Alfred Wolf
Encyclopedia
Alfred Wolf was a United States Navy
sailor
who distinguished himself in combat during World War II
and later died in action. A U.S. Navy destroyer escort
was named for him.
on 1 August 1923. He enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve at New York City
on 7 January 1942 and went through United States Marine Corps Recruit Training
at Newport
, Rhode Island
, between 11 January 1942 and 11 February 1942. Following further instruction at the Naval Operating Base, Norfolk at Norfolk
, Virginia
, he entered the Naval Armed Guard School at Little Creek, Virginia, on 23 March 1942.
After completing the intensive training given the men preparing for Naval Armed Guard assignments at Little Creek, Wolf reported aboard the Liberty ship
SS Samuel Chase on 20 April 1942 and was serving in that ship when she departed Iceland
for the northern Soviet Union
as part of Convoy PQ-17
on 27 June 1942. German
planes attacked the convoy on 2 July 1943 and continued their raids over the next few days. The convoy's initially heavy supporting force of warship
s was drawn off; when the German battleship
Tirpitz
was reported to have sortied from Norway
to attack the convoy, the merchant ships and what smaller escorts remained were ordered to scatter, greatly aiding the German attackers. Six near-misses from German bomber
s on 10 July 1942 caused heavy damage to Samuel Chase, snapping all steam
lines, cutting off all auxiliaries, and blowing the compass
out of the binnacle
. Seaman First Class Wolf and her other gunners fought their weapons efficiently and courageously in what naval historian Samuel Eliot Morison
called "the grimmest convoy battle of the entire war." Morison lauded the Naval Armed Guard crews of three particular PQ-17 merchant ships: SS Washington, SS Daniel Morgan, and SS Samuel Chase. "Their clothing was inadequate and their ammunition insufficient," he wrote, "but their fighting spirit never failed." Samuel Chase managed to survive the ordeal of PQ-17, part of a pitiful remnant of the original convoy.
Detached from Samuel Chase on 24 October 1942, Wolf reported aboard the United States Army Transport USAT Henry R. Mallory at New York City on 12 November 1942. On 17 November 1942, the transport departed for Reykjavik
, Iceland, and stopped at St. John's in the Dominion of Newfoundland
and Halifax
, Nova Scotia
, in Canada
before returning via Boston, Massachusetts
, to New York City. Henry R. Mallory then once more visited Reykjavik, departing New York City on 24 January 1943. She was en route to New York City on her return voyage in Convoy SC-118 when the German submarine
U-402
torpedo
ed and sank her on the morning of 7 February 1943. Seaman 1st Class Wolf was not among the survivors.
was named for Seaman First Class Wolf, but her construction was cancelled in 1944 before she could be launched
.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
sailor
Sailor
A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...
who distinguished himself in combat during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and later died in action. A U.S. Navy destroyer escort
Destroyer escort
A destroyer escort is the classification for a smaller, lightly armed warship designed to be used to escort convoys of merchant marine ships, primarily of the United States Merchant Marine in World War II. It is employed primarily for anti-submarine warfare, but also provides some protection...
was named for him.
Navy career
Alfred Wolf was born in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
on 1 August 1923. He enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve at New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on 7 January 1942 and went through United States Marine Corps Recruit Training
United States Marine Corps Recruit Training
United States Marine Corps Recruit Training, commonly known as "boot camp", is a program of initial training that each recruit must successfully complete in order to join the United States Marine Corps...
at Newport
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, between 11 January 1942 and 11 February 1942. Following further instruction at the Naval Operating Base, Norfolk at Norfolk
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, he entered the Naval Armed Guard School at Little Creek, Virginia, on 23 March 1942.
After completing the intensive training given the men preparing for Naval Armed Guard assignments at Little Creek, Wolf reported aboard the Liberty ship
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. Based on vessels ordered by Britain to replace ships torpedoed by...
