At the Height of WW II, The Hurricane of 1944 Claimed Most of Its Lives at Sea

By M.L.Baron westislandweather.com

FAIRHAVEN: Some local survivors will argue that the hurricane that struck near midnight on September 14, 1944 was more destructive than the infamous‘1938 Hurricane six years prior. To a certain extent they were right. The category 3 hurricane impacted a smaller land mass, but for the areas that got hit, the damage was incredible. It appears that wind damage had more of a destructive feature than the tidal surge. In a town report, the Fairhaven tree warden reported more trees fell in town than in 1938. The newly erected radio tower in1940, for WNBH-WFMR at Crow Island had 225ft snapped off leaving a 120ft stub at the base. Although the death toll reached 46 on land it was much higher at sea.

    WW II Navy veteran Antone “Tony-Tex” Teixeira, 91 of North Fairhaven (right) recalled being right in “the middle of hell” with a naval task force steaming south down the east coast en route to the Panama Canal.
    After just completing several dangerous missions in The Battle for The Atlantic, they were re-assigned to head into the Pacific theatre. The convoy ran smack into the hurricane that had 75 foot seas and 150 mph gusts. Radio silence was strictly enforced, so if any ship got into trouble they were mostly on their own.
    Mr Teixeira recalls as a sailor on board the destroyer escort USS ORLANDO, that the Captain decided at one point to reverse screws and let the storm push at them with less resistance, rather than let the ship face it head on.
    As the ship tossed about, the stern would rise out of the sea and the engines would rev up as the propellers spun rapidly out of the water. With the ocean this intense it could easily break a good sized ship in half. Somehow they made it and the convoy proceeded to the war in the Pacific.


    However, 5 ships sank which included the 381 ft. USS Warrington DD 383 about 450 miles east off Vero Beach, Florida with 248 lost out of a crew of 321. (Above: The USS Warrington DD 383 with crew on deck in New York harbor.1939 US Navy photo )
A minesweeper, along with 2 Coast Guard cutters - the Bedloe and Jackson - that were escorting a torpedo damaged liberty ship into port were sunk, drowning 85 sailors off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

    The 128 ft. Vineyard Sound Lightship (US Navy photo below) took all 11 of its crew to the bottom 3 miles off Cuttyhunk Island. In a 1963 expedition to the Vineyard Sound, divers found bow plates punched in were the ships center storm anchor may have come loose and was tossed about freely during the height of the storm creating a gaping hole in the hull that quickly sank the ship. Ships of this type lacked any real water tight bulk heads. One diver described the sunken wreck as they approached it. The ship still sits upright in sixty feet of water as if in a perpetual vigil. When inside the wreck, greenish rays of sunshine glisten eerily through the hole as fish swim in and out of the ship. It’ is a haunting yet beautiful and peaceful sight. He said. This storm is referred to as The Great Atlantic Hurricane. Named hurricanes began in the early 1950's. The first named hurricane to strike New England was Carol on August 31, 1954. For more info on The 1944 Hurricane visit westislandweather.com.

A Series of Isolated Thunderstorm Events This Summer Has SouthCoast In Its Sights

By MLBaron / westislandweather.com

What appears to be a summer pattern of strong thunderstorms, another surprise thunderstorm impacted the Greater New Bedford area this weekend which was recovering from a stifling heat wave. Beach goers at several local beaches were caught off guard as the storm moved in quickly early Saturday afternoon.

The darkening skies didn’t intimidate many until vivid lightning and thunder suddenly overtook the area. Bathers scrambled with their beach blankets and umbrellas to the safety of their cars.

Although the storm passed in less than 45 minutes, numerous trees were downed including a few confirmed lightning strikes. Brockton, Plymouth, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket reported trees down from lightning and/or wind. One strike apparently set a house ablaze in Tiverton. One of the last utility poles at the end of Wilbur’s Point in Fairhaven was struck and the top half was blown off.

