Dorchester (Ship)

This collection contains a transcript provided by the Reichelt Program for Oral History. Benjamin Epstein was a Jewish American serviceman who served in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1942-1946, and he trained at Fort Logan, Colorado. He was transported on the U.S.S. Dorchester, which was torpedoed by a German U-Boat in February 1943. He described escaping from the sinking ship and swimming to one of two lifeboats. He was picked up by the U.S.S. Escambia and taken to Greenland. He remained in Greenland until January 1945 where he was transferred to Fort Totten, New York and remained there until discharged in 1946.

This collection relates to Eleanor Gifford who served in the special services and her brother Elliott T. Gifford who served as an Aerographer's Mate in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Elliott T. Gifford was killed in action on board the USAT Dorchester when it was sunk on February 3, 1943 by a German submarine. This collection contains documents, newspaper clippings, German event posters, radio transcripts, letters, and photographs predominately from Eleanor M. Gifford.