Lloyd Landscoot on Board the USAT Dorchester

What happened to Lloyd F. Landscoot, crew member aboard the USAT Dorchester?

Visit to Battery Park, New York , September 2004.

On January 23, 1943, the Dorchester departed New York Harbor with 904 people aboard, sailing north as part of a six-ship convoy bound for Newfoundland and Greenland. After resupplying at St. John’s, Newfoundland, the ship returned to sea on January 29.

The Dorchester carried 130 crewmen, 23 members of the Navy Armed Guard, and 751 military personnel. The soldiers aboard were unaware of their final destination, though rumors ranged from Ireland to Africa. Only the four chaplains knew the true destination: the air base at Narssarssuaq, Greenland.

On the evening of February 2, tension eased as the Dorchester broke away from its convoy, a common maneuver near port. Many soldiers went to sleep that night without their life jackets.

At 1:00 a.m. on February 3, 1943, beneath the dark Atlantic, the German submarine U-223 , commanded by Karl Jürg Wächter , fired a torpedo that struck the Dorchester’s starboard side.

The explosion killed more than 100 men instantly. In the darkness, panic spread as men struggled to escape. Lifeboats were frozen in place, and there were not enough life jackets.

The four chaplains calmly moved among the men, distributing life jackets. When the supply ran out, they removed their own and gave them away. They remained together on the slanted deck, arms linked in prayer, as the ship slipped beneath the waves.

Only two lifeboats were successfully launched. Many men floated for hours in icy waters. Nearly 700 lives were lost.

The sacrifice of the Four Chaplains remains one of the most powerful acts of selflessness in World War II history.