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- Han tjänstgjorde i 1:a världskriget
- Bio: Spouse: Helen Sorhaug Helgesen, m. Nov 1922Children: Henry, b. 1925 and Grace Marion, b. 1931In 1905, Nels (born Nils) emigrated to the U.S. He became an American citizenship in 1911, and in 1912 he became a merchant seaman. Just six years later, as Captain, he took charge of his first ship. He and his family lived in Brooklyn, New York. -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- U.S. Merchant MarineService No: 30866White/MaleSignificant Awards: Mariner’s MedalMerchant Marine Combat BarAtlantic War Zone Merchant Marine BarOn Dec. 1, 1942, NELS HELGESON was Master of the SS Coamo, an American steam-powered passenger ship that had been time chartered for troop transport by the US Army. Coamo, along with 26 other ships that made up Convoy MKF-3, was enroute from Gibraltar to New York. As they approached the coast of Ireland, Coamo and another ship, Mariposa, were ordered to leave convoy and continue to New York via a different route. On the 2nd, German submarine U-604 sighted Coamo and followed her for 10 hours before firing a single torpedo from a distance of about 800 meters. Coamo was hit under the bridge and began to sink immediately. U-604 log entry describes Coamo in detail and indicates that there were at least 3 life rafts of survivors. They were never seen again, probably owing to a gale that raked the area between Dec 3rd and the 6th, making survival in the north Atlantic all but impossible.There were 186 people on Coamo: 133 Merchant Mariners, 37 US Navy Armed Guards, and 16 British Army passengers. None survived.Of the many US Flag merchant ships that were torpedoed and sunk, this was the largest merchant crew lost during World War II.
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1888 - 1942 (54 år)
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