Jack Fitzgerald of St. John's has published numerous stories — mostly pieces of unsubstantiated information he gleaned from newspapers and other sources — about various events that were alleged to have taken place in Newfoundland. Pertaining to Argentia, his stories were the misconceptions and fabrications he had garnered from the same unreliable sources that had been spreading the same folklore tales in the Argentia region for several decades. Unwittingly, or otherwise, Fitzgerald has become one of the propagators who have spread fraudulent information about Argentia's history.

In his book, Untold Stories of Newfoundland, which was published by Creative Publishers in 2004, Fitzgerald wrote five stories pertaining to Argentia. They were: “Argentia Threatened,” “Spies and Executions at Argentia,” “Nazi Graves,” “Lighthouse Keeper Gets US Medal,” and “Cabbie Shot.” While most such stories are based on some semblance of truth, Fitzgerald's were not. The information in the fifth story was based on an actual incident, but it was far removed from what actually took place. Everything else was a collection of misconceptions and fabrications that his sources provided for their own self-serving needs.

Argentia Threatened

The Americans kept secret until after the War had ended that a German U-boat had boldly entered the harbour at Argentia and remained a threat to the base for more than three hours. The German sub entered Argentia by going beneath the protective net across the harbour. Its presence was quickly detected by the Americans. However they chose not to attack the sub while it was in the harbour for fear of damaging their own shipping. Meanwhile the German Captain, after observing the military presence in Argentia, chose not to attack. He felt that if he attacked he could not successfully escape the harbour. The Americans allowed him to leave, but once the sub was clear of the harbour, USN Cutters opened fire and sent the sub to the bottom of the Atlantic. There were no survivors.

Spies and Executions at Argentia

There were many wartime anecdotes that surfaced during and after WWII. Many have been confirmed by researchers over the years and many more are awaiting some historian's attention. One such story began during WWII at Argentia when several unmarked burial places were found by civilians. The matter was reported to authorities but no official response was given. Residents believed that the graves contained the remains of two wartime spies; one a civilian and the other a soldier, who were caught stealing war secrets from the Argentia Navy Base. A rumour circulating at the time, and which was reported in the press after the war, was that the two men were tried, found guilty and executed before a firing squad. Some people claimed they even heard the shots of the firing squad when the men were executed. The story was mentioned in a Sunday Herald feature article in 1946.

Nazi Graves

In St. John's during and after WWII, there were frequent stories of enemy agents being captured and shot by the American Forces in Newfoundland. One story which received some prominence after the war told of four German Naval Officers being given a burial with full military honours at the Argentia Naval Base. According to this WWII anecdote, at the height of the Battle of the Atlantic, one of Germany's U-Boats was sunk. Four of its officers were badly wounded and captured by the Americans. They were taken to the Naval Hospital at Argentia but failed to recover from their injuries. The dead officers were treated with dignity by the Americans. Their remains were taken to an area of the base and given a proper military burial.

Lighthouse Keeper Gets US Medal

An amazing untold story from WWII involves an incident that took place at Cape Race in which the alert Lighthouse Keeper was visited by top US Naval Officers from Argentia. Gerry Myrick, the Lighthouse Keeper at the time, was looking out to sea when he noticed what he believed to be a submarine periscope penetrating the water off the shore not too far from the Cape Race Lighthouse.

While he watched his suspicion was confirmed as a submarine emerged from beneath the surface. Myrick was expecting to see an allied submarine, but once above water with the crew coming on deck he was shocked when he realized this was a German submarine. He reported his sighting by radio to the US Naval Station at Argentia.

In a relatively short time several US planes circled Cape Race and then launched a bombing attack on the enemy submarine. The Germans went below deck and tried to escape.. [sic] Myrick watched the bombing and witnessed the submarine being hit and then sinking below the water. The planes remained to circle the area for a while after the attack to see if there would be any survivors. However, there were none. The planes then returned to base.

