'USS Wakefield' under tow, Boston, 1942
Item 67326 info
National Archives at Boston
In September 1942, the USS Wakefield (AP-21) caught fire south of Nova Scotia while in convoy from the United Kingdom to New York. More than 1,400 people were aboard.
Passengers and non-essential crew were evacuated, but the fire proved to be difficult to control.
Commander Harold J. Burke, a veteran of the New York City Fire Department marine unit, flew to the ship with Rockwood WaterFog nozzles, invented in early 1942, which made it easier to extinguish oil fires using seawater. The effort was successful.
Burke was instrumental in developing new technology and techniques of shipboard firefighting and insuring that they were rapidly and effectively delivered to the fleet.
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