SC 51 (1943/06/22)

Ningaloo Reef

One of 435 110-foot (33.5m) wooden-hulled submarine chasers built in American yards during World War II for use by the US and allied navies, SC-751 was one of seven that operated for the USN in Australian waters as coastal convoy escorts. From the outset, SC-751 was in command of 34-year-old Ensign B.C. Davis USNR a highly experienced yachtsman and navigator. He had been appointed to the ship while under construction and after its commissioning on 22 November 1942 he took it on a ‘shake down cruise’ to Florida and then to Panama. There he was joined by Ensign Thomas K. Parkinson USNR as Executive officer with Ensign W.D. Goldfarb USNR as third officer. Eleven of the type entered the Pacific in convoy early in 1943 and after arrival in Nouméa split up for different destinations, including the Solomons and Australia. Carrying three officers and twenty four enlisted men SC-751 arrived at Brisbane in company with SC-739 in March 1943 and the two sailed down the east coast and across the Bight to Fremantle. They then patrolled its outer harbour and approaches and escorted convoys on the west coast. One of these was the famous Royal Shell tanker Ondina
After being attacked in the Indian Ocean by two armed merchant raiders, Aikoku Maru and Hokoku Maru on 11 November, 1942 Ondina a Defensively Equipped Merchant Ship replied with its 4-inch gun and scored a direct hit on Hokoku Maru. This resulted in an explosion which blew the Japanese ship’s stern off. For its part, Ondina was torpedoed and set on fire. After initially abandoning ship the Ondina crew realised it was not in danger of sinking and they re-boarded it and eventually made Fremantle where temporary repairs were effected. After a decision to base it in Exmouth Gulf as a stationary fuel depot for US submarines operating out of Fremantle, on June 16 1943 Ondina set off north with USS Isabel and SC-751 escorting.
From the outset the convoy was beset with turbulent seas, heavy rain and high winds sometimes gusting at Force Six and Force Seven. According to T.R. Treadwell, a wartime submarine chaser commander who in 2002 produced a history of the type, conditions were so bad with the storm blowing around 30 knots and at times with only 500 metres visibility in daylight. On board SC-751 they succeeded in getting a ‘fix’ at 1525H on 21 June to what they thought was Maud Landing and then they headed due north. The conditions were so bad, however, to produce serious errors when navigation by Deduced Reckoning and this proved disastrous as they turned after 0200h on a heading of 084°T when a full 10 Nautical miles south of North West Cape. Though expecting to turn east on a clear track past the Cape into the Gulf, instead they hit the Ningaloo Reef at an estimated 21°56’S.

At 0555 the ship struck and grounded fast. . . . Up to the moment of impact, no one had seen any white water breaking over any of the reefs . . . Reaching the deck while the ship was still bouncing, Captain Davis . . . tried throwing both engines in reverse, but the ship was listing to port. The starboard propeller was beating mostly at air and the port propeller, in contact with the reef wouldn’t budge.. The ship was pounding on her bilge and taking water in the engine room and sound room.

Liferafts were then launched and secured alongside.

At dawn the coast was visible and estimated ‘three and a half miles away’ ( c. 4Km) and a 12 foot ‘wherry’ (dinghy) was sent ashore with Ensign Parkinson and three crew as the wind dropped to c. 12 knots and the sea inside the reef reduced to a short chop of about 0.5m high. Seeing USS Isabel heading north about a mile to the west they tried to attract its attention with gunfire from its 20mm guns and flares from a Verey (Very) pistol. The Wherry then got into difficulties as the wind again picked up to 30 knots offshore, capsizing half way in. In being unable to upright it, all bar Ensign Thomas Parkinson, who would not leave the upturned dinghy swam back to the reef landing south of the stricken ship. They then swam and waded back. Still clinging to the boat in the offshore winds Parkinson was swept out to sea past the breakers into deeper water. He then let go of the dinghy and tried swimming back but was last seen swimming outside the breakers, at 1330H as a heavy rain squall descended.
Throughout the afternoon guns were fired and flares sent off at regular intervals and towards evening the tide rose causing the ship to roll badly to port. Australian troops soon came to investigate the gunfire, thinking ‘there might be some sort of invasion’ but on seeing the Very flares realised that a ship was in distress.
The Americans remained on board until 0830 the next day, when in fear of the ship breaking up Davis ordered all to abandon ship. They then walked the rafts over the reef and began ‘half swimming and half paddling’ to shore. After making some progress the offshore wind took control and they were blown back towards the reef where they were again beset by the surf.
A PBY Catalina then appeared and after acknowledging their presence it left to unload excess fuel. At 1430H it returned and effected a difficult landing in choppy seas. The man ‘most of them completely exhausted, badlty cramped, and chilled’ were taken off and flown to the Bay of Rest in Exmouth Gulf where they were sent on board the seaplane tender USS Childs for treatment and rest.

