Adolph S Ochs

Adolph S. Ochs The Ship: Liberty Ship (U.S.) Hull #1791. GRT: 7,219. Built at Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard Inc. in 1943 as Samwyo, and launched as Adolph S. Ochs. Named for publisher of New York Times. Managed for British M.O.W.T. by G. Nisbet & Co., Glasgow, lendlease. During the war, this ship sailed on the Arctic convoys. Returned to U.S. Maritime Commission in 1948; broken up Kearney 1966.
Adolph S. Ochs (Photograph courtesy of Sid Wilkinson, an AB on the Ochs in 1947 on the same voyage to Canada )
Voyage #1: January 24 - March 15, 1947 This was Gordon's last ship, and he made two short voyages on her. Sailing under the British flag, the ship carried general cargo. They left from Liverpool, and sailed to Saint John, NB, Canada, returning to Birkenhead, Liverpool. When the Adolph S. Ochs was approaching the port of Saint John, New Brunswick, there was dense fog for five days from 300 miles in the Atlantic east of Sable Island. Unable to use the sextant to take the ship's position, Captain Tyson relied solely on the ship's direction finder.
	Gordon used a Siemens rotating loop direction finder to obtain cross-bearings on Seal Island, Nova Scotia, and Maine radio beacons on the initial approach. On entering the Bay of Fundy, he also took cross-bearings on New Brunswick. This was done every few hours and the figures obtained were used by the Captain to plot the ship's position and course.
Voyage #2: March 16 - June 27, 1947 Gordon signed on for a second voyage. They left from Liverpool two weeks later for Buenos Aires in the Argentine.
The ship went up the River Plate to Rosario, where Gordon was bitten by dogs on the dock, and given a series of rabies shots. After the ship sailed on her return voyage to Liverpool, Captain Tyson had to administer the last few rabies shots. The captain had been badly shell-shocked in the war. Gordon later learned that Tyson had sailed in the Arctic convoys to Murmansk, which probably accounted for that. This was to be his last voyage, and, on June 27, 1947, he ended his sea-going career to take up a shore position.	Map of Argentina showing Rosario on the River Plate

About the Merchant Navy	About the Ships	Bravery Awards	Convoy ONS154
Links and Sources	Memorials	Photo Galleries	Prisoners of War
Queries & FAQs	Radio Officers	Survival at Sea	WW II Bookshelf

ADOLPH S OCHS