M/S Pleasantville

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Crew List

Final Fate - 1942:

Departed New York on June 3-1942 with a cargo of 3000 tons phosphate, cars, trucks, aircraft, 2 locomotives and tenders for Suez/Alexandria via Cape Town, on charter to Fearn Line, New York at the time. She sailed in a convoy as far as Chesapeake Bay, then continued alone on June 6, and was on a course 126° true, sailing at a speed of 12 knots, not zig-zagging, when she at 20:42 on June 7*, in approximate position 34 12N 68 00W was torpedoed by U-135 (Praetorius). The torpedo struck on the port side near No. 3 hatch. She listed to starboard, then to port before straightening up and coming to rest with the foreship deep in the water. No SOS was sent because the antenna had fallen down. The engines were stopped from the boat deck and all 3 starboard lifeboats were launched. Shortly after the men had gotten off the ship, about 12 minutes after the first attack, the U-boat came up between the captain's lifeboat and the other 2 boats and sent off another torpedo 25° from aft on port side, which exploded in the engine room, and within a couple of minutes she went down by the bow. About 10 minutes later the U-boat came over to the captain's boat to ask the usual questions in German about cargo and destination etc., translated to English by a submarine crew. The commander also asked if anyone had been wounded, then with a "sorry boys, this is war" and "I wish you good luck", the boat took off.

*The date and time given above is from the captain's report; Rowher says it happened at 03:16 on the 8th, Berlin time. A sinking report gives the time as 00:50 GCT June 8.

The captain's boat with 8 crew and 2 passengers set sail in a westerly direction at about 10:30, the other 2 boats being out of sight in the dark at that time. The next morning the wind died down so they continued rowing in the same direction for 2 days. In the afternoon of June 9 they spotted the masts and funnel of a ship which altered course and headed towards them (340 36N 690 55W), and at 16:35 they were picked up by the American Chickasaw City and landed in Port of Spain on June 18. The other 2 lifeboats had been located by the Polish D/S Paderewski the day after the sinking and the men taken to Trinidad.

An inquiry was held in New York on July 20-1942 with the captain, the 1st mate, the 1st engineer, and Able Seaman Sandtorv (helmsman) appearing.

Crew List:

Survivors:
Captain Johan Wildhagen	1st Mate Kaare Rødnes	2nd Mate Kåre Jensen	Radio Operator Wallace Stevens (Canadian)	Carpenter Harald Wadseth	Boatswain Lars Kleppe
Able Seaman Alf Tønnesen	Able Seaman Sverre Rogne	Able Seaman Albert Andersen	Able Seaman Nils Gunnarsen	Able Seaman Konrad Sandtorv	Able Seaman Jacob Jacobsen
Able Seaman Erling Sørensen	1st Engineer Arnt Jensen	2nd Engineer Thomas Madsen	3rd Engineer Olav Olsen	4th Engineer Carl H. Hansen	Electrician Victor M. Iversen
Repairman Olaus Austensen	Mechanic Jakob Christensen	Mechanic Karl Berg	Mechanic Bernhard Isdahl	Mechanic Håkon Fosse	Mechanic Alf Andreassen
Mechanic Karl Brikland	Mechanic Gustav Tindal	Steward Olaf Olsen Lode	Cook Jarolf Ikdal	Galley Boy Håkon Åkesen	Mess Boy John Laxio (Canadian)
Mess Boy Robert Nicolay (British)	Saloon Boy Constantin Belios (Greek)	Saloon Boy Harald Dramstad	Gunner Guttorm Thorsen	Gunner Hans Dahle	+ 10 passengers (U.S. Army officers)
Casualties
† 3rd Mate Karl Utseth	† Able Seaman Magne Hansen

The 3rd mate had been on watch on the bridge when the first explosion occurred and the able seaman was on lookout, believed to have been hit by shrapnel. The 3rd mate had last been seen on the boat deck.

Related external links:
The 2 who died

Operations information for U-135

U-135

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The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Volume II (Norwegian Maritime Museum), summary of statements by survivors (signed by U.S.N.R. Lieutenant T. A. Courtney), received from Tony Cooper, England, and misc. (ref. My sources).