Lot of 7 photographs of African American sailors who died during World War I. Each captioned in negative with each sailor's name, rank, and cause of death. All but the photograph of William M.T. Beckley are posed studio portraits and all but one (Henry McCorkle) wearing their uniforms. Three of the photographs depict men who were aboard the USS Cyclops, a Proteus-class collier that was being utilized to transport troops and coal to fuel other ships. In February 1918, the Cyclops picked up 11,000 tons of manganese in Rio de Janeiro, a new cargo for the ship. After making an unscheduled stop in Barbados, she departed for Baltimore on March 4. The Cyclops, however, was never seen again and no wreckage has ever been found. All 306 crew and passengers were declared officially lost by Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt on June 1, 1918. The loss of the Cyclops still stands as the largest loss of life in US Naval history not directly involved in combat. As the disappearance occurred in the infamous Bermuda Triangle under baffling circumstances, several sensational theories have spawned regarding her fate. The official statement of the US Navy states, "the disappearance of this ship has been one of the most baffling mysteries in the annals of the Navy, all attempts to locate her having proved unsuccessful." The three men whose photos are included here who served aboard the Cyclops include Mess Attendant 3rd Class Andrew Theodore Askin, Mess Attendant Survian Austin Williams, and Mess Attendant 3rd Class Lewis H. Hardwick. Notably, Hardwick's son was Herbert Lewis "Cocoa Kid" Hardwick a boxer who won the World Colored Championships in both the welterweight and the middleweight divisions. Somewhat curiously, each man is listed as lost on June 14, 1918, two weeks after they were declared lost. William Garfield Marshall, Wardroom Officers Steward was lost when the USACT Ticonderoga was torpedoed. She was a steamship serving as cargo transport when she left New York in a convoy bound for Europe. She developed engine trouble and fell behind the convoy, however, and became a target for German submarine U-152. The battle was lopsided, with the U-boat taking out the Ticonderoga's guns over several hours, managing to wound almost every man on board. The Ticonderoga was sunk and of the 237 seamen who embarked, only 24 survived. Other sailors include Mess Attendant 3rd Class Henry McCorkle who was serving aboard the USS Von Steuben when he died from a knife wound. Ship's Cook 2nd Class Herman Stallings accidentally drowned while swimming in France on May 19, 1918. Mess Attendant 1st Class William Marion Thomas Beckley fell overboard and drowned on July 25, 1918 while serving aboard the USS Ozark. Interestingly, he is wearing his sailor whites and hat on the deck of a ship, presumably the Ozark. Condition: Some curled edges, fading to some.
Lot of 7 photographs of African American sailors who died during World War I. Each captioned in negative with each sailor's name, rank, and cause of death. All but the photograph of William M.T. Beckley are posed studio portraits and all but one (Henry McCorkle) wearing their uniforms. Three of the photographs depict men who were aboard the USS Cyclops, a Proteus-class collier that was being utilized to transport troops and coal to fuel other ships. In February 1918, the Cyclops picked up 11,000 tons of manganese in Rio de Janeiro, a new cargo for the ship. After making an unscheduled stop in Barbados, she departed for Baltimore on March 4. The Cyclops, however, was never seen again and no wreckage has ever been found. All 306 crew and passengers were declared officially lost by Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt on June 1, 1918. The loss of the Cyclops still stands as the largest loss of life in US Naval history not directly involved in combat. As the disappearance occurred in the infamous Bermuda Triangle under baffling circumstances, several sensational theories have spawned regarding her fate. The official statement of the US Navy states, "the disappearance of this ship has been one of the most baffling mysteries in the annals of the Navy, all attempts to locate her having proved unsuccessful." The three men whose photos are included here who served aboard the Cyclops include Mess Attendant 3rd Class Andrew Theodore Askin, Mess Attendant Survian Austin Williams, and Mess Attendant 3rd Class Lewis H. Hardwick. Notably, Hardwick's son was Herbert Lewis "Cocoa Kid" Hardwick a boxer who won the World Colored Championships in both the welterweight and the middleweight divisions. Somewhat curiously, each man is listed as lost on June 14, 1918, two weeks after they were declared lost. William Garfield Marshall, Wardroom Officers Steward was lost when the USACT Ticonderoga was torpedoed. She was a steamship serving as cargo transport when she left New York in a convoy bound for Europe. She developed engine trouble and fell behind the convoy, however, and became a target for German submarine U-152. The battle was lopsided, with the U-boat taking out the Ticonderoga's guns over several hours, managing to wound almost every man on board. The Ticonderoga was sunk and of the 237 seamen who embarked, only 24 survived. Other sailors include Mess Attendant 3rd Class Henry McCorkle who was serving aboard the USS Von Steuben when he died from a knife wound. Ship's Cook 2nd Class Herman Stallings accidentally drowned while swimming in France on May 19, 1918. Mess Attendant 1st Class William Marion Thomas Beckley fell overboard and drowned on July 25, 1918 while serving aboard the USS Ozark. Interestingly, he is wearing his sailor whites and hat on the deck of a ship, presumably the Ozark. Condition: Some curled edges, fading to some.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
