The Schooner Lillian E. Kerr On the cold, dark morning of November 13, 1942, the Canadian schooner Lillian E. Kerr met her tragic end in the Atlantic Ocean, a victim not of enemy fire, but of a fatal collision in wartime confusion. With a crew of seven the Lillian E. Kerr was enroute from New Haven to Halifax, Nova Scotia with a cargo of coal. Built in Pocomoke City, Maryland, in 1920, the Lillian E. Kerr was a 425-ton wooden schooner, originally purposed for fishing and later adapted for merchant service. She was owned by Captain James L. Publicover of Dublin Shore, Nova Scotia. The Lillian E. Kerr was sailing off the coast of Massachusetts when she collided with the Alcoa Pilot, a vessel in a convoy that had departed Halifax, Nova Scotia. The crew of the schooner, sensing danger, lit their running lights and fired flares into the night sky. Despite these warnings, the Alcoa Pilot maintained course and speed. At approximately 12:15 a.m., it struck the schooner, which sank within two minutes. Of the seven men aboard the Lillian E. Kerr, only one, John Richards, was briefly rescued by the cable ship Cyrus Field, which had been part of the same convoy. The survivor, pulled from the frigid waters, managed to utter that there had been seven aboard before slipping into unconsciousness and passing away shortly after. Though the Lillian E. Kerr was not lost to enemy action, her sinking underscores the perils of wartime navigation. The Crew Manifest: October 21, 1942, the voyage from Bridgewater to New Haven listed the following crew members with years of experience at sea and their position in the ship’s company. Aubrey Adams was the son of James Arthur Adams (1886-1971) and Gertrude Margaret (Smith) Adams (1883-1952. He was born on February 10, 1921, one of eight children. Aubrey joined the Lillian Kerr at Bridgewater on October 27, 1940, as a Seaman. At that time, he was 19 years old and had two years of service at sea. In November 1942, Aubrey was 21 and had been serving at sea for five years. His body was never recovered. His name is not listed on the Halifax Memorial or the Canadian Virtual War Memorial. David Langille was the son of David Waldo Langille (1890-1926) and Rosella May (Cross) Langille of Tancook Island, Lunenburg Co., Nova Scotia. Following the death of his father the family lived with his maternal grandparents. David was born on January 19, 1923, in Tancook Island. David joined the Lillian Kerr as a Seaman on October 13, 1942, in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. The ship sailed from Bridgewater to New Haven, Connecticut on October 21, 1942, and this was David’s first voyage at sea. On November 13, 1942, the ship was on the return voyage from New Haven to Halifax with a cargo of coal, when it was lost. His body was never recovered. His name is not listed on the Halifax Memorial or the Canadian Virtual War Memorial. Wilfred Langille was the son of Ervin James Langille (1895-1979) and Lola Mae (Stevens) Langille of Tancook Island, Lunenburg Co., Nova Scotia. Wilfred was born on November 12, 1920. Wilfred had been serving at sea for five years. The day before the Lillian E.Kerr was lost, was Wilfred’s 21st birthday. He was serving as a Seaman on the ship. His body was never recovered. His name is not listed on the Halifax Memorial or the Canadian Virtual War Memorial. Robert LeGag was the oldest member of the crew with 27 years of experience at sea. He was serving as 1st Mate of the Lillian E. Kerr. His name is not listed on the Halifax Memorial or the Canadian Virtual War Memorial. Fletcher John Oxner was the son of James Donald Oxner (1865-1917) and Janet (Romkey) Oxner (1873-1928) and the husband of Myrtle Irene (Himmelman) Oxner (1908-1997). Fletcher was born on August 21, 1906, in Dublin Shore, Lunenburg Co., Nova Scotia. At age 35, he had 25 years experience at sea and had served as the cook aboard the Lillian E. Kerr. His name is not listed on the Halifax Memorial or the Canadian Virtual War Memorial. His name is listed on a family stone in Brookside Cemetery, West Dublin, Lunenburg Co., NS William James Solomon Publicover was born on October 6, 1907, in West Dublin, Lunenburg Co., the son of James Leander Publicover (1877-1960) and Eledith Elfreda (Bell) Publicover (1881-1967). William had 20 years of service at sea and was the Master of the Lillian E. Kerr on November 13, 1942. He was the son of the ship’s owner. His name is not listed on the Halifax Memorial or the Canadian Virtual War Memorial. His name is listed on the family monument in the Knox Presbyterian Cemetery, Dublin Shore, Lunenburg Co., NS. John Parker Richards was born on December 23, 1906, the son of James Sylvanus Richards (1869- 1913) and Selena (Schmeiser) Richards (1874-1949) of Dublin Shore, Lunenburg Co., NS. He was the husband of Virginia Annie Vandella (Publicover) Richards (1911-1999). John was the son-in-law of the ship’s owner, James Leander Publicover, and brother-in law of William James Soloman Publicover, the ship’s Master. At the time of his death, John Richards had over 20 years experience at sea and was serving as 2nd Mate on the Lillian E Kerr. John Richards is listed in the Canadian Virtual War Memorial as 2nd Mate (Canadian Merchant Navy) as a casualty of the Cyrus Field (USA); however, he was a crew member of the Lillian E. Kerr. He died on the Cyrus Field after being pulled from the sea after the crash. His name is not listed on the Halifax Memorial. His name is listed on the family monument in the Knox Presbyterian Cemetery, Dublin Shore, Lunenburg Co., NS. Five years after the loss of the schooner an Admiralty court in New York heard the case. The evidence showed that the Alcoa Pilot, one of the lead ships in the convoy, had overtaken the Lillian E. Kerr and ran her down without taking proper evasive action. The ship was also charged with failing to stop to pick up survivors. The Alcoa Pilot was held at fault for the accident. The decision was upheld on appeal and damages awarded to Publicover.

Sources: Earlier History of the Lillian E. Kerr www.wrecksite Nova Scotia Archives - Birth and Marriage Records Crew Manifests Canadian Census Records findagrave