As the storm cell exited off South Dartmouth and into Buzzards Bay, The National Weather Service issued severe thunderstorm marine warnings and to The Elizabeth Islands, Cuttyhunk and Martha’s Vineyard. (above photo) The West Island Weather Station AXIS weather cam captured the impressive wall of heavy showers off shore and what appeared to be the early stages of a funnel cloud formation. This is the sixth significant thunderstorm to southeastern MA with damage reports since the Tornado outbreak in Springfield, MA on June 1. Other storms impacting the region include June 9, July 8, July 12, July 13 and this weekend on Saturday July 23. “Although thunderstorms are common during the dog days of summer, the destructive intensity of these isolated storms concentrated in the local area is rather unusual.” stated MLBaron of westislandweather.com The West Island Weather Station recorded .10 of rain with a wind gust of 22 MPH out of the ESE as the storm skimmed by the island by about 1 mile to the west. The sun returned just after 2 PM for the remainder of the day.

For more on storm damage reports from The National Weather Service enter this link: http://www.westislandweather.com/Data/latest.nwus51.KBOX%20JUL%2023%202011.pdf

For more storm photos visit: http://www.westislandweather.com/apps/photos/album?albumid=11964490

For storm video from the West Island Causeway visit: http://www.westislandweather.com/apps/videos/

Hurricane Donna Doesn’t Get the Credit She Deserves.

By M.L.Baron westislandweather.com

When SouthCoast refers to hurricanes past, the big three usually take the front row seat. The 1938, 1944 and 1954 hurricanes are rubber stamped as a reference point for powerful hurricanes that have impacted southern New England. It is rare that Hurricane Donna that struck the area on Sept 12, 1960 ever gets mentioned up in this neck of the woods. Maybe its because there wasn’t a souvenir hurricane photo book published about it, at least that I know of.

However Donna remains as one of the most volatile hurricanes on record. Donna developed off the Cape Verde Islands, a notorious breeding ground for tropical storms in late August. The storm quickly intensified into a Category 3 hurricane. A Category 3 hurricane is considered intense with wind ranging from 111 mph to 135mph. Tidal surges reach up to 12 ft.

On a westerly track, Donna eventually passed north of Puerto Rico and intensified further. It soon became the main focus of attention to The National Weather Service and meteorologists around the world. Hurricane Donna began its historical trek into infamy as it impacted both sides of the Florida peninsula bringing Category 4 force destructive wind gusts of 150 mph and 13 ft tidal surges. The low lying land mass areas of Florida weren’t enough to down grade Donna.
The hurricane remained a Category 3 as it crashed into the Carolinas with 120 mph wind and headed straight for Long Island with nothing to impede or divert its track. Block Island reported wind gusts to 130 mph and New Bedford 90+ mph sustained. Tidal surges ranged from 5 to 10 feet.

Donna still holds the title as the only hurricane to impact the most states in a single hurricane event. The storm is also the 5th strongest on record with the barometer bottoming out at 27.46 inches.

So with all this information put forth, Donna deserves to be part of the legendary group of SouthCoast hurricanes past. While we’re at it, we have a special place in hurricane history for Hurricane Bob as well. The 20th anniversary from southern New England’s last major hurricane is on August 19, 2011. I will soon be putting together a special on Bob for FNN. For more information visit our expanded hurricane features at westislandweather.com.

In 1954, “New” West Islanders Were the First to

Experience a Major Hurricane Here

1952

150 Cottages Built in 3 Years On Fairhaven's West Island

Car membership badge identified motorists as residents of Fairhaven Estates and were allowed to passage by a guard shack posted on the causeway.

The Summer of '52 West Island Estates.

Antone Teixeira and future wife to be, Evelyn catch the summer breeze on the front lawn at his mother's cottage he just built at 47 Alder St. This was one of the first cottages on West Island. Two years later Hurricane Carol struck on Aug 31, 1954. Many houses (photo below)were devastated or destroyed on this street, but the little cottage went unscathed. A West Island Hurricane Carol Photo Album is under construction for this site.

