SS Larry Doheny

	SS Larry Doheny in 1941
History
Norway; United States
Name	Foldenfjord (1921–1927); Larry Doheny (1927–1941);
Namesake	Larry Doheny
Owner	Den Norske Amerikalinje (1921–1927); Petroleum Securities Co. (1927–1928); Richfield Oil Company (1928–1941);
Ordered	2 May 1920
Builder	Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Chester
Yard number	44
Laid down	17 January 1921
Launched	12 May 1921
Sponsored by	Mrs. J.O. Bredal
Homeport	Oslo (1921–1927); Los Angeles (1927–1941);
Identification	US Official Number 226889; Call sign MGPT (1927–1933); ; Call sign WOBE (1934–1942); ;
Fate	Sunk, 5 October 1942
General characteristics
Type	Tanker
Tonnage	7,038 GRT; 4,348 NRT; 10,750 DWT;
Length	430 ft 4 in (131.17 m)
Beam	59 ft 3 in (18.06 m)
Depth	33 ft 3 in (10.13 m)
Installed power	412 Nhp
Propulsion	Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. 3-cylinder triple expansion
Speed	10+1⁄2 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph)
Armament	During WWII; 1 × 5-inch (127 mm)/38 caliber gun; 2 × 3-inch (76 mm)/50 caliber gun;

Larry Doheny was a tanker ship that sank during World War II. The 430 ft x 59 ft x 33 ft oil tanker had nine cargo tanks and was built in 1921 by the Sun Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company in Chester, Pennsylvania.^[1] The first owner of Larry Doheny was the Norwegian America Line and it was called SS Foldenfjord. In 1928, the ship was sold to the Richfield Oil Company, who owned many gas stations throughout the west coast of the U.S.^[2] Larry Doheny’s homeport was Los Angeles.^[3]

On October 5, 1942, The ship sank 8 miles off of Gold Beach, Oregon after an attack by the Japanese submarine I-25.^[4] Larry Doheny was on her way to Portland, Oregon from Long Beach, California and was loaded with 66,000 barrels of Bunker C Crude Oil.^[5]^[6] On October 4th, a radio warning of a submarine caused the ship to alter her course. A day later, at 21:21, a torpedo track was seen and soon after, a second miss was reported. At 22:07, the ship was struck by a torpedo from the forward direction at port side number 2. The crew reported hearing a loud thud and a crack as the vessel rose two feet in the air. The number 3 tank exploded which set the bridge afire and the port side buckled as a 14-foot hole opened six feet below the waterline. Larry Doheny was unable to counterattack as the ship was aflame, mechanisms were wrecked, and many personnel were trapped, but debris from the ship did hit the submarine. The steering mechanisms were destroyed, and the ship lost headway within two minutes. The explosion destroyed the radio, so no distress call was sent. Three men were known to be killed, and three believed dead. The surviving 40 crew members were rescued by USS Coos Bay, a United States Navy Barnegat-class small seaplane tender. The ship sank thirteen hours after the attack about 36 miles offshore of Cape Sebastian, although the precise location is still unknown.

References

^ "Screening Level Risk Assessment Package Larry Doheny" (PDF). Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. 2013. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
^ "Search for SS Larry Doheny: 2023 Shakedown + EXPRESS West Coast Exploration (EX2301): NOAA Ocean Exploration". oceanexplorer.noaa.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
^ Panic on the Pacific: How America Prepared for the West Coast Invasion, By Bill Yenne
^ Connection, Oregon Coast Beach. "Unknown History: Two Ships That Were Torpedoed by Japanese Off South Oregon Coast". Oregon Coast Beach Connection. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
^ "Larry Doheny | The United States Navy Memorial". navylog.navymemorial.org. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
^ "As It Was: 1942: Japanese Sub Sinks Tanker Near Gold Beach, Ore". Jefferson Public Radio. Retrieved 2024-05-25.

41°17′24″N 125°21′00″W / 41.29000°N 125.35000°W / 41.29000; -125.35000

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[1] "Screening Level Risk Assessment Package Larry Doheny" (PDF). Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. 2013. Retrieved 2024-05-25.

[2] "Search for SS Larry Doheny: 2023 Shakedown + EXPRESS West Coast Exploration (EX2301): NOAA Ocean Exploration". oceanexplorer.noaa.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-25.

[3] Panic on the Pacific: How America Prepared for the West Coast Invasion, By Bill Yenne

[4] Connection, Oregon Coast Beach. "Unknown History: Two Ships That Were Torpedoed by Japanese Off South Oregon Coast". Oregon Coast Beach Connection. Retrieved 2024-05-25.

[5] "Larry Doheny | The United States Navy Memorial". navylog.navymemorial.org. Retrieved 2024-05-25.

[6] "As It Was: 1942: Japanese Sub Sinks Tanker Near Gold Beach, Ore". Jefferson Public Radio. Retrieved 2024-05-25.

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v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in October 1942
Shipwrecks	2 Oct: HMS Curacoa, Lisbon Maru, U-512 5 Oct: U-582, U-619, Larry Doheny 6 Oct: I-22 8 Oct: U-179, John Carter Rose 9 Oct: Pennington Court, U-171 10 Oct: Komintern, Camden, HMT Orcades 11 Oct: Fubuki, Furutaka, L-16 12 Oct: USS Duncan, Murakumo, Natsugumo, U-597 13 Oct: I-30, Loreto 14 Oct: Caribou, Komet, Shch-213 15 Oct: Drazki, USS Meredith, U-661 16 Oct: Primrose Hill, U-353 17 Oct: Empire Chaucer, Oboro 20 Oct: U-216 21 Oct: Palatia, S-7 22 Oct: U-412, Winnipeg II 23 Oct: City of Johannesburg, Empire Star 24 Oct: U-599 25 Oct: USS Seminole, Yura 26 Oct: Anne Hutchinson, USS Porter, President Coolidge 27 Oct: USS Hornet, U-627 29 Oct: Abosso 30 Oct: U-520, U-559, U-658 31 Oct: USS YP-345 Unknown date: U-116, HMS Unique
Other incidents	2 Oct: RMS Queen Mary 12 Oct: HMS Loyal 23 Oct: HMS Phoebe
1941 1942 1943 September 1942 November 1942

See also

References