DOB/DOD: September 24, 1920 (Danbury, CT) – August 30, 1944; 23 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Unmarried
LOCAL ADDRESS: 51 South Street, Danbury
SERVICE NUMBER: Z-233336
FAMILY: Born to Wassill “William” B. (1883-1965) and Anna B. Zack Katrenick (1883-1960). Both were born in Poland. Three brothers, Joseph (1908-2001), William (1913-2001), and John T. (1927-1997). Two sisters, Anie (Anna) Katrenick Tita (1906-1978), and Helen Katrenick Timan (1918-2011).
CIRCUMSTANCES: At 1555 hours on August 30, 1944, U-482 fired two torpedoes at a group of five ships from convoy CU-36 about 50 miles north of Londonderry and hit the last ship of the single column, the S.S. Jacksonville (Master Edgar Winter), after 3 minutes 32 seconds. This group had split from the port side of the convoy to proceed to Loch Ewe and was attacked just after completing the turn. The torpedo struck on the starboard side at the #7 tank, igniting the cargo. Flames covered the ship from stem to stern and leapt 300 feet in the air in a matter of seconds. The second torpedo struck the same tanker after 4 minutes and 5 seconds and broke her in two. The complement of nine officers, 40 crewmen, and 31 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in, one 3in, and eight 20mm guns) had no chance to launch any of the lifeboats or rafts. A few men jumped overboard with life preservers, but most died in the sea of flames around the ship. One armed guard and a fireman survived and were picked up by the USS Poole (DE 151) after they spent 90 minutes in the water. Both sections of the tanker remained afloat. The after section was sunk by the escort vessels with depth charges and gunfire. The forward section sank 15 hours later.
The fate of U-482
Sunk on 25 November 1944 in the North Atlantic west of the Shetland Islands, in position 60.18N, 04.52W, by depth charges from the British frigate HMS Ascension, after being located by a Norwegian Sunderland aircraft (330 Sqn RAF/G) on November 24, 1944. 48 dead (all hands lost). (Axel Niestlé, April 2005).