Local servicemen lost lives during WWII ship convoy
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ST. JOHN'S, Newfoundland -- Feb. 3 is the 82nd anniversary of the sinking of the USAT Dorchester in the north Atlantic Ocean by a German U-boat. The disaster also created one of World War II's most enduring symbols of valor, service, and sacrifice: the four chaplains who gave up their own life vests and remained on board to comfort and pray for the hundreds with whom they would perish. The efforts of the immortal four chaplains resulted in 230 surviving. Of the 902 servicemen, merchant seamen and civilian workers aboard the Dorchester, 672 died. It was the largest loss of life during a ship convoy in World War II.
Volunteers with the non-profit Stories Behind the Stars (www.storiesbehindthestars.org) have memorialized PA's seventy-five victims of the Dorchester tragedy and have archived them for free access on the Fold3, Together We Served, and Find-a-Grave websites. Mifflin County was home to three of those victims. George L. Fox, one of the four chaplains, was featured in a Lewistown Sentinel article on Feb. 2, 2024. PVT Homer F. Gaff and PFC James E. Pennepacker were the other two local victims.
Gaff was born on Oct. 10, 1921 in Mount Union to William D. and Isabelle R. Gaff. He had six siblings: older brothers Leroy, Charles and Forest, older sister Maxine and younger brothers Merle and Robert. His father supported the household as a track laborer for the steam railroad. Gaff's upbringing occurred in Mount Union and Cedar Crest. He attended two years of high school and became employed by Harbison Walk Refractories Company, Mount Union.
Gaff registered for the draft in Lewistown on Feb. 16, 1942. He enlisted in the Army Air Forces in Altoona on July 28, 1942 and was activated two weeks later at Harrisburg. Gaff received training at Fort Eustis, Virginia and Camp Miles Standish, Massachusetts and Fort Slocum, New York. He was assigned to the Coast Artillery Corps and served with a searchlight squad in a light artillery unit. His last furlough home before shipping out was on Christmas Day, 1942.
Pennepacker was born on Feb. 27, 1921 in Milroy to Walter Clay and Effie Elizabeth Sanderson Pennepacker. His parents were natives of Mifflin County. Pennepacker had two younger sisters, Helen and Marguerite. His father supported the household employed by the local steel mill.
Pennepacker attended high school for four years and became employed by Standard Steel. He registered for the draft in Milroy on Feb. 16, 1942. Pennepacker enlisted in the Army in Altoona on July 28, 1942 and reported for active duty at New Cumberland on Aug. 11, 1942. He was assigned to Battery C, 13th Anti-Aircraft Battalion, Coast Artillery Corps.
Gaff and Pennepacker embarked on USAT Dorchester's fifth north Atlantic voyage from St. John's, Newfoundland on Jan. 29, 1943. The troop ship was bound for Great Britain via Greenland in a convoy with two freighters and three Coast Guard cutters. The vessels hit foul weather as soon as they reached open water. Four German U-boats awaited the convoy along its foggy route.
Nazi submarine U-223 was on its maiden voyage and was floating on the surface in the fog to evade sonar detection. At 12:55 a.m. on Feb. 3, the enemy sub launched three torpedoes from 1,000 yards away. One slammed into Dorchester, igniting an explosion that ripped a hole from below the water line to the top deck. Nearly one-third of those aboard died in the first moments of the attack.
During the panic of the disaster, the four chaplains organized evacuees, distributed life jackets from storage, and tended to the wounded. They were seen giving their own life vests to young soldiers before linking arms and praying for those remaining on board. Twenty-five minutes after being struck by the torpedo, Dorchester slid below the waves.
Gaff and Pennepacker were among those who perished on Feb. 3, 1943. Their remains were never recovered. Both were memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing, East Coast Memorial, Battery Park, New York City, New York. A cenotaph was placed in Pennepacker's honor at Woodlawn Cemetery, Milroy. Gaff and Pennepacker posthumously received the Purple Heart.
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Stories Behind the Stars, a non-profit organization, is dedicated to honoring all 421,000 fallen Americans from World War II, including 31,000 from Pennsylvania. To volunteer or for more information, contact Kathy Harmon at kharmon@storiesbehindthestars.org or visit www.storiesbehindthestars.org.