While under construction at the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, the name of Henry Bradley Plant was assigned to a Liberty Ship hull. With a recent war bond drive, the Duval American Legion posts raised $4,650,000, spearheaded by the Forty and Eight Society of the Legion. With this amount, the Legion was given the privilege of submitting five names. The name of Henry B. Plant, a Florida railroad builder, was selected by the Maritime Commission and the Treasury department in recognition of the war bond campaign.
On December 11, 1944, Liberty Ship S.S. Henry B. Plant slid down the ways at 4:15 that afternoon (shown below). Senator Joseph C. O’Mahoney, senior senator from Wyoming, and his wife, were sponsors. Members of all American Legion posts in Duval County were invited to attend the launching.
From New York, the convoy was traveling to Antwerp, Belgium. On February 6, 1945, east of Ramsgate, England, the ship was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-245 submarine. It sank within five minutes.
According to a survivor’s story, the S.S. Henry B. Plant had separated from her convoy in the English Channel and was being stalked by a German submarine. After rejoining her convoy, a torpedo struck the vessel at the forward end of No. 4 hatch.
Trying to launch No.1 and No. 3 lifeboats, men were sucked under by the settling vessel. Only the No. 2 lifeboat was launched. A crew member was last seen carrying the ship’s cat.
There were 70 aboard, including eight officers, 33 crew members, 28 armed guards, and one passenger (an Army security officer). Sixteen were lost at sea, among them one officer, eight crew members, and seven armed guards. There were 54 survivors who were able to get into the No. 2 lifeboat or who were pulled out of the water. They were picked up by the HMS Hazard and HMS Sir Lancelot and put ashore in Dover.
Of the 16 Floridians rescued, 10 were local survivors from Duval County:
William P. White, 225 Schofield Street
Emanuel V. Aderhold, Route 9, Box 932
Arthur L. Torrence, Jr., 1529 Donald Street
Emmett N. Reed, 1360 Lee Street
Arthur L. Green, 803 Beaver Street
Melvin J. Bennett, 933 Jefferson Street
Willie Foster, 1476 Grothe Street
Frank E. Davis, Charles M. Jones and William A. Haworth, Mayport
S.S. HENRY B. PLANT
LAUNCHED: DECEMBER 11, 1944
TORPEDOED/SUNK: FEBRUARY 6, 1945
Nancy Gandy | Merrill House Museum Coordinator