HAVRECH-RAMON

LOST  AT  SEA

The SS JOHN P. GAINES was a 14,250-ton Liberty class merchant ship built by Kaiser Portland and launched on July 11, 1943.  When put into service the ship commenced voyages in the Pacific until on November 24, 1943, while enroute to Alaska during a storm, the hull suddenly broke in two and sank while about 100 miles off the Aleutian Islands.  Early Liberty ships had suffered hull and deck cracks and initial suspicion fell on the shipyards where it was speculated that inexperienced workers and new welding techniques were used to produce large numbers of ships in great haste.  GAINES was one of the first Liberty ships to break in half but not the last.  Investigation later determined that the grade of steel used caused embrittlement resulting in a sudden break when cold temperatures were experienced.

Records report that as GAINES sank her crew managed to escape in the four lifeboats the ship carried.  However, as one of the boats was being moved by a rescue vessel, the towing line parted and the lifeboat was unexpectedly swept underneath the wildly tossing stern.  Three crewmembers were unfortunately killed in the accident, including Ramon Havrech, Oiler.  His body was not recovered.

Submitted by CDR Roy A. Mosteller, USNR (Ret)