Andrew Drews was an American seaman on the
SS Carlton. The Carlton was in the infamous convoy PQ
17 from Iceland to Murmansk Russia. She was torpedoed and sunk by U-88
on July 5, 1942. Andrew with others made it to Norway by lifeboat and
from there to Milag. He was exchanged in Feb. 1945 and his sister Helen
Deck made notes of his story. Jim Deck, Helen's son forwarded her notes
to me.
I have added a few notes, some links and pictures.
PQ 17 suffered more losses than any other Artic convoy. History.net
has an excellent article on the convoy and its losses. Uboat.net
also has the story of PQ 17.
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February 22, 1942. Shipped out from Baltimore on S.S.
Carlton Loaded in Philadelphia with barbed wire, medium and light
tanks, ingots, food, and ammunition.
March 13,1942. Sailed for Halifax, Nova Scotia.
March 17, 1942. Arrived at Halifax.
March 28, 1942. Left Halifax accompanied by approximately
80 other ships. British, Canadian, American escort ships. After ten
days out, a 12 hour storm separated the ships and the S. S. Carlton
entered Iceland alone. (Port Reykjavik).
May 22, 1942. Left Iceland in another convoy.
| May 27, 1942. Attacked by German bombers at 6
p.m. About 16 planes in each group. Second group dropped 4 bombs.
Near miss. Engine room disabled. A corvette (English) towed the
ship into the ice fields and repairs were made - taking from 9 p.m.
that night until 7 a.m. the next day, then able to proceed on our
power. All alone (accompanied only by corvette). Headed back to
Iceland. |
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May 29, 1942. At 11 a.m. German Junker plane locates
the ship. Dropped two bombs. Near miss.
May 30, 1942. Reached Iceland. Awaited another convoy
until June 28, 1942.
June 28, 1942. Started out once more - destination
Murmansk, Russia. All went well with the 36 merchant ships and a
very heavy British escort until July 4, 1942.
July
4, 1942. At 4 a.m. two German torpedo planes attacked.
Sunk one merchant ship 7 a.m. Two more torpedo planes attacked.
No hits. 4 p.m. - Six torpedo planes attacked. Two more ships hit.
(scuttled) 6 p.m. - Twelve torpedo planes attacked. At 7 p.m. -
Twenty-four planes attacked. Two ships sunk. Last plane attack.
At 9:15 p.m., order was given by commodore of convoy to "fan
out" and proceed alone to port of destination. Escort left,
disappearing over horizon. |
PQ 17 prepares to leave Icleand (from
Uboat.net)
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July 5, 1942. 8:15 a.m. - Submarine shot one torpedo
(tin fish) under S.S. Carlton. The second torpedo hit engine
room. 400 miles from Murmansk. (The Uboat was
U88)
One life boat had been lost from Halifax to Iceland. Concussion blew
two other life boats away - leaving only one life boat and four life
rafts. One man had been lost two days before. Probably suicide. Two
men on watch below were killed. Remaining 42 men manned the life boat
and four rafts. S. S. Carlton remained afloat about 15 minutes. Sub
surfaced to get name of ship, them submerged and went away. Rafts were
lashed together and the men equalized on rafts and in boat. 2 p.m. -
German seaplane lands and picks up two men. At 8 p.m. - German Blum
Vose - (big reconnaissance plane) lights and takes 10 men who volunteer.
Germans gave the life boat flares. Around midnight plane appears. German
flares shot off to attract this German plane. Plane alighted and picked
up 12 more men.
July 6, 1942. German torpedo plane picks up two men.
Rafts stripped and remaining 16 men were all in life boat. An English
Sunderland (reconnaissance plane) flew over about 8 p.m. and dropped
corned beef and hard tack - very poor grade.
July 9, 1942. German sub surfaces. Captain gives bag
of 10 blankets, a breaker (10 gal.) of water, hard tack, compass, two
charts, cigarettes, a time tick (?), and a course to Russia and one
to Germany. Advised men to go to Germany - "Viel essen" -
more to eat. Men decided otherwise. Captain offered to take any sick
men aboard. Talked for about 1 1/2 hours. A "blow" came up.
Life boat had to "come about" and run before the wind. Boat
blown 228 miles off course by observation (by chart). Lasted from 8
p.m. until 4 p.m. following day.
