PHOTO: Salvador Gomes boat (this is similar to the Gertrude)
At the time of this writing in 1942, author Laura Young Gomes Pacetti lived in Key West. She sent this letter to her daughter Lillian Gomes Coleman living on Cayo Costa island in Lee County. The subject of the letter, Joaquin King Gomes, was Laura’s son and Lillie’s brother. Nellie Hamilton Gomes was King’s wife.
Lillian wrote to Laura asking about a rumor that King had died in the U-boat attack. Laura responds that the rumor was a lie and explains what actually happened. The letter is very gossipy but it also relates the story of an American fishing boat boarded and torpedoed by a German Uboat in the Florida Straits in 1942.
Transcript
Key West, Fl Aug 23 -42
Dear Daughter, I rec[eived] your letter yesterday and sure Was Glad to hear from you the reason I never ans[wered] your letter Was that I plan[n]ed to go over there When I got my check but King came here and brought all his family to stay with me and it took all I had saved up for My trip to feed them and on top of that Nellie got so hel[l]ish I had to tell King to take her away he Was Working here but couldn’t get a house here so he took them to Miami got a house and come back here to Work He just left here last Monday to go home for A while.
Lillie don’t believe nothing you hear it is all lies I guess this started from King being [torpedoed] by A submarine. He was on one of Jack Croslands boats on his Way to Cuba with a load Of onion to sell in Cuba Walter Crosland was Cap[tain] of the Gertrude They [were] ordered to the Life boat and when they Were some distance from The boat the submarine [board] the boat and took All the diesel out and All the grocer[ies] they had Aboard and then blew Her up and King and Walter Crassland and another Man drifted from Wednesday Night until Sunday When a[n] airplane spot[t]ed Them and a coast g[u]ard Boat picked them up And brought them here Do you see there is nothing To this
I expect to go over there The last of Sept when I Get my check if nothing Don’t turn up again. Give my love to Nadine and the Rest of the family
Love, Mother
SOURCE: Personal files of Karen Yvonne Hamilton.
· Gertrude ( United States):
World War II: The fishing vessel was shelled and sunk in the Gulf of Mexico 30 nautical miles (56 km) north of Havana, Cuba (23°32′N83°00′W) by U-166 ( Kriegsmarine). All three crew survived.
Gertrude. American Motor fishing vessel. Tonnage: 16 tons Completed: 1902 – Wit, North Carolina. Owner: Miami Fish & Ice Co, Miami FL Homeport Miami Date of attack 16 Jul 1942 Nationality: American Fate Sunk by U-166 (Hans-Günther Kuhlmann) Position 23° 32’N, 82° 00’W – Grid DM 34 Complement 3 (0 dead and 3 survivors). Convoy Route Miami, Florida – Havana, Cuba Cargo 20 tons of onions
Notes on event
About 09.00 hours on 16 July 1942 the unescorted and unarmed Gertrude (Master Walter Broward Crosland) was ordered to stop by U-166 about 30 miles northeast of Havana, Cuba. The crew was asked to abandon ship and they left immediately in a 14-foot motorboat. U-166 then sank the trawler by gunfire or by a scuttling charge. The motorboat with the crew ran out of fuel before reaching shore and drifted for 78 hours before being spotted by a Civil Air Patrol aircraft about three miles south of Alligator Reef Lighthouse. A boat out of Whale Harbor brought the three men ashore.
On board
We have details of 1 people who were on board. Crosland, Walter Broward, Merchant Marine. Master Gertrude
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