USS Susan B. Anthony (AP-72) - Sinking Off Normandy, 7 June 1944

Sinking Off Normandy, 7 June 1944

Early in the morning of 7 June 1944, while cruising through a swept channel off Normandy, Susan B. Anthony struck a mine which exploded under her number 4 hold. Immediately, she lost all power, and her rudder went hard left and stuck. By 08:05, holds numbers 4 and 5 were shipping water badly, and the ship took on an 8° list to starboard. In an effort to save his ship, the commanding officer, Commander T. L. Gray, USNR, ordered the embarked soldiers to move to the port side. This human ballast soon brought Anthony back to an even keel.

At 08:22, fleet tug Pinto came alongside, prepared to tow the paralyzed Anthony to shallow water. However, soon thereafter, fires erupted in the engine and fire rooms, and the transport began to settle more rapidly. At this point, the captain concluded that the ship was lost and ordered her abandoned. With Pinto and two destroyers alongside, the troops were evacuated expeditiously and without resorting to fireboats and rafts. Anthony's crew followed closely behind the soldiers. By 09:05, the main deck was awash at the stern, and she was listing badly. The last member of the salvage crew hit the water at about 10:00, with Commander Gray soon following. At 10:10, Susan B. Anthony was gone. No one was killed, and few of the 45 wounded were seriously hurt. The Guinness Book of World Records 2000 has the sinking of the Susan B. Anthony listed as the largest rescue of people without loss of life; all 2,689 people aboard were saved. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 29 July 1944.