A month or so later, Myrick heard the sound of motorengines [sic] coming down the unpaved pot-holed road near the Lighthouse. He was once again startled when several USN jeeps stopped and some high-ranking officers and men got out and approached him. After they had satisfied themselves that Myrick was the man who had reported the sighting of the German sub of Cape Race they presented him with a medal and a Certificate signed by the Secretary of the USN expressing appreciation for Myrick's alertness. The incident was never revealed to the public and the story survived through the Myrick family and in USN records at the Congressional Library in Washington D.C.

Over the years the medal was lost but the certificate is today in the possession of Myrick's son David.

4 — DANGEROUS TIMES

Cabbie Shot!

Even after the War ended security was tight on American bases in Newfoundland and Labrador . In 1946 a St. John's taxi driver was bringing several men to the Argentia Base and made the mistake of passing the US Navy Guard House without stopping to obtain clearance. The civilian got thirty yards before the Guard rushed from the Guard House and began firing his revolver at the taxi. One bullet entered the back of the cab and miraculously all inside escaped injury. The driver was interviewed by an officer and then allowed to continue his drive. The next day he showed reporters in St. John's the bullet hole in his cab.

The Americans were not the only ones to fire upon trespassers. A few years before the above incident, Canadian soldiers guarding the Newfoundland Dockyard fired and hit a civilian. The incident took place on November 3, 1942. An armed sentry ordered a man, acting suspiciously in the area, to leave immediately. The civilian boldly ignored the orders. After giving several orders to leave, the Sentry raised his rifle, took aim and fired. The bullet struck the man in the shoulder and he fell to the ground. An ambulance took the victim to the old General Hospital on Forest Road where he was treated and released within days. An investigation into the incident determined that the suspected enemy agent was actually a visiting foreign seaman who did not speak English. During the War, enemy agents were not always Germans as the following story illustrates.

On page 85 of Strange But True Newfoundland Stories, which was published by Creative Publishers of St. John's in 1989, Jack Fitzgerald included the following story pertaining to Argentia:

Top Secret — Early one morning in 1942 the military in St. John's were convinced that an invasion of Newfoundland by the German Navy had started. An alarm was raised and all military personnel were placed on alert. The reaction was sparked by the sound of gunfire and explosions, and by fire visible in the skies near Cuckhold's Cove just east of St. John's Harbour

While the military in the city scrambled to prepare for the attack, they received an urgent call from the Commander of U.S. Forces at Argentia. He told them there was no need to be concerned. The Commander stated that a top-secret weapon had been developed at Argentia and was at that very moment being tested near Cuckhold's Cove.

When the local media questioned the military the following day about sounding of the alarm, they were told the alarm had been set off accidentally by a short circuit. That answer failed to satisfy residents in the area, who told of being awakened by terrifying explosions and seeing the sky lit up by bursts of flame. The military explained this away by claiming it was something caused by an electrical storm.

Following the war many top-secret documents were made public and among them were those that concerned the incident at Cuckhold's Cove. It seems that in 1942 the U.S. was well-aware that an invasion of Europe was inevitable. Their scientists had developed a weapon which later helped to defeat Germany, and they were looking for a suitable place to test it.

Keeping in mind the lesson of Dieppe and the knowledge of intended landings, they were seeking some method by which troops could gain a foothold on a beach head without experiencing heavy casualties. In response to the dilemma the Americans came up with the famous rocket-firing landing-craft, which at the time was regarded as one of the most effective weapons in warfare. The Americans selected the rough and sometimes stormy coastline near Cuckhold's Cove as the place to test this top-secret weapon.

The weapon was towed to Argentia, where Newfoundland workmen under the supervision of U.S. military technicians assembled it. To test the unknown qualities of the rocket-firing landing-craft, it was decided to sail direct from Argentia to the rendezvous point, which was set at about one mile off the coast of Cuckhold's Cove. For tactical and security reasons, the trial run was scheduled for early morning, with stormy weather approximating battle conditions.

The experiment was a success and the new weapon approved. It proved its usefulness in the D-Day landings at Normandy Beach.

Repudiation of “Argentia Threatened”

Fitzgerald's story, “Argentia Threatened,” is a fabricated description of generalities that had no plausible details, was not based on any actual event, and was an insult to readers with even a grain of common sense. Furthermore, the U.S. Navy did not release it, as Fitzgerald claimed. Certain questions of logic loom large after reading Fitzgerald's scenario.

