Just a few days short of 61 years ago, the destroyer Truxtun and the supply ship Pollux, heading for Newfoundland were hit by a storm and ran aground, with the loss of both ships and approximately half of the 400 or so men on board. One of the songs written to commemorate the disaster was Loss Of The Truxtun And Pollux.
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Loss of the Truxtun and Pollux
As sung by Simani, (Bud Davidge and Sim Savory) on CD Outport People

There's many a tragic story in our annals oft retold
How sailors brave their strength they gave up to the savage foe
How many's the life was saved in war by a friendly outstretched hand
And in dire events how providence brought out the good in man

That's how it was that February, nineteen forty-two
When death in a raging blizzard from out the south'ard blew
And the victims when that awful dawn broke on Placentia Bay
Were the Truxtun and the Pollux bound for Argentia base

Bound for to help the Allied cause and Hitler's grip to free
The mighty hand of Uncle Sam was welcomed heartily
But now off course by thirty miles the two ships blindly drove
Upon the stark cold merciless Lawn Point and Chamber's Cove

As the great ships beat on the raging reefs with sailors numbed and shocked
And many who swam to grasp for life were dashed against the rocks
While the black oil bleeding from the tanks blotted the raging tide
And men in tearful agony cried out to God to die

When the people of Lawn and St. Lawrence got the message of despair
Their thoughts were of those helpless men and how their lives to spare
Those Newfoundland bred fisher-folk built of the sternest stuff
Made for that treacherous icy ledge to call disaster's bluff

How the mighty has fallen like the ancient poet said
This winter gale with its frost like hell claimed two hundred four men dead
By the meek that he chose to deliver those not yet meant to die
One-eighty odd by the grace of God were hauled from that grave alive

There's many a tragic story in our annals of yesterday
And the loss of the Truxtun and Pollux will forever in memory stay
For a monument to the living and dead in St. Lawrence proudly stands
To represent our providence, brings out the good in man

It represents our providence, brings out the good in man


An Internet search for Truxtun and Pollux will turn up a good number of sites with information about the wrecks.
Here's one

This site, from St. Lawrence Academy is a good one. Just look around and follow the links.for any number of good pictures and stories, including one of the monument mentioned in the last verse. Last year was the 60th anniversary of the sinking on February 18, 1942. To commemorate the event, the students at the school held an online chat with Mr. Lanier Phillips of Washington, one of the survivors of the Truxtun. There is also an RA and an MP3 of the song, sung by Bob Tarrant.

There is far too much to summarize here, but it is a story that some of you may want to explore