The Mathews Men

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Mathews County, Virginia, a remote outpost on the Chesapeake Bay, contributed an unusually high number of sea captains to World War II. This narrative unfolds through the experiences of one remarkable family whose seven sons, all U.S. merchant mariners, faced the imminent threat of U-boats in 1942. From the late 1930s to 1945, merchant ships carried essential supplies for the Allies, as the Navy was initially unprepared to protect them after Pearl Harbor. These unarmed vessels became prime targets for U-boats, with Hitler aiming to sink as many American ships as possible to instill fear among mariners. As the war progressed, men from Mathews sailed across the North and South Atlantic, the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean, and even the icy Barents Sea, confronting perilous conditions like the Murmansk Run. Their harrowing journeys included encounters with torpedo explosions, flaming oil slicks, storms, shark attacks, mine blasts, and desperate lifeboat escapes. Many faced tragic fates, while others returned to sea, ready to ship out again after surviving the horrors of war.