First, if the submarine was sunk and everyone was killed, how did he, or his source of information, know what the German captain was thinking or why he decided not to attack? If the Germans went to all the trouble to reach Argentia and were successful, they were not about to turn around and sail away without doing anything. Traveling close to enemy territory was an inherent danger that all German submariners accepted as part of their duty to the Fatherland. Launching an attack on the Americans from within their own harbour would have been a tremendous achievement for the German Navy.

Also, the “protective net” was an anti-torpedo/submarine net, which meant that it was hung from the surface to the ocean floor on a buoy system to prevent submarines from passing beyond it. Actually, the anti submarine-torpedo net system that protected Argentia inner harbour was composed of two nets of circular mesh running parallel to each other. To state in writing that a submarine “entered Argentia by going beneath the protective net” was one of the most ridiculous and ill-informed claims that any writer could possibly publish. For a submarine to enter Argentia inner harbour, it would have had to have the fictional capability of being able to bore its way through the ocean floor.

Second, it is incredulous that an alleged researcher and writer such as Jack Fitzgerald could believe that the U.S. Navy would stand idly by and watch a German submarine navigate its way around Argentia inner harbour for more than three hours without taking any action. What could he have been thinking when he wrote that sentence! If there had been a submarine in the inner harbour, U.S. Navy officials would certainly not have taken the risk of doing nothing. They had no way of knowing what the Germans would do, and they did not know if the Germans would actually leave. Those alleged Germans could very well have been on a suicide mission.

Third, Argentia harbour was huge, spanning from the eastern shoreline all the way to Fox Harbour. A submarine exploding under water would have caused no damage, other than a surge of seawater toward the shoreline. Thus, the Americans had no reason for not attacking the alleged submarine. The people who perpetuated that story did not know about an inner harbour, an outer harbour, and a territorial harbour. When the Americans made reference to any area of water to which they had territorial rights, they did not differentiate among the three in their written records; they called it all “Argentia harbour.”

According to the map Vessels Lost By Enemy Action Between Greenland and New York From 1939 to 1945 — compiled by Captain Joseph Prim and supported by American, British, and German archival documents — there were five German submarines sunk off the coast of Newfoundland. Only one, the sinking of U-656, was anywhere close to shore, and that occurred almost thirty miles off Cape Race. Refer to Repudiation of Lighthouse Keeper Gets US Medal further along in this section for details of that U-boat sinking.

Repudiation of “Spies and Executions at Argentia”

Without going into any great detail for this entry, and according to all U.S. Military, British, and German archival records, it is suffice to state:

•  There was no such event as “several unmarked burial places” being “found by civilians.”

•  There was no such event as “a civilian and the other a soldier” being “caught stealing war secrets from the Argentia Navy Base.”

•  There was no such event as “two men were tried, found guilty and executed before a firing squad.”

•  If, as Fitzgerald claimed, the “story was mentioned in a Sunday Herald feature article in 1946,” why was he not specific and include the exact date of the issue? It would have made his list of misinformation appear a little more credible. Also, a lot of after-the-fact articles printed in the Sunday Herald were simply not true. Some of the stories pertaining to U.S. military operations were provided by American officials as a means of misdirection. Such stories were the kind of attention getters the publisher used to sell that particular paper.

Repudiation of “Nazi Graves ”

Again — and according to all American, British, Canadian, and German archival records and photographs — there was no such events as four German naval officers dying at Argentia or “four German Naval Officers being given a burial with full military honours at the Argentia Naval Base.” The Germans were the enemy and the act of fabricating such a story was ludicrous and insulting the intelligence of historians and readers in general.

Repudiation of “Lighthouse Keeper Gets US Medal”

It is a well known fact that a paranoid kind of mania was widespread throughout Newfoundland during World War II. Every stranger was a spy and every unusual event was the result of espionage. A lot of time, energy, and finances were wasted with such paranoia because every report had to be investigated … just in case one might have some merit to it.

