Info Needed on Sinking of WWII Ship

[JamesStep]

My uncle -- Ted. J. Blazewicz -- was in the Merchant Marines
during World War II and was the chief radio operator on the
S. S. Kahuku, a supply ship. He was killed when it was sunk by
a German submarine (we think it was on June 15, 1942 off
the coast of Trinadad).

We would like to find more details about the ship and the
incident, but don't know where to look. Can anyone suggest
where we could find additional information?

Thanks,

Jim
(Remove "NO-SPAM" from my address when sending me e-mail.)

[N2FIX]

>My uncle -- Ted. J. Blazewicz -- was in the Merchant Marines during World War
II and was the chief radio operator on the S. S. Kahuku, a supply ship. He was
killed when it was sunk by a German submarine (we think it was on June 15,
1942 off the coast of Trinadad).

The S.S. Kahuku was built in 1920 at Baypoint, California by the Pacific Coast
Shipbuilding Company. The ship measured 402 feet in length, 53 feet in beam,
32 feet in depth of hold and displaced 6,062 tons. Powered by a 2,800 shaft
horsepower turbine engine the ship could make 9.5 knots. Originally built as
the Cuprum, and renamed Shelton, the ship was operated as the Kahuku by the
Matson Navigation Company of San Francisco at the time of her sinking.

On June 15, 1942 the ship was in convoy from New York to the Persian Gulf via
Trinidad with a 7,000 ton cargo of cranes, tractors and structural equipment.
She was operating with a merchant crew of 36 under Captain Eric Herbert
Johanson and a 10 man Naval Armed Guard under Lieutenant Kamerer.

At 3:00 pm that day the Kahuku picked up 63 men from lifeboats, consisting of
45 survivors from the S.S. Scottsburg, sunk by the U-161 and 18 survivors from
the S.S. Cold Harbor, sunk by the U-502 that same day. At 8:00 pm the S.S
Arkansan was torpedoed about one mile north of the Kahuku. Captain Johanson
ordered the lifeboats made ready and the crew was placed on standby for torpedo
attack. At 9:20 pm the Kahuku was struck by a torpedo in the engine room on
the starboard side amidships, destroying the starboard lifeboat. The ship was
abandoned by her crew and the survivors of the two sunken ships, but only one
overloaded lifeboat and three rafts were launched.

About one hour later the U-126 surfaced opened fire on the Kahuku with it's
deck gun. The third shot hit the ship's after magazine causing an explosion,
after which the ship began to settle by the stern. Near midnight, the ship was
again hit by a torpedo, this time in the stern. The ship quicly sank at
position 11/54N; 63/07W. The survivors were rescued at 3:00 pm on June 16 by
the armed yacht USS Opal, PYC-8 and the patrol craft YP-63 and landed at
Trinidad.
Captain Johanson and 5 crewman from the Kahuku were lost along with Lieutenant
Kamerer and two Naval gun crew. Three of the Cold Harbor survivors and six
Scottsburg survivors were lost in the sinking of the Kahuku.

Hope this helps,
Bob Birmingham

[Iam436]

>Subject: Info Needed on Sinking of WWII Ship

>My uncle -- Ted. J. Blazewicz -- was in the Merchant Marines
>during World War II and was the chief radio operator on the
>S. S. Kahuku, a supply ship. He was killed when it was sunk by
>a German submarine (we think it was on June 15, 1942 off
>the coast of Trinadad).

You might start with this web site and see what you can find:
http://www.tenforward.com/bud/

This is a very full web site dedicated to the Merchant Marines

[Norman E. Harms]

The following information was found in Volume One - LLOYD'S WAR LOSSES,
The Second World War - British, Allied and Neutral Merchant Vessels Sunk
or Destroyed by War Causes and AXIS SUBMARINE SUCCESSES 1939-1945
(Jurgen Rohwer).

0210 G.M.T. on 16. June 1942, the American flagged vessel S.S. KAHUKU,
of 6,062 tons gross, bound from New York & Hampton Roads to Table Bay,
Busreh & Bandar Shapur; carried cargo of 7,100 tons cranes, tractors,
construction equipment along with 63 survivors of S.S. SCOTTSBURG and
S.S. COLD HARBOR (sunk previously) was torpedoed by the German U-Boat
U-126 (commanded by Bauer) and sunk in position 11 54 N., 63 07W. Of
the crew of 46, 9 were lost along with 6 from SCOTTSBURG and 3 from COLD
HARBOR.

Hope that helps a little.

Best wishes,
Norman E. Harms, PLS

JamesStep wrote:

> My uncle -- Ted. J. Blazewicz -- was in the Merchant Marines
> during World War II and was the chief radio operator on the
> S. S. Kahuku, a supply ship. He was killed when it was sunk by
> a German submarine (we think it was on June 15, 1942 off
> the coast of Trinadad).
>