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July 19, 1942. First assistant engineer froze
and was buried at sea. Forty six years old, heavy, and just wouldn't
exercise with oars. Rudder "carried away". It was "lashed
up" and repaired. Water rationed daily - 2 oz. per man three
times a day. Men decided to sail for Norway rather than Russia. |
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July 25, 1942. Landed at Tufjord at 2 p.m. This was
a fishing village with a population of approximately 200 near the northern
tip of Norway. A fishing boat towed the life boat in. The men were carried
to a community center for fishermen and fed - baked beans - (1 gal.
from off life boat), bread (good), goat's milk, goat cheese, goat butter
(very good). Someone stole 5 Ibs. of canned corned beef out of life
boat. After the meal, the men stretched out on the grass to rest. A
German torpedo boat came in the harbor. About a dozen men came ashore
and the 15 survivors were taken prisoner, and carried aboard the torpedo
boat. Taken to Hammerfest (about 50 miles S. W. of North Cape of Norway)
where the men spent the night in a barrack on a big pile of straw. Room
8 x 12 ft. Eight men slept in the room. Front door of barrack opened
into a hall with a room on each side. Seven or eight men slept on each
side of hall.
July 26, 1942. Prisoners taken back on board torpedo
boat at 6 a.m. Taken to Tromso, Norway. Spent about 12 days there. Slept
most of the time. Stayed in leather factory that was being used for
a barrack. Wooden bunks with excelsior mattress. Food - soup, (dried
vegetable). One sixth of a loaf of bread daily. One teaspoon of jam
or a chip of fat rendered from pork fat was the allotment for two days.
"Survival of fittest" when it came to accumulating dishes,
hand carved wooden spoons. Had seven German guards from Tromso on. A
German guard traded for a Westclox watch - 2 1/2 packs cigarettes, 1/2
pack tobacco, an excellent knife, a curved stem pipe, two packs cigarette
papers. "He said, "Nackt krieg, du must Zurich comen heir
- meine tuchter" - (after the war you must come back and marry
my daughter). Occasionally brought up rice, bread, and once rice pudding.
Always good for two cigarettes a day, too.
August 7, 1942 (approx.) Boarded Norwegian freighter
and traveled down through the fjords. Each night the ship docked in
a harbor. No night traveling. Norwegians running the boat "under
the rifle." Four or five day trip.
| August 12 (?) Saturday a.m. Docked at Oslo. Couldn't
find a place to stay so the men sat in the railroad station and
drank tea until noon. All the people carried their rations in little
cases. As they entered the door, they all saluted the picture of
Hitler hanging in the station. Hot water for tea and the coffee
was free. Taken to yacht basin where there was a barrack and remained
there until Monday morning. |
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August 14 (?) Went aboard a German troop transport,
the "WURI". Sailed about 2 p.m. bound for Aalborg, Denmark.
Traveled all night.
August 15 (?) About 8:30 a.m. transport struck a mine.
1200 German troops on board. Ski troops and men of Air Force were in
Holds 1 and 2 and 3. Prisoners in Hold 4. Men in 1 and 2 were lost since
mine struck there. No prisoners lost. Men boarded the two accompanying
corvettes and many small fishing boats. Most of belongings recovered
from ship. Docked in Aalborg around 1 p.m. Prisoners taken to school
house.
August 16, 1942. No food until midnight. Accumulated six or
eight more guards in addition to original seven. Danish Red Cross brought
food. Half enough boiled eggs and half enough salami so the men had
their choice. At 9 a.m. the next day, boarded a bus and went to the
"fitting out" station to reclaim "gear". Taken then
to railroad yard. Boarded a troop train. Troops were eight to the compartment
and prisoners were six. Traveled all night. At midnight the next night,
changed trains in a black out. At 7 a.m. next morning reached Altona,
Germany. Stayed in railroad station until 11 a.m. eating gruel (looked
like farina) and drinking poor (ersatz) coffee. Boarded a train at 11
a.m. Arrived in Wilhelmshaven at 7 p.m.
This is interrogation center - a big Navy Yard & Petty Officers
School there. Prisoners in the school. All 15 prisoners in one room
with gear. As each was called out for questioning, he took his possessions
with him. After the examination, he was put in another room. Monday
night guard read out names of 13 men who would leave at 4 a.m. the next
morning. Two men remained. Andrew and a Mr. Dooly from Fort Wayne, Indiana.