While there were a large number of reports to police about strangers and suspicious activity, there were many more about submarine sightings. Whether deliberately, or because of over-active imaginations, most people saw submarines whenever they looked out toward the sea. Whales breaking the surface and indiscernible whitecaps in the distance became submarines! According to U.S. Navy officials and Newfoundland Constabulary officers who were stationed at Argentia during the war years, “It got to the point where a person was nobody unless they [sic] had seen a submarine.”

That was the case with the claim of Jeremiah (Gerry) Myrick, the lighthouse keeper at Cape Race in 1942. Since Fitzgerald thought the story was worth writing, why did he not include the most important information, the exact date and location of the alleged event?

The only German submarine to be sunk anywhere close to Cape Race was U-656. Actually, it was the first enemy submarine sunk by American forces in World War II, and the event, which took place on Sunday, March 1, 1942, was well documented by officials at Argentia.

As U-656 broke the surface in an area 29.6 miles off Cape Race — at coordinates 46° 15' N by 53° 15' W, to be more precise — it was detected by Ensign William Tepuni, USNR. Piloting a Lockheed Hudson bomber, Tepuni was returning to Argentia after a routine reconnaissance mission off the east and southeast coasts of Newfoundland. He was a member of Squadron VP-82, which was stationed at the U.S. Naval Air Station division of U.S. Naval Operating Base, Argentia.

There were four German U-boats sunk off the coast of Newfoundland between 1942 and 1944. Refer to section Misconceptions and Fabrications of Bob Noseworthy for details pertaining to the sinking of those submarines.

Thus, all the information in “Lighthouse Keeper Gets US Medal” is false. Chronologically and logically, there was no way Myrick could have seen U-656 because it was almost thirty miles off Cape Race. Since Tepuni's bomber was the only aircraft involved in the sinking of U-656, Myrick's claim of seeing seven bombers sinking a submarine was an outright falsehood. The claim that Myrick notified the U.S. Navy at Argentia and was given a medal for his efforts is also a fabrication. For the record, no Newfoundlander was ever given any kind of a medal by the U.S. Navy during or after World War II. Also, the U.S. Navy would not give a medal or letter of commendation for something that did not happen.

If any such record were to exist, as claimed by Fitzgerald, it would be found at the National Archives & Records Administration (NARA) in Washington, D.C., not “the Congressional Library.”

It was easy to make such a claim when nothing can be produced as proof. The usual convenient excuse in such claims is that the alleged item was lost. As for the document in the possession of Myrick's son, why did he not produce it so that Fitzgerald could enhance and authenticate his story by printing a copy? That is what historians and proud owners of such historical artifacts would have done! Refer to section Misconceptions and Fabrications Propagated by Kevin Carroll and Tom Rossiter for details about a similar claim where an alleged document was also conveniently lost.

It is bewildering why some people make such false claims in interviews with writers and media personnel when there is so much official documentation available that pertains to the events they describe. Obviously, they do not consider the consequences of their fabrications, or the fact that there are researchers who will take the time to prove or refute their stories!

“Shooting from the hip” is a classic cliché that has its etymology in the American Old West. Once meaning “You can't hit anything while shooting a revolver from the hip,” the phrase is now taken to mean “speaking without thinking.” Politicians and celebrities usually fall into the trap of shooting from the hip whenever a microphone or television camera is put in front of their faces and they are asked for an opinion on a particular topic. The same phenomenon occurs when ordinary people suddenly find themselves in the limelight and are asked for information on any given subject.

The source of Jack Fitzgerald's story is an example of just shooting from the hip in the presence of a writer looking for information … without any thought about the consequences it would eventually have on certain readers.

Explanation of “Cabbie Shot!”

That story is an example of someone hearing bits and pieces of information pertaining to an actual incident and then proceeding to write a story without having any specific details to substantiate the claim. Had Fitzgerald conducted the proper research, his story would have been a lot more interesting than the one he published.

