Daring Escape of the Gold Ship MORMACSEA

Sea Classics, Nov 2006 by O'Keefe, James D

With $4.5 million in Swedish gold secretly stashed in its hold, a neutral American freighter was left up its own devices when it found itself dangerously trapped in a Norwegian port just as the full might of Hitler's Nazi hoards invaded and occupied Norway

Captain William McHaIe, master of the SS Mormacsea, was awakened by the noise of several planes circling his freighter as she lay at dockside in Trondheim, Norway. It was 4:45 am on 9 April 1940. Rushing to the bridge, McHale encountered his Chief Mate, Al McKinnon, who explained that something strange was going on and that a damaged German cruiser, the Admiral Hipper, had just entered the harbor. Her captain requested permission to pull along side the Mormacsea. The German captain boarded the American freighter and explained to Capt. McHale that 2000 Nazi troops now occupied the port of Trondheim and the surrounding countryside. He stated that Germany had no quarrel with the US or their merchant fleet. These occupation forces were there only to protect the Norwegians against a British attack that was anticipated in the next few hours.

And so it was, on that bleak April morning, that the port of Trondheim, and the entire coastal area of Norway, fell to the Nazis without the firing of a single shot on land. But unknown to the German flotilla, the SS Mormacsea, concealed beneath her deck - among 800-tons of peat - a cargo of $4,500,000 worth of gold ingots bound for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Captain McHale, now anxious about this event, envisioned that this voyage would be a problem from the start. He was well-aware of the neutral status of his vessel, realizing that his American flag gave him specific rights as a tramper along the coast of Europe, i.e. the Moore-McCormack line could do business with any country it wished on a cash-and-carry basis. However, he was also mindful that his ship would be entering the European war zone. There were diplomatic considerations at every port, but he was certainly not prepared for this!

Reflecting back to the morning of 19 February, in New York City, McHale remembered his queasy feeling at dockside. The European countries were falling to the Nazis. Experienced merchant seamen were reluctant to sign on with the line, even with the promise of large bonuses. Several individuals, passing by, looked quizzically as the shore booms placed wing sections of small planes on the deck of the Mormacsea. The loading of a variety of military hardware followed this, most notably three-plus tons of Thompson machine guns and related munitions. The freighter also stored within her hold a large Red Cross shipment of medical supplies and clothing, bound for Finland, to be routed through Stockholm. McHale mused, before sailing for Europe that morning, that his ship resembled a floating arsenal rather than a merchant vessel. He had served as master of several freighters during his ten years of service with the company but, he somehow felt that this would not be a typical voyage.

McHale was ordered to discharge and pick up cargo - as scheduled at several ports of call along the European coast. The run would involve approximately two months at sea. On 19 February, just prior to departure, Capt. McHale, Chief Mate Al McKinnon and Engineer Harold Wood were summoned to a meeting with the port captain at the East River, Moore-McCormack terminal. McHale, McKinnon and Wood were all lieutenant Commanders in the United States Naval Reserve. They had sailed together before and their combined skills and professional bearing was well-known to the company. The port captain informed the officers that their ship was to pick up a classified cargo, per order of the US State Department, at a designated pier in Bergen, Norway, on 5 April 1940. The shipment would arrive between 11:00 pm and midnight via Prey's Express, purveyors for the Swedish monarchy. The Mormacsea should discharge their machine gun cargo, and Red Cross supplies, to the custody of Prey's Express and the westward bound shipment should be carefully loaded, verified, stowed, divulged only to crew and transported back to New York as soon as possible. As planned, the shipment arrived in Norway on time, but only then did McHale and his officers realize the new cargo was in fact $4,500,000 of gold. Harold Wood revealed to his brother-in-law several months later that Capt. McHale was quite angry that the State Department had put them in this predicament. Here they were in occupied Trondheim on 9 April 1940. The gold showed on their manifest, they had no small arms on board for protection, the crew had limited military training, their freighter was effectively under the control of the Germans, and - as they would soon discover - the only escape route to the North Atlantic was most likely mined!

Now, as dawn broke over the harbor on the morning of 9 April, Naval and military activity increased and the Germans asked if they could shuttle troops and supplies across the Mormacsea to shore. Captain McHale felt that the Nazis were too much interested in his cargo. Declining their request, he moved his ship about 300-ft up the pier to get out of the way. Still uneasy about the events ofthat day, the 44-year-old skipper made the following entry in his log: "I decided to ask permission to seek a safer berth. At 4:12 pm, I was told by German authorities that I could go or come as I pleased and that I would not be interfered with. So I left Trondheim and shifted the vessel to an anchorage at Hommelvik, approximately 12-mi away. I had previously determined to leave Norway as soon as possible, but consul at Bergen has asked me to remain until further orders."