By M.L.Baron westislandweather.com 6/14/2011

WEST ISLAND: With the hurricanes of 1938 and 1944 still fresh in local minds, new West Island residents who began to build summer cottages on the mostly uninhabited island in the late 40's had nobody to tell them what previous hurricanes were like out here. In fact, most of those who bought cottages through developers of Fairhaven Estates in 1952, were from out-of-town inland areas. So many were already oblivious as to what hurricanes could do to coastal property in the first place. On Tuesday, August 31, 1954, they found out.

The island never had this number of structures before that had endured prior hurricanes. In the first 2 years much of the planned 150 summer cottages were already cluttered side by side along the much sought after waterfront lots of Alder and Balsam Streets. (on the west facing side of the island.) Most of this area is about 3 feet above sea level. Some 200 families now occupied the 535 acre island.

Carol, the first named hurricane to impact the northeast arrived Tuesday, August 31, 1954. The Category 2 hurricane brought in tidal surges over 10 feet accompanied by 110 mph winds. Just 10 days later Hurricane Edna struck on September 11th. Edna caused some more chaos to an already dazed SouthCoast. However, the worst damage was more localized to Cape Cod.

Some island residents decided to sell their property after the hurricanes and there were few takers. The asking price ranged from $300 to $500.00 for a vacant lot where their little summer paradise once stood. Some cottages that were dragged off their foundations that remained mostly intact were salvaged and remain standing on their original lots today. To view rare photos of the island damage visit :

West Island Hurricane Carol Photo Album

Note:
Today, for sale signs along this waterfront pop up occasionally. Real estate advertisements hype the lure of the sea and beauty of the ocean, but most shy away from putting in the fine print about the serious vulnerability and dangers that could await prospective buyers.
With all this in mind people will still buy these expensive properties and take a chance. After all they can afford to. The common practice is to bulldoze the little quaint cottage and put a huge “McMansion” on stilts in its place, ruining the aesthetics of the island. Typically, these kind of owners are from out-of-town or state and have no roots or vested interest in the community. They take advantage of the island for what it’s worth during the summer and spend the winter elsewhere.
One corner lot that was sold recently was cleared and every tree chopped down. An enormous box like structure that appears to be a house, (because it has window shutters) was erected.
In the driveway, a little “Prius” hybrid electric car is parked in the shade of this 3 story monstrosity. Now, that’s what I call looking out for the environment.

City's hurricane-barrier wonder of the world

MLBaron comments on Standard-Times article in making the Hurricane Barrier more recreational friendly:
A great concept that is long over due. The recreational aspects of the barrier are well documented in the early planning stages of it's construction. One of the original ideas discussed was to construct the barrier from Clark's Point in New Bedford's South End to the tip of Wilbur's Point in Fairhaven. This would have enclosed more of the outer harbor including the narrow peninsula of Sconticutneck (which may have required a sea wall on the east side as well.) Some of the factors going against this concept may have included the cost of construction in deeper water, the topography of the sea floor and the over all property value that would have been protected. Al least two debates perpetuate today. Could the barrier increase a tidal surge to Sconticut Neck in a hurricane? (some studies have shown vague results) Would this project ever have gotten off the ground today enclosing an entire harbor with the invasive disturbance to the wetlands and coastal environment? With the strict environmental laws now in place that were virtually non-existent in the early 60's.this idea would have been laughed at. It is also historically important to note that The Standard-Times and it's top officials were one of the key supporters of the barrier's construction through a series of editorials and direct involvement in the planning committees. At the time (1957) New Bedford's factories and business were exhausted from a series of 3 major hurricanes in less than 16 years.

(Above: NASA Landsat 5 image taken June 5th)
.

