USS Henry R. Mallory (ID-1280)

USS "Henry R. Mallory" (ID-1280) was a transport for the United States Navy during World War I. She was also sometimes referred to as USS "H. R. Mallory" or as USS "Mallory". Before her Navy service she was USAT "Henry R. Mallory" as a United States Army transport ship. From her 1916 launch, and after her World War I military service, she was known as SS "Henry R. Mallory" for the Mallory Lines. Pressed into service as a troopship in World War II by the War Shipping Administration, she was torpedoed by German submarine "U-402" in the North Atlantic ocean and sank with the loss of 272 men—over half of those on board.

World War I

SS "Henry R. Mallory" was built by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. of Newport News, Virginia (yard no. 193), and delivered to the Mallory Steamship Line on 21 October 1916., armed collier and "Finland" when they were torpedoed,] The crew on board "Henry R. Mallory" consisted of 9 officers, 68 crewmen, and 34 Naval Armed Guards (who manned the 11 guns on deck). Also on board were 383 passengers, consisting of 2 civilians, 136 from the U.S. Army, 72 from the U.S. Marine Corps, and 173 from the U.S. Navy. As the convoy, which consisted of 60 ships and 26 escorts, sailed near Iceland, a wolf pack of Kriegsmarine U-Boats attacked the convoy repeatedly over a four-day period.cite AHCD | convoytype = SC | convoynumber = 118 | accessdate = 2008-08-04 ] Helgason, "U-Boat Operations".] Some 20 U-boats participated, ultimately sinking 12 Allied ships, including "Henry R. Mallory"; three U-boats were lost.

It was at 06:59 on 7 February 1943 when, traveling in station 33 of the convoy, "Henry R. Mallory" was hit by one torpedo fired from German submarine "U-402" around convert|600|nmi|km south-southwest of Iceland. Hit in the number three hold on the starboard side, the ship began settling by the stern and listing to port, and sank at about 07:30. Of "Henry R. Mallory"'s ten lifeboats, only three were successfully launched, holding 175 men. Many other men jumped overboard for rafts in the water.

None of the other ships in the convoy were aware of the "Mallory"'s predicament. American destroyer USS|Schenck|DD-159|2—searching for survivors from the convoy's sunken rescue ship, SS "Toward", sunk three hours earlier, also by "U-402"—saw lights but was denied permission to investigate. Only when survivors were found by U.S. Coast Guard cutter USCGC|Bibb|WPG-31|2 some four hours later was the fate of "Henry R. Mallory" made clear. "Bibb" rescued 205 men, 3 of whom later died. Another Coast Guard cutter, USCGC|Ingham|WHEC-35|2, rescued a further 22, of which 2 later died. Among the 272 dead was the ship's master, 48 crewmen, 15 armed guards, and 208 passengers.

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