USS Mason: All-Black Crew Overcomes Racism to Save WWII Convoy

By Elizabeth M. Collins, Defense Media Activity

Sailors called the storm the worst of the century, perhaps recorded history. Frigid, 50-foot waves rocked Convoy NY 119, tossing Navy ships and Army tugboats alike into the air like toy boats. It went on for days in October 1944, the type of weather to make even seasoned mariners turn green while calling on the gods and patron saints of the sea for protection.

This story was originally published in February.

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Produced by Willie C. Kendrick III, Defense Media Activity

Wind speeds reached 90 miles an hour by one calculation. Waves that crashed over decks turned instantly to ice. The destroyer escort USS Mason (DE 529) documented a 70-degree roll. About 15 of the convoy’s 50-odd tugboats, barges and oilers – many never designed for a trans-oceanic voyage, let alone the hostile north Atlantic – simply disappeared into the gray, swirling drink below. About 20 souls would be lost forever, according to the Warfare History Network.

Those who survived, historians said, did so out of a combination of courage and skill and a lot of luck. Many of the Sailors and merchantmen owed their lives to the Mason, which led the convoy to safety on the British coast.

A Second War