Veteran recalls July 4 battle at sea
BROWNSVILLE – Sixty years ago a young Edgar Rioli saw fireworks he will never forget. On July 4, 1942, in the midst of World War II, the 22-year-old Navy sailor was stationed aboard the U.S.S. Wichita in the North Pacific. The 614-foot heavy cruiser was one of several ships shadowing the Russian convoy PQ17 in passage across the Arctic Circle.
Rioli said plans were to lure a group of German ships out of hiding from the fjords and then attack. Although organizers anticipated a victory against German foes, the results were disastrous. According to Rioli, only 11 of the 39 ships in the convoy survived an attack by German ships and planes.
Working between the boiler and engine rooms, Rioli kept a Navy log. One June 30, 1942, he wrote that at a port in Iceland he and his fellow crewmembers fueled the ship and were told they were going to “shadow a convoy to Russia and protect it from surface crafts.” He lists ships present as the H.M.S. Long, H.M.S. Norfolk, U.S.S. Tuscaloosa and seven destroyers. On the same day, actor Douglas Fairbanks Jr. gave a talk about the mission.
In anticipation of the battle, Fairbanks was ordered by Rear Admiral R.C. Giffen to leave the flagship U.S.S. Washington and report to the U.S.S. Wichita for “temporary additional duty.”
On July 2, 1942, Rioli wrote that the convoy was attacked by planes and subs: “The Tuscaloosa had a scare when three torpedoes were fired at her, but she managed to dodge them.” The next day, two German planes were spotted. Although they were fired upon, they were not destroyed.
The next day, Rioli got a glimpse of the attack, writing in his log, “July 4, 1942. Fireworks! The convoy (PQ17) we were shadowing was again attacked at 4 p.m., but this time we were only several miles away. There were about 35 planes attacking the convoy and several were shot down. I saw one plane burst into a ball of fire after being hit. I also saw one of our merchant ships hit and large pillars of smoke came from it. Several other ships were also hit. The attack lasted for about 20 minutes. …We turned back at 8 p.m. after the convoy dispersed and made for Russian ports under Russian protection – Hopefully!”
“They were supposed to be bait but it was a complete failure,” Rioli said of the mission.
He said prior convoys to Russia were done at different times of the year. In that area of the ocean in the summer, it is daylight for three straight months. The previous convoys were held when there was day and night and the weather was bad.
“This was a different time. The ocean was like glass and it was daylight for three solid months,” he said.
Rioli said the Germans came out and saw land-based planes and submarines, retreated and sent out planes and subs to attack.
“It was one of the largest disasters in World War II outside of Pearl Harbor,” Rioli said. “I lost a lot of friends.”
Four days later, the ship dropped anchor at Hvalfjordur, Iceland, and on July 15, Rioli was made engineer of Giffen’s barge.
Although Rioli kept the log during the days of PQ17, he wasn’t the only one to document the convoy. Fairbanks had been asked to write an account of the campaign before he was transferred on board the Wichita. At some point later, the account of the PQ17 written by Fairbanks was slated for incineration. Rioli, who happened to acquire the account, retains it to this day.
Five years ago, Rioli wrote to Fairbanks to inquire about suggestions for Fairbanks’ account. Fairbanks wrote on July 25, 1997, “Thank you so much for your letter regarding Convoy PQ17. To this very day I feel so blessed to have survived the dreadful disaster that took place 55 years ago.” Fairbanks died two years ago.
Most of those aboard the Wichita didn’t know what was in store for them before the Germans attacked. Fairbanks wrote, “Force X, which is the code name for the dummy convoy force (the maneuver itself is called Operation ES) sailed from Scapa Flow today and is proceeding on duty assigned. It is composed of 15 minesweepers and freighters and will have as escort three corvettes, H.M.S. Adventure, Curacoa and Sirius.”
“When the time does come for these men to act, they will be found as human as the rest, subject to mistakes, exercising either too little or too much caution, but, on the whole, they will be able, determined and full of fight,” Fairbanks wrote.
Rioli said he hasn’t spoken too much about PQ17 because he didn’t want to sound inappropriate, but he realizes he remembers a piece of history that few who are alive today experienced.
“I’m not a hero. With all the close calls I had, I could be at the bottom of the North Atlantic,” he said.
While Independence Day 60 years ago was a serious and dreadful day for Rioli, he said many of his experiences in the Navy were memorable for other reasons.
“I walked from Brownsville to Uniontown to sign up for the Navy because I didn’t want to go work in the coal mine,” he said.
After joining the service in June 1940, Rioli was chosen to serve as a member of the honor guard for the visit of President Franklin D. Roosevelt to Newport, R.I. He still has the dress white uniform and can squeeze into the shirt.
A photo album from his days on the Wichita is filled with pictures from various sites. Rioli said he was fortunate to meet King George V and Queen Elizabeth I of England twice.
Although not injured while in the service, Rioli jokes that he is the “bionic man” because he has suffered a number of injuries and repairs, including a broken right arm in three places and a crushed left arm. He was eligible for a Purple Heart because he nearly cut off his thumb while on duty, but he didn’t solicit the honor. Rioli said he has had his appendix and tonsils removed and underwent a quadruple heart bypass eight years ago. Also, he said he fell 20 feet and had a “sprung pelvis.” And, after having the only toothache of his life, he had a dentist extract 29 teeth.
The 82-year-old has outlived everyone in his family, including six siblings and two wives. After serving six years in the Navy, he began a career at Hillman barge that ended when he retired as second shift general plant superintendent.
Some of Rioli’s Navy mementos, including his dress white honor guard uniform and pictures of his many medals, are on display at the Flatiron Building in Brownsville.