On March 12, 1942, war came to the shores of Southport. Just three months after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the oil tanker, SS John D Gill was torpedoed by Nazi Submarine U-158, twenty-five miles east of the Cape Fear. She was on her second voyage, traveling from Atreco, Texas to Philadelphia, PA carrying 140,000 tons of crude oil. Her compliment was 42 crew members and a 7-member Navy gun crew. Of their number, 19 crew members and 4 USN Armed Guard were lost. 

The torpedo hit the ship in her cargo hull spewing millions of gallons of oil into the sea. Within minutes it caught fire and the ship was surrounded by flames. Only one lifeboat and one life raft escaped. Men were forced to jump into the sea and swim through burning oil to reach safety. 

Within a few hours a sister ship, the SS Robert H Colley, spotted the lifeboat. They took the rescued men with them to Charleston. The other burned and injured men spent the night on the life raft until they were rescued by a Coast Guard cutter.  Early on the morning of March 13th, 11 survivors and 16 casualties were brought to Southport.  

Members of the Southport community immediately jumped in to help. Drivers transported the wounded and the dead. Recently trained Red Cross nurses helped with the care of the survivors. Despite wartime rationing, collections were taken up to provide clothes, cigarettes, magazines and other essentials to the recovering men. The casualties were taken to Harrell’s mortuary on Moore St. Most were able to be sent home to their families for burial. One man in particular, Catalino Tingzon, could not be sent home. His homeland, the Philippines, was occupied by the Japanese. So, the citizens of Southport came together to provide a burial for him in Northwood cemetery where his gravesite was covered in flowers.  Jim Harper of the State Port Pilot wrote “before all this warring is through it may be a comfort to some mother in our own county to hope that our good deeds for other mother’s sons are in a measure being reciprocated in distant lands.”

In 1994, the Southport Historical Society erected a monument in Waterfront Park to commemorate Catalino Tingzon and the entire Merchant Marine and US Navy crew of the SS John D Gill. Three surviving crew members came to the ceremony and unveiled the monument. They later sent thank you notes expressing their gratitude to the people of Southport for their care and support in their time of need. 

As is stated on the monument, 

THE CITIZENS OF SOUTHPORT CARED FOR THE SURVIVORS AND

MOURNED FOR THOSE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES