Loss of the Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba and all but two of their crew was disclosed today, (June18, 1943) by the Navy. Her normal complement is 60 officers and men.

The announcement said the 718 ton vessel was torn amidships by an explosion of undetermined origin while on convoy duty in the North Atlantic and sank so quickly distress signals could not be sent.

The Escanaba, a Michigan built vessel, operated on the Great Lakes before going into convoy service and had figured in numerous rescue feats on the lakes. Her home port was Grand Haven, Michigan.

Officials said the Escanaba could have been blown up by a torpedo, a mine or other internal mishap. The two survivors, who were picked up by the Coast Guard cutter Raritan, said they had no idea what happened.

The Coast Guard Cutter Storis, which was near the Escanaba when she blew up, said a large cloud of smoke went up and the ship sank, leaving only small bits of wreckage. The Escanaba distinguished itself earlier in the year by rescuing 133 men from a torpedoed ship in the North Atlantic. This was reported previously, but the Escanaba was not the identified. The rescues were accomplished by members of the crew who went over the side in the icy waters to fasten lines around victims of the torpedoed ship and crewmen who went out in rubber suits and towed life rafts to the cutter.

Loss of the Escanaba brings to 99 the number of American war vessels reported sunk, overdue or destroyed to prevent capture in this war.