On 24 June Davis and Goldfarb went aboard USS Chanticleer, a submarine support vessel and they proceeded down to the site. After launching a ‘surf boat’ they then approached the wreck from inside the reef. Together with officers and crew from Chanticleer they inspected the wreck and hopes for possible salvage rose, when they found it lying on a flat reef that nearly dried at low tide. The ship was intact bar a hole in the port side at the engine room. They then salvaged all records and ‘gear of a vital nature’ and developed a plan that would entail salvaging everything moveable and then hauling the lightened and patched up hull off the reef where it could be towed to port for repairs

Beginning on 4 July 1943 out of a salvor’s camp on the beach. The main and auxiliary engines were removed, as were all the sonar gear, guns, ammunition and other heavy equipment. After initially failing to float the ship off Chanticleer went to Fremantle for more equipment and on return they found the wreck had been pushed a quarter of a mile north by the seas. Though work still remained difficult and dangerous in periods of low water, they removed the fore and mainmast, pilot house, shafts, struts, rudders and propellers in order to further lighten the hulk. This work took over two months. At extreme low tides they got tractors out to the reef and proceeded to push the ship onto its starboard side in order to effect repairs on the port side. Aided by 40 fuel drums hung on the starboard side and progressively filed with water they succeeded in making the vessel roll and thereby to expose the holes. These were patched and what were described as ‘Billy pumps’ were started up to keep water flow to a minimum. After a number of unsuccessful attempts they were able to manoeuvre the wreck through the reefs using a landing barge, twice grounding and twice getting it off. The drums, after being emptied were then stowed below deck to help keep the ship afloat. Two and a half months after commencement the SC-751 was back as sea and was taken taken out towards Chanticleer. The heavy seas and swell did not allow it to be lashed alongside as planned, however and a tow was commenced. Just as they got underway SC-751 began to sink and as the stern rose out of the water it sank in what was described as ‘fifty-five fathoms’. This all occurred in apposition then estimated as at 21° 56’S., 113° 53’E.
At the subsequent court of inquiry many discrepancies in the evidence emerged. In mitigation, one expert witness also ‘testified that the strong winds and tides could have played havoc with anyones’ estimated fixes since currents in that area were always capricious, affected by the varying phases of the moon and whether the tide was ebbing or flooding’ (Treadwell, 2002: 132). Davis was not held culpable and he was later was transferred to the 7th Amphibious Force and given command of SC 746 taking part in MacArthur’s return to the Phillippines. Goldfarb remained in Chanticleer, eventually rising to Executive Officer and navigator

The wrecking site and the salvors camp are yet to be found. According to Gerry Lefroy of Exmouth Station legend had it that the ship … ‘hit rocks and was blown up 12-15 miles south of Yardie Creek, North of Carbadaman Pasage’. In another possibly unrelated account Ted ( A.G.) McCavana wrote in the context of the search for HMAS Sydney, of which the NW Cape area file contains other references ( McCarthy, this volume). In advising of ‘Articles found on Beach north of Point ‘Cloates 1951-52 or 53’ he stated in a third person way, that …Ted [A.G. McCavana, i.e. himself] and “Ken” . . . an ex navy person decided to take a waterbag and rifle and walk along the beach north. After walking 4-5 miles [presumably from the whaling station] they discovered a torpedo and wooden boxes which were embedded in the sand they were not able to remove the boxes by digging with the rifle butt, they also saw rusted wire circles, which they felt may have been from HMAS Sydney. Aparently they spoke of reporting this when the whaling season was finished, Ted never reported it & he lost touch with “ Ken” . . .’ It is possible, despite the considerable distances that the torpedo was a paravane or similar device and that the boxes were related to the salvage of SC 751 ( North West Cape File, WA Museum).