He was an ordinary seaman on the S. S. Carlton. These two men were kept
together in a room for about five weeks. Every morning a guard came
around to see if anyone was sick. The two prisoners asked him if there
were any English books in a library anywhere around. They were soon
given two dime novels - (Saint Publications).
One day a man cut the grass in the garden with a scythe, then followed
a meal of grass soup. Dust blew in Andrew's eye one morning when he
was taking his half hour exercise. He was taken to a doctor of the Interrogation
Bureau who spoke a little English and his eye was thoroughly cleaned.
Men were questioned every day or every other day about everything -
living conditions in the U.S., the ack - ack ship in the escort, etc.
He heard air raids every night from 11 p.m. to sometimes 5 a.m. Finally
Andrew asked to be removed to the prison camp. Walked 10 blocks. Took
train to Bremen, transferred to a narrow gauge train to Westkertimke.
Took truck for three miles to Camp Marlag and Milag Nord, Germany.
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September 25,1942. Arrived in camp. Room 18 ft. wide
x 24 ft. long. Twelve men in Andrew's room. Accommodations for from
10 to 24 or more men. Window opposite the doors. Five rooms on each
side of hallway comprised the barrack. About 3000 men in camp. Meal
ticket issued every month. Meals were prepared in three galleys for
the camp. Went to galley at 9 a.m. for bread and margarine or sometimes
a spoon of jam. At noon, soup was issued. Men carried food back to barrack
and prepared and ate when they liked. Winter of '42 Red Cross food parcels
- one every two weeks for four months. Then one was given every week.
For last three months one given every two weeks. Cigarettes were used
in bartering for more food. German guards would barter food items for
cigarettes. Cards, football, baseball, walking, reading for past time.
Books furnished by Red Cross, Y.M.C.A. Two or three musters a day to
get men to do farm work, work in bakery, black smith shop. When all
men refused to work, parcels were withheld. One of the prisoners sent
a wire to eneva. Word sent back that it was permissible for men to work
if they wanted to.
In about a year, allied plane raids started to come over. One hundred
thirty English repatriated before Andrew left. Three or four groups
left. Irish taken out as a group - supposedly to be sent home. However,
when they refused to work, they were all jailed in Bremen. Norwegians
taken out under false pretense. When they refused to work, were jailed
outside of Kiel. Sixty two men represented 13 ships - as far as Andrew
knows these were the only surviving seamen in any camp anywhere in Germany.
Prisoners in camp volunteered to teach classes. Well attended. An outside
professor began a German class. Lasted only two or three months. College
credit given for these classes. Two and one half years credit for four
years work. Architectural, draftsmen, engineering, navigation, elementary
English, etc. Two days notice was given that the men listed on a posted
sheet were being exchanged. Two or three Germans exchanged for one.
Englishmen, three Canadians left too. Only the Americans were exchanged.
balance repatriated (wounded). Left camp at 2 a.m. on January 15, 1945.
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January 1, 1945. Rode to depot in trucks, about 230
men. Stayed on same train until arrived at Lake Constance. Could take
40 marks from camp and all personal possessions. Went through Wittenberge,
Dresden, Nuremburg, Ulm - (10 a.m. until 9 p.m. on account of allied
bombardment) on to Lake Constance (from 11 a.m. - all night until 1
p.m. next day). Crossed the border and waited for a German troop train
to arrive. Swiss Red Cross came on board with chocolate, apples, bread,
and soup. Proceeded to Geneva. Got off train next morning. Took five
days to make a 24 hour trip. Traveled 2200 kilometers when the trip
should have taken 600 kilometers. In Geneva, put in an Army barrack
for six days waiting for Gripsholm to dock. After two days.
Red Cross and American counsul came in and gave each one 40 francs ($5.00).
Men could spend money at the canteen for soda water and cookies.
.January (?), 1945,At 1 a.m trucks pulled up and took
the men to the station. Left Geneva at 1 a.m. for France (Lausanne)
- Marseilles at 11 p.m. next night (22 hours). At Marseilles, put on
hospital ship Saturday night 2 o'clock until Tuesday. Walked across
dock and boarded Gripsholm. January (?), 1945. Sailed Feb.
8th, 1945. Docked in New York on February 21, 1945 at noon. Left ship
at 3:30 p.m. (The Gripsholm
made a number of voyages under the Red Cross exchanging Allied prisoners
with both the Germans and the Japanese.)
The story of the return of the American prisoners
to New York is here.
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Another survivor Charles "Blackie"
Blockston's story has been published here.
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