Last Week’s Tornado Event Had
Something in Store for SouthCoast

MLBaron westislandweather.com

WEST ISLAND: By now we all know what happened in Springfield and its surrounding towns. This once in a lifetime severe weather outbreak of 3 tornadoes in Massachusetts, one of which left an astounding half mile wide path of destruction 39 miles long brought back memories of the deadly Worcester tornado outbreak of 1953. Debris from that storm fell from the sky dozens of miles away, including a frozen mattress and some books found floating in Boston Harbor. In last week’s tornado some debris was tossed upwards 30,000 ft before falling back to earth. A gas station slip from Brimfield was found 80 miles away in Weymouth. Locally, down bursts or sudden blasts of destructive strong wind are often misreported as a tornado. Although they may appear similar at first- both have a different damage pattern left by the wind. A down burst in general tends to have a central “crater” with debris jutting out from it’s center, versus a tornado having a defined swirling path into it’s center Both typically evolve from intense thunderstorms. Most weather instruments, especially anemometers (that measure wind speed) do not survive the extreme wind speeds created by tornadoes. That’s were SDA or Storm Damage Assessment comes to play. It’s sort of the CSI for meteorologists who examine where and how structures failed, width of tree trunks snapped and the impact of building materials, vehicles, and common household items that become missiles. After all the data is collected the wind speed is estimated.

(Above) Lightning strikes the evening of June 1st, 2011
Southeastern MA was finally placed in a tornado watch late in the afternoon (last Wednesday) as newly formed cells progressed eastward.

A cluster of strong storms formed off Long Island and headed directly east towards Block Island and Buzzards Bay. The cooling effect of the 64 degree water caused the cluster of thunderstorms to lose it’s punch. Only a few sprinkles and rumbles of thunder about 830PM could be heard out in the distance as the remnants passed through uneventfully.

This was in sharp contrast to the devastation wrought by the same air mass 90 miles away a few hours earlier.

A days weather for June 1st, 2011

WEATHER DATA COMPARISON FOR
WEST ISLAND,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, SPRINGFIELD MA JUN 1

Hi Temp: 73 .........................87
Lo Temp: 59 ........................64
Wind: 11 mph .....................15 mph
Gust: 38 mph ......................160 mph est. F3 Tornado
Rain: . 00 .............................1.31
Humidity: 100% ..................100%
Dew point: 74.5 .................. 74.4
Low Barometer: 29.84......... 29.76
Damaged Buildings: 0.............. 1,000+
Destroyed Buildings: 0.............. 200+
Deaths: 0 ....................................4
Injuries: 0...................................... 200

West Island Weather Station has 3 independent “black-box” recorders that register weather parameters every minute, 24/7.

The National Weather Service link for a complete storm report:http://www.westislandweather.com/Data/Document1.pdf

West Island’s WW II Lookout Tower May Have Had a Secret Gun Emplacement

MLBaron westislandweather.com

WEST ISLAND:

Although gun emplacements were a standard part of the design type and layout of US Army observation towers like the one at West Island, no confirmation of a gun battery has been found.

However, evidence suggests that on the northeast corner of the island, that an existing man-made 6x6 ft concrete foundation “deep in the woods out of no-where” very well could have been part of a gun emplacement.

It’s strategic location close to shore in thick brush and trees would certainly have been made for an ideal spot. The lack of any reference to this location from a military stand point during the war probably would have been classified.

This also could explain the origin of the trail-path carved out of the brush headed towards the site from Fir St. Keep in mind the island wasn’t developed until the late 40's and early 50's. but a trail is clearly visible in a 1946 aerial photograph (below) taken just after the war. (A) on the left marks possible gun emplacement. (B) on the right marks dump site cavity.

This path would later be referred to as the “dump road” for the “new” island inhabitants who needed a place to discard their trash, including broke down household appliances, tires etc. As the population increased, so did the trash. At one point a small bulldozer was used to pack in the refuse into what became a deepening cavity of about a 100 foot circumference down the bend in the trail on the right side.

