DOB/DOD: September 22, 1882 (Stony Brook, NY) – February 3, 1943; 60 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Married Sarah E. Mitchell [born in England] (1886-1978) on July 15, 1909, in Bridgeport, CT
CHILDREN: Two daughters, Frances L. Rayner Johnson (1910-2000) and Ann G. (1918-1966). Two sons, Gilbert L. (1914-1992) and Kenneth E. (1923-2011).
LOCAL ADDRESS: New Canaan
SERVICE NUMBER: Z-008507
FAMILY: Born to Clarence H. (1856-1919) and Arabella F. Hubbell Rayner (1855-1914). Two brothers, Archie H. (1888-1972) and Norman C. (1893-1971).
CIRCUMSTANCES: At 0452 hours on 3 February 1943, U-223 fired five single torpedoes at the three ships in convoy SG-19 about 150 miles west of Cape Farewell. One of the first torpedoes hit the Dorchester, and the other torpedoes missed her and the Norwegian steam merchants Biscaya and Lutz.
The Dorchester (Master Hans Jorgen Danielsen) was struck on the starboard side in the machinery spaces. The explosion stopped the engines, and the vessel swung to starboard, losing way. Six blasts from the whistle indicated to the rest of the convoy that the Dorchester was hit. Her complement of seven officers, 123 crewmen, 23 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, one 3in, and four 20mm guns), and 751 troops and civilian passengers began to abandon ship three minutes after the hit. Three of the 14 lifeboats had been damaged by the explosion, the crew managed only to launch two more overcrowded boats, and 33 men left with rafts, but many men evidently did not realize the seriousness of the situation, stayed aboard, and went down with the ship, which sank 30 minutes later. USCGC Escanaba (WPG 77) and USCGC Comanche (WPG 76) began rescuing survivors within minutes. Rescue swimmers in rubber suits from USS Escanaba jumped into the icy water with lines tied about them to pull incapacitated men out of the water. She picked up 81 survivors from the water and rafts and 51 from one lifeboat. USS Comanche picked up 41 survivors from another lifeboat and 56 from rafts and the water. Hundreds of floating bodies or wreckage frozen were checked for signs of life. The survivors were landed at Narsarssuak later the same day. 675 lives were lost: the master, three officers, 98 crewmen, 15 armed guards, and 558 troops and passengers. The following were saved: three officers, 25 crewmen, 44 civilian workers, three Danish citizens, twelve armed guards, seven US Coast Guard personnel, and 135 US Army personnel.
The fate of U-223
Sunk on March 30, 1944, in the Mediterranean Sea north-east of Palermo, in position 38.48N, 14.10E, by depth charges from the British destroyers HMS Laforey and HMS Tumult and the British escort destroyers HMS Hambledon and HMS Blencathra. 23 dead and 27 survivors. [uboat.net]
From The Norwalk Hour on February 25, 1943
DARIEN MAN REPORTED LOST
Commander Louis Rayner, 69, Was With Coast Guard; Previously Saved In Torpedoing
Commander Louis Eugene Rayner, 59, U. S. Coast Guard, a resident of Hoyt Street, Darien, for the past two years, is “presumed lost” as the result of naval action, according to a telegram received yesterday by his wife, Mrs. Sarah Ellen Rayner. The telegram was sent by Vice Admiral R. R. Waesche, commander of the U. S. Coast Guard, Washington, D.C.
The telegram said in part:
“The Navy deeply regrets to inform you that your husband, Louis Eugene Rayner, is missing and presumed lost following action in the performance of his duties in the service of his country. The Coast Guard appreciates your great anxiety and will furnish you further information promptly when received.”
Commander Rayner, who was the chief officer of his ship, left on January 19th on an overseas trip. He was formerly captain of a ship in the Merchant Marines. On August 27, 1942, his vessel, carrying 692 passengers, was torpedoed and sunk in the North Atlantic. But only 12 persons were lost. Captain Rayner was in the water for five hours before he was picked up by a patrol boat and taken to a Nova Scotia port. He had been a member of the Merchant Marines for
40 years. Last fall, he was commissioned as a commander in the U.S. Coast Guard.
Commander and Mrs. Rayner resided in Stamford for a number of years, but moved to Darien two years ago. There are four children, Mrs. Harry Johnson, Weston; Gilbert Louis Rayner,
Old Stamford Road, New Canaan; Corporal Kenneth Eugene Rayner, who is serving in the armed forces overseas, and Miss Ann Goddard Rayner, who lives with her mother.