Description:

DEATH ON THE SS WADE HAMPTON ON MURMANSK CONVOY
On Feb. 28, 1943 the Liberty Ship SS WADE HAMPTON was torpedoed by U-405 off Greenland while in convoy from New York to Murmansk, Russia. The ship had straggled behind the convoy when two torpedoes struck the port side. The ship was abandoned within three hours of the attack and survivors were picked-up by HMS VERVAIN, SS BAYANO and HMS BEVERLY. However, seven men were lost in the heavy seas attempting to abandon ship and get away. Among the dead was U.S.N. Deck Cadet George Miller II, son of Lt. Comdr. George Miller, Operations Officer at the Naval Air Station at Jacksonville. Offered here is a large, heartbreaking grouping of letters, documents, and photographs retained by the family, all concerning the deceased Cadet Miller. Included is a April 8, 1943 letter from Miller;s friend and a survivor of the sinking describing how he and Miller had desperately attempted to launch a lifeboat when the forward falls let go and Miller fell into the ocean, never to be seen again. A Mar. 28, 1943 letter from another cadet states: 'there is no hope for Jack...', adding that the chief engineer had reported that Miller's boat had been tossed into the air by the heavy seas and all of its occupants ejected into the ocean. Two Mar. 17, 1943 relay the news of Miller's presumed loss and later telegrams illustrate his father's efforts to question witnesses to the sinking of the freighter. On Mar. 30, 1943 Capt. John L. Reynolds, the master of the WADE HAMPTON, writes on Delta Steamship letterhead also describing Miller's loss, noting that the lifeboat had been '...partially submerged when caught be a very heavy sea during launching...Mr. Miller failed to return to the surface...' War Shipping Administrator E. S. Land also sent an undated, very patriotic letter praising Miller and the services of the merchant marine and awards the deceased the Mariner's Medal (not present). A confidential 2pp. 4to. report from the Navy Department dated Apr. 2, 1943 sets forth extensive details on the sinking, including details of the cargo carried, course, height of seas and visibility, number of deaths and survivors, etc. There are 11 handwritten letters from Miller ('Jack') to his father whom he affectionately called 'Skipper', all showing a warm and close relationship between the two. In the letters (July, 1941 to Feb. 8, 1943 - three weeks before the sinking), the young cadet-in-training mentions his classes and hope for an appointment to the Naval Academy, physical training (including swimming), his later expectation to be assigned to his father's posting at Jacksonville, and his assignment to the newly-built Liberty ship WADE HAMPTON ('a good assignment'). His last letter was sent from New York on Feb. 8, 1943 and as expected bears no mention of his upcoming trip to Murmansk. Lieutenant Commander Miller's notebook with his own notes following interviews with crewmen is also present, quite detailed, hinting that an unknown crewman had cut the lines ('falls') to the bow of Cadet Miller's lifeboat as it was being lowered, causing the boat to ge vertical and partially swamp, pitching its occupants into the freezing waters. Also included are three portrait photographs of Cadet Miller, two in uniform. There are approx. 20 additional documents related to the sinking, telegrams, life insurance claims, his high school report cards, a photo of Miller as a child, etc., along with approx. 80 letters of condolence sent to the senior Miller and his wife. A saddening grouping.

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September 10, 2025 10:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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