The U.S. Marines at Argentia enjoyed being in a position of dominance, especially when they had weapons in their hands. Whether a person was unknowingly near a restricted area or a few miles over the speed limit, they were usually approached by the U.S. Marines in the same intimidating manner … with rifles or side arms “front and center,” and ready for firing. It took very little to make some U.S. Marines on guard duty at the Main Gate draw their weapons and actually use them. The first of two such incidents at the Main Gate occurred on Tuesday, May 21, 1946, when a sentry shot at a taxi from St. John's.

At approximately 3:00 p.m., a unit from the Newfoundland Hotel Taxi stand left St. John's for Argentia. The passengers were five replacement crewmembers for the coastal passenger-and-freight vessel SS Glencoe, which was tied up to the Newfoundland Railway and coastal boat wharf. They were scheduled to be aboard their ship by 5:00 p.m. as it was scheduled to sail at 8:00 p.m. Since the train to Argentia operated on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, the men hired a taxi to reach their destination on time. In order to get to the railway and coastal boat terminal, the taxi had to pass through the Main Gate at the south end of Fort McAndrew U.S. Army Base.

Whether he was unfamiliar with entering American territory or was acting inappropriately, the taxi driver drove by the Main Gate without stopping. Since the sentries were usually inside the gatehouse until a vehicle approached, perhaps the driver did not see anyone. Regardless of the reason, when the taxi drove past the checkpoint, a U.S. Marine ran out of the gatehouse, drew his sidearm, and fired two shots at the taxi. The first shot, which was meant for a tire, entered the left side of the trunk and exited through the right rear fender. The second shot found its mark and ruptured the left rear tire. Luckily, nobody was injured! The taxi had traveled no more than fifty yards when it was brought to an abrupt stop. The driver and passengers were detained and questioned for about an hour before being released with stern warnings about protocol that was required when entering American territory.

The names of the driver and his passengers were not recorded. They were referred to only as “a Newfy taxi man and his passengers” in the sentry's report on the incident.

That event instigated several rumors. According to one version of the event, “several bullets whizzed by the heads of the men in the car as they went in through the back window and out through the windshield.” Another story had the taxi “shot to pieces, amazingly not hitting anyone in the car.” A third account related how the “U.S. Marines caught a carload of spies trying to run the gate.” While those rumors were somewhat embellished, the actual incident could have been more serious than it was.

Clarification of “Top Secret”

As in the story “Cabbie Shot,” Fitzgerald heard bits and pieces about an event that had allegedly happened near St. John's almost a half-century earlier and then proceeded to write a story without knowing the facts. Starting off by writing “Early one morning in 1942” was equivalent to an author of children's book starting off with “Once upon a time.”

The statements, "While the military in the city scrambled to prepare for the attack, they received an urgent call from the Commander of U.S. Forces at Argentia. He told them there was no need to be concerned. The Commander stated that a top-secret weapon had been developed at Argentia and was at that very moment being tested near Cuckhold's Cove,” demonstrated a complete lack of logic.

If the event was “Top Secret” how did he know about an “urgent call” or what the “Commander” told the military in St. John's? Anyone who is familiar with the U.S. military, especially the U.S. Navy, can attest to the fact that if a “Top Secret” operation is being carried out, then the commanding officer certainly would not tell anyone about it, not even Allied forces. As for using the broad phrase “Commander of U.S. Forces at Argentia,” why did he not use the person's name?

In 1942, Captain Gail Morgan, USN was the commanding officer at U.S. Naval Operating Base, Argentia. He did not make such a call to the British or Canadian forces at St. John's because it was not necessary. The reason will become clear farther along in this article.

If Fitzgerald thought the story was worth writing, why did he not take the time to conduct adequate research to at least obtain a proper time frame! His explanation of certain events left a lot to be desired. In reality, his vague and lackluster story was based on a real event that was part of normal operating procedures adhered to during wartime conditions. The real event was a lot more interesting than the appalling one he published. Also, readers should be aware of certain historical background information before a knowledgeable explanation is given to Fitzgerald's “Top Secret.”

