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Jewish Stamps - U.S. stamp commemorating the
four chaplains |
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History of the
USAT Dorchester
U.S. stamp commemorating the four
chaplains.
The USAT Dorchester, a luxury cruise liner
converted to a troop transport ship, was
torpedoed and sunk as part of a naval convoy
during World War II. |
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U.S. stamp
commemorating the four chaplains. |
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On the night of
February 3, 1943, Convoy SG-19 left St.
John's, Newfoundland, bound for the Army
Command Base at Narsarsuaq in southern
Greenland. SG-19 consisted of six ships: the
Dorchester, two merchant ships leased by the
United States from the Norwegian government
that was in exile, D/S (Diesel Ship) Lutz, and
D/S Biscaya. They were escorted by three small
United States Coast Guard cutters: the
Comanche (WPG-76), the Escanaba (WPG-77), and
the Tampa (WPG-48).
Approximately 100 miles west of Cape Farewell,
Greenland, the German submarine U-223
torpedoed the USAT Dorchester. The Dorchester
was severely damaged, and eyewitnesses
recounted the ship sunk in 15-25 minutes,
taking about 600 men with her out of a total
crew of 902. The ship's complement was 130
crew members, 23 Naval Armed Guard, and 751
passengers. The passengers were U.S. Army
personnel, civilian workers, Danish citizens
and USCG personnel. There were only 229
survivors. Six hundred and seventy five
persons were lost.
On board the Dorchester were the four
chaplains: George Fox, a former Methodist
circuit riding preacher; David Goode, a rabbi
from York, Pennsylvania; Clark Poling, a Yale
Divinity School graduate and a pastor from
Schenectady, New York; and John Washington, a
Catholic priest serving a parish in Arlington,
New Jersey. When war was declared, all four
volunteered for the Corps of Chaplains.
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