SS Samuel Chase on 20 April 1942 and was serving in that ship when she departed Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
for the northern Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
as part of Convoy PQ-17
Convoy PQ-17
PQ 17 was the code name for an Allied World War II convoy in the Arctic Ocean. In July 1942, the Arctic convoys suffered a significant defeat when Convoy PQ 17 lost 24 of its 35 merchant ships during a series of heavy enemy daylight attacks which lasted a week. On 27 June, the ships sailed...
on 27 June 1942. German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
planes attacked the convoy on 2 July 1943 and continued their raids over the next few days. The convoy's initially heavy supporting force of warship
Warship
A warship is a ship that is built and primarily intended for combat. Warships are usually built in a completely different way from merchant ships. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster and more maneuvrable than merchant ships...
s was drawn off; when the German battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
Tirpitz
German battleship Tirpitz
Tirpitz was the second of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, the architect of the Imperial Navy, the ship was laid down at the Kriegsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven in November 1936 and launched two and a half years later in April...
was reported to have sortied from Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
to attack the convoy, the merchant ships and what smaller escorts remained were ordered to scatter, greatly aiding the German attackers. Six near-misses from German bomber
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
s on 10 July 1942 caused heavy damage to Samuel Chase, snapping all steam
Steam
Steam is the technical term for water vapor, the gaseous phase of water, which is formed when water boils. In common language it is often used to refer to the visible mist of water droplets formed as this water vapor condenses in the presence of cooler air...
lines, cutting off all auxiliaries, and blowing the compass
Compass
A compass is a navigational instrument that shows directions in a frame of reference that is stationary relative to the surface of the earth. The frame of reference defines the four cardinal directions – north, south, east, and west. Intermediate directions are also defined...
out of the binnacle
Binnacle
A binnacle is a waist-high case or stand on the deck of a ship, generally mounted in front of the helmsman, in which navigational instruments are placed for easy and quick reference as well as to protect the delicate instruments. Its traditional purpose was to hold the ship's magnetic compass,...
. Seaman First Class Wolf and her other gunners fought their weapons efficiently and courageously in what naval historian Samuel Eliot Morison
Samuel Eliot Morison
Samuel Eliot Morison, Rear Admiral, United States Naval Reserve was an American historian noted for his works of maritime history that were both authoritative and highly readable. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1912, and taught history at the university for 40 years...
called "the grimmest convoy battle of the entire war." Morison lauded the Naval Armed Guard crews of three particular PQ-17 merchant ships: SS Washington, SS Daniel Morgan, and SS Samuel Chase. "Their clothing was inadequate and their ammunition insufficient," he wrote, "but their fighting spirit never failed." Samuel Chase managed to survive the ordeal of PQ-17, part of a pitiful remnant of the original convoy.
Detached from Samuel Chase on 24 October 1942, Wolf reported aboard the United States Army Transport USAT Henry R. Mallory at New York City on 12 November 1942. On 17 November 1942, the transport departed for Reykjavik
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
, Iceland, and stopped at St. John's in the Dominion of Newfoundland
Dominion of Newfoundland
The Dominion of Newfoundland was a British Dominion from 1907 to 1949 . The Dominion of Newfoundland was situated in northeastern North America along the Atlantic coast and comprised the island of Newfoundland and Labrador on the continental mainland...
and Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
before returning via Boston, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, to New York City. Henry R. Mallory then once more visited Reykjavik, departing New York City on 24 January 1943. She was en route to New York City on her return voyage in Convoy SC-118 when the German submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
U-402
German submarine U-402
German submarine U-402 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for the German Kriegsmarine for service during World War II.U-402 commanded by Kapitänleutnant Siegfried von Forstner carried out eight combat patrols sinking 14 merchantmen and one warship during the Second World War. U-402 also damaged three...
torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
ed and sank her on the morning of 7 February 1943. Seaman 1st Class Wolf was not among the survivors.
Awards
For his part in the gallant defense of Samuel Chase during her battle as a part of Convoy PQ-17, Seaman 1st Class Wolf earned a letter of commendation which praised his meritorious conduct in action.Commemoration
During World War II, the U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Alfred Wolf (DE-544)USS Alfred Wolf (DE-544)
USS Alfred Wolf was a proposed World War II United States Navy John C. Butler-class destroyer escort that was never completed.The name Alfred Wolf was assigned to the ship on 26 October 1943...
was named for Seaman First Class Wolf, but her construction was cancelled in 1944 before she could be launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
.