Andrew Jackson Higgins, an Irish-American, was the owner of a boat-building facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. He designed and built assault craft so quickly that he was awarded the largest shipbuilding contract in history. During World War II, Higgins Industries constructed 20,094 vessels. Higgins built the 36-foot landing craft, vehicle, personnel (LCVP), the super-fast patrol-torpedo (PT) boats, and the rocket-firing landing craft support boats for the U.S. Navy.

Before the U.S. Navy commissioned vessels for action, each one had to undergo test runs, or “shakedown cruises, as they were better known. Regardless if they were PT boats or aircraft carriers, they were all tested and crews oriented to operational procedures. Those shakedown cruises took place in various regions … off the east coast of the United States and out of certain American overseas bases. Many shakedown cruises were conducted out of U.S. Naval Operating Base, Argentia. The same thing applied to newly developed weapons.

There was a ground troop training center at Forth McAndrew U.S. Army Base in Argentia and many U.S. Army and U.S. Navy personnel trained or refreshed there before being sent across the Atlantic Ocean. Captain Gail Morgan once told a historical interviewer that as a result of Argentia's strategic position, “U.S. military vessels, weapons, and personnel were put through their paces before being put into action.”

A number of Landing Craft Infantry (LCI) ships, which carried only troops, were converted to rocket assault vessels. The 20-mm gun originally mounted on the forecastle was replaced with a single 40-mm gun, and landing ramps were removed and replaced with 10 banks of 5-inch rockets … 36 rockets in each bank.

After Higgins Industries delivered the rocket assault vessels — also known as rocket-firing landing craft support boats — to the U.S Navy, some of those vessels were assessed under the direction of the commanding officer for the U.S. Navy at Argentia. Shakedown cruises were conducted in various areas of Placentia Bay.

When the Americans included British and Canadian forces in their preparedness exercises, such operations were conducted off the coast of St. John's, where both forces were based. The British Royal Navy and Canadian Navy officials in St. John's provided escort ships as required for the North Atlantic convoy system, which was under the control of Admiral Arthur L. Bristol at Argentia.

Fitzgerald stated that “the experiment was a success” and gave the impression that rocket assault vessels were first used during the D-Day landings at Normandy Beach. Those vessels and their vicious weapons were first used at 3:30 a.m. on Thursday, September 9, 1943, when men of the 36th Division of the U.S. Infantry started landing on the beaches of Salerno, Italy. That was nine months before D-Day, which was Tuesday, June 6, 1944.

Fitzgerald's “one morning in 1942” was actually Monday, April 5, 1943. The U.S. Navy was demonstrating an LCI that had been converted to a rocket assault vessel to the British and Canadian forces that were stationed in St. John's. It did not take place “near Cuckhold's Cove” but three miles off shore. Captain Morgan did not have to make “an urgent call” to St. John's because vessels from the British and Canadian forces were on-site observers as the Americans demonstrated the release of all 10 banks of rockets — 360 rockets in total — at the same time.

What the people in Quidi Vidi Village heard was the sound of those rapid-fire mechanisms echoing back toward the hills near Cuckhold's Cove as the rockets were released out over the ocean. The fire and smoke associated with the multiple rocket blast could be seen by anyone who happened to be in the line of vision. The scene must have been a spectacular one for those who had the opportunity to witness it.

Landing Craft LCI(R)-74 displaying its rocket firing capability. This is the only photo known to exist that shows a rocket-firing landing craft in operation. From the archives of former U.S. Naval Station, Argentia.

While the purpose of this website is to correct the much misinformation that is circulating about Argentia, we will not avoid giving credit where credit is due. Regarding the Atlantic Meeting of August 1941, Jack Fitzgerald got at least one very important historical fact correct. In the 3,229 sources containing information about Argentia — books, magazines, newspaper stories, television and radio news articles, and websites — that we assessed, Fitzgerald was one of only two — Robert (Bob) Joergensen being the other one — who did not erroneously write that the Atlantic Charter had been “signed.”

On page 81 of Strange But True Newfoundland Stories, he wrote, “On Saturday, August 9, 1941, the Atlantic Charter was agreed upon between President F. D. Roosevelt of the United States and Prime Minister Winston Churchill of England. I use the term agreed upon, because contrary to popular belief the agreement was never signed.”