Dixie Arrow

Seventy years ago, on this date, the merchant vessel Dixie Arrow, steaming off the coast of North Carolina and carrying 96,000 barrels of crude oil, was struck by three torpedoes fired from the Nazi submarine U-71. The ship was quickly engulfed in flames, and sank to the bottom of the Atlantic.

The Sinking of the Dixie Arrow

Eleven of the thirty-three crew members, including 52 year old Captain Anders M. Johanson, died. Their bodies are entombed with their ship off the coast of Ocracoke.

Capt. Anders' daughter, Jeanne Revels, who was twelve years old in 1942, has been campaigning for years to protect the Dixie Arrow and the more than 600 other merchant vessels that were sunk in the Atlantic during the first six months of 1942. According to a recent letter from Jeanne Revels, National Geographic will televise an interview with her, her son, and her brother sometime in October. We don't know the exact date of the broadcast, but look for more information in the media as the time approaches.

You can read more about the Dixie Arrow and Jeanne Revels' efforts to honor her father and other merchant mariners who gave their lives during World War II by clicking here:

http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/local/east-volusia/2011/11/11/americas-secret-wwii-naval-losses.html

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of the Rondthalers of Ocracoke Island. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news032112.htm.