| Show Army Navy Join in Search for Raider Gale Drives U. U S. S Warships Aground i Storm Cold Balk Rescuers Lose Lives WA WASHINGTON S H I N G TON Feb 24 AP AP-A AP A United States tates destroyer destroyer de de- de- de and a naval stores ship have been pounded to pieces off the rocky y east coast of Newfoundland Newfoundland Newfoundland New New- in a roaring gale I the navy announced Tuesday with a loss of at least officers officers officers cers and men Among the dead was Lieutenant Commander Ralph Hickox 38 of Washington D. D C. C who commanded command command- ed the destroyer the Truxtun an anold anold anold old stacker four er of World war vin yin tage The commander of the stores ship the Pollux was not identified but the navy reported him safe The heavy loss loss- of life was attributed attributed attributed at at- to the fact that the two ships constituting ng a portion of a convoy were torn to wreckage under the merciless battering of wind and wave very quickly after they ran aground Visibility Poor The double disaster occurred in daylight but visibility was extremely extremely ex ex- low The frothy currents set up by the dashing of the waters against rocks and reefs made the coastline indistinct and regular aids to navigation were obscured by sweeping low-sweeping scud The point at which the ships went aground was described as near th the entrance to Lawrence harbor on which is located the town of Lawrence Newfoundland Residents of that place were praised by the navy for their heroic efforts in pulling puUing such men as survived through the icy storm- storm tossed seas to safety The certain dead aboard the Truxtun were placed at seven officers officers officers cers and 90 men and there was a possibility that three more deaths would be confirmed later the navy said Dead aboard the deaths Bol lux were one officer and 91 men I I Type Old Destroyer The Truxtun was the the same type of old destroyer as the Reuben James which was torpedoed and sunk in the north Atlantic off Iceland with the loss of officers officers officers cers and men last fall The normal complement of the Pollux a new ton merchant vessel which had been taken over overby overby overby by the navy only last year was not given Disclosure of the loss of the Truxtun following closely on the navys navy's announcement Monday that the he coast guard cutter Alexander Hamilton had been torpedoed and later ater sunk off Iceland with a moderate loss of personnel was made nade in irs a which tersely described efforts at rescue and how difficult they were on ort the rocky coast and in the oil spilled from the broken ships Survivors Washed Away Efforts to put lines ashore from the stricken vessels failed A breeches buoy finally was rigged to a ledge at sea level but some I survivors wore wore washed washed away be be- I fore they could be gotten to the top of the cliff that lined the rocky coast The Truxtun the navy said broke up almost immediately after grounding and soon afterward the Pollux also went to pieces under the pounding of the violent seas Such as did survive owe their rescue in large measure the navy navy declared declared to the tireless efficient and in many cases heroic action of the people of St. St Lawrence Newfoundland The ton Pollux a converted merchantman was completed in 1910 1940 at Kearny N. N J. J at a cost of She was then named the Comet and was owned by the maritime commission The ton 1190 Truxtun was a flush-decked flush stacker four-stacker completed completed com corn in 1921 and capable of 35 knots Her complement called for men |
