[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 63 (Monday, May 7, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E716]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       IN HONOR OF THE 68TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE USS YF 415 TRAGEDY

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                         HON. STEPHEN F. LYNCH

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 7, 2012

  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember and to honor the 
sacrifice of the men who lost their lives in a tragic accident on May 
11, 1944, sixty-eight years ago. This tragedy occurred just fourteen 
miles off the coast of Massachusetts.
  On that fateful day, the nine member crew of the USS YF 415 and 
twenty-one men from the Hingham, MA, Ammunition Depot were disposing of 
obsolete ammunition. The ship was loaded with one hundred fifty tons of 
ammunition and explosives. While they were performing their duties, the 
ammunition caught fire. The resulting fire and subsequent explosions 
lasted for nearly forty minutes. The ship went down and seventeen lives 
were lost. The USS Zircon, a weather observing ship, was fortunately 
nearby, and rescued fourteen men from the ocean.
  From that day until July 20, 2003, the ship lay, undiscovered, at the 
bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Amateur divers located the ship and 
reported it to the United States Navy. Once the United States Navy 
properly identified the ship, Navy divers were dispatched to 
investigate its remnants. Unfortunately, they were unable to find any 
trace of the missing men.
  Mr. Speaker, it is fitting that today, we remember those men who lost 
their lives in the service of the United States of America sixty-eight 
years ago. Their courage and their devotion to their duty continue to 
inspire us today. It is appropriate that we as a nation express our 
condolences to their families who have suffered and endured their loss 
all these many years.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to add the names of these brave men into 
the Record so that all Americans may recognize their service and their 
sacrifice: William J. Bradley, Adell Braxton, Joseph F. Burke, Raymond 
N. Carr, Truman S. Chittick, George M. Cook, James Cox, Jr., Freddie 
Edwards, Jr., F.E. Federle, James S. Griffin, Charles R. Harris, 
Raymond L. Henry, Julian Jackson, Yee M. Jin, Mike Peschunka, Vernon 
Smith, James B. Turner.

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