Garlan Carlton and the Leopoldville
Garlan was born in 1925 and joined the United States Army at Fort McPherson in Atlanta, GA on March 13, 1944. At the time of enlistment he was resident of Stockton, Baldwin County, AL. He enlisted as a private first class in the 262nd Infantry of the 66th Division, with a grammar school education and no dependents. Garlan was serviing in the US Army on the SS Leopoldville when it sank on Devember 24, 1944.
(Genealogy information on Garlan Carlton)
The story of the SS Leopoldville is a tragedy that is compounded by the secrecy surrounding its end. Not many of us today know this story; indeed not many during the era knew the story. Yet, nearly 800 America soldiers died that dismal Christmas Eve in the English Channel. What happened - and why secrecy?
The Leopoldville was Belgian luxury liner converted to a troop transport
in a time which demanded all to contributed to the just cause of halting
the spread of Nazism. Crossing the English Channel with nearly 2500 troops
aboard, the Leopoldville met her fate at 5:45 am, when a Nazi torpedo
found her target 
with
deadly accuracy. Just six miles from Cherbourg, France, those in charge
must surely have been somewhat surprised. The torpedo hit was stategic,
causing the collapse of the two lowest decks. The British Commander in
charge had ordered the anchors lowered to prevent the ship drifing into
minefields in the harbor.
The HMS Brilliant, a British destroyer, came to the rescue as best it could, pulling allongside and encouraging men to jump to safetly on its decks. The men of the 66th Division did not panic. Instead, they followed military protocol to the letter, showing discipline and courage. Even greater tragedy is found in the addtional facts that these soldiers were never privy to lifeboat or other life-saving drills and their Belgian crew abandoned ship in half-full lifeboats. With no crew, the anchors could not be raised and the ship could not be towed. Some time around 8:30 am, the ship sank. Other contributing factors in the tragedy were delays in requests for help, heavy seas, freezing waters, and minial staff on duty at the American base in Cherbourg due to the holiday. Among those lost were men from 47 of the 48 states and three sets of brothers.
The sinking was not reported to the news media and survivors were told to remain silent. Families of those lost were told their loved ones were missing or killed in action. Later, when the war was over, the incident was classified as "secret" and the families were never given the details. Finally, in 1996, the British declassified the documentation pertaining to this disaster.
Garlan Carlton lost his life that day, as a result he is a Purple Heart Medal Recipient. History records that two of the fallen were awared Purple Hearts because they died trying to rescue their fellow soldiers. Garlan was one of those two.
Today, a monument in recognition of those who died stands on the grounds of Fort Benning, near Columbus, Georgia. The placement of this monument was the culmination of the effor of Vincent Codianni, a Leopoldville survivor. The monument was dedicated on November 7, 1997.
Veterans Memorial Park in Titusville, Florida, erected a memorial in 2005. The author Clive Cussler dedicated his book "Cyclops" to the lost; he also found the wreck in 1984. The National Geographic Channel aired a special in 2009 that recreated the incident.
Books on the disaster:
1) A Night Before Christmas, by Jacquin Sanders
2) SS Leopoldville Disaster, by Allan Anrade
For more information:
1) uboat.net
Sources:
2) Skylighters
Garlon Carlton
Garlon Carlton was born in 1925 in Alabama. His parents were T F and Pricilla Carlton, both born in Alabama. Garlan had two older brothers and one older sister: James F (1917), Lloyd (1918), and Beatrice (1924). He also had a younger sister, Juanita (1927). T F held a position as a foreman at a Naval store in Stapleton, AL. (Source: 1930 United States Census of Stapleton, Baldwin County, Alabama, Sheet number 4A, Enumeration District number 2-7.