The ship, overloaded with supplies, hit sand and began to sink before it reached the shore in Oran, Algeria.
Stephen B. Williams, now 102, recalled this mission from more than 70 years ago, saying he helped another member of his crew, who was struggling to swim, reach the shore.
Many of the men died, he said, in the water. On land, Williams said he fell into a foxhole after being caught in a surprise attack. When he emerged nine days later, he found the crew he’d come to Africa with had all perished.
