Heroes: the world's best Coast Guard; Crew of the CGC Seneca, 1918

Coast Guard Magazine, Oct, 2004

Eleven Coast Guardsmen from the CGC Seneca died in a heroic attempt to keep the torpedoed tanker Wellington from sinking Sept. 16, 1918.

In April 1917, the entire fleet of Coast Guard vessels was transferred to the Navy Department when the United States entered World War I. The Seneca escorted convoys with the Atlantic Patrol Fleet to protect them from German submarine attacks.

On its 26th Atlantic crossing, Sept. 16, 1918, the Seneca was escorting 21 ships to Gibraltar when a German submarine torpedoed the Wellington, one of the ships in the convoy.

After the Seneca chased the sub away, First Lt. Fletcher Brown and 18 volunteers boarded the Wellington to survey its damage. Most of the Wellington's crew refused to stay, and the Coast Guardsmen were left to operate the pumps and guns. Brown's crew and the remaining seamen kept the flooding under control until a storm developed, and the seas became extremely rough.

The change in the weather decreased the chances of the ships's survival. Furthermore, the ship's lifeboat was swept away by the storm. Brown, his crew and the remaining crewmen were trapped on a sinking ship in stormy seas with no lifeboat. In an attempt to escape, they radioed for help, shot off signal flares and began to construct rafts.

When it became apparent that their efforts were in vain, Brown ordered the ship to be abandoned, but the boilers exploded shortly thereafter. Although Brown and seven of his men survived, the explosion killed 11 of the would-be rescuers.

All of the Coast Guardsmen, living and dead, were awarded the Navy Cross.

Story and illustration courtesy of the CG Historian's Office