The bulldozer was stored in a garage next to the oldest house on the island at 38 Causeway Rd on the corner of Fir St. The town began trash pick-up to the island in the late 60's, but some dumping continued into the late 70's. The cavity of this site is visible by satellite to this day.

Satellite photo taken about 2006: (A) on the left marks possible gun emplacement. (B) on the right marks dump site cavity still visible.

For more information on the West Island Tower enter here.

German Sub Attacked a New Bedford Fishing Boat in WWII

A NAZI U-Boat attacked this New Bedford scalloper in 1945. On a foggy night while dragging for scallops off Nantucket, The crew of The Friars (1939 photo) spotted a periscope rising out of the murky water. The sub surfaced and began firing upon the fishing boat. Crew members donned their life jackets and prepared to abandon ship. They were not sure of the distance, but could see the flashes from the subs deck gun. 4 shells were fired at The Friars and then the sub quickly submerged. The Friars headed at full speed towards the north and then the Captain and crew decided to return the 74ft scalloper back to the fishing grounds after a few hours later. They returned to port with the story of their ordeal and a "1,000" gallons of scallops. A rare 1939 clip shows the Friars dockside at Pier 3: http://www.youtube.com/user/mlb525#p/a/u/3/OwVBaAp34sE

The causeway to West Island washed out, after Hurricane Carol, 1954

The Atlantic Hurricane Season begins June 1st
and here’s the list of selected names:
Arlene
Bret
Cindy
Don
Emily
Franklin
Gert
Harvey
Irene
Jose
Katia
Lee
Maria
Nate
Ophelia
Philippe
Rina
Sean
Tammy
Vince
Whitney

Forecasters continue to predict an above average hurricane season similar to last year. The last major hurricane to impact Southeastern MA was Bob, on August 19, 1991. Bob was one of the earliest recorded hurricanes to impact the area. For those who lost water service last Monday for a few hours, imagine being shut-off for days and maybe even weeks if you decided to ride out a hurricane on West Island. Add to that, the loss of power and other vital utilities and this is when the reality of complacency will hit home.
Soon town officials will meet on West Island with their usual hurricane preparedness plan for islanders who decide to stay with four basic words: “You’re on your own”. I’ve had islanders as old as a 100 say they're going to stay. It is not out of the question to assume that as many as 1,000 people could be stranded out here after not heeding voluntary evacuation advice. Although some boast they are fully prepared to remain with generators, supplies and even a spare car on the “neck” to row over to if the causeway is washed out, the majority won’t be. The lack of medical and emergency services would also add to an already complicated scenario.
Westislandweather.com has several hurricane albums completely scanned for those to be reminded of the magnitude of full blown major hurricanes from the past featuring Carol in 1954, The 1938 and 1944 Hurricanes.

The causeway to West Island is about four feet above sea-level.

Small Quake 9 Miles Off West Island a Routine Event



WEST ISLAND: Two small earthquakes where detected in Buzzards Bay Sunday night (5-15-2011) at 839PM.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) that monitors earthquake activity around the world recorded a minor 2.1 magnitude quake about 2.5 miles below the surface. a few hundred yards off Nashawena Island that's part of The Elizabeth Islands chain. A second smaller 1.3 magnitude quake moved the seismograph needle a few minutes later.
Most of these small quakes cannot be felt or heard but register on sensitive tremor instruments. There are in excess of 30 small quake events a year in the New England region., according to the USGS. In April of 2005 a 2.5 seismic event was recorded in the same general area that generated numerous reports of an explosion as far away as Nantucket.
Link to the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program

The Thompson Propeller Shop

As New Bedford suffered hard times in the 1930's, the remains of a torn-down mill was brought back to life.

