had been broken by the concussion. While the crew
desperately tried to reconnect the electrical wires and restart
the engines via the auxiliary steam system, the engine-room was
filled with black smoke until the engines were properly re-lit.
The ship was making alternate black and white smoke and, with
oil in the water pipes and a loss of vacuum in the condenser,
Ohio started to lose way slowly, coming to a stop at 10.50 am.
The crew abandoned ship, boarding HMS Penn that had come to
Ohio's aid alongside another destroyer, HMS Ledbury. The latter
ship was soon to leave the stricken tanker after being ordered
to go in search of the cruiser HMS Manchester, which had been
crippled by Italian motor torpedo boats.
Under tow
Penn 's commanding officer, Commander J.H. Swain RN, offered
Captain Mason a tow with a heavy 10-inch manila hemp rope. With
the tow line in place, Penn moved ahead, straining its engines
to the limit; Ohio continued to list to port. The two ships were
not making any progress, even drifting backwards due to the
easterly wind. Now both ships were sitting ducks, and as another
serious attack developed, the destroyer went to full speed to
part the tow. A German bomber dived on the tanker and was shot
down by Ohio 's gunners, but just before its demise, the
aircraft's crew released its cargo. A bomb hit the tanker just
where the initial torpedo had hit her, effectively breaking her
back, just as night was setting in. The ship was abandoned for
the night. The day after, Penn was joined by the minesweeper HMS
Rye. The two ships towed the tanker and succeeded in making up
to five knots, overcoming the tendency to swing to port. Another
attack blasted the group of ships, snapping the tow lines and
immobilising Ohio's rudder. Another bomb hit the fore end of the
front deck, forcing the engineers out of the engine room. Once
more, Mason gave the order to abandon ship, as two more air
attacks narrowly missed the tanker. A superficial examination
showed that the rent that had developed in the amidships section
had widened and that the ship had indeed almost certainly broken
her back.
The two ships around the tanker were joined by HMS Bramham and
by Ledbury (the latter returning from her search for
Manchester). Meanwhile, Rye had again begun to tow Ohio with the
newly arrived Ledbury acting as a stern tug. With less pull from
Ledbury, a fair speed was maintained, but steering proved
impossible. A stabilising factor was needed, thus Commander
Swain edged Penn to the starboard side of Ohio. Rye, joined by
Bramham, slowly got under way once more, with Ledbury acting as
a rudder. Another Axis air attack began just as the group of
ships was moving at six knots. At 10.45 AM the first wave of
dive-bombers came low over the water. Only one oil bomb landed
close to Ohio's bow, showering her with burning liquid. Then
came three more echelons of German planes. This time, close air
support from Malta was available. Sixteen Spitfires, of 249 and
229 Squadrons from Malta, had sighted the enemy. The first enemy
formation wavered and broke. The second formation also broke,
but one section of Junkers 88s succeeded in breaking free,
making for the tanker. These were swiftly followed by the
Spitfires. Three of the German planes were shot down or
manoeuvred to evade the Spitfires; nonetheless one bomber held
its course, and a 1,000-pound bomb landed in the tanker's wake.
Ohio was flung forward, parting Ryes tow, buckling the stern
plates of the tanker and forming a great hole.
Arrival
Ohio was sinking not much more than 45 miles west of Malta.
Under the protection of the Spitfires, the danger of enemy
attacks receded. After the tow line was parted, Ledbury was
still secured to Ohio by a heavy wire which had been pulled
round by the heavily yawing tanker, and had ended up alongside
Penn, facing the wrong way. After a quick analysis of the
possibilities, it was decided to tow the tanker with a destroyer
on either side of the tanker. Bramham was immediately ordered to
make for port, while Penn remained coupled to the starboard
side. The speed was increased but kept to five knots, Ohio's
deck was awash amidships. Now under the protection of the
coastal batteries of Malta, the group of ships were slowly
moving around the island, approaching Grand Harbour. The coastal
batteries fired on a creeping U-Boat's conning tower, and scared
off a group of E-Boats. Slowly, the group approached the tricky
harbour entrance, near Zonqor Point. Here the group dispersed
before a British-laid minefield. At 6.00am, with Ohio still
hovering on the edge of the minefield, the situation was eased
by the arrival of the Malta tugs. With destroyers still linked
on either side of the tanker, these sturdy ships made fast ahead
and astern and the tanker was soon proceeding up the channel to
the Grand Harbour entrance. There, a fabulous welcome awaited
them. On the ramparts above the wreck strewn harbour, on the
Barracca, St Angelo and Senglea, great crowds of Maltese men and
women waved and cheered and a brass band on the end of the mole
was giving a spirited rendition of Rule Britannia. Captain
Mason, however, standing at the salute on the battered bridge of
Ohio, could spare not a moment's thought for the pride of
bringing the ship to harbour, since the creaking plates showed
that Ohio might still go to the bottom of the Grand Harbour.
Pipes were now hauled aboard and emergency salvage pumps began
to discharge the kerosene. At the same time, a fleet auxiliary,
RFA Boxol, began to pump the 10,000 tons of fuel oil into her
own tanks. As the oil flowed out, Ohio sank lower and lower in
the water. The last drops of oil left her and simultaneously her
keel settled on the bottom. Her captain, Dudley William Mason,
was subsequently awarded the George Cross.
Aftermath
After Ohio reached Malta, the ship broke in two from the damage
she had sustained. There were insufficient shipyard facilities
to repair the tanker, so the two halves were used for storage,
and later barracks facilities for Yugoslavian troops.
On 19 September 1946 the two halves of Ohio were towed ten miles
offshore and scuttled by gunfire from a destroyer.
Epilogue
The final ship built for the Texaco fleet was Star Ohio, in
honour of the famous Second World War tanker. She is operated by
Northern Marine Management on behalf of Chevron.
The nameplate, ships wheel, ensign and several other objects of
Ohio are preserved in Malta's National War Museum in Valletta. |