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Wartime Heritage
ASSOCIATION
Remembering World War II
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Percy Campbell Forsythe
Percy Campbell Forsythe (Forsyth)
Messman
US Merchant Navy
SS City of Atlanta
Mariners’s Medal
Gallant Ship Citation Bar
Merchant Marine Combat Bar
Atlantic War Zone Merchant Navy Bar
June 10, 1879
Yarmouth, NS
Seaman/Cook
5 feet, 6 inches
Black
Black
Dark Brown
Samuel James Forsythe, Jacksonville, Florida (WWII)
January 19, 1942
63
United States Navy Memorial
Percy Forsythe (Forsyth) was an African Canadian born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. In 1898 he
immigrated to the United States arriving in Boston. Mass., in May on the SS Boston from Yarmouth, NS.
He resided in New York and on September 27, 1915 he married Lulu Bell Bachelor, born in Savannah,
Georgia in 1893) In 1917 at the age of 38, he registered, as was required, for the United States Draft in
the First World War. At that time he was living at 323 West 37 Street, New York and employed as a
Pantryman with Ocean Steamship Company of Savannah, Pier 35 in New York.
A daughter, Mildred, was born on December 8, 1924 in New York. In the years between WWI and
WWII he was employed on various ships, including the SS Cristobal (1923) sailing between New York and
Port au Prince, Haiti, and the Gypsum Prince (1931) from the Port of Windsor, Nova Scotia and New York.
In 1927 the family lived at 2496 Eight Ave., New York.
In 1941, Percy was a resident of Savannah, Georgia and living at 561 Indian St, Savannah. A Record
of Intention dated July 19, 1941 (US Immigration and Naturalization Service) lists his occupation as Cook
and marital status as a widower. His daughter, Mildred was also living in Savannah, Georgia.
The SS City of Atlanta was owned by the Ocean Steamship Company of Savannah. In 1941, Percy
Forsythe served as a Messman on the ship.
In January 1942, the SS City of Atlanta departed New York heading to Savannah carrying almost
3,000 tons of cargo, mostly food, and a few passengers.
On January 19, 1942 the SS City of
Atlanta was hit by a torpedo from U-123 about
twelve miles south of the Wimble Shoals Buoy
and about eight or ten miles off the coast of
North Carolina. The City of Atlanta was
unescorted and unarmed. The ship sank
within ten minutes with the loss of forty-four
crew members, including Messman, Percy
Forsythe. Only three of the crew survived the
sinking.
The sinking of City of Atlanta resulted in
the largest loss of life among the ships
torpedoed off North Carolina's coast during WWII.
Percy Campbell Forsythe is listed on the United States Navy Memorial, Washington, US