If you haven’t yet, read the previous stories leading up to the little tug that could
The four ships at the Earle Naval Ammunition Depot piers in Leonardo in the time after midnight on Jan. 1, 1945, were the SS John P. Harris, loaded with 6000 tons of ammo; the SS. Arthur M. Hulbert, with 4000 tons of ammo aboard, the SS Joseph Stanton with 1150 tons of ammo and the SS John Walker with another 5500 tons of ammo. So there were 16,650 tons of ammo sitting at the pier in Leonardo, a gale force wind blowing, a derelict tanker with 15,000 barrels of bensoil on fire in Sandy Hook Bay, and Sailors and Coast Guardsmen fighting the blaze that engulfed the boat with hoses whose nozzles were freezing with the frigid water and high winds.
Dockmaster John A. O’Pray had done all he could, summoned all his crews, taken every precaution possible and the piered ships’ crews were alerted to be prepared to get underway.
Out on the water, in the dark lit only by the flames of the burning barge-like Sunoco tanker, Boatswain’s Mate First Class R. L. Tooker was guiding his YTM 216, a yard tug, closer to the burning vessel. Recognizing the tanker was unmanned, drifting dangerously close to the Leonardo piers, and knowing the ships were loaded with ammunition at the Navy installation in the quiet neighborhoods of fishermen and clammers and their families, BM1 Tooker took the first action he thought would work.
The sailor rammed his little tug into the burning Sunoco to shove it away from the piers, away from land, and away from tons of ammunition.
His action diverted the course of the Sunoco so that she cleared the piers “by a scant margin”. He then continued to ram the stern of the vessel until she went aground. There is no doubt that this prompt action averted a major disaster at this activity.”
BM1 Tooker was recommended for “the highest commendation possible within the limits of this extraordinary display of judgment and heroism and given promotion fitting a man of such caliber”.
Still, this was not the end of the heroism aboard that little tugboat. Seaman Second class Bruno Patruno was in the boatswain mate’s crew. He also rescued one of the crew from the stricken ship. It was this boat’s crew , in spite of immediate danger and the tug being severely scorched, that removed two members of the Sunoco’s crew from the burning vessel and another crew member from the life raft.
At just after 3 a.m., two hours after the first alarm, the tugs were recalled to the base. They had remained on scene searching for more merchant seamen who had fled the flames and jumped in the water. But it was determined, given the ice and gale winds, that there was no further possibility of anyone surviving the icy waters.
The official log reports simply: Emergency secured at 0556.
Next: Lessons Learned
