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Captain Leonard LaRue (January 14, 1914 – October 14, 2001), later known as "Brother Marinus", was the skipper of the SS Meredith Victory, a United States Merchant Marine cargo freighter that was involved in the largest humanitarian rescue operation by a single ship in human history. Under LaRue's leadership, the ship evacuated over 14,000 refugees to safety during the Hungnam evacuation, Korean War.
Early career
Leonard LaRue attended the Pennsylvania Nautical School, served aboard the Schoolship Annapolis, and graduated in 1934.
Rescue operation
Three days before Christmas in 1950, Captain LaRue's SS Meredith Victory was delivering military supplies to the besieged port of Hungnam in northeast Korea. Nearly 100,000 Korean refugees had gathered, hoping to board ships evacuating United Nations Command soldiers, arms, and supplies to safety in the southern port of Pusan.
With the SS Meredith Victory as one of the last remaining ships, over 14,000 refugees remained. LaRue made the decision to unload nearly all of the arms and supplies on the ship in order to board as many refugees as possible.
Only hours away from advancing Chinese and North Korean communist forces, LaRue ordered the ship to be converted to hold the refugees and was able to evacuate the refugees out of Hungnam.
On December 23, the Meredith Victory sailed south with no mine detection equipment, no doctor, no interpreter, no lighting in the holds, no heat, and no sanitation facilities. The ship's only gun was the pistol in Captain LaRue's pocket. The ship arrived in Pusan on Christmas Eve before heading to its final destination, Geoje Island.
After the war
After the war, LaRue entered St. Paul's Abbey near Newton, New Jersey to live out his days as a Benedictine monk. He committed his days to the tradition of ora et labora—prayer and work—and was given the religious name "Brother Marinus". On March 25, 2019, Bishop Arthur Serratelli, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson opened the canonization cause for Captain LaRue, known as Brother Marinus, OSB.
Awards and decorations
- Gold Star Eulji - Order of Military Merit (1955)
- Presidential Citation (1958)
- Merchant Marine Meritorious Service Medal (1960)
See also
References
- Goldstein, Richard (October 20, 2001). "Leonard LaRue, Rescuer in the Korean War, Dies at 87". Retrieved June 18, 2021 – via NYTimes.com.
The United States Maritime Administration called his feat "the greatest rescue by a single ship in the annals of the sea."
- "Largest evacuation from land by a single ship". Guinness World Records. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- Forney, Ned (July 23, 2018). "Guided By God's Own Hand: Captain Leonard LaRue And The Meredith Victory". Retrieved June 18, 2021.
SS Meredith Victory's Guinness World Record. (Photo credit: Ned Forney) Certificate The SS Meredith Victory performed the greatest rescue operation ever by a single ship by evacuating 14,000 refugees from Hungnam, North Korea in December 1950 Keeper of the Records. GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS LTD
- Pennsylvania Nautical School Collection. 2016. Finding Aid.
- The Helm. Philadelphia, PA: Pennsylvania Nautical School. 1934. p. 28.
- "Leonard LaRue, 87; His Small Ship Rescued 14,000 Refugees". Los Angeles Times. October 22, 2001.
- Goldblatt, Jennifer (January 11, 2004). "A Tale of Salvation" – via NYTimes.com.
- "Bishop of Paterson, New Jersey (USA) Opens Sainthod Cause of Brother Marinus LaRue OSB". osb.org. 2019.
- 華府(화부)서乙支勳章授與(을지훈장수여) 興南撤收(흥남철수)에有功船長(유공선장)
- 6·25 한국전쟁과 흥남철수작전의 메시지: 생명의 항해
- Heroic Mariner-Monk Sails for Sainthood: Servant of God Marinus LaRue