By MLBaron

The Thompson Propeller Shop, built in 1937 remains strong and sturdy today as compared to any Henry Huttleston Rogers buildings in Fairhaven., and all from demolished materials from a factory that was torn down in New Bedford’s South End. From window frames, bricks and steel girders, the Thompson brothers who were already a waterfront fixture in the important propeller repair business designed and built the structure from the ground up with the recycled remains of what was likely the Kilburn Mill.

The Thompsons carried on the tradition from their father M.D.Thompson of Maine., who designed the "Thompson Feathering Propeller", a popular reversing prop that reversed the pitch automatically via hinged blades when the engine shifted into forward or reverse.

In 1961, Warren Thompson decided to retire and sold the business to Gunnar Gundersen, an engineer from Norway who still runs the shop today as Scandia Propeller., and yes, the famous Fairhaven waterfront icon - a shiny brass propeller still spins away on the corner of the building at Union and Water Streets.

FYI-When the Atlas Tack was finally torn down, the building’s high-quality bricks were crated up and recycled. The current market for a good brick is about $1.00 each.

To see more photos and enlargements visit this link at westislandweather.com

Be sure to enter the SLIDESHOW option for even a better experience.

Photos and story from the M.L.Baron Historic Archives c1987

The Story of Tommy's Boat, authored by The Thompson brother's dad, who started the business in Maine.

A steam shovel clears the lot

These sturdy window frames being set in place.

A handsome new building with a small sail boat out front. It's hard to believe that his structure was completely built of demolision material from a factory in New Bedford. The factory was very likely the Kilburn Mill torn down right around the time this was constructed.

Warren Thompson (above) installs the famous shiny brass propeller on the corner of his new shop. It was said that the spinning prop could be seen shining across the Acushnet River from Union St in New Bedford on sunny days.

Machinists at work Lunch break in the office

Illustration from Propeller Shop booklet. Warren Thompson's dad, M.D.Thompson of Maine was the inventor of the Thompson "feathering" Propeller. This remarkable invention allowed the prop blade to automatically change it's pitch when the thrust from the vessel's gears shifted from forward or to reverse.

A price list above for the propeller shop's services. Pretty steep prices considering the minimum wage was about .20 cents an hour at the time. Mr Thompson chuckled in an interview I had with him in the 80's when he revealed that during the rum running days, it was not uncommon to have a Coast Guard Revenue Cutter's propellers being serviced side by side with the rum-runners boat's. He said the "boys" in the shop made the pitch of the runners props a little better for performance and speed.

The late Warren Thompson, was well known in Fairhaven for being a dead-ringer look-alike for Col Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken. He played the role well and would venture into KFC Restaurants for laughs! We were good friends and he had many stories to tell. But none better than his legacy of being the owner of The Thompson Propeller Shop on Water St in Fairhaven. Enjoy this classic YouTube clip from The 1991 Fairhaven Homecoming Fair when I ran into him with his wife. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5kK9C8wh1Y

Last Thursday’s Rainbow Arced Over West Island

MLBaron - Skywarn Weather Spotter documents a rainbow event.

WEST ISLAND: The unstable atmosphere (last Thursday-May 5, 2011) was getting more agitated all day with increased amounts of virga that eventually reached the ground as scattered sheets of rain showers trained east in a narrow corridor. As a weather spotter I sensed that an interesting weather event was imminent.

Ominous sky to the north with training showers. Towering cumulus clouds build upwards.

I waited for over 3 hours with a front row seat on the causeway before my intuition came true - a rainbow appeared over West Island. With the sun breaking through at the end of the day and light showers still active, the ingredients of a rainbow coalesced perfectly over West Island.

Recipe for a rainbow, the sun angle about 40 degrees, "TOTO II" Skywarn GMC Mountain Bike on scene
and a band of light showers inbound.

No two people ever see the exact same rainbow because of the precise angle, however many witnessed a double-rainbow from the causeway as it arced over the island looking east.The phenomena lasted less than 2 minutes.

More pictures and more weather at westislandweather.com