User:Buster40004/Sandbox/Projects/SS Augustus Thomas

SS Augustus Thomas (Liberty Ship)

VESSEL PARTICULARIZATION

 * Maritime Commission Emergency Hull No. 2151;
 * Builder: Permanente Metals Corporation, Yard No. 2.;
 * Engine: Joshua Hendy Ironworks;
 * Operator: Coastwise Line;
 * Type: freighter;
 * Complement; 41 crewmen, with twenty-seven Armed Guard;
 * Master: Alfred A. Pedersen.

TIME LINE

 * August 29,1943 - Keel Laid
 * September 17, 1943 - Launched
 * September 25, 1943 - Delivered to WSA and in turn to Operator (Listed above)
 * October 24, 1944 - Damaged by Japanese bomber at San Pedro Bay, Leyte
 * October 26, 1944 - Near miss by the landing of 3 bombs.
 * October 28, 1944 - Another near miss.
 * October 30, 1944 - Collision with another ship in typhoon **[unclear incident]
 * November 17, 1944 - Damaged by air attack
 * February 2, 1946 - Laid up in Suisun Bay, California
 * January - 1947 - Offered for sale for scrap
 * July 19, 1957 - Withdrawn from fleet and scrapped in Oakland, California later that year.

ENCOUNTER WITH JAPANESE BOMBERS AND BOMBS
On October 24 1944 the Augustus Thomas, carrying 3,000 th tons of ammunition along with a 1,000 barrels of high octane gasoline, military equipment and 548 men, was in the San Pedro Bay, Leyte. Along side of her was the USS Sonoma (ATO-12).

There were bombers in the area, one of which was hit by gunfire from ships in the harbor and both his engines caught fire. This particular Japanese bomber headed straight for the Augustus Thomas and the Sonoma. As the bomber neared the two vessels its wing hit the stack of the Sonoma setting it afire from end to end.

One accounting of this aftermath is the planes engines penetrated the ship’s hull while her bomb load empted into the harbor, detonating as it hit bottom. Another accounting is: as the bomber crashed one of its bombs fell over the side of the Thomas and blew a hole in the hull which flooded the engine room and put most of the gear out of commission.

A typical Liberty Ship freighter

As near as can be determined there was an explosion of which caused considerable damage to the Augustus Thomas. Two men were blown overboard by the explosion, the engine room quickly filled with water, and causing her to sag amidships. Although holds No. 4 and 5 flooded the ship she did not sink. Nearby was another Liberty ship, the Benjamin Ide Wheeler, which came along side and piped aboard steam that made it possible the unloading of the Augustus Thomas’s vital but perilous cargo. When the unloading was accomplished she was beached a mile east of the Palo River mouth.

While setting in a beached situation she encountered near misses from bombers in the area....one incident on October 26 and another two days later on October 28th. Through all of these incidents....there were no casualties.

Somewhere in this time frame there is and accounting of the Augustus Thomas being involved in a collision with another Liberty ship during a typhoon ......but I was unable to acquire any detail of this incident.....the data did state she was “beached” after this incident. The author is not sure if the above ‘beaching’ is the same ‘beaching’ as the first one upon being unloaded and sent to Palo River.

On November 17th she was damaged by another air attack, was refloated and towed to Holliandia where she was declared a constructive total loss. She was then bowed to Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia and finally to Suisun Bay, California where she was laid up on February 2, 1946.

In January of 1947 she was offered for sale for scrap. She was withdrawn from the fleet on July 19, 1957 and scrapped in Oakland, California later that year.

CONVOY HISTORY
There was no convoy data noted in any of the research data, so it could be assumed that the SS Augustus Thomas sailed alone to her port-of-calls.