S.S. McKeesport, Merchant Marines saluted in ceremony

By JEFF STITT
jstitt@yourmvi.com
Two Merchant Marines from World War II shed tears and said thanks Monday as the City of McKeesport held a memorial commemorating a ship named after the city — the S.S. McKeesport.
A German submarine fired a torpedo 76 years ago that sank the Merchant Marine steamship, which was carrying 68 men and was credited with bringing aid to millions of people during World War II and its lifetime at sea.
Just before 5:30 a.m. on April 29, 1943, the S.S. McKeesport, commanded by Capt. Oscar John Lohr, sank approximately 500 miles off the coast of Newfoundland.
On Monday, as they have done each year since the early 1990s, City of McKeesport officials, S.S. McKeesport Committee members, veterans and residents came together to pay homage to the ship and the service of the Merchant Marines who served aboard it.