Orlie Brown Safe
Mr. and Mrs. S. K. Brown received a message from the war department stating that their son Orlie who was on the ill fated ship Wm. Rockefeller, is safe. The community rejoices with them.
USS William Rockefeller, a 7157 gross ton (15,500 tons displacement) tanker, was built at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1916. She was one of seven large tankers acquired by the Navy in later months of 1917, some as early as August. Placed in commission as USS William Rockefeller (ID # 1581), she was integrated into the Naval Overseas Transportation Service when that organization was established on 9 January 1918. At that time, she was on a voyage from Scotland to New York, where she arrived on 12 February. After loading a cargo of oil at Philadelphia, the tanker sailed from New York in a convoy on 28 February and arrived at Sheerness, England, on 18 March. Returning to Philadelphia for another cargo of fuel oil, she sailed again from New York in a convoy on 29 April. Arriving with the convoy at Lamlash, Scotland, on 15 May, three days later she sailed for Rosyth with an escort of two destroyers. On 21 May 1918 William Rockefeller was torpedoed by the German submarine UC-58 and sank in 13 minutes. Three of her crew of 51 were lost. — from U.S. Department of Navy, Naval Historical Center online library
