Master and Commander
Posts: 1890
Location: Patterson, New York | Subject: RE: A Tribute to a Sailor
Ric,
The relative is actually my daughter-in-law's Great Grand Father's brother (her Great - Great Uncle?).
Here is the story I am writing for her family, that I have already pieced together.
If you have any thoughts or information it will be appreciated.
James Crowley (brother of John Crowley – Suzanne’s Great Grandfather)
James was born April 13, 1900. At the age of 9 years, his father (43 years old) died; six years later, when James was 15, one of his older brothers died.
On the Crowley grave stone at Old St. Raymond Cemetery in the Bronx, NY. The inscription for James reads – Lost At Sea with the U.S.S.S. Rochester Nov. 2, 1917.
Now the name of the ship was S.S. Rochester, since it was a merchant vessel. The U.S.S. Rochester was a renamed US Navy Cruiser in WWI which did not put to sea as the Rochester until after James died.
James is also listed on the Tablets of the Missing at the Brookhaven American Cemetery in England, along with the other USN Armed Guard crew members.
The US declared war on the Central Powers (Germany; etc.) on April 6, 1917. James entered the US Navy on April 24, 1917, 11 days after his 17th birthday – he would never reach the age of 18 years old.
James first went to the Naval Training Station at Newport RI from 4/24/17 to 5/25/17 as an Apprentice Seaman.
He was then transferred to the USS New York BB-34 (a battleship) in Norfolk VA for further training until July 9, 1917. James was then assigned to the US Navy Armed Guard aboard the SS Rochester, a merchant cargo ship.
The US Navy Armed Guard consisted of sailors posted aboard civilian manned merchant ships during WWI to operate the defensive guns used to deter Surface Raiders and Submarines. The Armed Guards duty was to protect the merchant ship from being sunk by enemy action.
It was 4:40 in the afternoon on the 2nd of November 1917 as the SS Rochester rode high in the water off the north west of Ireland heading back to Baltimore having just delivered cargo for the Allied war effort at the Port of Manchester in England. The cargo for the return trip was listed as “in ballast” meaning that she was carrying extra water to keep on an even keel for the voyage to Baltimore to pick up more cargo.
The official US Navy casualty report reads:
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2 November 1917
S.S. ROCHESTER
At 4:40 p.m. about 350 miles from the northwestern coast of Ireland, a German submarine torpedo struck the ship on the starboard side abreast of the after end of the engineroom. The following men, members of the armed guard, lost their lives through exposure in open boats.
CORUM, Marshall U. Seaman 2 class
CROWLEY, James Seamen 2 class
COX, Mearl R. Seamen 2 class
DONOVAN, Bernard J. Seamen 2 class
GRAGG, Ernest H. Seamen 2 class
WHEELER, George F. Seamen 2 class
6 enlisted men
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The Rochester was sunk by a torpedo fired from a submarine commanded by Athalwin Prinz. Within 2 months, this submarine would be listed by the German navy as missing – officially considered lost.
Two web sites refer to this boat as U95; but, the details are a little confusing. I cannot tell if the owners of these pages are dealing with facts or supposition.
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A Tribute to a Sailor
