Please watch the below video on destroyer escort sailors and then read the following text with regard to supporting this important project:

This is a short montage of three interviews conducted in September which includes Chief Radioman John Abram’s from the USS Peterson, who discusses the roll DE’s played in World War II; Gunners Mate Second Class Ray Micinski, from the USS Gandy, who recounts his experiences during the conflict with the U-550; and Machinists Mate First Class John Hudock, from the USS Gandy, who speaks on the declining roll call of surviving DE sailors and past DE reunions. For more detailed information on these interviews please visit “Destroyer Escort Interviews”.



Hello and happy new year,

I’d like to take a moment of your time to present a fund raising campaign that I’m heading in order to research and document a very important part of our United States maritime history.

This particular endeavor began for me during the winter of 2009-2010, when I initiated my research into the sinking of the German submarine, or U-boat, the U-550. On April 16th, 1944, after torpedoing the T3 tanker SS Pan Pennsylvania, the U-550 was sunk approximately 75 miles south of Nantucket Massachusetts by three Destroyer Escorts. Her final resting place has yet to be positively identified. I began my research into this event for the express purpose of conducting an expedition to find and verify the location of the U-550. After reviewing the considerable amount of information available on the internet, I traveled to the National Archives In Washington, DC and in Maryland to review original source documents such as log books and war reports. These documents gave me a deeper understanding of the circumstances surrounding the sinking of the U-550 but not enough to narrow down the probable area of her sinking. I then contacted a scientist who, using four years of drift buoy data, used the known position of the SS Pan Pennsylvania’s wreck site to hind cast the likely location of the U-550. The next step was to use fishing dragger’s hang logs, recorded geographic positions where fishing draggers have caught their nets on the sea bed, to locate the likely resting places of the U-550. In the summer of 2010 using the results of my extensive research, I led a four day expedition in an attempt to positively identify the U-550’s final resting place. During this excursion we confirmed the location of the SS Pan Pennsylvania wreck site as well as locating several targets within our search area; however we were unsuccessful in finding the U-550.

Unfortunately, in 2011 our team was unable to conduct a subsequent expedition to search for the U-550, this allowed my research to expand into the human side of the historical narrative. To date I have contacted seventeen sailors from the USS Gandy, USS Peterson, and USS Joyce, the Destroyer escorts who participated in the sinking of the U-550. On September 11th of 2011, John Anderson of Terramar Productions and I traveled to a Destroyer Escort reunion in Pennsylvania to interview three DE sailors from the USS Gandy and USS Peterson. These hour long videotaped interviews, which delved into the lives of these sailors, deepened my admiration and true appreciation for the considerable sacrifices made by these WWII veterans and ultimately clarified the “big picture” of this historical event. It was at this time that I was very touched by these “True American Heroes” and dedicated myself to documenting their war time experiences.

It is my commitment to continue our efforts in documenting this historical event by interviewing, on video, the remaining fourteen sailors I have contacted. This however will entail extensive travel throughout the country and with it the related expenses. It is my goal and desire to carry-out this project to which myself, John Anderson, and the entire Baccala Dive Team have dedicated considerable time, talents, and financial support to over the past several years. In order to accomplish this ambitious project I ask for your monetary support to see it through to its completion.

To support our efforts please go directly to our donations page “Support the DE interviews”.

All the interviews will ultimately be submitted to the Library of Congress as reference material for future generations.

A short documentary video of our 2010 expedition:



If you would like to learn more about the sinking of the U-550, please visit the web site “In Search of the U-550”.

Thanking you in advance for your consideration and support in making possible the completion of this very important project.

To support our efforts please go directly to our donations page “Support the DE interviews”.

With great appreciation,
Mark Munro