Lot 336

GOLD MEDAL GIVEN TO THE FAMILY OF A K.I.A. MERCHANT SAILOR

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GOLD MEDAL GIVEN TO THE FAMILY OF A K.I.A. MERCHANT SAILOR

Estimate: $2,000 - $3,000

Starting Bid: $1,000

(0 Bids)

by Alexander Historical Auctions LLC
July 30, 2026 10:00 AM EDT
Live Auction
106 East Main Street, Suite 103
Elkton, MD, US 21921

GOLD MEDAL GIVEN TO THE FAMILY OF A K.I.A. MERCHANT SAILOR
Excessively rare if not unique gold medal with original ribbon given to the family of merchant mariner Fred L. Donnelly, an oiler serving aboard the U.S.S. J. N. PEW, a Sun Oil tanker which was torpedoed five times and sunk by U-502 on Feb. 22, 1942 leaving only three men (none officers) as survivors. The 14K-stamped medal (weight approx. ) measures 1.5 in. in diameter. The obverse displays the doomed tanker underway in a side view above her name and Sun Oil's corporate logo. '1942' is shown at top. The reverse, partially engraved, reads: 'IN TRIBUTE TO FRED L. DONNELLY LOST AT SEA BY ENEMY ACTION FEB. 21, 1942 SUN OIL CO.' with hallmarks beneath. The medal is still strung with its original red moire ribbon. Very fine. At 0159 hours on 22 Feb 1942 the unescorted and unarmed J.N. Pew (Master Thomas Edelen Bush) was hit by one of two torpedoes fired by U-502 about 225 miles west of Aruba, while steaming completely blacked out on a zigzagging course at 11 knots. The torpedo struck on the port side between the main mast and the midships pump room. The explosion sprayed oil over the entire length and set the midships house afire. The burning tanker was sunk by four additional torpedoes immediately thereafter. The eight officers and 28 crewmen tried to abandon ship in the rough seas, but two of the four lifeboats and two floats were destroyed by the fire. One lifeboat cleared the ship with only two men in it and reached shore about 35 miles east of Riohacha, Colombia on 25 February. A second boat swamped when it hit the water and ten survivors managed to right the boat the next morning, but had to set sail without water, food and survival equipment. On 14 March, only one man was alive when the boat was found by a patrol aircraft. He was taken to the Coco Naval Base, where he was hospitalized for several weeks before he was able to be sent home. Less than five months later, U-502, with a record of 14 sinkings, would herself would be lost with all hands after being bombed by a Wellington. A heartbreaking relic.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000