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| USN EC2-S-C1 Liberty Ship 7,176 Tons 441' 7" x 57' x 26' 9" 1 x 5" 38 cal gun 1 x 3" 50 cal gun 8 x 20mm cannons    USN October 11, 1943 |
Ship History Built by Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation in Portland. Ordered by the U.S. Maritime Commission (MC). Laid down March 13, 1943 as a Maritime Commission Emergency Cargo Ship (EC2-S-C1) Liberty Ship with MC hull number 1618. Launched April 1, 1943 as SS John H. Couch named for American sea captain and pioneer John H. Couch. Completed April 9, 1944 and the same day delivered to Weyerhaeuser Steam Ship Company in Portland under a General Agency Agreement (GAA) for the U.S. Navy (USN) as a cargo vessel. Her crew was comprised of merchant marines with U.S. Navy armed guards manning her guns. Wartime History On October 10, 1943 at anchor off Koli Point on Guadalcanal with a cargo of gasoline and diesel in fuel drums. On October 11, 1943 in the early morning six Type 97 Carrier Attack Bomber Kanko / B5N2 Kates from 582 Kōkūtai (582 Air Group) each armed with an aerial torpedo attack U.S. shipping off Koli Point on Guadalcanal at roughly Lat 9° 20 S Long 160° 08' E. A torpedo hits SS John H. Couch causing explosions and fires in the no. 2 and no. 3 holds. Aboard, three crew are killed including Seaman 1st Class Knoble G. Hinshaw 5530319, an Armed Guard sailor and a NCB "Seabee" stevedore. The rest of the crew abandons ship including 42 Merchant Marine, 25 U.S. Navy Armed Guards, 28 troop passengers and 99 stevedores. Another torpedo damages SS George H. Himes. At 1:49am destroyer escort USS Bebas (DE-10) conducting an anti-submarine patrol between Lunga Point and Koli Point investigates a "fire explosion at sea". At 6:00am, Bebas came alongside the beached liberty ship and sends her fire and rescue party aboard to fight the blaze but the flames persist and they are withdrawn. Afterwards, Bebas shells the no. 2 cargo hold firing eighteen 3" shells in an attempt to stop the fire or sink the ship. The damaged ship was deemed a "constructive total loss". Firefighting efforts by two destroyer escorts prove as unsuccessful as the crew's in putting out the blaze and the ship is beached off Koli Point and deemed a total loss. Sinking History On October 13, 1943 Tug Pawnee (AT-74) tows SS John H. Couch two miles east of Koli Point where the damaged ship capsized and sank into Iron Bottom Sound. References Some sources list the date of the torpedo attack as October 10, 1943 [sic October 11, 1943]. U.S. Department of Transportation MARAD - John H. Couch (photos, status card) Vessel Status Card - SS John H. Couch The status card lists the vessel as "sold" March 25, 1953 to Charles E. Henderson III in Manila this might be an administrative sale date or payout of the General Agency Agreement. Liberty Ships built by the United States Maritime Commission in World War II Kodochosho 582 Kōkūtai October 10-11, 1943 U.S. Navy Casualties - Bureau of Personnel Entries by Date - 1943 via Wayback Machine August 12, 2022 "October 11, 1943, SS John H Couch, HINSHAW, Knoble Gayle, SEA1, 5530319, (CasCode6421), dd October 11, 1943 (bp/2)" Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) - USS Bebas (DE-10) FindAGrave - Knoble Gayle Hinshaw (grave photo) Wrecksite.eu SS John H. Couch South Pacific Air War: The Role of Airpower in the New Guinea and Solomon Island Campaigns, January 1943 to February 1944 (2024) by Richard Dunn pages 407 (October 10-11, 1943) Thanks to Richard Dunn for additional information Contribute
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