Tragedy of the S.S. Miraflores
Able
Bodied Seaman Robert Bing
Robert Bing took the last job
opening on the ill-fated fruit freighter Miraflores. Tiring of his
routine job in New Orleans as a barrel maker, Robert joined the Merchant Marine
service. He and his brother-in-law applied for
jobs as an able-bodied seaman on the ship. There was only one position left and for whatever
reason his unlucky or lucky brother-in-law was turned away. Robert’s luck ended shortly after he signed on
for his first ocean voyage. On February
15, 1942, the Standard Fruit vessel S.S. Miraflores was lost without a
trace and Robert Bing was never seen again.
Robert Jr. (Bob) was four years
old when his father sailed off to work on the banana ship. Bob has few memories of his father. He remembers his young father’s smile as
related to him by his mom. His mother
Hazel was left alone to raise Bob and his four-month-old sister Elaine. She
would have to wait seven long years until Robert was declared legally deceased,
before she would be able to remarry to begin a new life. The mystery of the missing
ship went unanswered for Hazel. She married
twice after Robert’s disappearance and lived well into her seventies. Hazel confided in her son Bob that she often wondered
about the situation resulting in the loss of her first love. That unknown would consume Robert Bing Jr.’s
life. There was never any official report or notice
confirming the final demise of his lost father or the other 33 crewmembers on
the S.S. Miraflores. For the
families of the ship only rumors of her final fate. The stories ranged from an alleged Bermuda Triangle
disappearance, torpedo sinking to capture and imprisonment by the Japanese in
the Pacific. One of these theories would prove valid. Yet without concrete evidence, the mystery
would go on for 66 more years.
In 2007, I was nursing a back injury. In order to occupy my time, I began researching
a number of unidentified shipwrecks I had dived. One of the mystery wrecks was an offshore
shipwreck known as the Freighter. Nearly
fifteen years earlier with my friends John Moyer, Lynn DelCorio and Gary
Gentile, we had recovered a mechanical helm from the wreck. After the discovery of the site, I made
numerous dives there and had found no additional evidence which could help
identify the wreck. The obvious
artifacts that would conclusively identify the ship are hull letters, the bell,
builder’s plaque or a boiler plate. Despite dozens of dives none of these valued
artifacts were discovered and the position of the wreck left much speculation. Many other unique artifacts were unearthed on
the wreck. A broken piece of china with
no marks was picked up by Gary on the discovery trip. On one dive I recovered a large 2 by 3-foot
brass plaque laying in the sand. I was elated,
thinking that I had extracted the builder’s plaque. After cleaning off the detailed lettering I
was thwarted, when I realized this was an instruction plaque for transferring
fuel. A nice and unique artifact but no
name was listed nor any serial numbers which could identify the wreck. Numerous
portholes and assorted pieces of brass were also recovered over the years but
none revealed any notable information.
Only one artifact was recovered
that might link a name of this unknown freighter. That was the brass helm manufactured by John
Hastie and Sons. I began searching the internet further trying
to find if any records were kept by the helm manufacturer. John Hastie and Sons was no longer operating.
Glasgow University Archives in Scotland managed the records of the dissolved
manufacturer. After submitting a request
regarding the purchase of a helm with the serial number 2705, I received an
email from Glasgow which listed three ships whom had purchased helms with that
serial number. I eliminated two ships by
the circumstance of their demise and by the type of helm.
Only one ship fit the criteria of
the lost freighter…the S.S. Miraflores.
Further research credited the German U-432 with a claim of sinking a
freighter in the same area as the position of the S.S. Miraflores. This is a simple explanation of the numerous
hours of weighing voluminous facts.
Rather than rehashing previous accounts of this endeavor, I prefer to
move on to the latest development in the S.S. Miraflores story.
Bob Bing grew up without knowing the
events which led to the death of his father.
In the late 1950s, he made a trip
to the Federal Administration building in New Orleans. There he checked with the Coast Guard to find
out if there were any records or conclusions drawn about the loss of the
ship. The Navy and Coast Guard records
of the war for the Merchant Marine Service at that time still were not fully
updated. This was nearly 15 years after
the war. In fact, one record ascertained
Robert Bing was still on active duty.
This was soon dismissed when Bob and the officer on duty found that the
picture in his files was from the sinking story in the New Orleans Item newspaper.
The most conclusive fact in the face of this matter was that his mother still
had in her possession Robert Bing’s death certificate. After years of silence the Coast Guard finally
recognized Robert Bing for his service to our country. In 1991, Bob received an official report of
casualty from the U.S. Coast Guard and a certificate of Honorable Service. It was curious to note that within a year,
the wreck was also discovered and dived for the first time.
The casualty report states that:
“Veteran was a member of the crew
of the Freighter SS Miraflores,
Official Number 207820, owned and operated by the Standard Fruit and Steamship
Company of New Orleans, Louisiana.
Vessel was overdue and presumed lost due to enemy action on or about 17
February 1942. In addition, the cause of
death is presumed to have been in the performance of his duties.”
Years went by, Bob found little
more about the tragedy which left his mom heartbroken and he himself bewildered
by the lack of closure. Decades past and now Bob, his wife Annette,
daughter Ginger and son Matt would occasionally check the internet for any
updates or new information on the sinking of the ship labeled as “Lost without
a trace”.
In February 2013, the Bing family stumbled
upon Atlantic Divers website. Finally,
seventy-one years after the Miraflores’ disappearance Bob found the complete
story of the ship and the circumstances of his father’s death. In early March of 2013, I received a phone
call from Ginger Bing of Houston, Texas.
Ginger with her mother and father were planning on coming to New Jersey
to visit her brother Matt. She also suggested
that her father and mother would like to meet me and discuss how I had dived
and identified the wreck. I was honored
that they had considered this. I immediately
offered to show them the artifacts from the site and in a later discussion I
invited them to dinner at my house. There
we could relax and casually share and discuss the effect of the discovery
together. On April 17, the Bings
completed their journey. It was not just
a trip by plane, train and auto from Houston, Texas to New Jersey. It was the highlight of a life long journey
made by Bob Bing. A small four year old boy
who lost his father unexpectedly found a conclusion for his efforts at the age
of seventy-five. Bob was able to touch
the helm that steered his father on that mortal voyage. Bob had finished a lifelong task and paid
great homage to his father.
Robert Lloyd Bing was one of the
thousands of Merchant Marine heroes. We
should never forget the sacrifices these sailors made and make to insure our
freedom. Bob Bing honored his father by
tirelessly searching for the truth and circumstances leading to his father’s detriment. He and his family have finally found closure
and secured their pride knowing now that others also can appreciate his valor
by knowing Robert Bing’s story.