Last Voyage of the SS Henry Bacon

The Last Voyage of the SS Henry Bacon saw the crew put the lives of 19 Norwegian refugees above their own. The Bacon was the last Liberty ship to be sunk by the German Lufwaffe on the Murmansk Run from Scotland to Murmansk, Russia. The ship fought valiantly against superior forces, and downed more German planes than any other Liberty ship.

The SS Henry Bacon was born, lived and died in war: commissioned November 11, 1942; and sank February 23, 1945. When the ship went down, her proud captain and chief engineer were standing at the helm. This is her story.

Well written and documented, The Last Voyage of the SS Henry Bacon is filled with touching personal episodes and is drawn from conversation and correspondence with the surviving merchant seamen and Navy gunners. All of the accounts have been verified by declassified Navy and Maritime Commission records.